‘St. Elmo’s Fire‘ At 40: 9 Surprising Facts About the Brat Pack Favorite
They laughed until they had to cry. And they loved right down to their last goodbye. They were the characters of St. Elmo’s Fire, writer/director Joel Schumacher‘s 1985 coming-of-age story set among a group of recent grads from D.C.’s Georgetown University. The film was packed with established and upcoming Brat Packers — Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez — most of whom had worked with at least one of their castmates before.
Rounding out the cadre of pals was Mare Winningham, who was not only a bit older than her costars but also married, the mom of two and expecting her third child (in stark contrast to the virgin she plays in the film). When St. Elmo’s Fire premiered June 28, 1985, film critics mostly rolled their eyes. But young moviegoers instantly loved the vivid characters whose post-college experience was relatable — and probably way more colorful than their own.
The film centered on a wildly diverse pack of pals sorting out what their adult lives will look like. Some, like Sheedy’s tweedy architect Leslie and her political up-and-comer beau Alec (Nelson) have it all figured out. Others, like Moore’s rich-girl banker Jules, McCarthy’s budding journalist Kevin, Winningham’s devoted social worker Wendy and St. Elmo’s Bar waiter Kirby (Estevez) are still sorting out their professional lives thanks to personal issues such as a comatose “step-monster” (Jules) and unrequited love (Wendy, Kevin and Kirby). And in the meantime, they all hang out at St. Elmo’s to hang onto the halcyon days of higher eduction just a little bit longer.
To celebrate four decades since we were first introduced to the lives, love triangles, unforgettable quips, overbearing parents and over-the-top apartments of these larger-than-life grads, here are some fun facts about the film. A booga-booga-booga, ah ha ha!
1 The famous booga-booga chant was actually cast members making fun of onlookers
The iconic, nonsensical cheer that the pals do in bonding moments, particularly after things get tense, wasn’t in the script. Apparently Lowe told an interviewer that the cheer came from the cast members imitating how onlookers sounded like when they were whispering about the actors and laughing.
2 The production had to transfer to another school
Columbia / Everett Collection
The movie actually filmed at the University of Maryland, which proudly claims the production — seems Georgetown admins were unimpressed with the script and refused to let Schumacher and company take over the campus. So the only shot of the DC mainstay is a single long shot from across the Potomac.
3 Schumacher employed real frat boys
©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
According to the university, some 50 UMD fraternity brothers were brought on as extras on set after getting the OK from their governing council. For the infamous scene in which Lowe’s Billy shows up at his former home to see if there was any room for a post-grad, the UMD boys were told to show up in “non-flashy” clothes. One even earned a speaking line. Senior Jay Hergenroeder played Billy’s frat bro who burst the alumnus’ bubbles by telling Billy that he was welcome back anytime — as long as he brought some good drugs.
“Little did I know until the film came out that I would be on scene next to the biggest star of the movie!” Hergenroeder, who recalled that the scene required over 30 takes, told Maryland Today. “At the sold-out initial screening of the film at UMD’s Hoff Theater, my real-life brother Rich stood up in the back and yelled at the top of his lungs, ‘There’s Birdog!’ — my family nickname.”
Another UMD frat member, Eric Platt, recalled that a stubborn bottle of cranberry juice offered him his big chance to chat up a pretty cast member. “During the actors’ lunch break, I eyed Demi Moore struggling to open a bottle of cranberry juice,” Pratt told the paper. “I went over and gave the damsel in distress a little help. My brush with fame!”
4 Estevez, Sheedy and Nelson had just finished playing high-schoolers
The trio was fresh off the set of teen film icon John Hughes‘ The Breakfast Club when they signed on to St. Elmo’s Fire. All three played vastly different characters that their detention-serving Club characters.
Like Kirby, Estevez’s Andrew Clark was confident and athletic, but while Clark could have any girl he pleased, Kirbo could never have the one he wanted. Sheedy’s hyper-mature, buttoned-up Leslie only mirrored Breakfast Club basket case Allison’s final prepped up look. And, proving the breadth of a young Nelson’s talent, he morphed from Breakast Club‘s famed stoner Bender into a convincing head of Georgetown’s Young Republicans.
Funnily enough, after playing a college grad, Andrew McCarthy would go back to high school — in 1986, he starred alongside Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.
5 It wasn’t Andie MacDowell‘s first film
Though St. Elmo’s Fire is often credited as the model-turned-actress’ first movie role, McDowell had been critically trounced the previous year for her role as Miss Jane Porter in 1984’s Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Schumacher took a chance on the curly-haired beauty anyway. MacDowell played Kirby’s doctor crush Dale, whom the waiter meets in the E.R. after Billy crashes his car. (“Drunk, definitely. I don’t know if you’d call that driving.”)
Though she felt more comfortable in this role, MacDowell admitted that filming Elmo’s could be nerve-wracking, mostly because Estevez and Moore were in love.
“Emilio was fun to work with,” MacDowell told Yahoo Entertainment in a 2020 interview. “But it was odd because he was dating Demi, and I didn’t want Demi not to like me. And we’re young. It’s all so awkward when you’re young.”
6 Schumacher also took a chance on Moore
Schumacher’s production office was housed in the same building as teen movie icon John Hughes’. One day, he saw a dark-haired young beauty walking down the hall and asked a colleague to chase her down to see if she was an actress. She was a young Demi Moore, and Schumacher cast her as the flighty, fabulous Jules. Little did he know that the actress he just cast to play a young woman who uses cocaine as a crutch was doing the same thing in real life. Rather than fire her, the director sent her off to rehab and told her she could return to the film if she came back sober.
“Working with Joel Schumacher on St. Elmo’s Fire was a pivotal moment in not just my career, but in my journey to recovery,” Moore wrote on Instagram.
7 Estevez and McCarthy were roomies in real life
In order to make their quip-filled banter seem effortless, McCarthy and Estevez got a place together after they were cast as roommates.
8 Lowe was so good at fake playing the sax that David Foster, who wrote the movie’s theme, called him into service
Lowe told Ellen Degeneres that he was so good at faxing the sax as the lead man for St. Elmo’s Billy Hixx and The New Breed that Foster often called him into service to entertain celebrity friends at charity events. Friends including then President Bill Clinton, who then invited him to Washington to “trade licks.”
9 Wendy’s stuffy parents were once married in real life
Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten, who played Mr. and Mrs. Beamish, were real-life husband and wife from 1957 to 1962. No word on whether their daughter, actress Talia Balsam, ever brought home a beau who was into munitions, met her in PRISON! and was probably on DRUGS!
Which St. Elmo’s Fire character was your favorite? Which couple were you rooting for most? Tell us in the comments below!
Remind