Sixteen Candles marked filmmaker John Hughes’s directorial debut, even though he was planning to make The Breakfast Club (1985, see entry) first, as noted in various sources, including articles in the 8 May 1984 Philadelphia Inquirer and 28 Feb 2010 Vanity Fair. Hoping to break into filmmaking, Hughes wrote The Breakfast Club in 1982 as a low-budget production, with a single location and ensemble cast, and A&M Films optioned the script on condition that he finish the picture for $1 million, according to a 31 May 2013 Chicago Tribune article. When production went into limbo, Hughes wrote four feature films that were released in 1982 and 1983, including the surprise success, National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983, see entry). The picture was based on “Vacation ’58,” a short story that earned Hughes an appointment on the staff of National Lampoon magazine and spearheaded his career in comedic screenwriting. Hughes’s unconventional personality caused him to be temporarily fired from another 1983 film, Mr. Mom (see entry), as stated in the Jan 1993 edition of Spy, and when the picture neared its 22 Jul 1983 release date, Hughes became concerned that his next project, The Breakfast Club, would not have commercial appeal for its target teen audience. Fearing the repercussions of starting his directorial career with an unmarketable, sparse chamber piece (The Breakfast Club), Hughes wrote an action-based script for Sixteen Candles over the 1983 Fourth of July weekend. According to various sources, including Vanity Fair, Hughes had recently come across a headshot of actress Molly Ringwald while casting The Breakfast Club, and wrote Sixteen Candles with her photograph pinned to the bulletin board above his desk.
       When Mr. Mom was released at the end of Jul 1983, it grossed over $40 million its first month, prompting Universal Pictures to offer Hughes a three-year, $30-million contract. Executive producer Ned Tanen, who had recently left his presidency at Universal, agreed to absorb The Breakfast Club on condition that Sixteen Candles be released first.
       Principal photography on Sixteen Candles began 11 Jul 1983 in Skokie, IL, as reported in a 15 Jul 1983 Var production chart. Locations in and around the Chicago area for the two-month shoot included the Niles Township East High School in Skokie, Union Church in Glencoe, and a private home in the North Shore community of Evanston, as well as the towns of Highland Park and Northbrook.
       On 16 Feb 1984, DV announced that Sixteen Candles won its appeal of the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) R-rating, and the film was set to be released as PG.
       Despite tepid reviews, the $6.5 million production performed well at the box-office, grossing over $25 million. However, the picture prompted protests from the Asian-American community for its depiction of Chinese exchange student “Long Duk Dong,” as stated in a 10 Jun 1984 LAT article published one month after the film’s release. Dissenters took issue with the use of the word “Chinaman,” and the scene in which Dong is kicked by an older, white gentleman, but Hughes argued that he was making fun of people who host exchange students, not foreigners, and claimed he did not intend to promote racial stereotypes. Japanese-American actor Gedde Watanabe defended the role, stating that Dong provided an alternative to the conventional “submissive, smart” Asian characters normally seen in movies at that time. He considered the film to be farce, and wanted to test the limits of what was deemed politically correct.
       Although the picture was also criticized for its representation of people with disabilities, its reference to date rape was not scrutinized by contemporary audiences. Years later, various modern sources, including an opinion column in the 24 Nov 2015 NYP, argued that Sixteen Candles sanctioned nonconsensual sex. Critics objected to the scene in which “Jake Ryan” reports he could “violate” his intoxicated, unconscious girl friend, Caroline, and the “Geek” responds: “What are you waiting for?” While Jake refrains from having sex with Caroline, he asks the Geek to take her home, telling him to “have fun,” and encouraging him to exploit her vulnerability.
       On 14 Oct 2003, DV reported that USA Network was developing a television sequel titled 32 Candles with producers Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones. As of 7 Jun 2016, the project has not come to fruition.
       End credits include: “The producers wish to thank the following for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture: The Illinois State Film Office; Niles East High School; the Town of Evanston, the town of Glencoe; the town of Highland Park; the town of Northbrook; the town of Skokie; ‘Top Cast’ excerpt courtesy of World Vision Enterprises, Inc.”