What the Hell Happened to Molly Ringwald?

Molly Ringwald defined a specific period in pop culture history.  She didn’t win a lot of awards or work with a lot of legendary directors and co-stars.  But Ringwald’s cultural impact was far greater than her filmography would suggest.  If you were in high school in the early-to-mid eighties, Molly Ringwald was IT.  There was Ringwald and there was everyone else.

But just a few short years after appearing on the cover of Time Magazine, the moment passed.  Ringwald went from IT-girl to has-been practically overnight.

What the hell happened?

ringwald - annie

Ringwald started acting on stage at age 5.  She played the Dormouse in a production of Alice in Wonderland.  The next year, she recorded an album with her jazz musician father and his band, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.

At age 10, Ringwald was cast in the West Coast Production of Annie in 1978.  You might expect that the red-headed actress would have played the title role.  But no, Ringwald was Orphan #5.

ringwald - diffrent strokes

A casting director spotted Ringwald in Annie which lead to roles on TV.  The show, Diff’rent Strokes, was a ratings-winner for the hit-starved NBC.  They ordered a spin-off centered around Charlotte Rae’s character, Edna Garrett.

ringwald - facts of life

The show was The Facts of Life.  The first season, which ran from 1979-1980, featured a much larger cast of students.  After appearing in Diff’rent Strokes, Ringwald made the cut for the first season of The Facts of Life.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue1txJONRdU]

But the first season was not a ratings success.  So the show was retooled around a smaller cast.  Ringwald was among the students who did not return for the second season.

In 1980, Ringwald recorded songs for two Disney albums.  She sang on the patriotic Yankee Doodle Mickey as well as a Christmas album.

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In 1982, Ringwald appeared in her first motion picture, Paul Mazursky’s modern-day take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Ringwald played John Cassavetes’ teenage daughter.  When her parents separate, they leave New York for Greece where her father begins an affair with Susan Sarandon.  Raúl Juliá also appears as an eccentric hermit living on the island.

Reviews for The Tempest were mixed and the movie was not a success at the box office.  But Ringwald was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Female.  She lost to Sandahl Bergman who was nominated for Conan the Barbarian.

ringwald - spacehunter

In 1983, Ringwald appeared in the Avatar of it’s day, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 3-D.

In the early 80’s, there was a brief 3-D revival.  Spacehunter was billed as “the first quality 3-D film backed by a major studio”.  Peter Strauss played a Han Solo wannabe hired to save women from the villain, Overdog, played by Michael Ironsides.

Of course the reviews were bad.  It’s a cheesy 80’s sci-fi flick in 3-D.  Spacehunter barely broke even at the box office so audiences were spared any further adventures in the Forbidden Zone or anywhere else for that matter.

Ringwald also appeared in the fish-out-of-water comedy, Packin’ It In.   Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss played an LA couple who decide to move away from the big city to Oregon.  Ringwald played their punk-obsessed daughter.

ringwald - sixteen candles

In 1984, Ringwald put science fiction and 3-D behind her with the movie that would define her career, John Hughes’ directorial debut, Sixteen Candles.

Ringwald played a girl whose parents forget her sweet sixteenth birthday.  Michael Schoeffling played her senior crush.  Anthony Michael Hall played a nerdy kid who tries to get her attention.  John and Joan Cusack appear in supporting roles

If we’re going to discuss Ringwald, we have to also discuss the man behind her rise to fame, John Hughes.  Hughes was a gag writer who came to write for the comedy magazine, National Lampoon.  After the success of National Lampoon’s Animal House, Hughes found work writing for the TV spin-off, Delta House.

Although the TV show didn’t last long, Hughes continued to work as a screen-writer.  After writing scripts for Mr. Mom and National Lampoon’s Vacation (both in 1983), Hughes was ready for his chance to direct.

Hughes asked for headshots of young actresses.  Ringwald’s picture was among those Hughes reviewed.  He put Ringwald’s picture over his writing desk for inspiration and wrote Sixteen Candles in one weekend specifically for Ringwald.

Although Sixteen Candles was written specifically for her, Ringwald wasn’t offered the part right away.  Ally Sheedy and Laura Dern also auditioned.  In fact, Sheedy was very nearly cast in the role instead.

Molly Ringwald - Sixteen Candles - 1984
Molly Ringwald – Sixteen Candles – 1984

At first, Ringwald didn’t get along with Anthony Michael Hall.  So Hughes took them to a record store where they bonded over their shared love of music.  Ringwald and Hall were both 15 when the movie was being filmed.  Schoeffling, who was supposed to be a senior in high school, was actually 23!  Schoeffling almost lost the role of high school hunk to the future lord of the rings, Viggo Mortensen.  According to Ringwald:

“It was between two men… It was Michael Schoeffling, who ended up being cast, and Viggo Mortensen.  I was 15 years old, and I flew to New York to read with everyone. It got to the (final) Jake Ryan shot, and we had the kissing scene. And Michael Schoeffling did not kiss me during the audition — Viggo Mortensen did.”

Sixteen Candles received mostly positive reviews.  It was a modest hit at the box office.  It opened in second place behind the break-dancing classic, Breakin’.  It went on to gross over $20 million dollars making it the 44th highest grossing movie of 1984.  But more important than that, it was the start of something big.  And Ringwald was at the center of it.

ringwald - surviving

In 1985, Ringwald starred opposite Zach Galligan (the guy from Gremlins) in the TV movie, Surviving: A Family in Crisis.

In the days before cable, we used to watch a lot of these TV movies of the week.  There wasn’t much of anything else on.  I sure as hell remember this teenage melodrama!

Ringwald and the Gremlins guy played a modern-day Romeo and Juliet who commit suicide by inhaling exhaust fumes.  The movie focuses on the surviving family members and how they deal with the tragedy.  It was heavy stuff.

You can tell because of the sad piano music.  I am all for open discourse about issues.  But the promo actually says “watching it may be the most important thing you and your family can do.”  Wow.  That’s laying it on a bit thick, doncha think?  I mean, it is a TV movie starring the dude from Gremlins.

The cast included Ellen Burstyn, Marsha Mason, Paul Sorvino, River Phoenix and Heather O’Rourke from the Poltergeist movies.

ringwald - the breakfast club

Five days later, Ringwald was back on the big screen in another John Hughes coming-of-age classic, The Breakfast Club.

The Breakfast Club was about five high school students from different social groups who bond during detention.  Ringwald played the rich, popular girl.  Judd Nelson played the juvenile delinquent.  Ally Sheedy played the weird outsider and Anthony Michael Hall played the nerd.  Emilio Estevez played the jock.  Despite their differences, the teens come to realize that they have a lot in common.

The Breakfast Club was some deep shit when you were a teen.

