Five years ago, I started writing my "Moments in Black History" sending to about 50 or 60 close friends and family. By the end of the first month and over the next years, my mailing list grew. This year, my distribution list contained a little over 600 people. The list includes friends and family, friends of friends of friends, people I've only spoken to online or telephone, people giggling in office cubicles, families of friends, janitors, sportscasters, singers, actors, and many who I'd never imagine meeting or would read anything I'd written. To phrase it simply, it's been fun. Hopefully the underlying messages are understood by all: Even though we are different, we are all very similar. No matter your color, age, religion or views on politics, know that the only thing that matters is living a good life filled with love, happiness and respect. We all put our pants on the same way; we all eat in the same manner; and we should all raise our kids not to curse at teachers or bring guns to school. This is a great big world, but I know when I am playing tea party with Harper and Cheryl, playing Guitar Hero with Brad and Jeff or laughing with my family and friends, all thing are good. Always remember: Take care of yourself, make a difference and the embrace the differences in others---Everything else will fall into place.
This is my personal favorite BHM. Being a child of the 80s, this one has a special place in my heart. Perhaps it reminds me of high school, friends, living at home, mom & dad---the simplicities of life. More people request this BHM than any others. Maybe it gives them the same feelings. Maybe it reminds us all not to complicate life 'cause it moves pretty fast and if you don't stop to look around every once in awhile, you could miss it.
Thank you for the kind compliments over the past month. I am flattered to have been glad a funny spot in your day. More importantly, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading :)
One more important thing: Do not think because my birthday is coming up you can double up both my birthday and Black History Month gift. TWO GIFTS, TWO OCCASIONS DAMMIT! (Thanks for the Carlton Banks shirt, JR - HA!)
Enjoy life and live every day to the fullest! pc
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Moments in Black History – Save Ferris!
May 1986:
During the spring of 1986, director John Hughes, following on the heels of his highly successful movie, The Breakfast Club, introduced the world to arguably one of the greatest adolescent cinematic icons of all-time, Ferris Bueller. The movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became an overnight sensation with a following consisting of fans both young and old. The movie made its director a household name, as well as the names ‘Broderick’, ‘Cameron’, and ‘Mr. Rooney’.
Creating the cinematic masterpiece, however, was not without its ups and downs. Hughes struggled with intricate plot details; characters seemed too unbelievable; and, unlike other Hughes’ films, the movie basically lacked a certain “punch”. That is until a chance meeting in downtown Chicago catapulted the movie into orbit and changed the cinematic landscape as we know it forever.
“We had just finished the Wayne Newton song in the parade,” recalls Hughes. “Admittedly, it was lackluster and boring. At that point, I thought the movie was a disaster. Somehow I had managed to piece together a plotline and salvage enough actual film for a ‘straight to video’ deal. It was disappointing coming off the success of The Breakfast Club.”
Hughes was correct: Absent from the movie was the impact of a Long Duck Dong or Molly Ringwald. It lacked something special – but, what, he could not identify.
While wrapping the parade shoot, Hughes overheard a Black man yelling obscenities and hurling complaints at the cast and crew. The Black man had stood in disgust for most of the afternoon, shaking his head at the uninspired, mostly white, crowd during the entire shoot. His name was Walt “Wayne Wayne” Shakey.
“I watched that white boy lip-synch some old Wayne Newton slow jam,” said Shakey. “The song was whack. Who the hell wants to hear a Wayne Newton song at a parade? Who the hell is Wayne Newton? What kinda parade is this - a retirement home parade? Don’t parades have bands and cheerleaders and music and people clapping their damn hands and dancing? Most importantly, where is the damn Black people?”
Director Hughes took mental notes of Shakey’s criticisms:
“Who the hell cares if this little, spoiled white boy skips school? And why is the principal busting his ass searching high and low for this white boy? Tell me – if the boy was black, this wouldn’t be no comedy movie, now would it? It would be called ‘Terrell Skips School…to hell with it, he’s Black’, an after-school special about drugs and getting a damn GED. This movie ain’t for everybody. It’s another damn white movie.”
Shakey’s words slapped Hughes across the face. Instantly, Hughes realized what his movie was missing: Color.
At that point, production was 95% complete with only the main characters needed in the remaining scenes. Despite filming in Chicago, the movie contained only five Black people: two in Bueller’s Economic class; one passing newspapers outside the auto garage; one, in the background when Broderick and company blatantly ignore the one waving the newspapers; and, a fifth Black, who ironically, helps steal Cameron’s dad’s car at the auto garage where the one Black is waving a newspaper and one of the others is walking in the background.
