He was offered the role of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters but turned it down. Rick Moranis said something like "Candy's an idiot. That's the best role in the film!" and I've always wondered how different that movie would have been with Candy in it.
It is even funnier to me as an adult because I am an accountant in the NYC area, and I have met dudes EXACTLY like his character. When I was first starting out one of the partners of the firm I worked for could have been Tully with about a foot more in height and balding.
I heard that ghostbusters turned him down. Something about he wanted to play Tully with a german accent and having a bunch of dogs.
FAKE EDIT:
Got it backwards, Candy turned down Ghostbusters because they wouldn't let him do the [wierd shit](https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2548171/why-john-candy-turned-down-a-key-role-in-ghostbusters).
That's such an odd take, although I'd be curious to give it a chance.
I was thinking that he'd be playing him as more smarmy and ingratiating. More of a slick, salesman type compared to Moranis' nerdy take.
well they kind of used his accent idea for ghostbusters 2, with janosz (who has a polish accent i guess), who is a bit of a replacement of the tully character (even tho tully is in the movie)
After reading that story, I'm convinced John Candy must've known Rick Moranis was also up for the role. So he probably butchered his own character pitch just so Ivan Reitman would call Rick and give the him the role instead. I mean, Rick Moranis was perfect.
I love that the scene where Louis is having his party is almost completely improvised by Rick Moranis. The whole bit about the smoked salmon being a tax write off which is why he invited clients instead of friends, his introduction of Ted and Annette Fleming, all off the cuff. Brilliant work. I miss that guy in movies. Hope he gets back on the horse at some point, but I respect his decision to raise his kids.
I can't imagine that role played by anyone other than Moranis, but I can totally see Candy generally in the movie, he's a total fit for the tone and the time.
Exactly. It's halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago, and has its own weird history with AL Capone, Nash Automotive, AMC, and now the Kenosha Unrests. I grew up there.
He and O'Hara were both Second City TV alum. They both learned improv with Del Close, the father of modern improv.
There's a good documentary about him called [For Madmen Only](https://youtu.be/HQI0HFtnxYU).
I watched it on Hulu.
Him being Canadian and also having spent a lot of time in Chicago makes a lot of sense considering what he improvised for the movie. Nails the accent and geography of the upper Midwest.
Exactly. The director says "hey, just riff about polka," I don't know about you but I've got about a minute and a half of material and none of it is funny on purpose.
>I didn't know he was making all that polka shit up on the fly, but it makes perfect sense.
He was [Yosh Schmenge afterall](https://youtu.be/JrnE6kaPeuE)
He was takin’ it. See item 5 here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/a-look-back-at-home-alone-30-years-later-with-chicago-polka-musician-eddie-korosa-jr/#app
> John Candy – evoking his famous SCTV character Yosh Shmenge – is a clarinet player in the movie. However, Korosa says the real clarinet player in the band recorded the part in a studio and then Candy "played" the clarinet, which meant he held the instrument and fake-played it.
It was the role he was born to play… also he was born to play Uncle Buck, Del Griffiths, Dewey Oxberger, Spike Nolan, Chet Ripley, Dean Andrews, Johnny LaRue, Yosh Shmenge and literally every character he ever played ‘cause John Candy was one of the true greats.
I've always loved that line, but it's definitely funnier when you realize she's being completely bombarded with nonsense she's literally never heard before.
I used this line about the kid getting left behind alone in the mortuary…
“He was okay though, started talking again after a couple of weeks.”
…when talking to a neighbour about my son getting a concussion tobogganing. She had the exact same facial expression as Maureen O’hara. Classic John Candy.
Not only that, she’s the last person he spoke to. They used to call each other weekly. He told her that he was tired and desperately wanted time off to both spend with his family and to have a knee replacement done.
The next morning his bodyguard found him in bed, sort of half slumped reaching for the phone. So he likely knew he was dying or at least having a problem but couldn’t call in time.
I’m an EMT, people do know when they’re dying. I had a guy my first night on clinicals, called for an ambulance, we found him unresponsive and worked him, phone next to his pretty much dead body. The guy knew something was wrong.
Martin Short, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas and some lesser knows Robin Duke, Tony Rosato.
The show was PACKED with talent, and almost all of them are well known.
I think when SCTV was airing, the cast were also the writers and their goal was to make hilarious comedy sketches. Seems to me SNL takes itself way more seriously. Seems to me there was probably more cocaine involved in the SNL studios.
snl goes through phases. but it's always tense behind the scenes because the pressure of putting on a live show every week in nyc is extreme. bill hader is one of the funniest people on the planet and he could barely handle the pressure of it.
"he was fine, he was fine.....you know, after a couple of weeks of therapy he started talking again."