The cast went through a few changes.  Originally, Ringwald was offered the role of outsider, Allison.  She was upset because she really wanted to play the snooty Claire.  Estevez was originally cast as Bender, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks.  But Hughes was having trouble finding someone to play the part of John the jock.  So Hughes had him switch roles.  Hughes wanted Nicolas Cage to play Bender, but he asked for too much money.  Next, Hughes cast John Cusack in the role.  But he later changed his mind.  Thinking that Cusack didn’t look intimidating enough, Hughes replaced him with Nelson.  Rick Moranis was cast as the janitor, but he left over creative differences with Hughes.

The cast rehearsed the movie several times like a play.  It was shot sequentially and several scenes were improvised.  The scene in which the kids reveal their reasons for being sent to detention was completely unscripted.

Molly Ringwald - The Breakfast Club - 1985
Molly Ringwald – The Breakfast Club – 1985

Hughes nearly fired Nelson for giving Ringwald a hard time off camera.  But the cast convinced Hughes that Nelson was a really talented actor and that he was just trying to stay in character.  According to Ringwald:

“I think Judd was doing the method actor thing during rehearsals. He was wearing Bender’s clothes and trying to annoy me. I was fine but John Hughes was very protective of me. We ended up having a powwow, led by Ally. I remember her telling me, “We have to get him focused. Like a laser!” I think a bunch of us including myself called John and asked him to reconsider. I am thankful he did.”

Hughes was very protective of his star.  Originally, Ringwald’s character was supposed to do the famous dance scene by herself.  But Ringwald was uncomfortable with the idea.  “I hated it — so John made everyone dance.”

Ringwald and Hall were the only teenagers in the cast.  As such, they were limited to four-hour work days.  When the four hours was up, Hughes would shoot with the rest of the cast and use stand-ins for Ringwald and Hall.  The two actors who didn’t get along at first became a couple towards the end of filming The Breakfast Club.

Ringwald described improving a scene that pleased Hughes less than her mother:

When I did the smoking doobage scene “I’m so popular, everyone loves me at this school,” it was basically all improvised and John just let the camera roll for twenty minutes. He was so psyched with everything he got that he dragged my mother into the room where they were showing rushes so she could see how brilliant her daughter was. Of course, my mom was horrified.

What Hughes started with Sixteen Candles, he built upon with The Breakfast Club.  Hughes made movies about teens that teens could relate to.  At the time, teen movies were expected to be raunchy comedies in the Porky’s mold.  The studio pressured Hughes to add nudity in order to make the film more like Porky’s.  But Hughes resisted and the result was a new kind of teen movie.

Critics were divided on The Breakfast Club.  No seriously, they were.  I know, you’re looking at Rotten Tomatoes where the movie is certified “fresh”.  But go back and read the original reviews from when the movie was released.  For every positive review from someone like Roger Ebert, there’s a critic who was put off by the movie’s teen angst stereotypes like Janey Maslin.  Over time, the movie has become a beloved classic.  But when it was actually released, The Breakfast Club received mixed reviews.

It was however a hit at the box office.  The Breakfast Club opened in third place behind Beverly Hills Cop and Witness.  Third place may not seem great, but the movie was reported to cost about a million dollars and it grossed five times that in its first weekend.  It went on to gross $45 million dollars during its domestic run making it an extremely profitable movie.

Brat Pack New York Magazine

Later that year, New York Magazine ran an article titled Hollywood’s Brat Pack.  The author, David Blum, was planning to write and article about Emilio Estevez.  Estevez invited the writer to hang out with him, Judd Nelson and Rob Lowe one night at the Hard Rock Cafe.  After watching the young actors party, Blum decided to change the focus of his article from Estevez to the entire group of young actors.  He coined the term Brat Pack as a derogatory comparison to the Rat Pack of the 60s.

The tone of the article was sneering.  Blum lingered on embarrassing details like Nelson dancing by himself or the lengths Estevez would go to in order to avoid paying for a ticket to see Ladyhawke.  He gripes that the young actors have not studied their craft and points out that none of the core members of the Brat Pack graduated from college.  The article portrays them all as privileged and oblivious.  In short, it sounds like an old person complaining about “kids these days”.

When the article was released, it sent a shockwave through the group.  Blum was jealous of the young actors and sought to punish them for their carefree lifestyle.  The article and the Brat Pack label attached a stigma to the young Hollywood actors.  Previously, they had been viewed as talented performers who would go on to have long careers.  But after Blum’s article, they were viewed as a bunch of frat boys.  According to Nelson:

“The writer portrayed us as bad people, and we weren’t. We just liked to have fun and I guess that’s not allowed.”

The impact wasn’t just professional.  It also fractured the group’s social dynamic.  According to Sheedy, “The article just destroyed it. I had felt truly a part of something, and that guy just blew it to pieces.”

Even Blum came to regret coining the term Brat Pack.  In 2010, he admitted that he shouldn’t have written the article.

ringwald - time cover

In 1986, Ringwald was huge!  She was so big, she was on the cover of Time Magazine.  Ringwald later recalled the cover:

“I had just turned 18. The cover I was really excited about was Seventeen magazine. To me, it was much bigger than Time. Seventeen was where I wanted to be.”

ringwald - pretty in pink

That year, Ringwald appeared in her final coming-of-age film with Hughes, Pretty in Pink.

Ringwald starred opposite Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer in a classic teenage love triangle.  Cryer’s role was originally intended for fellow Brat Pack member, Anthony Michael Hall.  But Hall turned down the role of Ducky out of fear her had been typecast as a geek.

Once again, Hughes wrote the movie with Ringwald in mind for the lead.  Ringwald, however, was reluctant to make yet another coming of age movie.  Tatum O’Neal, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jodie Foster, Jennifer Beals and Brooke Shields were considered as for the lead role.  But Ringwald eventually agreed to star in Pretty in Pink when she saw how much trouble Hughes had finding a replacement.

The original script ended with Ringwald and Cryer ending up together.  Audiences at test screenings disapproved, so the ending was re-shot with Ringwald ending up with McCarthy’s character instead.  As it turns out, McCarthy had lost a lot of weight and shaved his head for his next movie.  So he had to wear a wig to film the new ending.  He is still noticeably thinner at the end of the movie.

Pretty in Pink completed a kind of trilogy for Ringwald and Hughes.  Like the previous two films, it received good reviews and was a hit at the box office.

Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick were the biggest stars in John Hughes’ stable. Although they never appeared in a movie together, they did appear on screen in 2010 at an Oscars tribute to the late director.

Hughes and Ringwald intended to continue collaborating.  Hughes had hoped to unite his biggest stars, Ringwald and Matthew Broderick, in a film called Oil and Water.  But the timing for that project never worked out.

Hughes wanted Ringwald to star in Some Kind of Wonderful, but Ringwald refused stating that it felt too much like the movies she had already made with Hughes.  That is a common criticism of Some Kind of Wonderful which is frequently compared to Pretty in Pink.

Hughes and Ringwald eventually had a falling out possibly because Ringwald turned down Some Kind of Wonderful.  Ringwald said she was ready to graduate from the high school roles which had defined her.  And she couldn’t do that working with the king of teen coming of age movies, Hughes.

