'The Breakfast Club' Manuscript Found in Old Maine South High School

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A small piece of American film history unearthed itself during a recent move in a Chicago north suburb.

An original screenplay of the 1980s classic “The Breakfast Club” was found in a filing cabinet while staff at Maine Township High School were packing up their offices at Maine South High School before their move to a new building last month, according to a Pioneer Press story.

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“One day a few weeks ago, one of the assistants was going through a filing cabinet and found a file that had a manuscript from “The Breakfast Club” dated Sept. 21, 1983,” said District 207 Superintendent Ken Wallace. “It’s a first draft of the screenplay by John Hughes.”

The shuttered Maine North High School was the backdrop for a number of scenes of the classic that introduced the world to a princess, an athlete, a brain, a basket case and a criminal - all who found during a day-long Saturday detention they had more in common than any of them thought.

Maine North closed in 1981, but served as the sound stage for the detention room that was the film’s main location in 1984. The movie is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year since it was released in 1985. It starred Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy.

Hughes, who grew up in nearby Northbrook, based many of his films on the North Shore including Home Alone which, which used a now famous home in Winnetka as its location.

“The Breakfast Club” is said to have gotten the name of Shermer High School from Shermerville, the original name for Northbrook.

Pioneer Press shows the manuscript copy - dated in 1983 - was submitted and “approved” by then-school superintendent John Murphy.

Other documents found during the move included a contract with Universal Studios setting the rental fee of the Maine North site, which was set at $48,000.

A final letter to Universal Studios after the film was shot was also found.

“We close with nothing but the fondest thoughts and memories of Universal Studios and ‘The Breakfast Club,’” wrote one official in charge of production. “We trust the film will be a huge success.”

It obviously was.

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