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John Candy: 'A very happy guy'

Broadcast Date: Feb. 2, 1991

Fifteen years ago, John Candy interviewed belching dancers and Christmas shoppers on CBC-TV's 90 Minutes Live. Now he's a major Hollywood star who just forked over $1 million to become co-owner of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. The shy but irrepressibly goofy actor joins Morningside host Peter Gzowski to discuss their TV days, football and Candy's career. Candy's high school football coach chimes in as well with some insights on Candy's football acumen.

John Candy: 'A very happy guy'

• John Candy was born on Halloween, Oct. 31, 1950 in Toronto.

• The famous line that Candy has "been in more turkeys than stuffing mix," was courtesy of a New York film critic in 1986, during a string of poorly received movies. Candy bounced back starting in 1987, appearing in the biggest hits of his career, including Spaceballs, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Home Alone.

• Fellow SCTV alumnus Rick Moranis got the plum roles of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters and Wayne Szalinkski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids after Candy turned them down.

• Although an admittedly weak football player, John Candy's name appears on the Grey Cup. His name was inscribed in 2007 as part owner of the 1991 CFL champion Toronto Argonauts.

• The "gastrointestinal band" that Candy and Peter Gzowski refer to was actually the University of Calgary Faculty of Law Gastro-Electric Kazoo Band, which performed on 90 Minutes Live's Bargain Basement Talent Search in 1977. The act involved dancing and belching in time to kazoos.

• John Candy died of a heart attack while on the set of Wagons East! in 1994. He was 53. Both his father and grandfather also suffered fatal heart attacks, his father dying at 35 when John was five years old.

John Candy: 'A very happy guy'

Medium: Radio

Program: Morningside with Peter Gzowski

Broadcast Date: Feb. 2, 1991

Guest(s): Ruth Anderson, John Candy, Fred Grossi, Kevin Peterson

Host: Peter Gzowski

Duration: 28:21

Last updated:
July 9, 2008