In the nearly 40 years since its release, Planes, Trains and Automobiles has become one of the most legendary road trip films, one of the best examples of John Huhges’ hilarious writing, and a top-notch movie set in the Midwest. The pairing of Steve Martin and John Candy as Neal Page and Del Griffith, respectively, led to not only one of the most sincere and emotional endings of the ‘80s but also one unforgettable moment after another where things go from bad to worse.
Here are 32 times things went hilariously wrong in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
‘He Says We’re Going The Wrong Way’
Though the drive from St. Louis to Chicago is a relatively short and typically boring drive, that’s far from the case for Neal and Del in what was to be the final night of their quest home. It gets a whole lot longer when Del, after nearly wrecking the rental car, starts driving the wrong way down the highway, leading to a brush with death.
Neal’s Wallet Is Turned To Ash
When the rental car goes up in flames on the drive back to Chicago, Neal leaves his wallet in the glove box for safekeeping. Well, when the pair of weary travelers attempt to check into a roadside motel somewhere in central Illinois, Neal’s plan to charge his way home goes up in smoke with his ashen wallet and melted credit cards.
‘If I Wanted A Joke…’
Planes, Trains and Automobiles has a lot of physical humor involving Neal on the receiving end of pain and discomfort. That said, it’s not all that surprising when the ad man’s temper and mouth put him on the receiving end of a punch and a hellacious grab when he gets snippy with a cabbie at the St. Louis airport.
102 Miles To Chicago, The Car Goes Up In Flames
So close yet so far away. That’s the case for Neal and Del when their rental car goes up in flames 102 miles south of Chicago. Del, not being observant when throwing out smoke on the highway, finds out what happens when you “mess around.”
The Train Breaks Down
After a delayed flight, a diverted flight, a cramped night in a motel, and a run-in with a young thief, Neal and Del get tickets for a train back home. Well, somewhere in western Missouri, the pair find themselves walking through a frozen field after the locomotive breaks down.
Neal Discovers Del’s Big, Wet Mess
One of the most baffling things about Planes, Trains and Automobiles is how Del makes such a big mess in the bathroom in such little time. That thought crosses not only the audience’s mind but Neal’s as he struggles to get out of the shower and find a towel that’s not soaking wet. Plus, what’s up with that counter?
Neal And Del’s Plane Diverts To Wichita, Kansas
If a delayed flight out of New York isn’t bad enough, Neal’s journey back home gets a whole lot longer (more than he knows at the time) when his plane is diverted to Witchita, Kansas, due to a snow storm in Chicago. And so it begins…
‘I Can’t Tell, The Speedometer Is Broken’
Every great road trip is required to have at least one scene where the main characters get pulled over, and this takes place in Planes, Trains and Automobiles just as Neal and Del are making the final leg. When talking with the state trooper, John Candy’s hilarious character admits he doesn’t know how fast he was going because the speedometer was destroyed in the previous night’s fire.
Del Reverses The Burnt Out Car Into The Hotel Room
The second hotel stay in Planes, Trains and Automobiles leads to some great bonding moments between Neal and Del, but it also leads to one of the film’s most destructive moments when Del accidentally backs the burnt-out rental car into a room.
Neal Drying His Face With Del’s Underwear
That’s no towel! Neal finds out the hard way that he isn’t drying off his face following a bad night of rest with a towel, but instead a pair of Del’s underwear. At least they look clean.
Making The Final Leg In The Back Of A Cheese Truck
When compared to pretty much everything else that happens on their way home, Del and Neal hitching a ride in the back of a cheese truck seems like nothing. However, have you ever ridden to Chicago next to aging cheese in the cold?
Neal Gets The Wrong Seat Assignment
You know what’s worse than having to wait longer than expected to catch a flight back home? Neal quickly finds out when he discovers that the ticket agent put him in coach instead of first class. But it doesn’t get better from there, as he’s put right next to his newfound “friend.”
A Room With A View… And One Bed
Sharing a motel room with a stranger is one thing, but having to squeeze into a double bed with them in the middle of nowhere Kansas is something completely different. However, this sleeping arrangement does lead to some of the funniest moments in the entire movie.
Del And Neal Are Robbed While Sleeping
Locked doors mean nothing in Kansas, as Neal and Del are robbed while they sleep in their cramped (and messy) hotel room. But at least they still have their credit cards. Nothing bad can happen to those, right?
Issues With The Shower’s Water Pressure
We’ve all been there before: you go to take a shower in some nasty motel off the side of the highway in Witchita only to discover that the water pressure is nothing to write home about. But at least it’s hot when it finally comes back.
No Call Home, The Phone Is Locked
Considering cell phones aren’t around in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Neal has to make long-distance calls to keep his wife in the loop. Well, no such luck on the final night of this odyssey, as the rotary phone has a lock on it preventing any outgoing MCI calls.