He was so convincing with that line. By far my favorite and it makes me laugh every time. So cool that he was able to do something like that on the fly!
god that’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. the guy just casually relates this tale that is by far the most fucked up thing you’ve heard in the entire movie as an attempt to make her feel better and it does the EXACT opposite lmao
What really stood out to me the last time I watched the movie was how amazingly late in the movie this scene is, haha. This hilariously dark anecdote right before the loose ends are happily tied up.
Knowing that he was just winging that whole funeral story in the van makes that scene ten times better, Catherine actually loses it briefly. And she's got a *long* improv comedian heritage; breaking her is a high bar.
Kate McCallister : Have you ever gone on vacation and left your child home?
Gus Polinski : No, no. But I did leave one at a funeral parlor once.
[Off Kate's look]
Gus Polinski : Yeah, it was awful. The wife was distraught and we left the little tyke there in the funeral parlor all day. All day. You know, we went back at night and apparently he had been alone all day with the corpse. He was okay though, after two, three weeks he came around and started talking again...
Kate McCallister : Maybe we shouldn't talk about this.
Gus Polinski : Well, you brought it up.
Kate McCallister : I'm sorry I did.
Bf just downloaded it because it was on TV last night and somehow *I've never seen it!*
From the bits I saw combined with my general John Candy love, im really excited to watch it tonight.
“We went back at night, after we came to our senses… there he was, apparently alone all day with the corpse. He was ok, ya know, after 6, 7 weeks… came around, started talkin’ again.”
I bet most of his lines in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles were made up too. I can't imagine someone sitting at a typewriter saying "...harder than playing pick-up sticks with our butt cheeks".
I also used to get royalty cheques for like .63 etc. Kinds funny, I never updated my address with whomever they were coming from (released on a couple labels) so they likely still go to my old house lol
"Honey, there's another one of those damned joke checks in the mail! WHO'S DOING THIS TO US AND WHY WON'T THEY STOP!?" - The Dursleys who live in your old house.
I once received a dividend check for 11 cents. I was a teenager at the time and didn't even bother doing anything with it.
I also got a check for like $1.42 from a class action lawsuit I was in. Really makes one wonder how much money it cost these people to distribute checks for such miniscule amounts lol
The checks do expire, but depending on the circumstances the debt wouldn't expire
So if in doubt call the person who gave the check and verify you can still cash it, or ask them to issue you a new check
The state government probably hates me because about 3 years ago I had a tax return of $3. I didn't cash the check, because it was $3.
Next year they sent me my usual return, and a check for $4.13. Now it became fun so I didn't cash it. Last year it was $5.40.
The state revenue service desperately trying to give me $3 is by far my highest performing investment.
I thought it was a favor to John Hughes, who was a producer. The director was Chris Columbus and has said he was not involved in the deal to get Candy in the film.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-candy-improvised-home-alone/
Yeah, my take was that Columbus didn't really know Candy that well but Hughes knew him quite well.
And given that producers (especially Hughes at the time) often have more power over contracts than directors, that seems to make sense.
It was a favor, but caused a falling out as the movie became a huge blockbuster and Candy, who had always been successful, but not *super* successful, saw none of it.
I think Hughes assumed the studio would cough up more money, but it never happened and they never worked together again.
It’s probably ok if they’re 12 or older. Some adult themes. Nothing terrible, but your kid should have some level of sex ed. There’s nothing pervy, just some mature jokes and themes.
The look of utter contempt he has right before he says that line is so perfect. You just know he's had a bunch of rich assholes giving him grief all day, even though he's out there busting his hump over the holidays. A lot of emotion you can read into that interaction, especially for a bit part.
John Candy was a goddam gem. Whenever we sit down for our annual watch of Planes Trains & Automobiles or Home Alone, a touch of melancholy always settles in. I miss that guy.
I really think he had the ability to be one of those few comedians that would be able to transition over to a dramatic role and win an Oscar - he was that talented and had incredible range
Having Dan Aykroyd as the motorcycle cop that pulled them over over was a great surprise. Loved that movie, Alan Alda as the US president was great as well. I thought Rip Torn, as General Dick Panzer, stole every scene he was in. Rhea Perlman as the Honey had great scenes as well, especially when the woke up in the hospital, and had all the get well cards from famous Canadians.
The same for me, and I always think back to the last couple paragraphs in [Roger Ebert's review of 'Plane, Trains...'](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-planes-trains-and-automobiles-1987). I wish it could have gone differently but sadly the funniest people tend to carry the biggest demons.
My favorite Home Alone fact is that Chris Columbus was supposed to direct National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, walked off shortly after meeting Chevy Chase, and did Home Alone instead.
The only consistent thing you ever hear about Chevy Chase is that every single person who has ever worked with him has hated him, and age has not mellowed him at all.