Hughes took the rejection personally and the two didn’t speak for 20 years.  Fortunately, they reconciled before Hughes’ death in 2009.  Ringwald has done several tributes to Hughes and given him credit for her success.

Molly Ringawld - Tall Tales and Legends - 1986
Molly Ringawld – Tall Tales and Legends – 1986

Later that year, Ringwald appeared in an episode of the Showtime original series, Tall Tales and Legends.  The series reenacted American folklore.  Ringwald appeared opposite Martin Short who played Johnny Appleseed.

Molly Ringwald - Lily Dale - 1986
Molly Ringwald – Lily Dale – 1986

Ringwald began appearing on stage again in Horton Foote’s off-Broadway play, Lily Dale.  She won a Theatre World Award for her performance.

ringwald - the pick up artist

In 1987, Ringwald attempted to graduate from the Brat Pack opposite Robert Downey Jr. in James Toback’s romantic comedy, The Pick-Up Artist.

Downey played the titular pick-up artist who meets his match.  Ringwald played said match who has heard all of his lines and isn’t falling for them.  Well, I mean, of course she falls for them.  There wouldn’t be a movie if she didn’t.  But unlike all the other girls, she holds out long enough to find true love.

Downey was considered for the role of Ducky in Pretty in Pink after Anthony Michael Hall turned it down.  Ringwald suggested that if Downey had been cast, the ending might not have been reshot.  She felt that she had real chemistry with Downey but more of a brother-sister vibe with Jon Cryer.

Downey described making The Pick-Up Artist:

Everyone thought The Pick-Up Artist must have had heavy sex scenes that were cut. Molly and I only kissed once in the movie. Well, actually, we kissed like forty times for the one scene. That was because Warren Beatty was helping Toback. Beatty’s really knowledgeable in a lot of areas, especially fucking. Especially kissing and making actors do something forty times.

The Pick-Up Artist attempted to move Ringwald and Downey into more mature roles.  But their fans were reluctant to follow them outside of John Hughes territory.  Reviews were mixed and the movie was a disappointment at the box office.  It was out-performed by Some Kind of Wonderful which had to hurt.

ringwald - king lear

Later that year, Ringwald appeared opposite Peter Sellars, Burgess Meredith and Woody Allen in Jean-Luc Godard’s adaptation of King Lear.

Seriously, I am not making that up.  It sounds made up.  Apparently Quentin Tarratino used to include the film on his resume when he was trying to break into acting figuring that no one in Hollywood had seen it and wouldn’t know he was lying.

Reviews were mixed and nobody saw it.

Molly Ringwald - PK and the Kid - 1987
Molly Ringwald – PK and the Kid – 1987

Ringwald also appeared in the teen drama, PK and the Kid.

Ringwald played a runaway who has been sexually harassed by her step-father.  When her mother ignores the problem, she hides in the loading space of a truck-driver’s pick-up.  Paul Le Mat played Kid Kane, a truck driver on his way to an arm-wrestling tournament.

The reason Ringwald looks so young is that the movie was actually filmed five years earlier in 1982.  After Ringwald became a star, it was released on home video in 1987.

ringwald - for keeps

In 1988, Ringwald starred in her final “teen film”, the teen pregnancy comedy, For Keeps.

Ringwald played a teen who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby.  She marries the baby’s father and complications ensue.  It was the 80’s equivalent of Teen Mom basically.  Only, For Keeps admitted it was scripted.

The material was darker than the teen movies Ringwald had made with Hughes.  And the execution wasn’t as good either.  For Keeps got negative reviews and bombed at the box office.

ringwald - fresh horses

Later that year, Ringwald reuinted with Pretty in Pink co-star, Andrew McCarthy, for the drama Fresh Horses.

McCarthy starred as a Cincinnati college student whose life is changed when his best friend played by Ben Stiller takes him out to the backwoods of Kentucky for a wild party.  Instead, they meet a wild child played by Ringwald.

In the late 80’s, the Brat Pack which had been so successful in the middle of the decade was starting to falter.  There had been a glut of coming of age movies starring the same core group of actors.  Where it was once considered cool to be part of the elite Hollywood clique, the Brat Pack was falling from favor.

Fresh Horses was an attempt by Brat Packers Ringwald and McCarthy to move into more mature roles.  But audiences couldn’t get past the Brat Pack label.  Fresh Horses bombed at the box office.  It opened in 6th place behind the Steve Guttenberg comedy, High Spirits and went on to gross just over $6 million dollars.

MSDSTIT EC003

In 1990, Ringwald took one last stab at reinventing herself for American audiences.  She appeared in two films that year.  The first was a starring role in the romantic comedy, Strike It Rich.

Ringwald played a newlywed who goes on an expensive honeymoon with her husband played by Robert Lindsay.  When they can’t pay for their trip, Lindsay resorts to gambling to win the money.  He is successful, but their marriage is in trouble all the same.

Unfortunately, Strike It Rich struck out with critics and audiences.

Ringwald - Pretty Woman

Just as Ringwald’s movie career was cooling, Julia Roberts became a star in the romantic comedy, Pretty Woman.  Ringwald was offered the part back when the script was a lot darker and the movie was called $3000.  But Ringwald says she has no regrets about passing on the movie that made Roberts a star:

I think I saw an early draft and it was called ‘$3,000’. I don’t specifically remember turning it down. The script was okay but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part.

Since then, Ringwald has taken a lot of grief for turning down the role.  But she’s not alone.  A lot of actresses turned down Pretty Woman.  The original script was not the same fairy tale romance that made Roberts a big star.  Just about every major actress in Hollywood at the time passed on Pretty Woman before Roberts was cast.

What made the movie work, as Ringwald points out, is the chemistry between Roberts and Gere.  If Ringwald had agreed to star in $3000, it probably wouldn’t have been any more successful than Strike It Rich.

Ringwald - Ghost

Adding insult to injury, Ringwald also passed on the paranormal romance, Ghost.  Ghost was another big hit in 1990 and it reinvigorated the career of fellow Brat Packer, Demi Moore.  Like Pretty Woman, Ghost was one of those movies that looked terrible on paper but somehow ended up becoming a big hit.  Once again, Ringwald was just one of many actresses to pass on the project.  But it had to sting at least a little bit to have passed on two of the biggest hits of the year at a time when her career was in desperate need of a box office hit.

ringwald - betsy's wedding

Later that year, Ringwald appeared in Alan Alda’s comedy, Betsy’s Wedding.

Alda wrote the script for his favorite writer and director both of whom happened to be Alan Alda.  He plays a Long Island construction contractor whose daughter, played by Ringwald, is getting married to a well-to-do boy played by Dylan Walsh. As the wedding approaches, Alda stresses about the mounting expenses just like Steve Martin in Father of the Bride only less funny.

Madeline Kahn played Alda’s wife and Ally Sheedy co-starred as Ringwald’s sister.  The supporting cast included Anthony LaPaglia, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci and Burt Young

Betsy’s Wedding got mixed reviews.   It opened in 6th place at the box office behind Gremlins 2 which was in its second week of release.  It went on to gross just under $20 million dollars.

