Show notes
This week on Every Rom Com we’re diving deep on the first of the John Hughes teen rom coms, “Sixteen Candles”! We’ll discuss the cultural associations with turning sixteen, as well as the enduring charm of Molly Ringwald, and how Jake Ryan became one of the most memorable and desirable cinematic love interests. We’ll also dig into several ways this movie hasn’t aged well, from sexual harassment and rape culture, to the complex layers of Gedde Watanabe’s portrayal of the foreign exchange student, Long Duk Dong. This is our longest episode yet, but don’t miss this in-depth episode on a high school movie that helped define an entire genre! Visit us here: https://www.everyromcom.com/ Help us out here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/everyromcom You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation, by Susannah Gorahttps://www.slashfilm.com/800505/15-candles-selena-gomez-gabriela-revilla-lugo-and-tanya-saracho-developing-john-hughes-remix-series/ https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/john-hughes-in-memory More Information On John Hughes:https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/movies/08appraisal.html https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/opinion/12ringwald.html?searchResultPosition=1 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/movies/07hughesobit.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Hughes-American-film-director More Information On Molly Ringwald:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-08-tv-55079-story.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/24/i-was-projected-as-the-sweet-american-girl-next-door-it-wasnt-me-molly-ringwald-bites-back https://iammollyringwald.com/acting Gedde Watanabe’s YouTube show, “The Disappointments”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntB93GM4fJQ&list=PLLKvJ_deH9k5gR0xwDSgtY7bu867nt-ja&index=4 Gedde Watanabe on “Sesame Street”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UeMi5r3lp4More Information On Michael Schoeffling:https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/stars-who-left-hollywood-behind-through-the-years/ The First Reference I Could Find To The Phrase “Sweet Sixteen”:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_You_Were_Sweet_Sixteen#:~:text=%22When%20You%20Were%20Sweet%20Sixteen,a%20hit%20song%20in%20vaudeville.Interesting 1978 Article On “Sweet Sixteen” Parties:https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/04/archives/sweet-sixteen-a-rite-that-persists-the-party-originated-as-a-way-of.html Critiques Of Long Duk Dong:https://www.vulture.com/2014/05/gedde-watanabe-long-duk-dong-sixteen-candles-interview.htmhttps://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/06/384307677/whats-so-cringe-worthy-about-long-duk-dong-in-sixteen-candles l https://legacy.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2008/mar/in_character/donger_1.html Gedde Watanabe On Long Duk Dong:https://ktla.com/video/gedde-watanabe-shares-how-it-feels-to-have-more-asian-representation-in-hollywood/7448731/ Brat Pack America by Kevin Smokler, Rare Bird Books, 2016 Info On Scene With Dad: https://decider.com/2022/12/31/molly-ringwalds-sixteen-candles-dad-says-he-changed-one-particularly-perverted-line/ Molly Ringwald’s Fantastic Article On Viewing Her John Hughes Films In The #MeToo Era: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink Info On Hughes And Music From CD Collection: Life Moves Pretty Fast. The John Hughes Mixtapes.