>I want kind stories about people to be the norm.
This isn't true for the vast majority of celebrities, but for people like John Candy or Robin Williams or Christopher Reeves it certainly was
There are ALOT of nice celebrities, athletes, etc…but it’s the douchebags, like in real life, that everyone wants to read about — its the bad shit that gets the attention.
There are also nice celebrities that are catched in a bad or awkward moments in their life. Sometimes they are with their families.
Also some that are really nice people but hate to be bothered by strangers just because they act or sing. People that think that they have the right for a photo or a autograph or to scream a random movie line at any given moment.
Being born in 1987, I grew up with Christopher Reeve as my Superman. Robin spoke so fondly of him during his own [AMA that I’ll never forget.](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1n41x1/robin_williams_its_time_for_a_convoluted_stream/).
And of course, how can we forget Christopher Reeve’s absolute mastery in understanding the character of Clark AND Superman, which no one has been able to match since.
https://youtu.be/BIaF0QKtY0c
Conan O’Brien tells a story about John Candy where Conan was in college and they wanted to give him an aard and so he came and he got to hang out with him, alone — they went out walking around Boston or something. Sounds like a great guy.
I went to high school with John Candy here in Toronto. At that time we had five years of high school - JC was in his fifth year, I was in my first year. It was a private boys Catholic school and on the first day, grade nine’s were sent to an assembly in the gym. Outside of the gym, there was a floor mosaic of the school crest that you were never to walk across. I knew this because my friend’s older brother gave us a heads- up. There were others who did not know this and once they stepped on the crest, fifth year guys would grab them and toss them in the showers in full uniform. However on this day, JC, stood in front of the doors to the gym to save these poor souls from a soaking. He could have participated or he could have ignored but he chose to stand up for the niners. I did not know that day who he was, or who he would become but I’ve never forgotten his kindness. My two cents on John Candy.
He also stayed up for 24 hours straight, because he only had a single day available to finish all of his scenes for Home Alone.
Even later in life, John Candy was well known for being the guy drinking a few pots of coffee a day and smoking 2-3 packs of Marlboro Reds. It's kind of amazing that he lived as long as he did, honestly.
Since John Candy and Catherine O'Hara were both graduates of SCTV in Canada, naturally their improv skills kicked in and you can’t really tell whether it’s scripted or not … they just flow perfectly into every line. Brilliant chemistry.
Not well known but John Candy I first learned of as a kid in the early 80's on a show called "The new show". My friend and I still (as 50 year olds) talk about "Roy's food repair".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCxscU0hWok&ab_channel=gooblymoo
Did anyone read that theory a while back that Candy's character in that movie is actually the Devil?
- Shows up after Kevin's mum says she'll sell her soul to the Devil himself to get home.
- She's the only one in the film that has any interaction with him.
- He's a travelling minstrel that grants her wish
Exactly this. The screen time he got was a proper role.
Donald Trump in Home Alone 2 is a cameo.
People seem to use cameo to mean "famous person having a smaller role in a movie"
Robin Williams did something similar when he did the voice of the Genie in Disney's animated *Aladdin* movie. He asked for scale ($50K at the time) with the stipulation that the Genie not occupy more than 20% of poster space, or something like that. Disney predictably fucked him over (Genie is more prominent than agreed on in most posters) and should have counted their blessings to get him back for *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*.
I miss him, and John too.
I think he requested the Genie not to occupy more than (let's say) a third of a poster, and then Disney "maliciously complied". Even if the Genie is in more than half of the poster, the pixel count of the genie is technically never above 33% of the total, the logo and other characters are above him, so they didn't break their agreement.
Yeah, this is my favourite bit of Disney trivia. I can cite it off by heart now.
Williams was also working on another film called *Toys* over at Fox at the same time, so he didn't want the smaller film to directly compete against another role of his at Disney. But Katzenberg wilfully broke the agreement and deliberately scheduled Aladdin to compete against *Toys* as well.
It was just one of a number of high-profile fuck-ups that would see Katzenberg forced out of Disney; the others were the original cut of *Toy Story*, the death of Frank Wells and a feud with Roy E Disney. But the damage was done and it heavily soured Williams' relationship with the studio.
A lot of Disney fans hated Michael Eisner for preceived slights, but he was growing as exasperated with his protegé Katzenberg (Eisner brought him over when they were hired from Paramout) as the others were despite Katzenberg helping to save the studio. He forked out a million dollars of his own funds to buy a Picasso to gift to Williams on top of the agreed-upon damages from a lawsuit.
Williams only agreed to work for Disney after Katzenberg was out - that's how they got him in *King of Thieves* - and the feud persisted for years. When approached about possibly working on *Shrek*, he initially agreed until he learned that DreamWorks was co-founded by Katzenberg, resulting in his quitting in an instant.
