Pretty in Pink celebrates 30 years, having been released on this day in 1986, and it proves as timeless today as it did three decades ago. Pretty in Pink still speaks to us, young and old, because there will always be that outcast desperately trying to fit in, buried deep down within each of us.
What else is it about Pretty in Pink that gives it the strength to stand the test of time. Maybe it’s those little things, bits of trivia that make the film so memorable.
Did You Know? Pretty In Pink Factoids
Molly Ringwald made the role of Andie Walsh iconic, and why not? John Hughes specifically wrote the role for Molly, as they each rode the recent success of Sixteen Candles , and Ringwald says she was determined to take on the Pretty in Pink role, too. There was just one problem: the studio had already eyed Flashdance star Jennifer Beals for the part. Thankfully, the Hughes/Ringwald team won out.
Pretty in Pink director Howard Deutch once confessed that he played with his stars’ emotions to get their performances seeming as real as possible.
“I would tell Andrew McCarthy that Molly really had this crush on him, which was true, and Molly that Andrew had this big crush on her, which wasn’t true,” admitted the Pretty in Pink director . “It worked.”
There was an alternate ending for Pretty in Pink, and, yes, Duckie gets the girl. In this alternate version, Blane dumps Andie, falling to pressure from his friends, and leaves his prom date to pick up the pieces. Always the fighter, Andie picks herself up and reunites with Jon Cryer’s Duckie. Braving the prom in an “us against the world” mentality, Andie and Duckie dominate the dance floor, as they dance to David Bowie’s “Heroes.”
Pink On The Brain: More Trivia For Molly Ringwald Fans
Remember that nameless blonde (played by Kristy Swanson), who puts the moves on the Duck at the end of Pretty in Pink ? Turns out she wasn’t quite so nameless, after all. The film’s credits list her as Duckette.
A sad fact. Actress Alexa Kenin, who plays Andie’s workout partner, didn’t live to see Pretty in Pink ‘s premiere. In fact, her death still remains a mystery to this day. The Pretty in Pink actress was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on September 20, 1985 , though the cause was never officially determined. Even Kenin’s obituary stated “the cause of death was not immediately known.”
Pretty in Pink was the last John Hughes picture to star Molly Ringwald, but there might have been one more. After Pretty in Pink , Hughes crafted a script entitled Oil and Vinegar , which was to star Ringwald and Matthew Broderick. The pair were to spend a day in a motel room, swapping stories on life and love, something similar to The Breakfast Club . Rumors suggest that the Oil and Vinegar script was outstanding and may have created yet another John Hughes hit, if it had ever been made.
Molly Ringwald hated the prom dress. In the film, Andie mutilates two dresses to create a design uniquely her own, which is exactly what Pretty in Pink costune designer Marilyn Vance did, but Molly was not at all impressed.
“Poor John Hughes — Molly’s in her trailer with her tutor, she hates the dress and he’s whining to me, ‘You can’t make her do that, she hates it.’ I said, ‘Andie is not going to wear like, a Madonna dress. And she’s not going to dress like the other kids, she’s an individual. She’s pulling clothes apart and making her own style.’ And John decided, ‘Okay, that’s it, Molly is going to wear it.’ ”
Finally, James Spader’s audition went so well that it almost cost him the role. The actor is so good at playing the creepy bad guy that Pretty in Pink producers took an instant disliking to him. It didn’t help that he tossed his cigarette on the floor and stomped it out right in front of them, before walking out of the audition.
[Image by Paramount Pictures]