1986 was the Year of the Cub—for Hollywood, anyway.
About Last Night stars Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, charter members of the Brat Pack—a group of young actors dominating movie screens in the 1980s. Lowe and Moore play a couple trying to extend a one-night stand into a relationship. A montage of dates includes watching a Chicago Cubs game from a rooftop on Sheffield Avenue overlooking Wrigley Field. Based on David Mamet’s mid-1970s play Sexual Perversity in Chicago, the film showcases several Windy City locations in addition to The Friendly Confines, including Grant Park, the Wells Street Bridge, and the Biograph Theater.
Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel wrote, “As a backdrop for the human interaction, ‘About Last Night…’ manages to capture the spirit and look of Chicago as well as any film shot here since ‘Risky Business.’ And that’s true even though about half of the movie was shot in California.”
Running Scared stars Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as Chicago Police Department detectives. Their pairing was inspired. Their chemistry, palpable. Los Angeles Times film critic Sheila Benson wrote, “There’s really fine texture at the opening of ‘Running Scared’ (MPAA-rated R)—a great sleazy character named Snake (Joe Pantoliano), the partners’ silken assurance in and around their neighborhoods, and any number of good solid gags, accomplished with the utmost throwaway nonchalance. After all the spurious ‘chemistry’ between acting pairs that’s oozed across the screen, Crystal and Hines give us friendship so tangible you can warm your hands in it.”
Crystal, a noted Yankee fan since birth, proudly wears Cubs and Blackhawks jerseys as Detective Danny Costanzo.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off showcases the adventures of the title character—a smooth-talking high school student—as he skips a day of school. Bueller jaunts around Chicago with his best friend (Cameron) and his girlfriend (Sloane). They make many stops around the city, including the Sears Building, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
New York Times film critic Nina Darnton described Bueller’s skill in deftly crossing every boundary that separates cliques in high school. “The jocks, druggies, heavy-metal types, preppies, losers, grinds and popular kids all think he’s swell,” wrote Darnton. “Why? Because he has that magic ability so prized in adolescence—he can get away with anything.”
Of course, no trip on a day off in Chicago would be complete without a voyage to Wrigley Field, where Ferris catches a foul ball during a Cubs game. It’s only natural that this event occurs for the carefree teenager who floats through life.
These films comprised a slice of culture during a year when Geraldo Rivera hosted a television special about opening Al Capone’s vaults, Microsoft held an Initial Public Offering for stock purchases, America celebrated the Statue of Liberty’s centennial, Oprah Winfrey launched her syndicated television show, NBC revamped its peacock logo, and the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.
The Cubs finished 1986 with a 70-90 record. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg notched 178 hits, finishing 6th in the National League.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on June 11, 2016.