History Trivia / FerrisBuellersDayOff

* WordOfGod: Creator/JohnHughes said in 1999 that several of his "Shermer" movies, including ''Film/SixteenCandles'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'', and ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'', are all a part of the [[TheVerse same universe]]. According to Hughes, [[Film/SixteenCandles Samantha Baker]] knows Ferris.
** Why Cameron stares at the painting. According to director John Hughes, Cameron sees himself in the little girl, as the closer he examines the painting, the less he sees, which is what he fears about himself.

* OldShame: Creator/CharlieSheen said a few years later that watching his one scene in the movie made him want to punch himself in the mouth. He seems to have made peace with it, reprising his character in his exact scene from the John Hughes tribute episode of ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' in 2015.

** Creator/MichaelJFox was Creator/JohnHughes' first choice for the role of Ferris Bueller before Creator/MatthewBroderick was cast, but turned it down due to scheduling commitments to ''Series/FamilyTies'', as well as exhaustion from shooting ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' the year before.

* DisownedAdaptation: Creator/JohnHughes actually disliked the TV adaptation and actually tried to block its release. Unfortunately, however, he was unable to do so, and the best that he could do was to stipulate that Creator/{{NBC}} and Creator/{{Paramount}} not use his name to promote the series.

* StarMakingRole: Three years prior, ''Film/WarGames'' is what got Broderick noticed. But this movie clearly is what made Broderick a star, and it is arguably his most famous role.

** Ferris asks his dad on the phone about bonds his father purchased when he was born, he then takes one of them from a shoebox in his father's closet, cashes it at the bank with his girlfriend (telling the hard-of-hearing teller they are pregnant with a jeep), and uses the money to pay for his day off. It was removed because it made Ferris look like a thief rather than a lovable rogue

* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/CharlieSheen stayed awake for 48 hours before filming his scene so that he would appear tired and strung-out.

* MethodActing: In the cab, when Ferris tickles Sloan. Actress Mia Sara's laughter was real, because Creator/MatthewBroderick and Alan Ruck actually took off her shoe and tickled her foot.

* RecycledTheSeries: Lasted barely a season, mainly because it was heavily changed to the point where it could be considered InNameOnly. Among other things, the setting was changed from Chicago to L.A., Ferris was now an obnoxious nerd who [[SmallNameBigEgo only believed he was wildly popular]] (and attended school without complaint!), Cameron was still neurotic but lacked the tragic {{backstory}} from the film, thus making him a figure of fun, Sloane was now catty and shallow (the spelling of her name was also changed to ''Sloan''), [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Ferris's parents were now named Bill and Barbara instead of Tom and Katie]], and the list goes on and on. Not even a very young Creator/JenniferAniston (as Jeannie) could save it.

** The short scene, with the coughing keyboard, was also improvised by Broderick.
** Ben Stein improvised the entire lecture about the Hawley-Smoot Tariff.

* CreatorChosenCasting:
** Creator/JohnHughes had Creator/MatthewBroderick in mind when he wrote the screenplay, saying that he was the only actor he could think of who could pull off the role, calling him clever and charming.
-->Certain guys would have played Ferris and you would have thought, "Where's my wallet?" I had to have that look; that charm had to come through. Creator/JimmyStewart could have played Ferris at 15...I needed Matthew.
** Hughes cast Creator/JeffreyJones after seeing him in ''Film/{{Amadeus}}''. He felt that Rooney was the modern equivalent of that character.

* OrphanedReference: When telling Cameron about how great the day was, Ferris says, "We ate pancreas". The restaurant scene originally had Ferris order sweetbreads, only to later be told that it's in fact pancreas. As mentioned above, it was deleted because it portrayed Ferris as a complete ButtMonkey as opposed to the LoveableRogue John Hughes wanted to portray him as.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Cameron Frye was originally envisioned as being chunky and "homely in a lovable way". Creator/JohnHughes then remembered the tall, thin, very attractive (29-year-old!) Creator/AlanRuck from auditions for ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' (he didn't make the cut that time), and cast him based on that performance. What followed was what is considered to be one of the most soulful, enduring portrayals in Hughes' oeuvre. It probably also helped, however, that Ruck and Creator/MatthewBroderick had previously co-starred together in the original Broadway production of ''Film/BiloxiBlues'', and as a result of this, according to Ruck, "We didn't have to invent an instant friendship like you often have to do in a movie. We ''were'' friends."[[note]]In case you're confused, both Broderick and Ruck originally played the respective roles in the original performance of the play it was based on in 1985.[[/note]]

* AbilityOverAppearance: Cameron Frye was originally envisioned as being chunky and "homely in a lovable way". Creator/JohnHughes then remembered the tall, thin, very attractive (29-year-old!) Creator/AlanRuck from auditions for ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' (he didn't make the cut that time), and cast him based on that performance. What followed was what is considered to be one of the most soulful, enduring portrayals in Hughes' oeuvre. It probably also helped, however, that Ruck and Creator/MatthewBroderick had previously co-starred together in ''Film/BiloxiBlues'', and as a result of this, according to Ruck, "We didn't have to invent an instant friendship like you often have to do in a movie. We ''were'' friends."[[note]]In case you're confused, both Broderick and Ruck originally played the respective roles in the original performance of the play it was based on in 1985.[[/note]]

** The script contained a scene where Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron go to a strip club. Creator/{{Paramount}} executives told Creator/JohnHughes there were only so many shooting days left, so the scene was scrapped.
** When Cameron is looking down the Sears Tower and says, "I think I see my dad.", he actually was looking at his dad (according to the original script) who was standing on the sidewalk. Later, there was supposed to be another scene where Cameron's dad sees his Ferrari parked along the street downtown. When he attempts to reach in the glovebox to confirm it, the garage attendant confronts him.

** If mobile phones were as widespread then as they are today, it'd be harder for Ferris to bluff his parents if he could be contacted anytime, anywhere.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Cameron Frye was originally envisioned as being chunky and "homely in a lovable way". Creator/JohnHughes then remembered the tall, thin, very attractive (29-year-old!) Creator/AlanRuck from auditions for ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' (he didn't make the cut that time), and cast him based on that performance. What followed was what is considered to be one of the most soulful, enduring portrayals in Hughes' oeuvre. It probably also helped, however, that Ruck and Creator/MatthewBroderick had previously co-starred together in ''Film/BiloxiBlues'', and as a result of this, according to Ruck, "We didn't have to invent an instant friendship like you often have to do in a movie. We ''were'' friends."

* CreatorChosenCasting: Creator/JohnHughes had Creator/MatthewBroderick in mind when he wrote the screenplay, saying that he was the only actor he could think of who could pull off the role, calling him clever and charming.