Ringwald and Sheedy were both nominated for Golden Rasberry Awards as Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress respectively.  There was really no reason for the nominations other than the Razzies having an axe to grind with former Brat Packers.  They seemed determined to kick the 80’s actors while they were down every time one of them dared to show up in a mainstream movie.  Ringwald “lost” to Bo Derek who “won” for Ghosts Can’t Do It and Sheedy “lost” out to Sofia Coppola who very deservedly “won” for The Godfather Part III.

Ringwald - Women and Men

Ringwald also appeared in the steamy anthology picture, Women and Men: Stories of Seduction.

The movie was a compilation of three short films by three different directors.  One story featured Beau Bridges and Elizabeth McGovern.  Another starred Melanie Griffith and James Woods.  Ringwald plated a 1920’s flapper opposite former Robocop, Peter Weller.

Ringwald’s segment was directed by Ken Russell.  The studio recut and rescored the segment before releasing the movie.  Russell refused to even watch it.

Ringwald - Fatal Love

In 1992, Ringwald retreated back to TV movies.  Instead of teen suicide, Something to Live For was about a young woman dealing with HIV.

It was based on the true story of Alison Gertz who started educating people about the disease and its prevention.  Ringwald played the title character and Lee Grant played her mother.

Ringwald - Face the Music

In 1993, Ringwald starred opposite Patrick Dempsey in the romantic comedy, Face the Music.

Ringwald and Dempsey played a divorced song-writing team.  They are asked to write one final song together.  With a tight deadline to meet, they spend a weekend in a cottage in the French countryside.  Not surprisingly, Dempsey’s new fiancee isn’t thrilled with the idea of him shacking up with his ex.

ringwald - some folks call it a slingblade

In 1994, Ringwald appeared in Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade with J.T. Walsh and Billy Bob Thornton.

This short film was written by Thornton and was the basis for the feature length film, Sling Blade which also starred Thornton and Walsh.  In the short film, Ringwald played a reporter who interviews Thornton before his release.  She is writing an article about whether or not inmates who have been judged as criminally insane should ever be allowed to be released.

The short film was only a half hour long.  But it was well-received enough to allow Thornton to write and direct the 1996 feature film for which he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay.  Unfortunately, Ringwald’s character didn’t make it into the feature film.

ringwald - the stand

In 1994, Ringwald appeared as part of the ensemble in the TV mini-series based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, The Stand.

The Stand is King’s epic end of the world saga.  The book clocks in at 1,141 pages.  In the story, most of the world’s population is wiped out by a plague.  The remaining population is divided into two camps.  The good people gather behind a little old lady on a farm whereas the bad people rally to Las Vegas under the leadership of the demonic Randall Flagg.

King had tried for years to adapt his massive tome into a theatrical film which would have been directed by George Romero.  But when that proved too difficult, he opted for a TV miniseries.  The cast included Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Matt Frewer, Miguel Ferrer, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Bill Fagerbakke, Laura San Giacomo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  

ringwald - seven sundays

Ringwald had moved to France in the late 80s as her career in Hollywood was beginning to decline.  In the mid-nineties, Ringwald started making movies in French.  In 1994, she appeared in French-Italian comedy, Seven Sundays or Tous les jours dimanche).

Ringwald - malicious

In 1995, Ringwald starred in the Canadian-American thriller, Malicious.

Ringwald played an unhinged fan who stalks a baseball player after an ill-advised one night stand.  So, basically the Canadian Fatal Attraction.

MOLLY RINGWALD, CAST

In 1996, Ringwald starred in a TV show that was absolutely nothing like Friends.  Nope.  No, sir.  Townies was definitely not a Friends rip-off.  See the 20-somethings sitting on this couch are “townies”.  “Townies” clearly are nothing like friends.  Plus instead of hanging out at a coffee shop, they work in a restaurant which is obviously a totally different thing.

The cast included Jenna Elfman who would go on to star in Dharma and Greg in 1997 and Lauren Graham who would star in The Gilmore Girls in 2000.  It also featured Ron Livingston who would go on to appear in movies like Swingers and Office Space.

Fifteen episodes of Townies were made, but the show was cancelled after airing only ten of them.  See.  There’s another difference between Townies and Friends!  Townies lasted 10 episodes and Friends lasted 10 years.

Ringwald - Office Killer

In 1997, Ringwald returned to cheap horror movies with Office Killer.

Carol Kane starred as a mousy magazine editor who works from home.  She is called into the office to help a co-worker with his computer.  When the co-worker is electrocuted, she decides to take the body home and store it in her basement.  Naturally, this leads her to kill some of her co-workers and a pair of girl scouts.

The film was awful.  But it was directed by photographer Cindy Sherman so it looked fantastic.

Molly Ringwald - How I Learned to Drive - 1987
Molly Ringwald – How I Learned to Drive – 1997

In October of 1997, Ringwald returned to the stage.  She stepped into the cast of Paula Vogel’s off-Broadway play, How I Learned to Drive.  Ringwald said she wanted to return to theater after Townies flopped:

With the series, there were script changes every week, and your character’s traits seemed to change from week to week. I wanted to do something that would give me time to find the character and find new things in every performance.

ringwald - since you've been gone

In 1998, Ringwald appeared in the high school reunion dramedy, Since You’ve Been Gone.  The TV movie told the story of the 10 year reunion of a a group of high school students.  Since You’ve Been Gone marked the directorial debut of Friends star David Schwimmer.

The film starred Schwimmer, Philip Rayburn Smith, Joy E. Gregory, Joey Slotnick, Teri Hatcher, Jon Stewart, Rachel Griffiths, and Lara Flynn Boyle.  Liev Schreiber, Jennifer Grey, Marisa Tomei  and Jerry Springer all made appearances.

Molly Ringwald - Twice Upon a Time - 1998
Molly Ringwald – Twice Upon a Time – 1998

Ringwald also starred opposite George Newbern in the romantic fantasy, Twice Upon a Time.  Ringwald played an office worker who is unhappy with her life.  She makes a wish that things were different and finds herself in a parallel universe in which she is dating Newbern, her office nemesis.

Molly Ringwald - Requiem for Murder - 1999
Molly Ringwald – Requiem for Murder – 1999

In 1999, Ringwald starred in the Canadian thriller, Requiem for Murder.

Ringwald played a DJ on a classical music radio show.  She has a secret admirer who sends her flowers.  Unfortunately, he also poisons her listeners and he may be coming after her next.

ringwald - teaching ms tingle

Later that year, Ringwald returned to Hollywood movies for a cameo role as a teacher in Kevin Williamson’s high school horror movie, Teaching Ms. Tingle.

Katie Holmes played a high school student who ends up kidnapping a strict teacher played by Helen Mirren.

Ms. Tingle was Williamson’s directing debut.  It really makes you appreciate what Wes Craven brought to the Scream films.  Because it is awful.  Ringwald’s role is small, but it allowed her to poke fun at her Brat Pack days.