Thanks to Shakey, Hughes had an inspired new direction.
Immediately, shifting into gear, hoping to pump life back into his struggling film, director Hughes changed the downtown scenes from beginning to end. He changed the script; he found new music; he reset the scene; and lastly he pleaded that Shakey gather all the Black people he could find in an hour and meet at the top of nearby stairs.
“For the record,” Shakey made sure to add, “we initially had a problem with the new music – but since they only had three CDs---Phil Collins “No Jacket Required”, Pat Benatar “Love Is a Battlefield”, and the Beatles---we agreed on the Beatles. Who the hell can dance to that ‘Sussudio’ shit? Obviously, they didn’t have no Black music.”
Less than twenty minutes later, Shakey returned with eleven cousins, four brother-in-laws, five aunts, six sisters, and a few other Black people he found waiting in line for the Oprah Winfrey show. Hughes provided the group only one instruction: Add some color to this movie.
“When the music started---that ‘Twist and Shout’ song,” said Shakey, “we all just got our Black groove on---again, despite it being the Beatles, not Run DMC or somebody. We still got down!”
Amazingly, no choreography was needed for the magic captured on camera that afternoon.
“We as Black people did what all Black people knew at that time: The Thriller.”
Notably, before the electric slide (“the official dance of the Negro people”) and somewhere after “The Hustle”, Black people’s dances came directly from the Michael Jackson catalog. Considering the Beatles’ song and its beat, the “Thriller” was most suitable. Had the scene involved gang members, a pool hall, and/or a heavy guitar riff, the Black people’s code of dance conduct would have activated into a “Beat It” mode; conversely, had the steps illuminated with every move accompanied with a heavy bass line, the “Billie Jean” would have been required. Therefore, following the appropriate guidelines in the Black code of dance conduct, Shakey and the Black dancers engaged accordingly. With no formal training or practice, every Black person on the set that day recreated Michael Jackson’s dance moves flawlessly from his award-winning “Thriller” video.
The scene was a huge success! With only one take, Hughes and his crew shot the entire scene from beginning to end, including song, dance, marching bands, dancing girls, an excited crowd filled sporadically with Black people whom Shakey recruited, and of course, the “Thriller” dancers. It was beautiful! Pure cinematic bliss.
Since its release in 1986, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has earned over $100 million worldwide. The movie is still aired on national television; children of a newer generation can quote their favorite lines; and its stars, Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck, are recognizable all over the world.
Meanwhile, still living in Chicago, Walt “Wayne Wayne” Shakey lives a normal life, only recognized in neighborhood barber shops and malls as one of the “Thriller” dancers. Outside his neighborhood, however, strangers do not ask for his autograph or pose next to him in pictures. Little do they realize this quiet, brilliant man single-handedly rescued John Hughes and the ‘80s when he, dare I say, saved Ferris.
“Hate is too great a burden to bear.
It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”
Coretta Scott King
May 1986:
During the spring of 1986, director John Hughes, following on the heels of his highly successful movie, The Breakfast Club, introduced the world to arguably one of the greatest adolescent cinematic icons of all-time, Ferris Bueller. The movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became an overnight sensation with a following consisting of fans both young and old. The movie made its director a household name, as well as the names ‘Broderick’, ‘Cameron’, and ‘Mr. Rooney’.
Creating the cinematic masterpiece, however, was not without its ups and downs. Hughes struggled with intricate plot details; characters seemed too unbelievable; and, unlike other Hughes’ films, the movie basically lacked a certain “punch”. That is until a chance meeting in downtown Chicago catapulted the movie into orbit and changed the cinematic landscape as we know it forever.
“We had just finished the Wayne Newton song in the parade,” recalls Hughes. “Admittedly, it was lackluster and boring. At that point, I thought the movie was a disaster. Somehow I had managed to piece together a plotline and salvage enough actual film for a ‘straight to video’ deal. It was disappointing coming off the success of The Breakfast Club.”
Hughes was correct: Absent from the movie was the impact of a Long Duck Dong or Molly Ringwald. It lacked something special – but, what, he could not identify.
