John Candy: A Great Comedian
John Candy, born October 31, 1950 came from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was headed for a career in comedy and acting. He attended a Catholic school and played school football in Toronto. His first movie roll came in 1973.
As time went on he became the popular star we all know him as today, eventually showing up in major motion pictures such as Spaceballs, Uncle Buck, Armed and Dangerous, Stripes and The Great Outdoors just to name a few. One thing about this actor comedian is his ability to keep a straight face while performing. Some comedians can be caught holding back snickers or giggles while performing their work. John Candy isn’t like this, he kept his straight face while at the same time giving the impression he enjoyed his career.
In the film ‘Armed and Dangerous’, a mid 1980’s comedy, he played a security guard that takes the character of a former lawyer (Eugene Levy) under his arm as his security partner. Together they launch into this eighty-eight minute action comedy film directed by Mark L. Lester. The story was written by Brian Grazer & Harold Ramis. The film and DVD’s are being brought to us by Columbia pictures and is a ‘must see’ movie. It is loaded with great laughs and action.
In the film ‘Stripes’, a 1981 action comedy directed by Ivan Reitman, John Candy works with numerous other comedians, but in my opinion John Candy’s character takes center stage because of the things he says and does. The film was written by Len Blum and Daniel Goldberg and really highlighted things in John Candy’s character as ‘Ox’. One example is a one liner that is stuck in my memory because it was so funny. In the beginning of the film after the bus arrives on the military base, John Candy gets off the bus and says to John Larroquette (playing Captain Stillman) “how’s it going Eisenhower”. The way John delivered this one-liner is what made it so funny, … and again, keeping a straight face while doing it.
John has shown he can play two rolls in one film, such as when he worked in the film ‘Nothing but Trouble’, a 1991film directed by Dan Aykroyd and was written by Peter Aykroyd. John Candy played the part of the police officer as well as a silent lady in the film. I found this film really enjoyable, and once again John Candy’s performance is very well done as a comedian actor.
I’m a person that don’t hold back my thoughts and opinions. I’ll admit ‘Nothing but Trouble’ is a very good film and I enjoyed it greatly. However, I noticed something in this film that I didn’t understand or appreciate. This had nothing to do with John Candy or his performances. On two occasions, the character played by Dan Aykroyd had something happen to his nose which I thought was inappropriate and couldn’t figure out how it fit into the theme of the film. Each time this happened it lasted less than two seconds and a observant person should be able to spot it. Its because of these scenes I feel children shouldn’t be allowed to watch this film. For adults, it’s a great comedy to watch. By no means should we dismiss the entire film because of those two scenes.
After providing us with years and years of entertainment, John Candy Passed away March 04, 1994 in Durango, Mexico. John was discovered by a security person who entered Johns living quarters with a key, then discovering that John had departed in his sleep. A doctor was called in who officially pronounced John as being diseased.
John Candy was in Durango, Mexico because he was working in a film being made. The film ‘Wagons East’ was being filmed in extremely hot weather. It was reported John suffered a massive heart attack while he was sleeping. John Candy’s funeral took place on March 9th at a church in Brentwood California. Dan Aykroyd delivered the eulogy. Many, many actors and comedians that John Candy worked with were in attendance at the funeral. John Candy, a great person and a wonderful entertainer. John will be missed.
Reporter Joseph Toth
Washington Micro Bank BBS
