John Candy A life in comedy

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Journalist Myers (The Kids in the Hall) examines in this comprehensive biography the life of Canadian actor and comedian John Candy, who died of heart failure at age 43 in 1994. After getting his start in a Colgate toothpaste commercial, Candy was recruited to join the Second City comedy troupe, first in Chicago and then Toronto. A natural improviser and "everyman teddy bear," Candy became a breakout star of the troupe's sketch comedy show, Second City Television. Much of the book focuses on Candy's film career, which reached its peak with his collaboration and friendship with director John Hughes. Together, they made the successful comedies Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Uncle Buck; and Home Alone. In addition to chronicling his subject's career, Myers paints a picture of the 1970s Canadian comedy scene, where Candy became collaborators with Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, and Martin Short, and details the actor's lifelong struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, and body image. Myers, who conducted extensive interviews for the book, found it "virtually impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about ," a quality that makes for a great life but a rather undramatic biography. Still, this will be catnip for the comedian's fans. (Oct.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

The list of actors and comedians who started their careers at the Toronto branch of the improvisational group Second City in the 1970s is impressive: Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy. All went on to successful careers: the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV, Saturday Night Live, and movies. Candy starred in Hollywood films such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Spaceballs, Splash, and Uncle Buck. Known for his self-deprecating humor and kindness and his gift for improvisation, Candy died early, from a heart attack at 43 (his father died of a heart attack at 33). Based on extensive research and interviews with Candy's fellow actors (all of whom speak admiringly of Candy and his influence), Myers's (The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy) biography tells Candy's full story, from his early years in Toronto to his time on SCTV and the making of his popular films. It covers Candy's vast successes in addition to his struggles with anxiety, his health, and addiction. VERDICT Myers's well-researched biography favorably tells Candy's story in engaging prose that is fun to read.--Rosellen "Rosy" Brewer

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

An affectionate portrait of the late, great comic actor and writer. John Candy was universally loved. Writes Dan Aykroyd in his foreword to pop culture maven Myers' life, "In a world where publicists routinely shield their star clients' dark sides from their adoring public, it is virtually impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about him." He'd hoped to be a gridiron hero until an injury made it impossible for him to play--and good thing for that busted knee, for, Myers reveals, Candy, a Canadian, tried to join the U.S. Marines at the height of the Vietnam War but was rejected because of the offending joint. Myers attributes Candy's odd attempt to a dangerously negative body image, with Candy hoping that the Marines would whip him into shape. Candy's struggles with weight are a leitmotif here, and while Myers takes pains not to body-shame, there are many painful episodes on that score, as when Carl Reiner, directing Candy in the filmSummer Rental, "began to notice empty pizza boxes in Candy's trailer, along with discarded candy wrappers and other signs of snacking." Candy died of heart failure at 43, attributable to what actor Joe Flaherty called "his weight problems, the drinking, and cigarettes," augmented by anxiety. Apart from his poor self-care, though, Candy brought a fresh comic sensibility to both television and film, giving dimensionality to characters such as Del Griffith in John Hughes'Planes, Trains and Automobiles and a host of roles in the cult classicSCTV. As Myers notes, Candy was also moving toward more serious pieces at the time of his death, including taking the dramatic lead inA Confederacy of Dunces. What emerges again and again, along with Candy's impeccable work ethic, was his generosity, as when, on one film set, he bought a Thanksgiving turkey for each of more than 200 cast and crew members. For all its sad ending, fans of John Candy will delight in Myers' comprehensive biography. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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