It’s the 40th anniversary of John Hughes’ cult classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” That makes it a perfect time to explore comic and SNL writer Ferris Butler’s claim that he was the inspiration for the character Ferris Bueller.
You can check out that claim in a new documentary, “Saving Ferris Butler.”
After a sold-out world premiere at New York City’s Quad Cinema, it is coming home to the “Ferris Bueller” Chicago setting with screenings daily from Sept. 18-24 at Pickwick Theatre, 5 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge. For tickets: pickwicktheatre.com/movie/saving-ferris-butler.
D. B. Frick is the executive producer and host of the documentary.
Frick believed that people would be interested in a documentary about Butler because “Ferris Butler is the story of a former Saturday Night Live writer and cable access player and a man who married Beverly Ross and claims to be this amazing famous character from history and film.” Ross is a songwriter, best known for “Lollipop.”
Frick first met Butler 15 years ago, and Butler immediately told him about his claim to be the inspiration for Bueller. He spoke of how acclaimed actor, writer, and teacher Del Close had told him that he would make an interesting character for a film.
More Top Picks Best High Power Reading Glasses
Butler recalled that experience with Del Close, who was working with the “Saturday Night Live” cast at the time. He was so impressed with Butler that he told him, “Oh, man. I’d like to make a film based on your personality.” That’s part of the reason that Butler is convinced that Ferris Bueller is based on him.
“He’s sort of this free spirit,” Frick said of Butler. “This very flamboyant character who’s a lot like Ferris Bueller.”
But there’s a more important purpose to the documentary than giving recognition to Butler, according to Frick.
“The deeper story is about authorship, recognition, friendship, and what happens when popular culture remembers the creation but forgets the person who may have helped to inspire it,” Frick explained.
Because “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was filmed in Chicago, Frick believes that bringing it to Park Ridge “feels like the story has returned to the scene of the mystery.”
However, it turns out that Butler wasn’t the only person who claimed to be the inspiration for Ferris Bueller, Frick revealed.
Frick isn’t surprised. “All writers take from what they are surrounded by,” he explained.
There will be Q&A sessions with people involved in the documentary after selected performances. In addition, there will be numerous giveaways, including hotel nights, meal vouchers, gift baskets, and more.
Frick said he particularly enjoyed hosting the documentary because, “I love telling the story of forgotten voices. I really liked bringing that comedy history and that cultural mystery to the forefront.”
“Saturday Night Live” historian Andy Hoglund and “Entertainment Weekly” writer was chosen by D.B. Frick to write the documentary and serve as a producer.
Hoglund was attracted to this project, he said, because “When people tell the history of SNL, the story’s often framed around one central figure, Lorne Michaels. But if you’re serious about understanding the show’s legacy, it’s really important to look at the years that don’t fit neatly into that narrative.” That’s particularly true of the sixth season when all the original cast members and Lorne Michaels had left.
“There’s so many side stories overlooked in the show’s lore,” Hoglund explained. “Ferris Butler typifies that. Never mind the fact that he has this fascinating link to Ferris Bueller. I’ve always been interested in his contributions to the show as a writer.”
Hoglund said that the documentary was an interesting project for him because of the opportunity of “capturing stories like Ferris’ that somewhat go against the grain for SNL as an institution.”
Julius Olivas, just 26, was chosen to direct “Saving Ferris Butler.”
D.B. Frick chose Olivas to direct the documentary after seeing a screening of his previous film, “Inky,” at a film festival in New York City about a year ago.
“He told me the story about this obscure comedy writer Ferris Butler,” Olivas recalled. “Within five blocks of walking after the film festival, I was sold on the story and what it could be.”
More Top Picks Shark Ionflex
Olivas was drawn to someone “trying to make sense of life through art as a medium.”
It doesn’t surprise Olivas that there’s still so much interest in a 40-year-old movie. He explained, “People love to look back and what stands the test of time is usually a good story.”
He was also interested in the fact that Olivas discovered that, in addition to being a documentary, “Saving Ferris Butler” is, in some ways, a mystery.
Among the people interviewed for the film is Patrick Weathers, a “Saturday Night Live” cast member from the disastrous 1980-81 season. That was the sixth season of the show and all the original cast members as well as producer Lorne Michaels had left.
Frick said the 1980-81 season was “considered the worst cast in the history of “Saturday Night Live.”
Being part of that season “was a complex experience,” Weathers said. “It was exhilarating. It was depressing. It was exciting, glorious, and painful. We were replacing the original cast of ‘Saturday Night Live ’—the icons.”
Weathers had at least one unforgettable sketch, though. “The best memory that I have of it was the night that I did a sketch where I played Bob Dylan. It became a little bit of a classic.”
Weathers also sings a song in the film, “Quantum Entanglement.”
In the documentary, Weathers talks about the time he worked with Ferris Butler on “Saturday Night Live.” He will be involved in some of the Q&A discussions at the Pickwick Theatre.
The new attention generated by the documentary is quite an experience for Butler.
When he learned that they were making a documentary about him, Butler declared, “I thought that was a great idea. I already had half of a written bio on a proposed book, but a film would be good, too.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.