TMS Muse of the Week: Molly Ringwald

(Newscom)

In late summer 1982, comedy writer John Hughes was in the midst of leaving National Lampoon to make movies in Hollywood. He had one flop, Michael Miller’s Class Reunion (1982), and two future hits, Stan Dragoti’s Mr. Mom (1983) and Harold Ramis’ Vacation (1983), to start his screenwriting resume. Mr. Mom was actually supposed to be John’s first directing gig as well, but when 20th Century Fox got wind he had no idea how a film set operated, they handed the picture over to Stan instead. With some extra time on his hands, John took to the typewriter again after coming across a portfolio headshot of child actress Molly Ringwald. She was 14 and had just appeared in Paul Mazursky’s Tempest (1982) and previously had a regular role on the first season of NBC’s “The Facts of Life” (1979-1980). The redhead looked like your average kid, more akin to Jodie Foster or Tatum O’Neal, rather than Brooke Shields. This was exactly what inspired John to write a screenplay on an ordinary teenage girl surrounded by crazy relatives, dweebs and her school crush: Sixteen Candles (1984).

Renowned for his ability to write a script in only 1-2 days, John had an official draft ready in mid-1983, when Universal Studios would be open to allowing a screenwriter without any directing experience to work behind the camera. Molly was cast as the protagonist, Samantha, while another John Hughes collaborator, Anthony Michael Hall co-starred as the school geek Farmer Ted, and male model Michael Schoeffling appeared as teen hunk Jake Ryan. The coming of age comedy was an instant hit with young viewers, and even most critics, catapulting John, Molly and AMH to stardom. For the first time since the 1950s, teen idols were about to exist on the big screen, and all because of this trio. In between Mr. Mom and Sixteen Candles, John also wrote another teen movie, this time an ensemble, called The Breakfast Club (1985). Molly and Michael were naturally back, along with Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy to round out the students stuck in detention on a Saturday. The film was yet another hit for the now press coined ‘Brat Pack’ and continued their growing popularity in US culture. But right when things were just beginning, John’s creative period with both Molly and Michael would come to an end only a year later.

Seven months following The Breakfast Club, Michael starred in John’s sci-fi farce Weird Science (1985) and another six months later Molly was the lead in Howard Deutch’s Pretty in Pink (1986), which was written and produced by John. Though the two movies were just as successful as their predecessors, Michael and Molly were in their late teens and wanted to branch out into other genres with other filmmakers. Known for his sensitivity as much as his talent, John unfortunately took the distance personally and refused to work with either of them again. While the writer-director would carry into the next decade with the classics Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Howard Deutch’s Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) and Chris Columbus’ Home Alone (1990); neither Molly nor Michael hit the same highs as adults that they did working with John. Michael revamped his image and played the villain in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990), was the star of USA Network’s “The Dead Zone” (2002-2007), and had parts in Billy Crystal’s 61* (2001) and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008). Most notably, he channeled his inner geek a decade later to portray Bill Gates in Martyn Burke’s Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999).

Molly seemed to be hit with bad luck while transitioning to a more grown-up film career, losing the female leads in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), Jerry Zucker’s Ghost (1990) and Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman (1990), all of which are now iconic. She tried French cinema for a bit after moving to Paris in the early 1990s, but eventually made it back to Hollywood. Though she got some artsy/indie cred for acting in Jean-Luc Godard’s King Lear (1987) and George Hickenlooper’s short Some Call It a Sling Blade (1994) [the basis for Billy Bob Thornton’s Sling Blade (1996)]; Molly eventually found her footing on TV. Fans got to see her in supporting roles on ABC’s “The Stand” (1994), ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” (2008-2013), The CW’s “Riverdale” (2017-2023) and Netflix’s “Dahmer” (2022). Ironically, and unsurprisingly, the biggest teen star in America went from playing high schoolers to playing moms of school kids. Most don’t know Molly is also equally trained in singing and has been performing live jazz concerts just as long as she’s been acting; and she’s written two books, including her 2010 memoir Getting the Pretty Back. As for her personal life, Molly and Michael actually dated in between filming Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, and she was in relationships with musicians Dweezil Zappa and Beastie Boy Ad-rock [Adam Horovitz] in the late 1980s.

(Universal Pictures)

Although, I think Molly’s biggest impact is really paving the way for young actresses of her kind, like Winona Ryder, Alicia Silverstone, Claire Danes and Reese Witherspoon in the ‘90s. Similar to Shirley Temple and Hayley Mills being child superstars of their generations, Molly was the teen idol of hers. There was someone who had the presence and appeal for high schoolers in the ‘80s. John Hughes sadly died of a heart attack at only 59 years old in 2009, but the memories and condolences from family, friends, colleagues and fans prove just how impactful and lasting his mark was. The biggest shame, besides his premature passing, was that the tension between John, Molly and Michael was never fully resolved. At the time of his death, both actors had nothing but good stories to share. But Molly now admits that once she became a mother, she started becoming uncomfortable with some of the dated aspects of her work with John. She couldn’t understand how someone so smart and supportive could have a blind side when it came to consent and political correctness.

Sixteen Candles is one of my favorite movies and was one of the movies that first clued me into the ‘director’s eye’ of filmmaking when I was 13 years old. But I do agree with Molly, some of the gags and scenes are a little awkward in a modern context. The funny thing is, while Ferris Bueller’s and PT&A are now considered John’s masterpieces, 16 Candles actually received the best reviews of his teen flicks back then. Even now, the movie still maintains an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. I think it’s because—beyond the crude jokes—the film, along with John’s other teen movies, has a genuine knack for showcasing authentic teenage behavior. And it’s not just because of good screenwriting and filmmaking, but because of the real youths he directed to their highest potential, most effectively Molly.