Movie Musings: Disney and More

Humorous Grace

“They think he’s a righteous dude!” These words of pure hilarity were spoken by an actress named Edie McClurg who played Grace, the secretary in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). She improvised these words when she first auditioned for the role, and the late, great John Hughes (1950-2009, writer/co-producer/director of “Ferris Bueller,” Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985)) hired her right after she auditioned. As a favorite of John Hughes, she was re-hired to portray several other amusing bit parts in his movies. You can also recognize her voice in several Disney movies as well.

Before playing Grace the secretary in “Ferris Bueller,” she was the Check Out Lady in Mr. Mom (1983). After “Ferris Bueller” she played the role of the Car Rental Agent in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). Next she portrayed Lynn in She’s Having a Baby (1988). Her final film for John Hughes was Curly Sue (1991) where she played the Secretary.

Disney hired McClurg to voice characters that served as comic relief for their movies. She voiced Carlotta, Prince Eric’s maid in The Little Mermaid (1989), Dr. Flora in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998), Mary in Wreck-It-Ralph (2012), and Gerda, a citizen of Arendelle, in Frozen (2013). She also provided the voice of the midwestern minivan, Minny in Disney/Pixar’s Cars (2006) and reprised that role for the sequel, Cars 2 (2011). She appeared as Nurse DeFarge in the “Beauty and the Beast” episode of The Golden Girls (1985-1992) for Disney/ABC, which also happened to star Alisan Porter, who played Curly Sue, as Blanche’s granddaughter, Melissa. Although they had no screen time together in the episode, the episode aired on television in October of 1991, the same month and year that Curly Sue (1991) was released to theaters.

Edie McClurg is no doubt of one Hollywood’s funniest unsung clowns. Her distinctively friendly voice is not only easy to listen to, it’s also hilarious. While we might remember her best as Grace, the secretary in “Ferris Bueller,” the humor that she brought to every role that she played never will never cease!