I never got to meet John Candy. He had come to the radio station where I worked but I missed him. The reason for his visit was his friendship with Brian Linehan, Toronto interviewer extraordinaire. Brian was the entertainment source at CFRB. I provided entertainment updates for ‘RB when Brian was done for the day.
The day Candy died, the news department expected Brian to go on air and discuss his friend. Brian had just recently come back from staying at Candy’s house with his family. We lost a star but Brian lost a close friend and refused to exploit the friendship. He came to my desk and handed me a small stack of reel to reel tapes. Saying, “Do me proud, kiddo, I’m going home,” he put his cap on his head and was gone.*
John Candy was just 43 when he died of a heart attack on location for Wagons East in Mexico. He left behind a devoted wife and two young children. Those “kids”, Chris and Jennifer, appear in the new doc titled I Like Me. In it, we learn that John had lost his own father to a heart attack when the man was 35. Dying young occupied a lot of John’s thoughts and worries. And still, he didn’t take great care of himself.
You’re Never Too Famous for Insults
What’s gross in hindsight is the way interviewers would call him fat. One even asked how much he weighed. It’s not like he was going for a record. It was entirely inappropriate. John handled it with grace but his family and friends say it bothered him. How couldn’t it? We’ve come a long way as a society but social media is still awful for this kind of shaming. Women are frequent targets but men get harassed, too.
The film is funny, sad and insightful. We lost a Canadian treasure at a criminally young age. A family lost a wonderful husband and father. And Candy had so many friends, from SCTV, movies, and childhood. The film is worth your time. Even if just to relive the days when Candy was Johnny Toronto. And to remember how beloved he was.
*I told this story and many others this week on the Toronto Mike’d podcast. It’s episode 1780. This man is prolific! And it was a real joy to sit down with him after having been a listener for so long.
Oh, how I loved this documentary!
I’ve always been a fan of his but, until I watched “I Like Me,” I never really knew John Candy, the man. I laughed and I cried. He touched me so deeply that I wish I would have had the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for being so kind, considerate and genuine.
My heart went out to his mother. I don’t know how she found the strength to move forward after losing her husband at such a young age and, then her son.
I will be watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles today for the millionth time. However, I know I will be affected in a different way when I see the motel room scene.
That movie is on our list, too. And Uncle Buck!
In an interview class we studied a TV segment Candy did when he part-owned the Argonauts. The interviewer immediately turned the interview in the wrong direction when, in his intro, he called Candy something like, “The rotund funnyman.” Candy was pissed. He did the interview through gritted teeth.
I always thought it was kind of gruesome to release Wagons East. I get the argument it’s one last chance to enjoy the man’s work, but I also think everyone has the right to have the book of their life closed at some point. But what do I know?
The investors probably had a clause in the contract.
I don’t understand how anyone could start an interview that way and not expect to get a frosty reception. And I don’t care what era it happened in.