Ah The Breakfast Club. The tale of a group of high school kids forced to face each other and themselves in detention one fateful Saturday morning. Unlike many of its contemporaries (and let’s be honest it’s stars) The Breakfast Club has aged well over its 30 years.
So squeeze on that leather glove and let’s punch the air defiantly as we celebrate its birthday with some ‘Did You Know’ facts.
Allison’s dandruff, which she sprinkles to “make it snow,” was made of Parmesan cheese.
Both Billy Idol (pictured, like a boss) and Bryan Ferry turned down offers to record the theme song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)". The song was also offered to Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders who declined, but did suggest they offer it to the band fronted by her then husband, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds. Phew!
Brian Johnson is dropped off at the beginning of the movie by his real mother and sister. The license plate on Brian's mum's car is EMC 2 (E = MC squared - Einstein's theory of relativity - a nod to Brian being "The Brain"). The license plate on Andrew's fathers's car (pictured, top) is OHIOST (Ohio State. A nod to Andrew being The Athlete").
At the end of the film Brian is picked up by his father, played by John Hughes (pictured, bottom), the movie’s director.
Like a number of other Hughes films, including Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and National Lampoon’s Vacation, the film is set in the fictional Chicago suburb of Shermer, Illinois.
The film’s gut-wrenching heart-to-heart, where all five kids spill deep, dark secrets, was ad-libbed.
Rick Moranis was originally cast as the janitor, but was replaced due to "creative differences" (he wanted to play the part as an over-the-top Russian stereotype). The role was ultimately played by John Kapelos.
Written in two days, John Hughes filmed The Breakfast Club completely in sequence after having the actors rehearse the movie several times, as if it was a play. The last shot of the film, of Bender walking away, was the last thing shot on the last day.
