Twist and Shout: The Story Behind the Parade in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

      In his latest book, *Ferris Bueller… You’re My Hero,* author Jason Klamm explores the iconic John Hughes film *Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,* which celebrates its 40th anniversary this June. The movie features Matthew Broderick as the clever and carefree Ferris, who plans an unforgettable day for his friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara). A standout moment is a parade — Klamm notes that it was filmed during an actual parade, which the production later recreated a week later to incorporate scenes with the film’s lead actors. The scene culminates with Ferris jumping onto a float to unite a crowd of thousands—office workers, a marching band, dancing frauleins, and others—in a singalong to The Beatles’ "Twist and Shout." Klamm shares the details of how it all came together.—M.M.

      “I think Matthew was really energized by the crowd,” Hughes remarked. Prior to the parade, the largest audience Matthew Broderick had performed for was around 1,500 people in a theater. “But this was just throngs of people,” Broderick reflects. “We filmed in an actual parade the first weekend, and then they wondered, ‘Oh no, how are we going to gather as many people as the parade when we shoot again next weekend?’” Hughes addressed the challenge of recreating a 200-float parade when he appeared on Fred Winston’s show at WLS.

      “They collaborated with the radio station,” Winston recalls. “They put us in Daley Center, and we interviewed a few people. He was genuinely a kind man… a real person, not a Hollywood a——.” They organized a raffle, so anyone who showed up as an unpaid extra could win prizes like a trip to Mexico or some “record albums,” given that they weren’t compensated. This also allowed people to leave whenever they wished, though production hoped that wouldn’t happen.

      “I remember John saying the fantastic thing about Chicago was that there’s a parade every day,” notes Lindsay Doran, who was vice president of production at Paramount. “They had to immediately start researching to find a parade that they could join without causing disruption.”

      *Ferris Bueller… You’re My Hero,* by Jason Klamm, is set for release on June 16 from 1984 Publishing.

      “Chicago has more parades than any city in America, or at least it did back then,” producer Tom Jacobson explains. “Chicago was home to immigrant communities that had really preserved their heritage. There's the Polish community, the Ukrainian community, the German-American community.”

      Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a general who aided George Washington during the American Revolution by training the colonial army, is commemorated by the Steuben Society, founded in 1919. The Von Steuben Day parades, held in cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, often celebrate German heritage, though the possibility of von Steuben’s homosexuality opens up the idea of two distinct pride parades honoring him; his monument in Washington, D.C. has since been officially recognized by LGBTQ+ veterans for his enduring effect on military training.

      On September 21, 1985, Chicago marked its 21st Von Steuben Day Parade. The task that day was to seamlessly integrate the film’s cameras and crew into the parade to film it subtly, while also adding their own float to the procession.

      At least 10 cameras were on hand (including an early Steadicam), requiring several camera operators and numerous assistants, all reporting to cinematographer Tak Fujimoto. Conrad W. Hall positioned himself alongside Fujimoto on a crane to capture a sweeping shot of the parade down Dearborn Street: “We would come down from the crane, switch to a dolly, or find a way to cover wider shots of the main floats and the ‘Twist and Shout’ sequence.”

      Crucial to the parade, both on that day and particularly the following Saturday, was an element that made it genuinely look like — and in many ways become — a real parade: atmosphere. Background performers. Extras.

      Second assistant director Ken Collins was responsible for managing those extras on *Ferris.*

      “Extras can be your greatest allies. They can elevate your work, or if they aren’t feeling it, they can disappear,” Collins explains. While it’s possible to get extras to perform well for minimal pay, “that’s only if they respect you and feel treated like human beings.”

      Collins’ experience spans back to his work on *Airplane!* and more recently, the TV series *Bosch.* “As Bosch says, ‘Everyone counts, or nobody counts,’” Collins states. “Many second ADs I've worked with treated extras as the lowest form of humanity on set.”

      The key to inspiring cooperation from such a diverse group lies in respect and also in effective communication.

      “All you have to do is show up