Molly Ringwald - The Outer Limits - 2000
Molly Ringwald – The Outer Limits – 2000

In 2000, Ringwald began popping up all over the place.  First, she starred in an episode of the sci fi series, The Outer Limits.

In Judgement Day, Ringwald played a contestant on a reality show.  Chris Elliot played the host of the show in which the family and friends of murder victims get to hunt down the accused and exact revenge.

Molly Ringwald- Cut - 2000
Molly Ringwald- Cut – 2000

Next, Ringwald starred in the Australian horror-comedy, Cut.

The movie is about a group of film students who set out to finish a horror movie that stopped production years earlier due to the murder of the director played by Australian pop sensation, Kylie Minogue.  Ringwald played the actress in the film-within-a-film who is brought back to finish the movie.  Unfortunately, resuming filming also brings back the killer, Scarman.

Sure, we’ve never heard of it in the US.  But it did alright overseas.

Molly Ringwald - The Brutal Truth - 2000
Molly Ringwald – The Brutal Truth – 2000

Later that year, Ringwald starred in the thriller, The Brutal Truth aka Shaded Places aka The Giving Tree.

Ringwald plays one of several people invited on a camping trip for their high school reunion.  When they arrive, their host played by Christina Applegate goes missing.

MCDINTH EC073
Molly Ringwald – In the Weeds – 2000

Then Ringwald played a waitress in the romantic comedy, In the Weeds.  The movie co-starred Ellen Pompeo, Eric Bogosian and Bridget Moynahan.

Molly Ringwald - Cowboy Up 2001
Molly Ringwald – Cowboy Up 2001

In 2001, Ringwald appeared in the bull riding movie, Cowboy Up.

Marcus Thomas played a bullrider who won’t quit despite sustaining nearly fatal injuries.  Ringwald played his girlfriend who wants him to get out of the sport.  Kiefer Sutherland played his competitive older brother who pushes him on.  And Daryl Hannah played a woman who comes between the two brothers.

The movie was scheduled for release in 2000, but never made it to theaters because the distributor filed went under.  Instead, it went direct to video in 2001.

Molly Ringwald - Not Another Teen Movie - 2001
Molly Ringwald – Not Another Teen Movie – 2001

Ringwald continued having fun with her Brat Pack image with a cameo in the 2001 spoof, Not Another Teen Movie.  The movie starred future Captain America Chris Evans (in his film debut), Jaime Pressly and Lacey Chabert.  It’s one of those comedies that is based on recognizing pop culture references. Ringwald’s cameo is easily the highlight of the movie.

The movie was originally titled Teen Movie.  Then it became Not a Teen Movie and later Not Another Teen Movie.  The filmmakers were unhappy with the original ending, so they recruited Ringwald and filmed her cameo as a new ending.

Reviews were mostly negative but the movie was a modest hit at the box office.

Molly Ringwald - tick...tick...BOOM! - 2001
Molly Ringwald – tick…tick…BOOM! – 2001

Ringwald returned to the stage in 2001 for the off-Broadway musical, tick…tick…BOOM!  

Molly Ringwald - Cabaret - 2001
Molly Ringwald – Cabaret – 2001

Later that year, Ringwald made the leap to Broadway as Sally in a revival of Cabaret.  She left the show and then came back again in 2002.

Molly Ringwald - The Big Time - 2002
Molly Ringwald – The Big Time – 2002

In 2002, Ringwald appeared in the TNT movie, The Big Time.  Christina Hendricks played a script girl for a live TV show in the later 40s.  Dylan Baker played the show’s producer.  Christopher Lloyd played a scientist named “Doc” (sounds familiar) and Righwald played Lloyd’s wife.

Molly Ringwald- Enchanted April - 2003
Molly Ringwald- Enchanted April – 2003

In 2003, Ringwald returned to Broadway for Enchanted April.  Ringwald compared the stage adaptation to the 1992 movie it was based on:

I think it goes more into depth and the characters are a little more clearly defined. My character is not the same as the one that Miranda Richardson played in the movie; you get to know more about her and why she is so unhappy at the beginning of the story.

Molly Ringwald - Sweet Charity - 2006
Molly Ringwald – Sweet Charity – 2006

In 2006, Ringwald starred in another Broadway revival.  This time it was Sweet Charity.

Molly Ringwald - Medium - 2006
Molly Ringwald – Medium – 2006

Ringwald also returned to TV in 2006.  She played a blind woman who is being tormented by a man in her apartment in the supernatural series, Medium.

Molly Ringwald - The Wives He Forgot - 2006
Molly Ringwald – The Wives He Forgot – 2006

Later that year, Ringwald starred in the Lifetime Movie, The Wives He Forgot.  Ringwald played a lawyer who falls in love with a man with amnesia.  But their love affair hist the rocks when she discovers that he is married to two other women.  She ends up defending him against bigamy charges arguing that he is no longer the man who committed the crime of bigamy.

Molly Ringwald - An American Girl on the Home Front - 2006
Molly Ringwald – An American Girl on the Home Front – 2006

Ringwald also appeared in one of those direct-to-video American Girl movies.  If you’re not familiar with the American Girl doll phenomenon, well, consider yourself lucky.  American Girl dolls are outrageously expensive little dolls with detailed and equally expensive accessories.  Each one has a very elaborate back-story set in a different period of history.  Molly, a $120 doll I bought for my daughter just before the company retired her, is an American girl during World War II.  Her family takes in an English girl (also for sale of course) who has fled London to escape the bombings.  Ringwald played Molly’s mother.

ringwald - secret life of an american teenager
Molly Ringwald – The Secret Life of an American Teenager – 2008 – 2013

In 2008, Ringwald returned to series television in the ABC family series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager.  Ringwald played the mother of a pregnant teen played by Shailene Woodley.  So basically a scripted Teen Mom.  Or a TV version of Ringwald’s earlier movie, For Keeps except without the teen wedding.

Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Matthew Broderick and Judd Nelson - Oscars Tribute to John Hughes - 2010
Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Matthew Broderick and Judd Nelson – Oscars Tribute to John Hughes – 2010

In 2010, a few months after his death, the Oscars paid tribute to John Hughes.  Several of the actors Hughes helped launch to stardom gathered on stage to say a few words.  Hughes’ biggest stars, Broderick and Ringwald, introduced a movie clip featuring memorable moments from several of Hughes’ movies.

John Cryer, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Macaulay Culkin, and Ally Sheedy were also in attendance.

Molly Ringwald - Psych - 2011
Molly Ringwald – Psych – 2011

In 2011, Ringwald played a nurse in a mental hospital in an episode of the TV detective comedy, Psych.  Brad Dourif also appeared in the episode.

Molly Ringwald - Wishin and Hopin - 2014
Molly Ringwald – Wishin and Hopin – 2014

In 2014, Ringwald starred in another Lifetime movie.  Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a Christmas movie based on the novel Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb.  Ringwald played a substitute teacher in a small town in Connecticut in 1964.  One of the students in her class is the cousin of famed Mousketeer, Annette Funicello.  The story is narrated by Chevy Chase who plays the student as a grown-up in the present day.

