50 Fun Facts About Pretty in Pink

Who plays Andie Walsh, the film's working-class heroine?

It was her third film with John Hughes after Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, and she made the cover of Time that May.

Who wrote the screenplay for Pretty in Pink?

He also served as co-executive producer but handed the directing to a first-timer.

Who directed the film?

He went on to direct Some Kind of Wonderful for Hughes the following year, where he met his future wife Lea Thompson.

Who plays Andie's best friend, Philip 'Duckie' Dale?

Ringwald had lobbied for Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Michael Hall turned the part down to avoid typecasting.

Who plays Blane McDonnagh, the 'richie' who asks Andie out?

Charlie Sheen was considered, but Ringwald persuaded the filmmakers to cast McCarthy instead.

Who plays Steff McKee, Blane's wealthy and spiteful best friend?

Steff's hostility turns out to stem from Andie having rejected his advances.

Who plays Iona, Andie's quirky thirty-something boss at the record store?

Roger Ebert singled out her performance along with Ringwald's in his three-star review.

Which veteran actor plays Andie's underemployed father, Jack?

He had just starred in Paris, Texas and Repo Man; here he buys his daughter the pink dress she cannot bring herself to love.

What is the name of the record store where Andie works?

It is where she waits for Blane on their first date, and where Duckie makes his doomed pitch.

In which Chicago suburb does Andie live with her father?

She refuses to let Blane drive her home at first because she does not want him to see the house.

Which band's song gave the film its title?

Ringwald introduced Hughes to the 1981 song, and the band re-recorded a less raw version for the opening sequence.

Which OMD song, written for the film, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1986?

'Goddess of Love' was the song they had written for the original ending; Hughes rejected it after the reshoot.

In roughly how long did OMD write and record 'If You Leave' after Hughes asked for a new prom song?

The request came two days before the band went on tour, and Hughes specified a tempo of 120 BPM.

Hughes asked OMD to write the new song at 120 BPM to match which track the actors had danced to on set?

Singer Andy McCluskey later noted an editing error still left the dancing out of sync.

What did test audiences boo when they saw the film's original final scene?

Test audiences booed it, so a new ending was shot in one day, months after wrap; Paramount says the original footage is lost.

Why did the actor playing Blane have to wear a wig for the reshot ending?

He had also lost weight for the play, having been called back several months after production ended.

Andie makes her own prom dress by combining her father's gift with whose old dress?

The finished pink creation has divided fans of the film for decades.

Which Otis Redding song does Duckie lip-synch to in the record store?

The track appears in the film but was left off the soundtrack album.

Which future Two and a Half Men and Buffy star plays 'Duckette', who beckons Duckie?

Hughes wrote the moment 'to protect Duckie's character' after the ending changed.

Which comedian plays the nightclub bouncer?

Frank Zappa's son Dweezil also appears, as Simon.

What is the name of Steff's girlfriend, the leader of the 'richie' girls who torment Andie?

Kate Vernon plays her; Gina Gershon appears as Trombley.

Who did Ringwald say the character of Duckie was based on?

She said they 'had an extremely nonromantic relationship', which is partly why she doubted the original ending.

Which studio released Pretty in Pink?

Studio executives had worried the original ending would look classist.

Approximately how much did the film gross in its US theatrical run?

It was the 22nd-highest-grossing film of 1986, on a $9 million budget.

What was the film's budget?

It opened to $6.1 million and topped the box office in the week of March 12, 1986.

Who produced Pretty in Pink?

She later produced the X-Men films.

Which 1987 Hughes-Deutch film reworked the Pretty in Pink triangle with the genders swapped?

Ringwald turned down a role in it, feeling it was too close to her earlier Hughes films.

Which Smiths song appears on the soundtrack?

The Autumns covered it for a 2000 'soundtrack revisited' album.

Which Echo & the Bunnymen song was recorded specifically for the film?

Its inclusion is noted in the liner notes of the band's compilation Songs to Learn & Sing.

Which band appears on screen performing 'Positively Lost Me' but has no songs on the soundtrack album?

They also play 'Shut-Up' from their Town and Country album in the club scenes.

On which label was the soundtrack released in February 1986?

It went gold within two months and was reissued on pink vinyl in 2013.

Where did the film hold its premiere on January 29, 1986?

The general release followed a month later.

Which critic called the film 'slight and vapid, with the consistency of watery Jello'?

Even she conceded Ringwald 'carries the movie'.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 75%, with Metacritic's 56 reflecting the more mixed contemporary reviews.

The 1986 novelisation of the film keeps which version of the ending?

H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfield wrote it before the last scene was changed.

Which Bowling for Soup song name-checks the film alongside The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire?

The line runs 'She knows all the classics, she knows every line'.

Which actress, who plays Jena, is one of the two people the film is dedicated to?

She and set designer Bruce Weintraub both died shortly after production wrapped.

Which child of a famous avant-garde rock musician appears in the film as Simon?

He was also an MTV VJ around the same time.

Which artist remixed 'Left of Center' for the soundtrack?

The song was Suzanne Vega's contribution to the album.

What did the 1986 re-recording of the title song peak at on the UK singles chart?

The 1981 original had stalled at 43; the new version narrowly missed the US Top 40 at 41.

Which Hughes film gave Ringwald her breakout role two years earlier?

She played Samantha Baker, whose family forgets her sixteenth birthday.

Which magazine put Ringwald on its cover on May 26, 1986?

She was still in high school when she filmed Pretty in Pink.

Whom did the film's director marry after meeting her on his next Hughes film?

Their daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch are both actresses.

Which future Platoon star was considered for Blane before Molly Ringwald pushed for Andrew McCarthy?

Ringwald also lobbied for Robert Downey Jr. as Duckie, while Anthony Michael Hall turned the part down to avoid typecasting.

Which Flashdance star turned down the role of Andie?

Foster, Parker, Tatum O'Neal and Loughlin were also considered before Ringwald took the part.

Which OMD song was written for the original ending, before 'If You Leave' replaced it?

The band later rewrote it for The Pacific Age; Hughes thought it no longer fitted once the ending changed.

What worry did Paramount executives have about the film's original Andie-Duckie ending?

They feared it suggested rich and poor people do not mix; Hughes gave Duckie a prom admirer in the reshoot to 'protect' him.

How much did Pretty in Pink earn in its opening weekend in February 1986?

It topped the box office for the week of 12 March and finished as the 22nd-highest-grossing film of 1986.

On the soundtrack, Nik Kershaw's 'Wouldn't It Be Good' is performed by a band fronted by a former singer of which group?

Danny Hutton's band, the Danny Hutton Hitters, recorded the cover.

How long after its February 1986 release was the soundtrack certified gold by the RIAA?

Rolling Stone later named it among the 25 greatest soundtracks ever, and it was reissued on pink vinyl in 2013.