While wrapping the parade shoot, Hughes overheard a Black man yelling obscenities and hurling complaints at the cast and crew. The Black man had stood in disgust for most of the afternoon, shaking his head at the uninspired, mostly white, crowd during the entire shoot. His name was Walt “Wayne Wayne” Shakey.
“I watched that white boy lip-synch some old Wayne Newton slow jam,” said Shakey. “The song was whack. Who the hell wants to hear a Wayne Newton song at a parade? Who the hell is Wayne Newton? What kinda parade is this - a retirement home parade? Don’t parades have bands and cheerleaders and music and people clapping their damn hands and dancing? Most importantly, where is the damn Black people?”
Director Hughes took mental notes of Shakey’s criticisms:
“Who the hell cares if this little, spoiled white boy skips school? And why is the principal busting his ass searching high and low for this white boy? Tell me – if the boy was black, this wouldn’t be no comedy movie, now would it? It would be called ‘Terrell Skips School…to hell with it, he’s Black’, an after-school special about drugs and getting a damn GED. This movie ain’t for everybody. It’s another damn white movie.”
Shakey’s words slapped Hughes across the face. Instantly, Hughes realized what his movie was missing: Color.
At that point, production was 95% complete with only the main characters needed in the remaining scenes. Despite filming in Chicago, the movie contained only five Black people: two in Bueller’s Economic class; one passing newspapers outside the auto garage; one, in the background when Broderick and company blatantly ignore the one waving the newspapers; and, a fifth Black, who ironically, helps steal Cameron’s dad’s car at the auto garage where the one Black is waving a newspaper and one of the others is walking in the background.
Thanks to Shakey, Hughes had an inspired new direction.
Immediately, shifting into gear, hoping to pump life back into his struggling film, director Hughes changed the downtown scenes from beginning to end. He changed the script; he found new music; he reset the scene; and lastly he pleaded that Shakey gather all the Black people he could find in an hour and meet at the top of nearby stairs.
“For the record,” Shakey made sure to add, “we initially had a problem with the new music – but since they only had three CDs---Phil Collins “No Jacket Required”, Pat Benatar “Love Is a Battlefield”, and the Beatles---we agreed on the Beatles. Who the hell can dance to that ‘Sussudio’ shit? Obviously, they didn’t have no Black music.”
Less than twenty minutes later, Shakey returned with eleven cousins, four brother-in-laws, five aunts, six sisters, and a few other Black people he found waiting in line for the Oprah Winfrey show. Hughes provided the group only one instruction: Add some color to this movie.
“When the music started---that ‘Twist and Shout’ song,” said Shakey, “we all just got our Black groove on---again, despite it being the Beatles, not Run DMC or somebody. We still got down!”
Amazingly, no choreography was needed for the magic captured on camera that afternoon.
“We as Black people did what all Black people knew at that time: The Thriller.”
Notably, before the electric slide (“the official dance of the Negro people”) and somewhere after “The Hustle”, Black people’s dances came directly from the Michael Jackson catalog. Considering the Beatles’ song and its beat, the “Thriller” was most suitable. Had the scene involved gang members, a pool hall, and/or a heavy guitar riff, the Black people’s code of dance conduct would have activated into a “Beat It” mode; conversely, had the steps illuminated with every move accompanied with a heavy bass line, the “Billie Jean” would have been required. Therefore, following the appropriate guidelines in the Black code of dance conduct, Shakey and the Black dancers engaged accordingly. With no formal training or practice, every Black person on the set that day recreated Michael Jackson’s dance moves flawlessly from his award-winning “Thriller” video.
The scene was a huge success! With only one take, Hughes and his crew shot the entire scene from beginning to end, including song, dance, marching bands, dancing girls, an excited crowd filled sporadically with Black people whom Shakey recruited, and of course, the “Thriller” dancers. It was beautiful! Pure cinematic bliss.
Since its release in 1986, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has earned over $100 million worldwide. The movie is still aired on national television; children of a newer generation can quote their favorite lines; and its stars, Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck, are recognizable all over the world.
Meanwhile, still living in Chicago, Walt “Wayne Wayne” Shakey lives a normal life, only recognized in neighborhood barber shops and malls as one of the “Thriller” dancers. Outside his neighborhood, however, strangers do not ask for his autograph or pose next to him in pictures. Little do they realize this quiet, brilliant man single-handedly rescued John Hughes and the ‘80s when he, dare I say, saved Ferris.
“Hate is too great a burden to bear.
It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”
Coretta Scott King
