The Real Ferris Bueller?

Edward McNally is quite accomplished in his own right: Presidential speechwriter from 1989 to 1991, senior associate counsel to the president from 2001 to 2005, and now a high-profile lawyer in Washington D.C. But perhaps he is most notable for, in his words, "being unfairly accused of serving among the inspirations for Ferris Bueller." McNally grew up on the same Illinois street as John Hughes, the director of Ferris Bueller's Day Off who died last week. McNally says many of the classic scenes from the movie are straight out of their youth: He skipped an exorbitant amount of class, had an elaborate note-forging scheme, and maintained a penchant for using corny disguises. McNally even eloped in a fancy car and drove it in reverse to undo the extra mileage. Most amusing, though, is that one of his clients involved in the Monica Lewinsky scandal identified himself as "the Sausage King of Chicago"--a line straight out of Bueller--to the press and the New York Times reported it as real news.