Cliffhanger endings in movies and television typically come when a revelation or event occurs that can't be readily solved in the current program. So, rather than avoid covering the topic, many action, thriller and horror properties will instead leave audiences in suspense, clamoring to find out what happens next. While the cliffhanger is a powerful narrative tool, it isn't one that's found in comedies too often, but John Hughes' 1985 classic The Breakfast Club is one of the few to feature one. And it comes in the most unlikely of ways: a dirty joke.
The Breakfast Club follows a group of high schoolers from very different social circles. At first, they are at odds with one another, but as the film unfolds, they realize they're more alike than they could've ever realized. The group's most unruly member, John Bender (Judd Nelson), constantly pushes the buttons of his classmates and the vice principal tasked with supervising their all-day detention.
What Happens After A Naked Blonde Walks Into a Bar?
Throughout the film, Bender repeatedly leaves the library to explore the school. However, when he is trying to get back, he finds himself in the air vents. While crawling through, he entertains himself by telling a joke: "A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two-foot salami under the other. She lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says, 'I suppose you won't be needing a drink'. Naked lady says --" However, before he can deliver the punchline, Bender falls through the ceiling and joins the other students. Responding to their stares, he says simply, "Forgot my pencil."
The joke is never finished, let alone explained, and the students eventually end their detention to enjoy what remains of their Saturday. However, that hasn't prevented fans from attempting to complete Bender's joke. However, even after 30 years, there has never been a definitive punchline to one of cinema's most elaborate joke setups.
According to Hughes and Nelson, there was never a punchline. In fact, Nelson improvised the scene. In hindsight, that makes the setup as hilarious as the potential punchline. With the realization that the joke doesn't have closure, the setup potentially becomes the punchline due to the comedic timing of Bender falling through the ceiling.
Throughout the history of cinema, cliffhangers have kept audiences engaged. While they come in all shapes and forms, the best cliffhangers are the ones that fans talk about years after their release. In The Breakfast Club's case, it's even more unique for being a cliffhanger in a genre where they aren't expected.