Watch Jon Cryer Revive Duckie’s ‘Pretty in Pink’ Dance on ‘Late Late Show’
Donning his vintage white kicks and high-hair wig, Jon Cryer got back into character as “Duckie” from John Hughes’ 1986 rom-com classic, Pretty in Pink, during Tuesday’s episode of The Late Late Show. The actor and host James Corden recreated Duckie’s signature record store dance scene, miming the words to Otis Redding’s blazing soul classic “Try a Little Tenderness” as they stomp around the stage.
The duo showcased all the signature Duckie moves – the hand slam, the wall slide, the head swivel, the air-hump, the Egyptian walk – while channeling the romantic angst Cryer’s character showed for Molly Ringwald’s Andie Walsh. After a celebratory high-five, they run into the audience, fanning themselves with LPs after the sprint. Though Cryer appears winded after the performance, it’s amazing how seamlessly he slips back into a role from almost three decades ago.
“The Duckman’s goofball moves cannot remotely be described as ‘cool,’ ‘funky’ or even ‘human,’ but he needs this song to express all the bottled-up emotion he has for Molly, because he can’t tell her himself,” Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield wrote in his “30 Greatest Rock & Roll Movie Moments” list. “So it’s slapstick comedy, but it’s also true romance: a very rock & roll combo.”
Since taking over The Late Late Show last month, Corden hasn’t squandered opportunities for silliness. So far, he’s recreated the Tom Hanks filmography, played hide-and-seek with guests Beck and Jeff Goldblum in a random guy’s house and suffered a hilarious April Fools’ Day prank from Katie Couric.