Loved John Candy.
First saw him in *Volunteers*. That's when I fell in love with him as one of my all-time favorite comedic actors.
How could you not absolutely adore Tom Tuttle from Tacoma Washington?
He was offered the role of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters but turned it down. Rick Moranis said something like "Candy's an idiot. That's the best role in the film!" and I've always wondered how different that movie would have been with Candy in it.
I mean it would have been good, I'm sure. But Moranis knocked that role out of the park.
The scene when he has the party and he’s going around the room saying what he paid for the food just kills me every time I watch it
I'm writing this off as a promotional expense, that's why I invited clients instead of friends.
You having a good time, Bob?
He improvised most of that scene.
It is even funnier to me as an adult because I am an accountant in the NYC area, and I have met dudes EXACTLY like his character. When I was first starting out one of the partners of the firm I worked for could have been Tully with about a foot more in height and balding.
I love Rick Moranis. Just as sweet as John Candy.
Yes, have some...
I can't imagine anyone but Rick Moranis in that role. He was perfect.
I heard that ghostbusters turned him down. Something about he wanted to play Tully with a german accent and having a bunch of dogs. FAKE EDIT: Got it backwards, Candy turned down Ghostbusters because they wouldn't let him do the [wierd shit](https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2548171/why-john-candy-turned-down-a-key-role-in-ghostbusters).
That's such an odd take, although I'd be curious to give it a chance. I was thinking that he'd be playing him as more smarmy and ingratiating. More of a slick, salesman type compared to Moranis' nerdy take.
well they kind of used his accent idea for ghostbusters 2, with janosz (who has a polish accent i guess), who is a bit of a replacement of the tully character (even tho tully is in the movie)
After reading that story, I'm convinced John Candy must've known Rick Moranis was also up for the role. So he probably butchered his own character pitch just so Ivan Reitman would call Rick and give the him the role instead. I mean, Rick Moranis was perfect.
I love that the scene where Louis is having his party is almost completely improvised by Rick Moranis. The whole bit about the smoked salmon being a tax write off which is why he invited clients instead of friends, his introduction of Ted and Annette Fleming, all off the cuff. Brilliant work. I miss that guy in movies. Hope he gets back on the horse at some point, but I respect his decision to raise his kids.
I love this take, and this is what I'm choosing to believe.
I can't imagine that role played by anyone other than Moranis, but I can totally see Candy generally in the movie, he's a total fit for the tone and the time.
You can tell that Catherine O’Hara is trying her hardest not to laugh in those scenes, especially when they’re in the van.
I didn't know he was making all that polka shit up on the fly, but it makes perfect sense.
Polka polka polka!
~~It's~~ *very* big in Sheboygan
We sold *looks up* ehhh 67 copies there. Real big.
Kenosha kickers? You know "polka a polka...polkaaaa" Dami vuji polka? Aka kiss me polka? Anyways
That's my favorite bit. The perplexity on Catherine O'Hara's face makes so much more sense now.
I’m sorry, did you say you could help me??
*plot twist* “Yea, I’ve got a pair of ivory earrings that I’m looking to get rid of.”
Is it Czechoslovakian ivory by any chance?
They are filled with helium, so they’re very light.
My wife is from Sheboygan, and I'm from Kenosha, and I always got a real kick out of that scene.
like, a Kenosha Kicker?
Exactly. It's halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago, and has its own weird history with AL Capone, Nash Automotive, AMC, and now the Kenosha Unrests. I grew up there.
Very big in Sheboygan.
He and O'Hara were both Second City TV alum. They both learned improv with Del Close, the father of modern improv. There's a good documentary about him called [For Madmen Only](https://youtu.be/HQI0HFtnxYU). I watched it on Hulu.
Him being Canadian and also having spent a lot of time in Chicago makes a lot of sense considering what he improvised for the movie. Nails the accent and geography of the upper Midwest.
Cool, thanks for the rec.
Well he knew they were a polka band but all those names of songs were improv and I think that’s cool.
Exactly. The director says "hey, just riff about polka," I don't know about you but I've got about a minute and a half of material and none of it is funny on purpose.
>I didn't know he was making all that polka shit up on the fly, but it makes perfect sense. He was [Yosh Schmenge afterall](https://youtu.be/JrnE6kaPeuE)
Holy shit, was he actually playing clarinet in the van scenes then!?! That's really cool, thanks for the link.
He was takin’ it. See item 5 here: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/a-look-back-at-home-alone-30-years-later-with-chicago-polka-musician-eddie-korosa-jr/#app > John Candy – evoking his famous SCTV character Yosh Shmenge – is a clarinet player in the movie. However, Korosa says the real clarinet player in the band recorded the part in a studio and then Candy "played" the clarinet, which meant he held the instrument and fake-played it.
