Curly Candy - John as Curly Howard

John does a terrific job impersonating Curly Howard in an episode of 'SCTV' from November 21, 1977 . John, Eugene Levy (as Moe) and Joe Flaherty (as Larry) play 'The Three Stooges' under the name 'The Three Dummies'. The butler and maid are played by Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin and the society lady is played by Catherine O'Hara. In this 'SCTV' episode 'The Three Dummies' is part of the kiddie show 'Muley's Round House' hosted by embittered and paranoid switchman Muley, played by Harold Ramis.

Everyone does a good job in this skit but John's imitation of Curly is so spot on that you think you're actually looking at Curly Howard. From the high-pitched voice to the beautifully timed gestures; it's all there!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - official trailer

The official trailer of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' gives us rare glimpses of footage that isn't in the movie. It shows us that some scenes could've been longer. Like the scene in the Braidwood Inn; in this trailer we see Neal talking to Del in bed saying: "I was on my way home to spend a nice holiday with my family, instead I'm in a Motel bed with a stranger." This certainly isn't in the movie!

Further glimpses are Neal eating a pizza in the Motel room, Neal falling asleep in the truck, Del clowning in the mirror (twice), Del shouting "heave-ho!" and Neal sitting in their burned car saying: "Two happy clams just whistling down the road."

I was very surprised to see this trailer and I think it's highly interesting and enjoyable. I hope you feel the same.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Special Edition DVD

Recently, a special edition DVD of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' was released under the name "Those Aren't Pillows!" Edition. The artwork gives a wrong impression, because this isn't a Christmas movie. Neal Page (Steve Martin) is going home for Thanksgiving. It seems this special edition has to appeal to Christmas buyers. However, it's only a lenticular slipcover and the DVD case itself has different artwork which is the image on the right. (Sorry for the low resolution.)

It is known that a lot of footage was shot for this movie. According to the late director John Hughes you could assemble a 3 hour version, which would take massive editing. This special edition DVD features only one deleted scene which can be seen in television versions of the movie. This is a dinner scene which takes place on the plane. Sadly, it isn't incorporated into the movie. I'd rather had two cuts of the movie, one without this scene and one with. But the best would be to have a third cut, which includes (all) other filmed material.

Further extras are: "Getting There is Half the Fun: The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "John Hughes for Adults" and "A Tribute to John Candy". I have been told that the tribute to John is way too short. One of the extras contains the press conference which was given for 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'. You can see a part of the press conference here.

Besides a bunch of footage, stills of the movie and behind the scenes photos, another thing that should've been added as an extra is missing. It's a news episode of WKBW-TV (Buffalo, NY) in which John is interviewed by Mike Randall while having his hair permed for the role of Del Griffith. This news episode originally aired on February 27, 1987. Watch it here.

I have been told that the picture quality is an improvement over the first DVD. So overall, I think we must be happy a special edition got released. Hopefully, a definitive edition will see the light of day within a few years. On Blu-ray maybe?

Return of Gus Polinski in Home Alone 2 ?

In an article about John Hughes from the cancelled website Addictive Thoughts a massive argument is mentioned that allegedly took place between John Hughes and John Candy. It is said that the cause of this argument was a role snub. "Hughes, he alleged to close friends in the early 1990s, had promised to write a new film for him - and then either never delivered on his promise or offered the role to someone else (without alerting Candy first or even offering a friendly apology.)"

Furthermore, the author of the article writes: "A few years ago, I was told by an acquaintance of Candy’s son that the snubbed role was actually a return of the Gus Polinski character for Home Alone 2, and not a feature length film, but I have never read anything more about this so I am unsure of its legitimacy."

It would've been great to see the Gus Polinski character return in Home Alone 2. And, it would've been great if there had been another Hughes/Candy film. I guess for us fans, we would've loved to see both roles come to fruition. How sad both Johns never made up.

Source: the cancelled website http://addictivethoughts.com/.

Edited on July 16, 2010.

