Without a doubt St. Elmo’s Fire was one of the most important films of the 1980s.
It’s a powerful coming-of-age film that helped launch the careers of superstars like Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore.
RELATED STORIES
Below are 10+ St. Elmo’s Fire behind the scenes secrets that fans didn’t know. If you’re a man (or woman) in motion and all you need is a set of wheels , then this one’s for you!
1. Writer Carl Kurlander has his own opinion as to why the film has such incredible staying power:
” St. Elmo’s Fire was not without its conflicts on and off screen, and it is in some ways a flawed movie. But so are the lives of everyone who goes through that period in their early twenties as they try to find out who they are.”
2. Mare Winningham was pregnant while filming!
“Mare Winningham was pregnant , and ended up sharing that with Joel. It was more than a little ironic that she was playing a virgin who would eventually sleep with Rob Lowe in the movie, while she was also about to have her third child.”
3. Joel Schumacher’s assistant wrote the screenplay.
A man by the name of Carl Kurlander was working as Schumacher’s assistant.
He based the screenplay on his own experiences with unrequited love while working at the St. Elmo Hotel in New York.
4. Production was barred from filming at Georgetown University.
Supposedly the Vice Provost, Father Freeze, didn’t approve of the drinking, drug use, and pre-marital sex the film portrayed.
Which is ironic, considering the fact that a very famous horror film shot scenes at the campus more than a decade prior.
“Joel reminded the Father that *The Exorcist* had shot on the Georgetown campus.”
He goes on to say that “in that movie, a thirteen-year-old girl pees on a rug and masturbates with a cross. Father Freeze told him: ‘yes, but in that movie, the devil didn’t win.’”
5. Billy Joel could have been the bartender.
“At one point, Joel tried to send the script to Billy with an offer asking him to play the bartender of St. Elmo’s. We never heard back and the part went to stand-up Blake Clark.”
6. The cast wasn’t impressed with “The Brat Pack” moniker.
“When “The Brat Pack” article came out, Emilio naturally felt betrayed and called the reporter to tell him he had ruined his life. Judd is said to have wanted to beat the guy up. They understandably felt betrayed.”
7. Absolutely no one liked the title *St. Elmo’s Fire*.
You have to admit, it’s a bit off-sounding. The studio certainly thought so. They sent a complaint memo that was over 35 pages in length!
Along with their reasons for why the title should be changed, they included a list of acceptable substitutes.
8. The song “Man In Motion” was inspired by a true Canadian hero.
It wasn’t written for the film at all! Rick Hansen is a paraplegic who lost the use of his legs at the age of fifteen. He went coast to coast across Canada in his wheel cheer raising money for charity.
Schumacher loved the track and got David Foster to include the lyric “St. Elmo’s Fire”.
9. When Joel Schumacher met Andie MacDowell, her arms were both broken.
“She explained she had been in acting class in New York and her character was supposed to pound the floor. She had gotten carried away and fractured both her arms.”
10. Demi Moore was given an ultimatum.
Quit or go to rehab: those were her two choices. At the time, Demi was having serious struggles with alcohol.
It got so bad, according to Kurlander, that director Joel Schumacher said: “Demi could go kill herself on someone else’s movie.”
Thankfully, Demi was able to come to grips with sobriety and embraced it head-on.
“To Demi’s great credit, she rose to the occasion and got sober . By the time it came to filming her big breakdown scene, she was bringing her own life experience to the role.”
11. John Hughes played a significant part in the casting decisions.
Both directly and indirectly! John spoke highly of his Breakfast Club cast and recommended them for the parts to Schumacher.
He played an indirect part in the casting of Demi Moore by standing her up for a meeting. As a result, Demi just so happened to walk past Joel Schumacher’s office at the right time.
12. There were some memorable auditions.
To begin with, Demi Moore pulled up to the office on a motorcycle .
She had messy hair, a raspy voice, and a unique style that was all her own. They hired her on the spot.
Rob Lowe also had a very memorable audition but for an entirely different reason.
“Rob was an established teen heartthrob, but Joel was unsure if Rob could pull off Billy. Taking on the challenge, Rob showed up to meet Joel on a Saturday in his office with a six-pack .”