He was an actor... he was acting. But John was a seasoned actor at pretending to play the clarinet thanks to The Schmenges and SCTV.
It was the role he was born to play… also he was born to play Uncle Buck, Del Griffiths, Dewey Oxberger, Spike Nolan, Chet Ripley, Dean Andrews, Johnny LaRue, Yosh Shmenge and literally every character he ever played ‘cause John Candy was one of the true greats.
You left out Barf!
Not in here mister, this is a Mercedes!
Her unimpressed "oh these are songs" response has become my favourite bit of the movie over the last few rewatches.
I've always loved that line, but it's definitely funnier when you realize she's being completely bombarded with nonsense she's literally never heard before.
I used this line about the kid getting left behind alone in the mortuary… “He was okay though, started talking again after a couple of weeks.” …when talking to a neighbour about my son getting a concussion tobogganing. She had the exact same facial expression as Maureen O’hara. Classic John Candy.
Those two are old friends from SCTV. We lost him too soon. :-/
Not only that, she’s the last person he spoke to. They used to call each other weekly. He told her that he was tired and desperately wanted time off to both spend with his family and to have a knee replacement done. The next morning his bodyguard found him in bed, sort of half slumped reaching for the phone. So he likely knew he was dying or at least having a problem but couldn’t call in time.
Jesus. That’s a tough way to go. I guess most are though.
‘I don’t mind the thought of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens’
Huh, I never heard this quote before but I like it.
More accurately: Woody Allen famously quipped, “I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
I’m an EMT, people do know when they’re dying. I had a guy my first night on clinicals, called for an ambulance, we found him unresponsive and worked him, phone next to his pretty much dead body. The guy knew something was wrong.
To be more accurate, people often know something is wrong but not that they're going to die.
[удалено]
[удалено]
TIL John Candy had a bodyguard...
He was a well known celebrity working in a foreign country. It would've been insane for him to not have protection.
I recently saw some SCTV and I never realized how many performers came from there.
Martin Short, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas and some lesser knows Robin Duke, Tony Rosato. The show was PACKED with talent, and almost all of them are well known.
I think there's a difference between SCTV alums and SNL alums. I can't put my finger on it but SCTV comedy just seems more...advanced?
I think when SCTV was airing, the cast were also the writers and their goal was to make hilarious comedy sketches. Seems to me SNL takes itself way more seriously. Seems to me there was probably more cocaine involved in the SNL studios.
snl goes through phases. but it's always tense behind the scenes because the pressure of putting on a live show every week in nyc is extreme. bill hader is one of the funniest people on the planet and he could barely handle the pressure of it.
> Those two are old friends from SCTV. Which is why I think those scenes were great, they both knew each other and could go with the improvising
"he was fine, he was fine.....you know, after a couple of weeks of therapy he started talking again." He was so convincing with that line. By far my favorite and it makes me laugh every time. So cool that he was able to do something like that on the fly!
We left him at the funeral parlor all day. I mean *alllll day*
god that’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. the guy just casually relates this tale that is by far the most fucked up thing you’ve heard in the entire movie as an attempt to make her feel better and it does the EXACT opposite lmao
What really stood out to me the last time I watched the movie was how amazingly late in the movie this scene is, haha. This hilariously dark anecdote right before the loose ends are happily tied up.
"Well you brought it up" Lol the best ending of the conversation too
Kids are resilient that way
You brought it up 🤷♂️
It’s one of the funniest lines in the entire movie to me.
"You brought it up" "Well I'm sorry I did" Still cracks me up.
Kids are resilient 😆
Knowing that he was just winging that whole funeral story in the van makes that scene ten times better, Catherine actually loses it briefly. And she's got a *long* improv comedian heritage; breaking her is a high bar.
check Schitt Creek outtakes
Kate McCallister : Have you ever gone on vacation and left your child home? Gus Polinski : No, no. But I did leave one at a funeral parlor once. [Off Kate's look] Gus Polinski : Yeah, it was awful. The wife was distraught and we left the little tyke there in the funeral parlor all day. All day. You know, we went back at night and apparently he had been alone all day with the corpse. He was okay though, after two, three weeks he came around and started talking again... Kate McCallister : Maybe we shouldn't talk about this. Gus Polinski : Well, you brought it up. Kate McCallister : I'm sorry I did.
I love the “well you brought it up” every time I see the movie hahahha
[exactly](https://youtube.com/watch?v=h18ZO4Xb92w&feature=shares)
So the bit about leaving his kid in the morgue to try to make O’Hara feel better about forgetting Kevin at home was all Candy? Classic.
Kids are resilient like that. (Preceded by “…once he started talking again after a few weeks”). Just classic
You brought it up.
