Memorable Moments: Ilan Mitchell-Smith in Weird Science

Anyone growing up in the eighties, and even for many the nineties, knows the power of those memorable moments on screen.  Today, anyone can see any scene, any body, any body part anytime they want.  When I was a kid, those moments weren't as easily accessible, and mainstream movies provided not only the most powerful, but also the safest way to explore sexuality.

I think many FH readers have the shared memory of being a kid and catching a memorable moment on VHS.  It was usually when watching with a group of friends or with family.  After the initial moments of shock and titillation, my emotion usually moved to fear, tensing up and hoping nobody in the room noticed how much I was noticing.  Being 12 and in the closet meant constant moments of suppressing my natural reaction to things.

My pattern was most likely much like yours.  When the movie was over, I'd move on, to dinner, to bed, to whatever followed.  The movie memory however, would be stuck in my head, often for days.  They were too infrequent to be easily forgotten. If the movie was rented at my home, I'd sneak down to the rec room whenever I thought it was safe, and re-watch the scene for as long as I could.  If I saw the movie at a friends, I'd then try to ensure the film was the next one rented by my family.

We applaud the importance of gay cinema, and we should.  For so many of us, especially those us who grew up in rural areas or far from any cultural hubs, mainstream movies were it. It was those movies, was those scenes within mainstream films that became our introduction to the male form on film, and the visual confirmation of our sexuality and budding sexual awakening.

I was about 12 or 13 when I saw Weird Science on VHS.  I'd not heard or it when it was in the theatres a few years earlier, nor did I have any real interest in seeing it now.  I knew little about it other than that my younger brother chose it during our trip to the video store.  I remember kind of liking it, but not especially loving it, but I remember vividly Ilan Mitchell-Smith in his blue undies.

The scene was memorable for many reasons, the least of which was director John Hughes;s direction of the scene.  It was both fairly lengthy, and included a  close-up of Mitchell-Smith's crotch.  Although it perfect made sense, for comedic reason, to get a good gander, given the actor was just 16, it was still rather rare for an teen oriented American comedy.

For many, the icing was on the cake was Bill Paxton's beautiful backside at the end of the scene.  Not for me.  I hated Paxton's character Chet, and identified more with Mitchell-Smith's Wyatt.  Paxton seemed so old to me at the time and don't remember really even reacting to his nude scene until I saw the movie again when I was older. At the time, my focus was on the adorable Wyatt in the tight blue panties he woke up wearing.

I know I'm not the only one who has this particular scene as one of those memorable moments.  It certainly was a memorable moment for actor Ilan Mitchell-Smith.  Although he'd gotten his start the previous year playing a young Timothy Hutton in Daniel, and co-starred in The Wild Life with Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz, Weird Science became his most famous role, then, and even today.  Mitchell-Smith continued to work, mostly on TV for a few years, but except for a few guest shots, (including on a Weird Science themed episode of The Goldbergs) the actor left show business in the early 90's.

Mitchell-Smith turned his focus to academia, receiving his BA in Medieval Studies from the University of California, and his MA in Medieval Studies from Fordham University. Mitchell-Smith went to to receive a doctoral degree from Texas A&M University in 2005, and became an associate professor in the English department at California State University.

In addition to his teaching, Mitchell-Smith also writes about medieval culture in many mediums, including writing about chivalry in the later Middle Ages.  With all those accomplishments, I'm sure there are many who have memories which don't include Mitchell-Smith in his undies, but for many of us, that onscreen memory will continue to be memorable.