So yesterday I was lying on my couch feeling kinda bored, you know? Just flipping through Netflix trying to find something funny to watch. Then bam – Uncle Buck pops up! That awesome John Candy movie where he babysits those kids. Got me thinking… I watch his movies all the time but realized I know nothing about the guy. Time for a deep dive!
The Quest Begins
First thing I did was grab my phone and just typed “John Candy facts” into Google. Clicked on a bunch of sites – Wikipedia, some old interview archives, even found this Canadian TV documentary recap. Spent like twenty minutes just scrolling through random info while eating pretzels.
Cool Stuff I Dug Up
Here’s the wildest things I found:
- Dude was a football pro before acting! Played guard in Canada for a semi-pro team. Makes those chubby guy roles even funnier.
- He improvised the whole “polka band leader” thing in Home Alone! The accordion scene? Totally made up on the spot. Genius.
- Ran a Canadian Football League team for real! Bought the Toronto Argonauts with Wayne Gretzky. How random is that?
- Turned down Ghostbusters twice because of scheduling, then finally got that hotel manager role. Can you even imagine Ghostbusters without him?
The Weird Part
While reading all this, I started remembering these behind-the-scenes stories people told about him. Like how on Planes Trains & Automobiles, he kept cracking everyone up between takes by doing stand-up bits about airport food. And how every crew member called him “Johnny Lunchbox” because he always brought massive homemade sandwiches to set.
Wrapping Up
After like an hour and a half of reading, I felt kinda sad realizing he died so young. But man, what a legend. Ending up watching that iconic “those aren’t pillows!” scene from Planes Trains on YouTube. Made me laugh just as hard as when I first saw it. Sometimes you just gotta appreciate the guys who made childhood awesome, you know?