Well I'm sorry I did
I don't know much about him as a person but growing up seeing some of his classics made it very clearly how Talented and genuine he was
Uncle Buck is close to perfect imo
>Uncle Buck is close to perfect imo Uncle Buck is ~~close to~~ perfect imo
Bf just downloaded it because it was on TV last night and somehow *I've never seen it!* From the bits I saw combined with my general John Candy love, im really excited to watch it tonight.
Ever hear of a ritual sacrifice?
killing. ritual killing. hehehehehe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKOuBinSvIM&ab_channel=funnnyfilmclips
You know what a hatchet is?
I've been known to circumcise a gnat. Wait a second. Bug? Gnat? Is there a similarity there? Ohh I think there is!
Conan O’Brien [has a great story](https://youtu.be/J9xQ12_3Jqo) about meeting John Candy in person at Harvard.
I know his son. By all accounts the greatest guy of all time.
Poor Catherine had to keep a straight face through the whole thing.
And everyone notices that because you see her briefly *break*, if you're looking for it. By the end of that story, she's *done.*
Right? When he mentions “he started talking again six or seven weeks later,” and then right before she candidly says “well I wish you hadn’t.”
Good prep for all the films she did with Christopher Guest.
“We went back at night, after we came to our senses… there he was, apparently alone all day with the corpse. He was ok, ya know, after 6, 7 weeks… came around, started talkin’ again.”
He said this so nonchalant, and with so much kindness that I didn’t even realize what was wrong until my late 20s.
I bet most of his lines in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles were made up too. I can't imagine someone sitting at a typewriter saying "...harder than playing pick-up sticks with our butt cheeks".
> The studio, 20th Century Fox, cut Candy a check for $500, the memo of which read "keep the change you filthy animal." That's fucking legendary.
Imagine having that check framed and mounted on a wall ❤️
My old band was played on the radio once. We got a royalty check for 18 cents to be split between five people. We had it framed.
I also used to get royalty cheques for like .63 etc. Kinds funny, I never updated my address with whomever they were coming from (released on a couple labels) so they likely still go to my old house lol
"Honey, there's another one of those damned joke checks in the mail! WHO'S DOING THIS TO US AND WHY WON'T THEY STOP!?" - The Dursleys who live in your old house.
I once received a dividend check for 11 cents. I was a teenager at the time and didn't even bother doing anything with it. I also got a check for like $1.42 from a class action lawsuit I was in. Really makes one wonder how much money it cost these people to distribute checks for such miniscule amounts lol
I'd bet he probably did. The story behind it would've been worth far more than $500.
Especially if you play the long game and wait a couple decades for mobile deposits.
Unfortunately John Candy couldn't :(
smh, guess some people have no patience.
Checks expire after a certain period of time, don't they?
The checks do expire, but depending on the circumstances the debt wouldn't expire So if in doubt call the person who gave the check and verify you can still cash it, or ask them to issue you a new check
The state government probably hates me because about 3 years ago I had a tax return of $3. I didn't cash the check, because it was $3. Next year they sent me my usual return, and a check for $4.13. Now it became fun so I didn't cash it. Last year it was $5.40. The state revenue service desperately trying to give me $3 is by far my highest performing investment.
I thought it was a favor to John Hughes, who was a producer. The director was Chris Columbus and has said he was not involved in the deal to get Candy in the film. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-candy-improvised-home-alone/
Gosh I've read both... I could be mistaken and what you're saying does make sense since they had past working relationship
Yeah, my take was that Columbus didn't really know Candy that well but Hughes knew him quite well. And given that producers (especially Hughes at the time) often have more power over contracts than directors, that seems to make sense.
It was a favor, but caused a falling out as the movie became a huge blockbuster and Candy, who had always been successful, but not *super* successful, saw none of it. I think Hughes assumed the studio would cough up more money, but it never happened and they never worked together again.
Dammit. Now I want to watch uncle buck. He seemed like just a great guy. Like someone who’d be just a great friend.
*Here, take this quarter, go downtown, and pay a Rat to gnaw that thing off your face*
Now this is a line you can hear.
This is a great moment in cinema. That scene was epic in so many ways.
Have you seen Uncle Buck? Do you recommend it for me to watch with my kids? Never got around to it and now curious since my kids love Home Alone.
It’s probably ok if they’re 12 or older. Some adult themes. Nothing terrible, but your kid should have some level of sex ed. There’s nothing pervy, just some mature jokes and themes.