Today, 59 years ago...

Today, 59 years ago, a legendary actor was born: John Franklin Candy. In his short life he made the whole world laugh and even after his passing he continues to do so thanks to his movies and television work. Luckily, due to television and DVD a new generation discovers John's wonderful work in the field of comedy and drama. The world still misses you, John.

* * * *

Photo: copyright 1991 Time Life Pictures.

John Hughes (1950-2009)

John Hughes passed away of a heart attack today. The talented writer, director and producer was 59. He worked with John Candy on several movies like 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles', 'Uncle Buck' and 'Only the Lonely'.

Hughes almost always seemed to make the right choice for John Candy and he could make a movie tailor made for him. Besides Hughes' other successes, like his teen movies or Home Alone and it's sequel, his finest work really is with John Candy.

Farewell, John Hughes. Thanks for all the great movies of which I am sure they will be forever popular.

John Candy Rides The Rails

In the kids magazine 'Disney Adventures' of March 11, 1991, is a very nice interview with John. According to interviewer Robert Crane they "caught him between recording the voice of the camp counselor on his animated television show 'Camp Candy', and shooting 'The Rescuers Down Under', 'Delirious' and 'Only the Lonely'." The last episode of 'Camp Candy' aired on October 27, 1990 and 'Delirious' had a test preview in October 1990. So this interview was held prior to October. To determine exactly when the interview took place I'd have to know when John worked on 'The Rescuers Down Under'. You might wonder why John is depicted as a conductor. Well, the main theme of this magazine is trains. In the interview John tells about his qualities as a cook, being a class clown, Canada, not being keen on flying, summer holidays, 'Camp Candy' and more.































Images: copyright 1991 The Walt Disney Company.

John Candy and Carl Reiner - Part 1

In my collection I have a great press kit of 'Summer Rental'. Reading through the production information of this movie it's clear that John and director Carl Reiner got along very well together and had deep respect for one another. On the picture above you see John and Carl enjoy a video playback of a scene they've just shot. There was a nice atmosphere on the set.

















Here are some excerpts from the Handbook of Production Information:

The executive producer (Bernie Brillstein) sent the completed screenplay to both Carl Reiner and John Candy. Each said, "If he'll do it, I'll do it." George Shapiro was brought in as line producer, and within three days a deal was struck with Paramount. Production began on March 18, 1985, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Having made his mark in nearly every facet of film and television during his nearly four decades as an actor, writer, director and producer, Carl Reiner was last credited with directing the critically praised "All of Me", starring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. In addition to his own creative skills, Reiner has proven himself to be a superb judge of comedic talent. His enthusiasm over Candy's approach to comedy was evident. "Working with John Candy has been one of the great delights in my career," states the director. "I've been very lucky in my career. I've worked with some of the best: Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, George Burns, Steve Martin and now John Candy. "I find that there's a common denominator that runs with all creative comedians. They're a pleasure to work with because they not only come in prepared, but they come with creative ideas which makes everything better, easier. We were given a very good script by Jeremy Stevens and Mark Reisman. But put somebody like John Candy in it and little goodies happen every day."

The litany of Reiner's accomplishments had long been familiar to Candy. "Carl is such a legend to us 'Baby Boomers' " Candy relates. "I was really flattered to learn that he wanted to work with me. Keeping up with Carl has been one of my big challenges in this picture. He's so sharp, and the ideas come so quickly. He also has a wonderful childlike quality. He likes to have a lot of fun and so do I. We both goof around a lot--which works real well for me. It's always a pleasure to work with a pro like him."

To be continued...

Photo, image of Handbook and excerpts from 'Summer Rental':

Copyright MCMLXXXV Paramount Pictures Corporation.

Second City documentary available on iTunes

The wonderful documentary 'The Second City - First Family of Comedy', which has been released to DVD (see image above), is now available to download on iTunes.

