'America's Uncle' Left Us Laughing

Born in Ontario, Canada and becoming a household name in the United States thanks to his role on the influential Canadian sketch series, ‘SCTV’, John Candy quickly became an influential comic actor. From Gus Polinski, ‘’the polka king of the Midwest’’ to Barf, half man/half dog, John Candy was known for seeming to feel larger than life. John Candy’s characters being larger than life matched with his own personality, which seemed to be that of a giant Teddy bear. The director who best used this lovable star is John Hughes, the king of eighties films. With Hughes’ films ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’, ‘the Great Outdoors’, and ‘Uncle Buck’, John Candy could bring his larger-than-life personality to starring roles. These films, being more family-oriented than his previous vehicles like ‘The Blues Brothers’ or ‘Stripes’, caused John Candy to cement himself in the childhoods of many, becoming America’s uncle.