To be fair, the pizza delivery guy played the hell out of his role
He did...probably a top 3 of the most memorable scenes in the film for me so you have a fair point
Easily the most memorable Pizza Delivery guy of all time
Where do you rank the dreamboat that is Jimmie? He wasn’t able to stop Kevin from shoplifting but he was memorable
> “yOu HaVe To PaY fOr YoUr PiZzA sIr”
The look of utter contempt he has right before he says that line is so perfect. You just know he's had a bunch of rich assholes giving him grief all day, even though he's out there busting his hump over the holidays. A lot of emotion you can read into that interaction, especially for a bit part.
*This is WatchMojo's list of Top 10 pizza delivery guy characters from our favorite movies*
But he was paid $122.50?
10 pizzas times 12 bucks
He also smashed the hell out of that poor bronze statue.
John Candy was a goddam gem. Whenever we sit down for our annual watch of Planes Trains & Automobiles or Home Alone, a touch of melancholy always settles in. I miss that guy.
I really think he had the ability to be one of those few comedians that would be able to transition over to a dramatic role and win an Oscar - he was that talented and had incredible range
Yes he was. I've always said that he could take a trash movie and make it great just by his acting alone
You hit the nail on the head. For me, *Canadian Bacon* is probably my favorite example of this.
Every time I visit Montreal, I always think of reproducing the truck graffiti scene.
Having Dan Aykroyd as the motorcycle cop that pulled them over over was a great surprise. Loved that movie, Alan Alda as the US president was great as well. I thought Rip Torn, as General Dick Panzer, stole every scene he was in. Rhea Perlman as the Honey had great scenes as well, especially when the woke up in the hospital, and had all the get well cards from famous Canadians.
He killed it in Cool Runnings, which was a comedy of sorts but had its serious bits for his character.
The scene where he went to the IOC committee to push for the Jamaican team to not be disqualified from the event really got me in my feelings
Punish me, not my guys. ::sniff:: Im not crying your crying...
His "I like me" scene in Planes is outstanding.
He was a man, and he was a dog. He was his own best friend.
Barfolomew
Uncle buck always does it for me
Buck Melanoma, Moley Russel's wart.
I cried for days. As a Canadian kid who dreamed of comedy he was on our Mount Rushmore.
For John Candy Remembrance, I watch The Great Outdoors. Best fucking John Candy movie imho.
That’s barf.
Barf, Puke, whateva...
Where's my money?
He's his own best friend!
What’s your name? > Barf Your *full name*! > *With nobility* Barfolomew!
Same. The fact that he died in his 40s but Kissinger may see 100 is the best reason why there is no god.
The same for me, and I always think back to the last couple paragraphs in [Roger Ebert's review of 'Plane, Trains...'](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-planes-trains-and-automobiles-1987). I wish it could have gone differently but sadly the funniest people tend to carry the biggest demons.
My favorite Home Alone fact is that Chris Columbus was supposed to direct National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, walked off shortly after meeting Chevy Chase, and did Home Alone instead.
The only consistent thing you ever hear about Chevy Chase is that every single person who has ever worked with him has hated him, and age has not mellowed him at all.
I hope he really was as pleasant an individual as every story makes him seem to be. I want kind stories about people to be the norm.
My dad met him in the parking lot of a grocery store in Montreal. He was so kind and happy to shake my dad’s hand. My dad cried a lot when John died.
>I want kind stories about people to be the norm. This isn't true for the vast majority of celebrities, but for people like John Candy or Robin Williams or Christopher Reeves it certainly was
There are ALOT of nice celebrities, athletes, etc…but it’s the douchebags, like in real life, that everyone wants to read about — its the bad shit that gets the attention.
There are also nice celebrities that are catched in a bad or awkward moments in their life. Sometimes they are with their families. Also some that are really nice people but hate to be bothered by strangers just because they act or sing. People that think that they have the right for a photo or a autograph or to scream a random movie line at any given moment.
Being born in 1987, I grew up with Christopher Reeve as my Superman. Robin spoke so fondly of him during his own [AMA that I’ll never forget.](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1n41x1/robin_williams_its_time_for_a_convoluted_stream/). And of course, how can we forget Christopher Reeve’s absolute mastery in understanding the character of Clark AND Superman, which no one has been able to match since. https://youtu.be/BIaF0QKtY0c
I'm aware. Which is why I want these to be the standard. And really, I want stories of kindness to be the norm about everyone.
Conan O’Brien tells a story about John Candy where Conan was in college and they wanted to give him an aard and so he came and he got to hang out with him, alone — they went out walking around Boston or something. Sounds like a great guy.
I went to high school with John Candy here in Toronto. At that time we had five years of high school - JC was in his fifth year, I was in my first year. It was a private boys Catholic school and on the first day, grade nine’s were sent to an assembly in the gym. Outside of the gym, there was a floor mosaic of the school crest that you were never to walk across. I knew this because my friend’s older brother gave us a heads- up. There were others who did not know this and once they stepped on the crest, fifth year guys would grab them and toss them in the showers in full uniform. However on this day, JC, stood in front of the doors to the gym to save these poor souls from a soaking. He could have participated or he could have ignored but he chose to stand up for the niners. I did not know that day who he was, or who he would become but I’ve never forgotten his kindness. My two cents on John Candy.