So, what the hell happened?

Ringwald rightfully credits John Hughes with her success.  Without him, she struggled to find success.

But as much as Hughes was responsible for Ringwald’s meteoric rise, the Brat Pack was responsible for her career implosion.  Shortly after the Brat Pack came on the scene with The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire, a backlash began.  All the popular young actors and actresses scambled to distance themselves from their teen images.  But most failed to do so.

Eventually, Ringwald stopped trying and just walked away.  Probably a good call.  I don’t think American audiences were going to accept her outside of the coming-of-age movies that made her a star.  The Brat Pack label was too hard to shake.  And Ringwald was the face of the Brat Pack.

But Ringwald came back and reinvented herself as a successful stage actress.  She’s continued working on television and to a lesser extent movies.  The stigma that chased the Brat Pack out of Hollywood has been replaced by nostalgia.  And while she might not be an A-list star anymore, Ringwald continues to be a working actress.

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seandaniel1966
11 years ago

Great post, and you’ll find a goldmine of new entries with some of the actors in those 80s movies. The term ‘dickbrain’ was used for the first time in recorded history in one of those films, but I can’t remember which one.

Tom Maskeny
11 years ago

Great post; I can ONLY recall her from the teen movies you mentioned; although I admit I really liked The Breakfast Club, and will still watch on Encore as it pops up from time to time.

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Who exactly was the Brat Pack????

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Actually, I thought the term originated with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., but maybe I’m thinking of another pack. Anyhow, your list is long…I was under the impression that the 80s pack was only five actors.

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I honestly don’t remember St. Elmo’s Fire other than the disappointment of it. I loved, and still love, Breakfast Club. I like a thought-provoking film with a library for a set….I wish more movies relied on scripts and acting rather than big explosions.

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I was never a fan of the Breakfast Club- even though it was totally my era and it must have rated highly among my friends. Does it have funny parts? Sure? Does it try to go deeper than most teen movies? I guess. But- and this is common with Hollywood movies- it gets a lot of cheap laughs off of stereotypes – and then tacks on a “can’t we all get a long?” ending- much, much too fast. Everyone is dating each other at the end? Cmon- Ally Sheedy has the fastest makeover in movie history- its a like she… Read more »

linda dean
linda dean
11 years ago

So glad you are back to posting these “What the Hell Happened To”. Really look forward to reading these!

stoich
stoich
11 years ago

She was in the Stand. Mini series based on the Stephen king novel. Anyone seen it? Is it any good. I was surprised nobody mentioned it.

Stoich
11 years ago

Do you think it would revitalized her career if she had? Starred in Pretty Woman I mean.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Pretty Woman Was Supposed To Be A Much Grittier Film: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pretty-Woman-Was-Supposed-Much-Grittier-Film-70423.html It’s the 25th anniversary of Pretty Woman and as a result, we’re looking back at the romantic comedy responsible for launching the amazingly successful career of its leading lady Julia Roberts. Among the many interesting details surrounding the Gary Marshall-directed film is the fact that it was initially supposed to be much, much grittier. In remembering the 1990 film Pretty Woman, fans probably likely recall it as a delightful romance story following the wealthy businessman and silver fox Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), who falls for his incredibly lovable escort… Read more »

tbob1
11 years ago

I think I pretty much agree w/ your assessment here. The Brat Pack label was merciless to most of that crews careers. More than that however some of them were really not very good actors. Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy…they were the pretty faces of the day. Most of them have had long careers that have outlasted the 80’s, but the fact remains they aren’t that great. Even Demi Moore who has probably had the most success isn’t very good in my opinion. Rob Lowe and Robert Downey are about the only two I can think of who are… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

The CineFiles – The John Hughes Films Part 1!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QagoRRt4ZlU

This…. this is EPIC!! Because you demanded it! It’s a two part episode on the John Hughes canon! OUTSTANDING! And we couldn’t have been more excited about a topic like this. Seriously. It beats Italian zombie flicks.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

Speaking of Molly Ringwald’s “Pretty in Pink” co-star and fellow Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy: http://styleblazer.com/131294/shunned-by-hollywood-15-of-tinsel-towns-most-notorious-pariahs/11/ Of all of John Hughes’ Brat Pack, Andrew McCarthy may have been at the top of the heap. In films like Pretty In Pink, Mannequin, St. Elmo’s Fire and Less Than Zero the heartthrob distinguished himself with his good looks, intelligence, and sensitive demeanor. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s boyish good looks combined with a longstanding alcohol problem and an admitted “casual disinterest” in fame. By the time the early-90s rolled around, McCarthy’s leading man days seemed long behind him. The actor soon developed a reputation for being… Read more »

Joseph Scott
8 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

Andrew McCarthy and Emilio Estevez can act. Check out “The Joy Luck Club” and “Young Guns,” respectively. Better actors than Rob Lowe and Demi Moore imo.

Joseph Scott
8 years ago
Reply to  Joseph Scott

Anthony Michael Hall was very funny on the TV show “Psych” in recent years.

johnny 88
11 years ago

Well, it’s finally over. I thin the post is ready, If you want to have a final check and then launch it for me it’s ok

Mike
Mike
11 years ago

What happened to Molly Ringwald? You said it well. The public lost interest for the Brat Pack. What happened to that type of 1980s culture? One year. 1992. I was born in 1988, and my first memory is from 1990. As a Reagan baby, I grew up in the early/mid 1990s with a love for 1980s pop culture. I can remember calling into a local radio station in 1995 and requesting Billy Idol music to which my 1st grade teacher found out and rolled her eyes. I remember my parents watching Must See TV every Thursday night with shows like… Read more »

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

But is it just an urge to purge, or is there a pattern in the type of music that was popular at the end of each decade and needed purging? -The 70s ended with disco. The influence of punk which worked its way into new wave and the guitar pop of the early 80s was a welcome change. – By the end of the 80s, radio was dominated by corporate rock, dance music, and hair metal. Grunge/alternative couldn’t come fast enough for me. – Unfortunately, even alternative became homogeonized and collapsed, getting replaced by still more frothy dance pop at… Read more »

Terrence Clay
10 years ago

Did Nirvana/Grunge really kill off 1980s culture? http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php?t-706502.html 10-30-2013, 11:59 PM What we think of as stereotypically “80s” pop culture was already well on the wane by the time Nirvana broke on a national level. Bush Sr. never had the same charm as the “Gipper” did. A stock-market crash and a recession put an end to yuppie culture. The Crack and AIDS epidemics had lead to too many deaths to be swept under the rug anymore. Hair metal was always considered a massive joke, even at the height of its popularity. As early as 1988, the whole “greed is good,… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

TV has an interesting history the past 20 years- it started to try to get away from the linear plots and 2D characters- but really could only do that when the DVR/DVD became standard.

