Paramount
- A new documentary on the life of John Candy is coming to streaming video next month.
- Director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds drove up to the Toronto debut of the film in a tribute to the destroyed Chrysler convertible from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
- Candy shared screentime with plenty of memorable cars over the years, from the Buckmobile to the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle and more.
When director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds rolled up to the screening of John Candy: I Like Me at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, they did so in memorable style. Seated at the wheel of a smoking replica of the Chrysler convertible from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the pair paid homage to one of the comedy world’s fallen giants.John Candy was just 43 when he died, and it’s been more than three decades since his passing. Even so, the project brought out a veritable who’s who of comedy legends, including nearly all of Candy’s SCTV castmates as well as A-listers who starred alongside him in movies.View full post on YouTubeAs for that Chrysler, that was just one of the memorable machines that co-starred with Candy over the years. Not every film in his career was a hit, but he left behind a lasting legacy. The new documentary looks to be as big-hearted as the man himself.Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Grand Detroit Farm and Country
The name is as fake as the wood paneling, but the Grand Detroit Farm and Country convertible (really a lightly disguised 1980s Chrysler LeBaron) is such a part of this classic movie that it’s even in the title. Okay, so it takes a bit of kicking and catches on fire a little bit.ParamountWe know it’s not pretty to look at, but it’ll get you where you want to go. No, we lost the outside mirror and have no functional gauges, but the radio still works. Clear as a bell; don’t ask me how.The Great Outdoors: Jeep Grand WagoneerPart of the genius of John Candy’s performances is that the audience immediately liked him when he showed up on screen. He might play the bumbling oaf from time to time, but there was an honest decency in there.UniversalIn The Great Outdoors, Candy’s irksome brother-in-law (played by Dan Aykroyd) drives a swish S-Class, while the Ripley family has a more middle-class Wagoneer. In real life, a vintage Wagoneer is about as old-money cool as you can get these days, and you’d likely spot one parked up at some beachfront property on Martha’s Vineyard.Speed Zone: 1988 BMW 735iL
The barely remembered third movie of the Cannonball Run series saw Candy taking the wheel of a big Bimmer borrowed from fellow SCTV alumnus Eugene Levy. Levy plays the kind of 1980s philandering jerk who drives around in a BMW wearing a jacket with multiple BMW crests on it, and, as you might expect, Candy puts up with his abuse until the final minutes of the movie before levelling him with a haymaker.OrionThe BMW gets to participate in some classic 1980s car stunts, including being able to outrun the cops when driven in reverse. It’s certainly not a great movie, but one for the Cannonball completists out there. Who’s Harry Crumb? 1973 Cadillac EldoradoThe bumbling private investigator as hero is a well-worn cliche, but ideal for Candy’s affected clumsiness. This is one of those 1980s movies where dressing up the star in a series of ridiculous disguises is apparently catnip to audiences.Bring a TrailerStill, at least the titular Harry Crumb got a cool car out of it, a huge boat of a red-over-white Cadillac Eldorado convertible. He did originally try to rent a green Mustang but totaled it right after driving off the lot.Uncle Buck: 1977 Mercury Marquis BroughamUncle Buck is a classic Candy vehicle, and there was a genuine, fatherly rapport between him and his young co-star, Macaulay Culkin. The rapid-fire question scene between them is an all-time great.youtubeBuck is more than a little rough around the edges, and his choice of ride broadcasts such to the audience loudly. The battered old Mercury coughs, backfires, and belches smoke like an M1 Abrams putting out a concealing fog. But it goes the distance for kids, just like Uncle Buck.Stripes: EM-50 Urban Assault VehicleStripes is perhaps more a Bill Murray movie than a John Candy one, but his Ox character has some great scenes, including teaching some of his fellow enlisted how to play cards. However, there’s an unusual personal connection here to the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle (UAV) that’s the showpiece of the movie.Columbia PicturesReally a GMC MotorHome, the UAV made enough of an impression on Candy that he bought one after filming wrapped. He used it for traveling around, and after his passing, it was sold along with other parts of his estate. When last seen, it was tucked somewhere away on the west coast of Canada, wearing a custom rear spare tire cover that reads, “In memory of John Candy.”Related Stories
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➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsBrendan McAleerContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: caranddriver.com