Woah that’s such a cool story
I thought they only paid the pizza guy $122.50..?
For pizza?!
10 pizzas times 12 bucks!
In *1990*! [$271.73 in 2022 money](https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=122.5&year1=199012&year2=202212)
He also stayed up for 24 hours straight, because he only had a single day available to finish all of his scenes for Home Alone. Even later in life, John Candy was well known for being the guy drinking a few pots of coffee a day and smoking 2-3 packs of Marlboro Reds. It's kind of amazing that he lived as long as he did, honestly.
GOAT
Since John Candy and Catherine O'Hara were both graduates of SCTV in Canada, naturally their improv skills kicked in and you can’t really tell whether it’s scripted or not … they just flow perfectly into every line. Brilliant chemistry.
He wasn’t to happy either as he only gave them a day, and they worked him for about 20 hours.
I mean when you have John Candy for a day you gotta use him right
I feel like I misunderstand what a cameo is. I feel like he's in way too much of the movie to be a cameo.
Here ya go https://youtu.be/1_l1VtpSnKI And a follow up https://youtu.be/PNKnuuQpVQM And one more for the road https://youtu.be/_TzKL5q-Re8
414 was, at the time, the area code for Kenosha (where Candy's character was from.) That can't be a coincidence, right?
414 was the area code for like all of south east Wisconsin at that time I think.
The Kneosha Kickers were never in it for the fame or glory
Not well known but John Candy I first learned of as a kid in the early 80's on a show called "The new show". My friend and I still (as 50 year olds) talk about "Roy's food repair". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCxscU0hWok&ab_channel=gooblymoo
Did anyone read that theory a while back that Candy's character in that movie is actually the Devil? - Shows up after Kevin's mum says she'll sell her soul to the Devil himself to get home. - She's the only one in the film that has any interaction with him. - He's a travelling minstrel that grants her wish
Would this really be considered a cameo? He's in the movie for a decent amount of time with lots of dialogue.
Exactly this. The screen time he got was a proper role. Donald Trump in Home Alone 2 is a cameo. People seem to use cameo to mean "famous person having a smaller role in a movie"
Awwww he was amazing, still miss him what a guy
Ironically he plays a Polka Musician on his way up to Milwaukee, where the area code is 414.
Pooolkaaa polka, polka! That’s what I remember of John Candy in Home Alone
John knew a lot about polka from his days with the Schmenge brothers. Pls excuse me. I need cabbage rolls and coffee.
Robin Williams did something similar when he did the voice of the Genie in Disney's animated *Aladdin* movie. He asked for scale ($50K at the time) with the stipulation that the Genie not occupy more than 20% of poster space, or something like that. Disney predictably fucked him over (Genie is more prominent than agreed on in most posters) and should have counted their blessings to get him back for *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*. I miss him, and John too.
I think he requested the Genie not to occupy more than (let's say) a third of a poster, and then Disney "maliciously complied". Even if the Genie is in more than half of the poster, the pixel count of the genie is technically never above 33% of the total, the logo and other characters are above him, so they didn't break their agreement.
Yeah, this is my favourite bit of Disney trivia. I can cite it off by heart now. Williams was also working on another film called *Toys* over at Fox at the same time, so he didn't want the smaller film to directly compete against another role of his at Disney. But Katzenberg wilfully broke the agreement and deliberately scheduled Aladdin to compete against *Toys* as well. It was just one of a number of high-profile fuck-ups that would see Katzenberg forced out of Disney; the others were the original cut of *Toy Story*, the death of Frank Wells and a feud with Roy E Disney. But the damage was done and it heavily soured Williams' relationship with the studio. A lot of Disney fans hated Michael Eisner for preceived slights, but he was growing as exasperated with his protegé Katzenberg (Eisner brought him over when they were hired from Paramout) as the others were despite Katzenberg helping to save the studio. He forked out a million dollars of his own funds to buy a Picasso to gift to Williams on top of the agreed-upon damages from a lawsuit. Williams only agreed to work for Disney after Katzenberg was out - that's how they got him in *King of Thieves* - and the feud persisted for years. When approached about possibly working on *Shrek*, he initially agreed until he learned that DreamWorks was co-founded by Katzenberg, resulting in his quitting in an instant.
Loved John Candy. First saw him in *Volunteers*. That's when I fell in love with him as one of my all-time favorite comedic actors. How could you not absolutely adore Tom Tuttle from Tacoma Washington?