Join hosts (and Second City alums) Dave Thomas, Scott Thompson, and Joe Flaherty for an uproarious, behind-the-scenes history of the troupe that incubated more than four decades’ worth of funny people. Meet the producers who introduced the world to John Belushi, John Candy, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, and more. See rare archival clips of early performances. Hear Dan Aykroyd, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Patrick McKenna, Mike Myers, Colin Mochrie, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Ryan Stiles, and others reminisce about their salad days. You’ll learn why so many performers call Second City the "university" that gave them a higher education in hilarity.

To download the documentary from iTunes, click on the button below:

Boxoffice March 1991 - Coverstory

A great article by Marilyn Moss of which the main subject is John's upcoming movie 'Delirious'. In the first passage of this article Mrs. Moss refers to John as "an evocation of Buster Keaton and a living homage to Charlie Chaplin". Some compliments! I guess this is also because later in the article John says that classic comedians like Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy and Charlie Chaplin are all inspirators who had their inspirators too.

John talks about being a romantic lead in his new movie 'Delirious' and working with Emma Samms and Mariel Hemingway and takes the opportunity to talk about his dramatic role in 'Only the Lonely'.

Also mentioned is his work on the Warner Bros. project 'The Reincarnation of Jonathan Smellon' aka 'Haulin' Ashes' in the capacity of writer, producer and performer. This is a project that fell through.

In this article John is asked what directors he would like to work with. One of the directors he named was Oliver Stone. He would work with him that same year for the movie 'JFK'.

PrimeTime 1989 - Inside Entertainment

Little news flashes from PrimeTime's 'Inside Entertainment' page. The paragraph on John is about 'Uncle Buck' revitalizing his career and his future projects of which 'On The Air' fell through.

Below John's photo is Bette Midler's. Is this a coincidence or what? Around the time of this article Bette demanded that John would do an audition for the role of her boyfriend Ed Munn in the film 'Stella' (1990). John was furious about this and he refused to do an audition. After that, the role went to John Goodman. For further reading on this subject I recommend reading Martin Knelman's biography on John Candy, 'Laughing on the Outside'.

Empire October 1991 - Part II (Review)

After reading this review on 'Only the Lonely' by Angie Errigo I come to the conclusion that Mrs. Errigo only reviewed this movie on base of it's story. There's no word on the fine acting of the cast.

Please don't let this review fool you, 'Only the Lonely' is a heartwarming romantic comedy and is much better than a lot of other romantic "comedies". This movie is not a cliché, it's reality. It's about real feelings and is inspired by people who were in the same situation. Therefore, the movie can't be uninspired. Unless you think life is a cliché itself.

Why is John's character referred to as a slob in this review? He's a nice and decent guy, who works as a cop. O, wait a minute... is it because he's heavy? Now that's not sweet, but it is simple and uninspired....

Empire October 1991 - Part I (Interview)

An interview by Frank Sanello with John about his career and his new film 'Only the Lonely' in the popular British film magazine 'Empire'.

I'd like to make some remarks on three passages in this interview :

1. "So she'd (Ally Sheedy) have no qualms about dating the big man (John) in real life? "Er, sure" "says Sheedy diplomatically." This is very suggestive, as if Ally didn't give an honest answer and as if no woman could be attracted by John.

2. "The Canadian-born actor could not, however draw on his own real-life experience." This is only partially true. It's true that John didn't stay with his mother till he was 38 but he did take the place of his father. He was making the decisions for his mother and older brother. You can read more about that in Martin Knelman's excellent John Candy biography: 'Laughing on the Outside'.

3. "....leading to initially disappointing leading man performances in Summer Rental and The Great Outdoors." I guess the interviewer speaks in box office terms, because John's performances itselves in 'Summer Rental' and 'The Great Outdoors' aren't disappointing at all. Especially 'Summer Rental' is a great vehicle for John.

