March 4, 1994:
Canadian comic actor John Candy dies while on location in Mexico during the filming of Wagons East. A heart attack claims the life of the 44-year-old. Far too young. The Toronto-born funnyman was the voice of Albatross Wilbur in Disney’s 1990 animated film The Rescuers Down Under and co-starred in the 1984 live-action Splash (Touchstone Pictures’ first release). Candy had recently recorded a large amount of material for a turkey character named Redfeather, who was to be Pocahontas’s sidekick in the Disney feature Pocahontas. Although executives perceived the character to lighten the tone of the film, the turkey was replaced with the characters Meeko and Flit. Candy also appeared in the 1993 comedy Cool Runnings, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. (Comedy fans know Candy best from the television series SCTV and such films as Uncle Buck, Spaceballs and Home Alone.)
It’s amazing how so many of my favorites while growing up have a Disney connection. I loved John Candy, I thought he was hysterical. Even though Spaceballs isn’t a Disney production, it’s still one of the best Star Wars spoofs I have ever seen. It’s one of those films that you watch over and over again, and know the words and jokes by heart. I knew that John Candy was in The Rescuers Down Under, but I had no idea that he was going to be voicing a character in Pocahontas. How very sad that he never got the chance to finish that film. I can’t believe it’s been 19 years since his passing, it’s amazing how time flies. So today, we remember someone who made their mark on us Disney Fans, as well as comedy fans around the world. It’s a gift to be able to make people laugh, and John Candy had that gift. Thanks for the laughs Mr. Candy, and God Bless.
*Resource, This Day in Disney History*
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