Recognize this house? If you're a true 80's fan, then you know it's Samatha Baker's house (a.k.a Molly Ringwald) in the John Hughes film "Sixteen Candles." During the opening scene of the movie, Hughes shows a paper boy throwing a newspaper towards this house, it sets of the alarm, and everyone wakes up. Funny thing is, in the movie there is also a Volkswagen parked out front in the exact same spot.
This is a house I've wanted to see for years because Sixteen Candles is truly my favorite movie. I've probably watched it 100 times. Online, it says people of all ages come to take a pic of this house, and sometimes lay in the grass out front where Long Duk Dong was found in his drunken stupor. Remember such great lines as, "No more Yanky my Wanky, the Donger need food!" How did Hughes even come up with that??
This house is in Evanston, Illinois in the 3000 block of Payne Street. It's near Northwestern University's Campus, in truly one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in this country. I told Mike, "I think this is where they invented Apple Pie." It's truly Americana.
So what is it about this movie that people, typically women, just love? In it, Jake Ryan is the object of Samatha's affection. He's the popular and totally hot high school senior, and Samatha is a nerdy and awkward sophomore. Throughout the movie, Jake slowly falls for Samatha, and in the end he picks her up in his red Porsche and they kiss sitting on top of his kitchen table, with a birthday cake and candles for her 16th birthday. Awe.
For years, women of all races and ages proclaim they love Jake Ryan! Celebs even wear t-shirts that say so. The Washington Post even did an article entitled, "Why real men can't hold a candle to Jake Ryan." In it it says that this movie gives women a false hope that the perfect good-looking man will fall for them, even if they're the dorky, wall-flower type. The article says women still swoon when they even just hear his name.
Yes, I'll admit it, I've been in love with Jake Ryan for 25 years. I first saw the movie when I was about 7 years old, and I've been hooked ever since. His cool hair, stylish clothes, coy smile, ridiculous good looks, and yes, the Porsche, made me fall hard.
Going to the house where he stood outside and rang the doorbell, asking Long Duk Dong where Samatha was, was a very cool experience for me. Even cooler, I got to go with my real-life Jake Ryan.
No comments:
Post a Comment