Neal Loses A Race For A Taxi In Spectacular Fashion
Though the appearance isn’t long enough to earn a spot on the list of best Kevin Bacon movies, the Footloose actor has a brief yet hilarious turn as a man competing with Neal to find a cab. Steve Martin’s character loses the race in spectacular fashion and nearly gets killed (the first of many near-misses).
Del Electrocutes Himself
After not being able to find a light switch at the hotel, Del resorts to turning the bulb before hitting the hay. But that plan ends with him electrocuting himself as the room goes dark.
Deal Heats Things Up In The Rental Car
Del unknowingly dropping his smoke in the backseat of the rental car is a hilarious moment. Though the subsequent fire and burnt belongings are quite a bummer, Del trying to take off his coat while driving down the highway will never not be funny.
Neal Walks Across A Highway And A Runway To Not Get A Car
Have you ever walked across a highway, on a busy runway, and then through a crowded airport on Thanksgiving Eve? Well, Neal has. You feel bad for the guy, but it’s so absurdly hilarious.
A Hilariously Tense Conversation At The St. Louis Airport
Edie McClurg only shows up in Planes, Trains and Automobiles for a hot minute, but she absolutely crushes it in this pivotal scene. Two years removed from her great performance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the actress plays an unenthused rental car agent on the receiving end of Neal’s barrage of a certain four-letter word.
Neal’s Client Takes FOREVER To Decide On An Ad, And Then Tables It
The opening scene of Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a work of art. Even though there is no way Neal was going to get to Chicago on the 6 p.m. flight out of New York City, his indecisive client certainly didn’t help. And to make things worse, the guy tables his decision until after the holiday.
No Rental Car In Spot V-5
Imagine walking to your rental car happy with thoughts of a short four-and-a-half-hour drive between you and home. Now imagine how ticked off you would be if you got there and the care was nowhere to be found. That’s the case for Neal in his failed attempt to leave St. Louis.
Nothing Goes Over Like ‘Three Coins In The Fountain’
Just when things are looking up for Neal and Del on their absurd journey back to Chicago, Neal manages to turn the whole bus against him when he starts singing “Three Coins in the Fountain.” Though Del’s tunes are huge hits with their fellow travelers, this tune is far from being a crowd-pleaser.
Neal And Del Accidentally Swap Credit Cards
So much of the trouble experienced by Neal and Del in Planes, Trains and Automobiles can be traced back to the fateful moment they accidentally swap credit cards when paying for the first hotel. One of the best parts is the fact that John Hughes holds the camera on the two cards for an excruciatingly long period of time so that everyone can figure out that this hilarious mistake is going to turn into something later on.
‘My Dogs Are Barking’
There are so many unwritten rules of traveling, and near the top of that list is the one about never taking off your shoes when you’re flying 33,000 feet above the ground in a tin can with recycled air. Well, no one must have told Del this well-known fact about air travel, because he not only takes off his shoes but also his socks. But hey, his dogs are barking,
The Flight To Chicago Is Delayed
Before the journey even begins for Neal and Del, they are met with an early obstacle when the 6 p.m. flight from New York City to Chicago is delayed (much to the surprise of no one). Though the pair of unlikely friends do eventually get out of the Big Apple and reach the Windy City, they have to spend even more time together in one of the movie’s funniest scenes.
The Interaction With The ‘I Don’t Have A Good Nature’ Attorney
Neal Page is one of the biggest jerks in any John Hughes movie, but he’s nothing compared to the attorney without a good nature he meets when trying to hail a cab out of New York. If you were to look up smug in the dictionary, this guy’s face would be there. But hey, he doesn’t try to act like a nice, or even decent, human being.
Del ‘Steals’ Neal’s Cab
Before we even get to properly meet Del Griffith, we get a wonderfully hilarious scene in which he “steals” Neal’s cab, the one he paid an exorbitant amount of money for just moments earlier. He didn’t know any better, so you can’t get mad at him. Plus, the face he makes when confronted at the next red light is the stuff of legend.
Issues With The Vibrating Bed
Remember when vibrating beds were all the rage in seedy motels? Well, Neal Page does after his not-so-good experience sleeping in a small shaking bed with Del in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And just when it looks like a cramped bed is the least of his worries, some of Del’s beer cans make his sheets hilariously wet.
The ‘Back Where I Belong’ Wake-Up Scene
Neal and Del waking up in a sweet caress the morning after sharing a small bed is just so dang funny, and the scene just keeps getting better. The music, the awkwardness, the talk about the Chicago Bears game all make this an unforgettable and outrageously funny moment to watch.
Frozen In The Back Of A Pick-Up Truck
The scene where Neal and Del have to ride in the back of a pickup truck (with an angry dog) to catch their train out of Kansas is painfully funny. Where does the pain come from, you ask? Well, just look at their faces when the frigid drive through the plains comes to an end. Even the dog is frozen solid.