11/26/2025
What a brilliant film! John Hughes scores another 80’s classic with John Candy & Steve Martin in “Planes, Trains, And Automobiles “!!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles released . Nov 25, #1987 American road trip comedy film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes and starring Steve Martin and John Candy. It tells the story of Neal Page, an uptight marketing executive, and Del Griffith, a well-meaning but annoying salesman, who become travel companions when their flight is diverted, and embark on a 3-day odyssey of misadventures trying to reach Chicago in time for Neal's Thanksgiving dinner with his family
On instruction from John Hughes, Edie McClurg's role as the St. Louis rental car agent was partially improvised. Hughes told her to simply riff a fake phone conversation with someone about Thanksgiving plans while Steve Martin remains waiting in line staring at her to finish up. McClurg came up with the idea to speak with her sister about who was going to make what adding "You know I can't cook!" Hughes asked her how she came up with those lines so quickly and she replied that, like his scripts, she just drew it from her own life. McClurg claims to this day that random people ask her to tell them they're fu**ed.
Steve Martin was convinced to join the production after favoring two scenes he had read from the script: the seat adjustment-scene in the car, and the F-word tirade at the car rental desk.
Director John Hughes was known for staging improvisational moments for his actors in order to capture a genuine reaction. Since he was not satisfied with the Owen scene introductions after several takes, he privately instructed Dylan Baker (Owen) to wipe spit in his right hand just before shaking hands with Neil Page. Steve Martin was not expecting this, thus his disgusted reaction to shaking Baker's saliva slathered hand. The film crew reportedly exploded in laughter as Martin ran off to wash his hands immediately following the encounter. Hughes got the reaction he needed and the footage was kept in the film.
Neal's (Steve Martin) house was also a set built from scratch, consisting of seven rooms, and taking five months to complete. It ended up costing $100,000, which angered Paramount executives, and caused turmoil on the set.
In the airport scene in Wichita, when the airline employee announces that the flight has been cancelled, you can see on the board behind him that the destination of the flight is "nowhere."
The movie ends with a freeze frame of John Candy with a tight lipped grin. Uncle Buck (1989) ends exactly the same way, a freeze frame of John Candy with the same expression.
In the 3-hour cut of the film, the Braidwood Inn sequence was much longer.
Scenes included:
Del ordering pizza and a six-pack of beer, using money he takes out of Neal's wallet (this incident is mentioned in dialogue in the final film). He only gives the delivery boy a $1 tip. The delivery boy hangs around the motel lobby, then returns to break into their room to rob them (the break-in remains in the final cut, but without the context of who it is, making it seem like he is a random burglar). Neal reluctantly eats pizza even though he had asked for a salad, which the pizza place didn't have, according to Del.
Del opens a beer and it sprays all over the bed sheets, since he left the six-pack of beer on the vibrating bed (mentioned in dialogue in the finished film).
The exterior of the rental car was designed to resemble that of the Griswolds' station wagon, from John Hughes' previous production, National Lampoon's Vacation (1983).
The train used in the movie sits dormant at a small rural station in the Western New York town of Gowanda. The "Contrack" logos are still present on the engine and cars. It's remained unused since the making of the film.
John Hughes originally wanted Tom Hanks for the role of Neal Page and John Travolta for the role of Del Griffith. Hanks was unavailable since he was busy shooting Big (1988). Paramount executives did not want Travolta in the movie because he was considered "box office poison" at the time.
Although he receives fourth billing, Michael McKean appears in only one scene, and is on-screen for ninety seconds.
In the motel scene, the movie She's Having a Baby (1988) is showing on the television, even though the film hadn't been released yet. Both pictures feature Kevin Bacon, John Candy, Edie McClurg and William Windom. Bacon stars in She's Having a Baby (1988) and cameos in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), Candy cameos in She's Having a Baby (1988) and stars in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), while Windom cameos in Planes, Trains and Automobiles and plays Bacon's father-in-law in She's Having a Baby.
Future Star Trek: Voyager (1995) star Jeri Ryan was cast as an extra in the bus scene, but her part was cut from the final release. John Hughes decided to dismiss the nineteen year old because after several takes, she couldn't stop laughing at Martin and Candy's antics. Ryan had no lines in the scene but her uncontrolled laughter became too much of a distraction. After Ryan left, Hughes re-shot the scene without her.
The rental car from this film appears in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), scorched and abandoned in a desert wasteland at the end of time, alongside Del Griffith's travel trunk. Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds cites John Candy's career, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles in particular, as a major inspiration for that film.
Whilst shooting a scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Edie McClurg was approached by John Hughes who gave her a page of script featuring the car rental scene. He asked her to read both parts out loud for him, which she did and he took it back, saying nothing. A few months later she received a call from Hughes offering her the part of the desk clerk.
Steve Martin was upset that a speech given by John Candy near the end of the movie was deleted from the Final Cut of the film as he considered it to be the best scene with lots of emotional weight. He discussed his opposition to this with John Hughes who was also upset the scene was deleted but was pressured by Paramount to keep the film under two hours long. Martin was upset with Paramount because of this and remained so until he and the studio mended fences to work together on Leap of Faith (1992) five years after this movie.
John Candy uses the same line in two movies: "I know it's not pretty to look at, but it'll get you where you wanna go." He says that about the car to the police officer. He also says it in Cool Runnings (1993) when revealing the team's bobsled for the first time.
Bill Erwin, who plays the old man sleeping on Steve Martin's shoulder during the plane scene, also appeared in Home Alone (1990) and She's Having a Baby (1988), both also John Hughes films.
The trunk used by Del Griffith (John Candy) in the movie is currently owned by Candy's daughter Jennifer.
A cover of "Everytime You Go Away" performed by Blue Room is played over the final scene and the credits; Hughes planned to use Paul Young's well-known hit version but was denied the rights by the record company even though Young approved of Hughes's planned use of the song and wanted to see it included
