Production note The opening St. Elmo’s Fire bar exterior was shot on the Universal back lot, not at Georgetown.
Production note The film was based on the Tombs, a real Georgetown watering hole.
Production note Georgetown would not permit filming, so University of Maryland was used.
Production note The St. Elmo’s Fire song became a major hit and was written by David Foster with John Parr.
Production note Rob Lowe learned to play saxophone for the film, though some shots clearly use playback or stand-ins.
Production note The shower door breaking during Kevin and Leslie’s sex scene was accidental and the reaction was genuine.
Production note Casting for the film involved many near-misses, including Anthony Edwards, Lea Thompson, Madonna, and Linda Hamilton.
The Big Chill Used as the major comparison for the friend-group-after-college subgenre.
Reality Bites Cited as another post-college movie and comparison point for Kevin/Troy type characters.
Kicking and Screaming Mentioned as another movie they plan to cover that fits the same template.
Breakfast Club Used to explain the Brat Pack crossover and the cast’s youth appeal.
The Graduate Referenced as a rare earlier film about post-college drift.
WarGames Listed in Ally Sheedy’s career run.
Bad Boys Also listed in Ally Sheedy’s run of 1980s roles.
About Last Night Mentioned as another Rob Lowe/Demi Moore collaboration and later success point.
Lost Boys Referenced because Schumacher also staged a notable saxophone performance scene there.
Eddie and the Cruisers Used to discuss 1980s sax/player-bar culture and Clarence Clemons influence.
Back to the Future Referenced when discussing the Universal back lot and the bar location.
The Exorcist Cited in the priest anecdote about Georgetown filming permissions.
Pump Up the Volume Referenced in a joking aside about creating podcasting.
