John Candy: A Life in Comedy

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 [Candy],” a quality that makes for a great life but a rather undramatic biography. Still, this will be catnip for the comedian’s fans. (Oct.)