Cut Scenes from 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' Apparently Explain Everything

Every year during Thanksgiving week, I watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The whole movie is excellent, but the first 20 minutes are particularly remarkable. Every new indignity bestowed on Steve Martin's character, Neal, is laugh out loud funny.

Nonetheless, there are a few things in the movie that don't make much sense. For example, it seems so random that they get robbed in a motel in Wichita, and it doesn't make sense why Neal's wife blames him for his weather-related travel woes. Apparently, the original cut of the movie from John Hughes was over twice as long, and the deleted context helps these scenes make much more sense. It also reveals more about John Candy's character, Del, and how he came to be a lonely traveling salesman. However, nearly all of this footage has never seen the light of day.

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Joe Ramoni, the co-host of the Almost Cult Classics Podcast, filled in the blanks using the film's script, the one deleted scene released on the DVD, and the trailer -- and made the case for the uncut film to be found and released:










Paramount should definitely make the director's cut available -- this movie has a big following who would really enjoy seeing it.

 



Written by
Ryan Glasspiegel grew up in Connecticut, graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and lives in Chicago. Before OutKick, he wrote for Sports Illustrated and The Big Lead. He enjoys expensive bourbon and cheap beer.