The Audio Stack
Ferris seems pretty pleased with his hi-fi audio stack (right). I would be too if I had (from top to bottom) a Carver M500t power amp, AudioSource EQ-One equalizer and spectrum analyzer, a Carver DTL-100 CD player, and a Carver Receiver 2000. Paramount Pictures
The Audio Stack
Ferris seems pretty pleased with his hi-fi audio stack (right). I would be too if I had (from top to bottom) a Carver M500t power amp, AudioSource EQ-One equalizer and spectrum analyzer, a Carver DTL-100 CD player, and a Carver Receiver 2000.
Carver M500t power amp and AudioSource EQ-One
Here we get a closer look at Bueller's amp and equalizer. The latter is used to dial in the optimal sneezing and coughing midi track sounds he plays on his... Paramount Pictures
Carver M500t power amp and AudioSource EQ-One
Here we get a closer look at Bueller's amp and equalizer. The latter is used to dial in the optimal sneezing and coughing midi track sounds he plays on his...
E-MU Emulator II
$8,000 keyboard/sound sampler. Musicians and sound designers in the '80s loved the 8-bit Emulator II. It was used to produce the Shakuhachi flute used in Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and the Marcato Strings in the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls." Ferris, of course, loads his with sick kid sounds. Paramount Pictures
E-MU Emulator II
$8,000 keyboard/sound sampler. Musicians and sound designers in the '80s loved the 8-bit Emulator II. It was used to produce the Shakuhachi flute used in Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and the Marcato Strings in the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls." Ferris, of course, loads his with sick kid sounds.
IBM PC XT
"I asked for a car, I got a computer. How's that for being born under a bad sign?" Oh boo-hoo, Ferris. Your IBM PC XT seems pretty good for drawing flipped versions of Modigliani's Reclining Nude and hacking into the school computer system. Paramount Pictures
IBM PC XT
"I asked for a car, I got a computer. How's that for being born under a bad sign?" Oh boo-hoo, Ferris. Your IBM PC XT seems pretty good for drawing flipped versions of Modigliani's Reclining Nude and hacking into the school computer system.
Bose 901 speakers
Audiophiles typically don't have very nice things to say about Bose speakers. But the 901s were a rare exception. Critics simply fawned over them. Seen here in the far left corner of the screen, they're the perfect complement to the rest of Ferris's ridiculous audio system. Paramount Pictures
Bose 901 speakers
Audiophiles typically don't have very nice things to say about Bose speakers. But the 901s were a rare exception. Critics simply fawned over them. Seen here in the far left corner of the screen, they're the perfect complement to the rest of Ferris's ridiculous audio system.
Gretsch White Falcon
What this iconic guitar (left corner) is doing in Ferris's room is anyone's guess. Perhaps he's a fan of the west coast California fuzz sound. Neil Young helped make the hollow-body White Falcon one of the most desirable guitars on Earth. Hopefully, Ferris is better at playing it than his clarinet. Paramount Pictures
Gretsch White Falcon
What this iconic guitar (left corner) is doing in Ferris's room is anyone's guess. Perhaps he's a fan of the west coast California fuzz sound. Neil Young helped make the hollow-body White Falcon one of the most desirable guitars on Earth. Hopefully, Ferris is better at playing it than his clarinet.
Cobra AN-8500 Answering Machine
Today, it's mostly known for making police radar detectors, but back in the '80s Cobra also made cordless phones and answering machines. This tape-based beauty comes with "One-Touch" something-or-other and Vox controls. Paramount Pictures
Cobra AN-8500 Answering Machine
Today, it's mostly known for making police radar detectors, but back in the '80s Cobra also made cordless phones and answering machines. This tape-based beauty comes with "One-Touch" something-or-other and Vox controls.
1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder
If you're going to pick a car to symbolize a father's neglect, the Ferrari 250 GT is fantastic choice. A bunch of furious car enthusiasts wrote letters to the producers of the film, believing they had trashed a real Ferrari (only 104 were ever produced). The totaled car was actually a modified MG sports car, made to look like the 250 GT. Paramount Pictures
1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder
If you're going to pick a car to symbolize a father's neglect, the Ferrari 250 GT is fantastic choice. A bunch of furious car enthusiasts wrote letters to the producers of the film, believing they had trashed a real Ferrari (only 104 were ever produced). The totaled car was actually a modified MG sports car, made to look like the 250 GT.