In conclusion some remarks on the brief filmography:

Faceoff (1977), seems to me that should be 'Face-Off' from 1971, was deleted some time ago from John's IMDB listing and when I mentioned John to Canadian actor Art Hindle, who had a part in Face-Off, he told me he worked with him in the movie 'Speed Zone'. Art didn't mention 'Face-Off'. So it's difficult to determine if John has a part in this movie. If so, it would take the place of 'Class of '44' (1973) as John's movie debut.

Strange Brew (1983). This movie stars John's SCTV colleagues Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis as the McKenzie Brothers. As far as I know, John doesn't have a part in this picture.

'One Wild Night' (1990) is an alternative title for 'Career Opportunities', most probably for the UK. John has a very nice cameo in this John Hughes movie. Click the article to read it in full size.

People Weekly 1981

About two weeks after the premiere of 'Stripes', an interview Cutler Durkee had with John was printed in the magazine People Weekly, Vol. 16 - No. 2, July 13, 1981.

Amongst other things John tells about 'SCTV' and loosing weight and he has a bone to pick with a critic who referred to him as "the elephant".

Also featured are two very cute photos of John with his daughter Jennifer (17 months old) and his dog Keema who doesn't seem to be keen on becoming wet! Click on the thumbnails below to read the full article.

In memoriam: Evangeline Candy

Evangeline Aker Candy, pictured here with sons Jim and John and granddaughter Jennifer, passed away two months ago (January 25th) in Toronto East General Hospital. Her sister Fran Aker, with whom she had been living for many years, and her son Jim were at her side in her final days.

She also leaves behind her brother Ken Aker and his wife Barbara, her daughter-in-law Rose Hobor Candy and her grandchildren from John's marriage to Rose: Jennifer and Christopher. "Her kind spirit and generous smile will be missed by all," reads a statement from her family.

Funeral services were held on January 28th at St. Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church and Evangeline was laid to rest at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetary. Source: http://popgoesthenews.com/.

May God bless her soul.

Big City Comedy

In the summer of 1980, 13 episodes of 'Big City Comedy' were produced. John hosted these half hour shows, which had a weekly guest star and started airing that fall. 'SCTV' was off the air at that time and John had no intention to come back if the show would return. This was due to a quarrel with producer Andrew Alexander over royalty payments. Although 'Big City Comedy' wasn't bad, the ratings weren't high so the show stopped after its first season. 'SCTV' got back into production in that same summer and John returned soon thereafter. For further reading about this subject I recommend the book 'Laughing on the Outside' by Martin Knelman.

The Sept. 27-Oct. 3 (1980) volume of TV Guide includes an article about Margaret Trudeau's career and her guest appearances on 'Big City Comedy'. According to the article, she appeared briefly in the first episode and in an entire episode that was aired October, 17. Read the full article below. Click the thumbnails to open each page in a big size.

Fifteen years ago...

Fifteen years ago I became a fan of John Candy. In early 1994 I bought 'The Great Outdoors' on video and on April 8, 1994 I bought 'Once Upon A Crime'. I liked the movies but I even more liked the guy who played Chet Ripley and Augie Morosco! So in the next two months I bought more of his films like 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles', 'Summer Rental' and 'Delirious'. There was something about him. He had a warmth that I also found with the famous comedy duo Laurel & Hardy.

I hadn't heard about John's passing and when the owner of the videoshop told me he had heard something of the kind I wouldn't believe it. "He's mistaken with someone else, with an older actor", I thought. Now I know, that this is what I wanted to believe. But in September of the same year, I was finally confrontated with the fact that John really was no longer amongst us. In 'Blotto's Bulletin', a Dutch Laurel & Hardy newspaper, I read that in the new 'Our Gang' film the role of Spanky's father would've been played by John Candy who passed away suddenly and therefore the role was cut from the scenario. I felt very upset. In fact, I felt upset for weeks.

Today it is fifteen years ago that John's funeral service took place at St. Martin of Tours Church in Los Angeles. And today I'm making this blog as a tribute to him, to the man who is still loved by so many people of all ages and from all over the world. John, thanks for all the laughter.