“Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” starring Steve Martin and John Candy, debuted in 1987 and has become an annual Thanksgiving Day rewatch.
And it’s a perfect choice for the holiday, between the hilarious traveling headaches the duo encounter on the titular forms of transportation, to the heartfelt friendship that develops between the two leads that is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.
In case you’re unfamiliar, the film follows Neal Page (Steve Martin) a marketing executive trying to get back to his hometown of Chicago who becomes a travel buddy with overbearing but kind traveling salesman Del Griffith (John Candy) after their flight out of New York is diverted. They end up on a multi-day odyssey full of misadventures (and yes, planes, trains, and automobiles) as they race to get to Neal’s family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
If you’ve seen the movie a dozen times or are a newcomer, here are 7 fun facts about this Thanksgiving classic.
It’s Based on a True Story
Before he became synonymous with 80s movies and teen comedies, writer/director John Hughes worked in advertising just like Steve Martin’s character. And just like Neal, Hughes experienced the same kind of flight diversion trying to fly from New York to Chicago. He was first almost sent to Des Moines, Iowa, but sent instead to Denver and then routed through Phoenix before finally making it back to Chicago on a Monday (he left Wednesday). They say write what you know, and clearly Hughes did.
The Original Cut is Over Four Hours Long
The “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” we all know and love comes in at a brisk 92 minutes, the perfect length for a comedy. But the original cut Hughes wanted was over four hours long, based on a 145-page script he wrote. Over 600,000 feet of film was shot for the film, but most of it ended up on the cutting room floor.
Kevin Bacon’s Cameos
Kevin Bacon appears briefly in the opening scenes of the movie, racing against Neal to get a cab for the airport. He doesn’t say a word but makes an impression.
And there’s a second cameo from Bacon too. While Neal’s wife is watching TV in bed, you can hear Bacon’s voice from a clip of “She’s Having a Baby,” another Hughes movie that came out the following year.
No “Home Alone” Connection
Like almost all of Hughes’ protagonists, Neal lives in the Chicago suburbs, in a rather nice neighborhood too. Many fans assume that Neal’s house is the same as Kevin’s in “Home Alone,” but they are just similar styles. They are only a town apart from one another, so Neal could have crossed paths with the McAllisters in the John Hughes universe, if you’re into that kind of crossover.
Casting Changes
It’s hard to imagine anyone besides Steve Martin and John Candy in their respective roles, but some other big names were in contention. Hughes originally wanted Tom Hanks as Neal and John Travolta as Del, but it didn’t work out. Rick Moranis was also considered for Neal, with John Goodman as Del.
Rated R for One Scene
The otherwise family friendly comedy has one crucial scene that earned it an a R-Rating: Neal’s f-bomb filled rant at the rental car counter. Martin spits out the f-word a whopping 17 times in about 60 seconds, while the worker at the counter, played by Edie McClurg, delivers the closer for a total of 18 f-bombs in an under two minute scene. Not quite a record, but enough to get the movie bumped from PG to R.
Bonus Fact for that scene: McClurg completely improvised her thanksgiving dinner phone convo that Neal overhears as he approaches the counter.
Elton John Wrote a Song for the Movie
“Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” was set to have a theme song from Elton John, but business dealings got in the way. Gary Osborne, the lyricist who worked on the song with the “Rocketman” singer, revealed that Paramount wanted ownership of the master recording, but John’s record company wouldn’t allow it, and so the song has never been released.