Sony CFS-950 Sports Boombox
For kids who grew up during the '80s, this 15-watt Sony Sports Boombox should look very familiar. I never understood the "Sports" designation (perhaps it was the splash-resistant casing?), but whatever. Here, we see the yellow version accompanied by a bunch of other product placement right before Cameron succumbs to his angst coma. Paramount Pictures
Sony CFS-950 Sports Boombox
For kids who grew up during the '80s, this 15-watt Sony Sports Boombox should look very familiar. I never understood the "Sports" designation (perhaps it was the splash-resistant casing?), but whatever. Here, we see the yellow version accompanied by a bunch of other product placement right before Cameron succumbs to his angst coma.
Fender "blackface" Bassman and 2x12 cabinet
Presumably, this is what Bueller plugs his Falcon into when he wants to jam. As its name implies, the Bassman is technically a bass amp, but guitars sound great through them too. Here, the whole setup is being used as a bedside table and a place to put a copy of Kerouac's The Town and the City. Paramount Pictures
Fender "blackface" Bassman and 2x12 cabinet
Presumably, this is what Bueller plugs his Falcon into when he wants to jam. As its name implies, the Bassman is technically a bass amp, but guitars sound great through them too. Here, the whole setup is being used as a bedside table and a place to put a copy of Kerouac's The Town and the City.
Doorbell hack
In what is both an act of prescience and 1337 hacking skills, Ferris rigs the doorbell on his house so that it triggers a tape recorder with a prerecorded "sick" message. Mr. Rooney almost falls for it. Paramount Pictures
Doorbell hack
In what is both an act of prescience and 1337 hacking skills, Ferris rigs the doorbell on his house so that it triggers a tape recorder with a prerecorded "sick" message. Mr. Rooney almost falls for it.
You're still here? It's over. Go home. Paramount Pictures
You're still here? It's over. Go home.
No director captured the angst and everyday indignities of an average teenager’s world like John Hughes. Granted, as a child of the ’80s, I’m probably a little biased. But consider the man’s work for a moment: Between 1984 and 1987, Hughes cranked out six teen films—the majority of which are still considered benchmarks of the genre.
As plenty of critics have noted, much of the late filmmaker’s success is probably tied to the way he portrayed teens. Rather than mindless, horny sex fiends, the characters in a John Hughes film are sensitive, vulnerable horny sex fiends. You know, believable teens. But the man behind The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Weird Science didn’t just have empathy for his subjects and a good ear for dialogue. He was also a scholar of adolescent archetypes, and knew how to embellish to great effect. And nowhere is this better demonstrated than in 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Part buddy movie, part coming-of age story, this classic school-skipping tale is markedly different than the rest of Hughes’s teenage oeuvre. That’s because Ferris is the opposite of a typical teenager. He’s preternaturally cool, self-assured, comfortable around girls, and wise beyond his years. As Grace reminds Mr. Rooney, “The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads—they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.”
Fittingly, this righteous dude’s bedroom is equally excellent. In fact, of all the teenage rooms in cinema history, Ferris’s might be the most impressive. Hughes supposedly designed it himself, modeling it after his own high-school angst cave.
Of all the teenage rooms in cinema history, Ferris’s might be the most impressive.
Hit the pause button during any bedroom sequence and you’ll find a delicious mise-en-scène. Every frame is stuffed with, well, awesome stuff. Audiophile-worthy stack and speakers? Check. Legendary guitar and amp? Of course. Television and camera with a closed-circuit video feed? Uh, sure. And it’s all rounded out with posters and knick-knacks that speak to Bueller’s impeccable musical tastes, creativity, and technical know how.
The lust-worthy gear isn’t just limited to Bueller’s bedroom: Cameron’s modernist bedroom isn’t lacking in the toy department either. And that ’61 Ferrari GT 250—which in most scenes was actually just a modified MG sports car—isn’t half bad either. There are so many desirable objects in the movie that it’s only fitting it helped popularize what is still the default song for gadget lust and other states of covetous consumerism: Yello’s “Oh Yeah.”
Rewatching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off today, I’ll admit that some of the film’s magic has worn off. To a 36-year-old, Ferris seems considerably more manipulative, selfish, and douchey then he did to the 14-year-old me. On the other hand, as someone whose job it is to look at and evaluate gadgets all day, I do have a new appreciation (and nostalgic yearning) for all the amazing stuff peppered throughout Hughes’s film.
It almost begs to be cataloged—and so we did just that. It’s not a comprehensive list (I couldn’t find, for instance, the model of the fancy speakerphone in Cameron’s room), but it’s close. As Ferris might say: The movie moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around at all the sweet-ass gadgets, you could miss them.
How about the telephone in Cameron Frye's bedroom?
ReplyDeleteIt's been two decades I'm looking for it, virtually since I've got access to the internet.
Nobody has never even mentioned it online.
At the scene he's lying on the bed and answer the phone…