The people who enjoyed Lost are not so much smarter than people who watched the Cosby Show- they just are able to pause/rewind or rewatch more complex parts. They can catch up on story arcs.

I remember seeing the first half/last half of 2 part TV shows- often I didn’t see the end until I watched the DVD 20 years later!

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  Mike

You can argue that the same sort of thing happened to fellow WTHHT and teen starlet Alicia Silverstone once the ’90s ended. Considering that “Clueless” is for better or worse, so horribly dated (and she initially gained attention in Aerosmith’s videos, back when MTV still played videos) and defined by its time period doesn’t really help. I think culturally, the ’90s ended on 9/11 (if the ’92 officially, culture-wise, marked the end of the ’80s). I say this because Bill Clinton just was out of office and George W. Bush was now the President. Plus, 9/11 (and the subsequent wars… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I think the backlash was over the fact that these movies were aimed at teens- and adults find them a bit tedious.

I mean- almost NO ONE admits to liking St Elmo’s fire- which I guess was popular back when because everyone was so pretty.

Breakfast Club is more popular- but I cringe at what I think is more stereotype exploitation than a “deep ” teen dramedy.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/939-a-1996-double-feature-looks-at-the-year-of-john-tr/#comment-1878205554 They’re both movies that strike me as being part of the optimistic culture of the 90’s, of which there indeed was plenty of optimism because Gosh darnit, the Cold War was over and the new millennium was right around the corner and sure to be amazing! And not to get too dark….but then 9/11 happened. Of course there was a lot of cynicism in the 90’s too, we all know the stereotypical image of a Daria like teenager from the era who’s favorite word was “whatever”, there was also fears that this new millennium thing might go wrong somehow,… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Mike

Thread: When did the 80s actually end? http://www.retrojunk.com/community/post/index/51514 I was born at the beginning of 1990, and I’m 23 years old, and from what I remember, the 90s definitely didn’t end right in the year 2000. The year 2000 was pretty much identical to 1999, and the early 2000s still had a lot of 90s flavor. I have no problem considering the year 2000 part of the 90s when it comes to the pop culture. It wasn’t measurably different whatsoever. I’d say the 00s started in 2001 in a political sense and maybe 2003 in a cultural sense, when crunk… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

One thing that you overlooked is that Molly Ringwald was offered or tested for (besides Julia Roberts’ role in “Pretty Woman” and Lea Thompson’s role in “Some Kind of Wonderful”) Demi Moore’s role in “Ghost” (incidentally, her character’s name was Molly), and Laura Dern’s role in “Blue Velvet” (as the story goes, Molly’s mother was disturbed by the script and didn’t show Molly it for her consideration).

Molly also during the ’90s, tried to make a comeback on a short-lived ABC sitcom called “Townies” (which also starred a pre-“Dharma and Greg” Jenna Elfman and a pre-“Gilmore Girls” Lauren Graham).

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Actors Who Stupidly Turned Down Iconic Roles http://whatculture.com/film/10-actors-who-stupidly-turned-down-iconic-roles.php/2 Molly Ringwald – Pretty Woman The Role: Vivian Ward For a while there in the 80s, Molly Ringwald was the princess of Hollywood, thanks to her performances in classic fare like Pretty In Pink and The Breakfast Club before the tail-end of the 80s brought less successful films, followed by obscurity for the best part of the past two decades. it would have been an awful lot different for Ringwald if she had decided to accept the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman, which eventually led to an Oscar-nomination and… Read more »

Lorna Mae
Lorna Mae
8 years ago

She didn’t turn down Pretty Woman. She turned down $3000, the original script, in which Vivian was a cokehead and the film ended with Edward pushing her out of his car and throwing the money after her. Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan also turned down this version; were they stupid?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Lorna Mae

I immediately assume that “Pretty Woman” became what it became (a modern day take on the “Cinderella” story) due to Garry Marshall’s influence. It has been stated on here that Marshall had a habit for better or for worse, of taking otherwise gritty material and “sweetening it”. Another example is “Frankie and Johnnie” in which Michelle Pfeiffer was cast as a supposedly plain, world-weary waitress over Kathy Bates, who played the part in the off-Broadway play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_and_Johnny_(1991_film)#Reception

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Lord knows what happened between the two (or her agent and Hughes) – but Some Kind of Wonderful could have easily been retitled Another John Hughes movie- I like Mary Stuart Masterson (was that Molly’s role?) – but the plot of that film is lame (and the love triangle is lost to me- since I’d just make out with MSM in scene one)

Did Hughes have Molly under a 7 picture contract? He really didn’t foresee her wanting to try something different?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Mastro

I heard that John Hughes also became disillusioned and burned out on the Hollywood system, especially after his friend John Candy suddenly died in 1994 from a heart attack.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

#206

http://www.lipstickalley.com/showpost.php?p=17144956&postcount=206

The real reason why Molly Ringward and John Hughes never worked together again was because he became obsessed with her. He didn’t even like it when her and Anthony Michael Hall were dating. He would buy her gifts, a dog, etc.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

4 Reasons Why John Hughes Wasn’t So Great: http://whatculture.com/film/4-reasons-why-john-hughes-wasnt-so-great.php In lieu of the hate I will probably receive for this I would just like to state that John Hughes is a personal favorite of mine as both a director and writer. This list is by no means intended to be a hate fest just to slam the dearly departed. If anything it will probably make you appreciate Hughes all the more. No director is perfect (I think) and each has their flaws. By highlighting them and discussing them I think you come to appreciate the individual better as an artist… Read more »

RB
RB
10 years ago

Yeah, no. John Hughes was simply great and brought the teenage view to the screen and just like a young adult fiction writer, he never forgot what it was like to be that age. If that writer thinks his adult characters were idiotic, so what? That’s not limited to Hughes. Plus, it’s a realistic portrayal of how teens view adults anyway.

RB
RB
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Definitely have to agree with you on the abombination that was Baby’s Day Out. Unfortunately we have the DVD and I’ve suffered through it more than once. My daughter was 7 or 8 when we got it and maybe that’s the target audience because she loved it and still watches it although it’s been several years. The good news is that she no longer insists I watch it with her. Planes, Trains and Automobiles was one of my all time favorites back in the day, now that you’ve reminded me, it might be time to see it again.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I don’t know if this is necessarily overall reflective on Molly Ringwald, but it’s pretty safe to say that the movies that she did during her prime such as “Sixteen Candles” have aged incredibly poorly. That movie in particular, is so politically incorrect now. Without going too much into detail, the whole movie seems to be about women not being able to consent (sex, wedding). And of course, there’s the Long Duk Dong character.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Sitcoms Online Message Boards – Forums > 1980s Sitcoms > The Facts of Life:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4761809&postcount=2

They act like she just disappeared. I think she’s still on “Secret Life”, and I know she wrote a very successful book called “Getting the Pretty Back”. I mean, they can’t expect her to have the same kind of success now that she had back in the 80’s. I don’t think any of the Brat Pack has had that kind of success to be honest.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

