Don't You Forget About Me

You might not recognize the name Paul Gleason. But I bet that if you grew up in the '80's you'd remember the face and voice. Gleason was the guy who played the scary principal from hell in "The Breakfast Club." He died on Saturday, at 67, of lung cancer. As I read the news at the Internet Movie Data Base, I kept on thinking of his movies and how much I always loved that guy who was so good at playing an a-hole. And yes, that's a compliment. Acting is not *being* and it requires a certain skillful observation. For whatever reason, Gleason was adept at playing smarmy, but funny authority figures-- guys determined to be right at the expense of our heroes. He tapped into something there that has almost become a character type, the authority figure who does not deserve his authority, and abuses it. (Remember Paul Reiser's oily executive in Aliens? Same thing.) It is a credit to Gleason's talent that he was able to identify those traits-- the misplaced confidence, the self-assurance, and utter lack of empathy mixed with delusions of grandeur-- that resonated when viewers saw his villains. We knew those characters... we've had to put up with guys like that. Gleason gave us an outlet, a way to recognize those everyday types of villains, and laugh at them.

Gleason perfected that arrogant bluster, standing out in movies like Die Hard and Trading Places. Remember his a-hole detective character who spitted out classic rude lines of perfection like: "We're going to need more F.B.I. guys"? Or how about in The Breakfast Club where he exerts his authority by warning the kids: "The next time I have to come in here, I'm cracking skulls!" It was a funny line because it was so overblown... I mean who hasn't had a tough-talking authority figure try to use bluster and swagger to intimidate? I remember laughing at Gleason's line, and yet... I could see him doing it too. There was something laughable and something to be feared in his Principal Vernon character and Gleason found both the humor and seriousness.

I don't think I'll ever forget those characters, and I certainly won't forget that Paul Gleason is the guy that brought them to us. Paul, I raise my glass to ye.