What happened to Thora Birch?–and other actors that seemed to disappear for no reason…: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15153548&postcount=67 Well, Andrew McCarthy wasn’t much of an actor. He always seem to come across as annoyingly smug and not very bright. There was just something about him that made even the most non-violent person want to smack his face. That being said, back during his heyday in the late 80s and early 90s I thought if they ever did The Dan Quayle Story, he would’ve been perfect for the lead. As for Molly Ringwald, she made some bad choices that would’ve likely taken her career… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Re: The Blind Item Reveal Thread. http://www.lipstickalley.com/showpost.php?p=18539634&postcount=131 April 1, 2014 It was supposed to be the movie that cemented them as a couple and move them forward from the roles they had been playing. Instead, it was the end for all practical purposes of their careers. When the movie wrapped they both went their separate ways. When it first started, everything was great. The A list couple were excited to be filming together in the kind of movie they thought would bring them awards and acclaim and vault them into a level of acting they hadn’t been able to reach… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

On why Molly Ringwald never became a regular movie star: http://www.samizdata.net/2002/12/on-why-molly-ringwald-never-be/ Michael Jennings tackles, albeit only in passing, one of the late twentieth century’s most enduring and to many most mysterious of questions: why did Molly Ringwald, given the excellence of her performances in such fine movies as Sixteen Candles and Pretty In Pink, never make it as big in the movies as she should have? Why, from the late eighties onwards, was the Ringwald career ride mostly downhill? I think I can throw some light on this problem. Molly then Ms. Ringwald was a totally convincing and attractive teenager,… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago

I actually remember reading an interview with Winona that she disliked Hughes movies- she thought the characters were a bit 2D. I don’t remember if she mentioned turning any of his roles down- but there is an overlap in their careers.

Lorna Mae
Lorna Mae
8 years ago

No, she did not deliberately stand up Lilian Gish. It gets repeated a lot, the story of how the legendary Lillian Gish was cruelly ignored by thoughtless, arrogant Molly Ringwald. Okay, Gish being a legend is true, but the charge of Molly bailing on the interview without notice, out of arrogance, ignorance or carelessness, is not. http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=180 “Early in my career I was asked to do an interview with Lillian Gish and I was really excited. But then everything got screwed up, I smashed my finger in a door, the taxi took me to the wrong end of town, it… Read more »

Joseph Scott
8 years ago

“What happened to Thora Birch?” I watched both Ghost World and American Beauty recently. She was solid and pretty in movies made by people more talented than herself — much like Ringwald. Is that supposed to guarantee you a career?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away? http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7750-future-of-movie-stars-who-will-shine-who-will-fade-away/page-26#entry1973524 I feel like Molly Ringwald is like the teen equivalent of Shirley Temple- beloved child star that nobody wanted to see grow up. (Although it really is a shame- Shirley did a wonderful job in The Best Years of Our Lives, and I bet she could’ve had an adult career with the right role and a public willing to accept her as a woman and not a little girl. Speaking of the movie’s stars, I feel like Andrew McCarthy was probably screwed by both his alcoholism, and I… Read more »

Brizzlez
Brizzlez
10 years ago

Good article and yeah, because of her being typecast Ringwald’s career would have imploded, anyway, but you sugar coate the real issue. She bit the hand that fed her. Period. She decided she had outgrown the man who made her career and no one else worthwhile would touch her.

Good life lesson.

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I remember reading about Hughes when he died- he had some interesting character flaws. At the height of his success- and it was high- he sounded like a real diva.

He would almost be a good subject for WTHH, Director version. He basically retired from directing- although he wrote a lot of scripts.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Brizzlez

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7750-future-of-movie-stars-who-will-shine-who-will-fade-away/page-26#entry1974564

Ironically, she played different types of characters in those movies, at least in terms of class. Sixteen Candles, she was middle class, Breakfast Club she was upper class and Pretty in Pink she was lower.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Awesome Actors Who Fell Hard From The Spotlight: http://whatculture.com/film/10-awesome-actors-who-fell-hard-from-the-spotlight.php/3 8. Molly Ringwald Another victim of the Brat Pack curse. In truth, this entire list could have been complied from the afflicted but Molly gets special mention because she was the queen of the club. She was numero uno of teen actors and the apple in John Hughes’s eye. Which is kind of strange as she is not the classic beauty; all red hair, freckles and horsey features. Hughes wrote Sixteen Candles specifically for her – even though at that point she was a relative unknown and he’d just seen… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

John Hughes Films: Ranked From Worst To Best http://whatculture.com/film/john-hughes-films-ranked-from-worst-to-best.php/3 Sixteen Candles Okay, now we’re getting into what John Hughes did best: the coming-of-age teen film. Curly Sue and She’s Having a Baby failed to resonate with critics and audiences in part because they dealt with adult characters and themes. Hughes undoubtedly excelled when writing dialogue for teenagers and young people. He just had an ear for it. That talent is on full display in Sixteen Candles, the first film directed by Hughes. Another talent on display is that of his young cast, notably eighties teen queen Molly Ringwald, who cuts… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away? http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7750-future-of-movie-stars-who-will-shine-who-will-fade-away/page-26#entry1971486 It seems like the feud started purely for professional reasons, then became something else. John Hughes definitely put Molly Ringwald on the map, but she also became typecast as “the actress from John Hughes movies.” Molly said on the Professor Blastoff podcast that she would go to auditions where casting people would flat out tell her that they couldn’t imagine her playing any other role except a character in a John Hughes movie. And she felt that hurt her career. So she began to turn down parts in… Read more »

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

Molly will be profiled this Sunday on Where are They Now on Oprah’s OWN net…….check local listings for time!!!

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

After her breakout in The Decendants,anyone believe that Mol’s Secret Life castmate Shailene Woodley can avoid the
missteps that Mol had made post-John Hughes,’specially with the much-hyped Divergent due out next March?????

cinemarchaeologist
10 years ago

Wow, Lebeau, with all that talk of reinvention, how could you miss MALICIOUS? Well, easily, really, as everyone else did, but your article essentially says Molly took most of the ’90s off, when, in fact, she worked steadily throughout it. She was in THE STAND. MALICIOUS was an entry in the then-booming “erotic thriller” genre, another effort at reinvention. For the first (and, as far as I know, only) time, she threw in some nudity, and managed to get press for it.

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

Let’s give out a happy 46th to Le Mol today!!!!!

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

Check out this interview of Mol on Merv Griffin not long after 16 Candles came out &
filming had wrapped on The Breakfast Club…………..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zcJvWWSdvqk

daffystardust
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  Joboots

Merv Griffin had such a reputation for being really square amongst us 80s kids, but boy did he get big interviews in his day.

joboots
joboots
9 years ago
Reply to  daffystardust

Merv hit his stride in the 60’s & 70’s but by the time of this chat he knew he was out of
element & within a year & a half of this clip he pulled the plug on his chat fest……..at
least he still had his Wheel of Fortune to run!!!!

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