Dave’s Top 5: John Candy Movies

The gag was the creation of a Jamaican bobsled team for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Doug E. Doug, Leon, Rawle D. Lewis and Malik Yoba (pictured) were members of the team and Candy was the coach. Candy played "Irving "Irv" Blitzer, a former Olympic bobsled medalist who disqualified for cheating. In disgrace he retired to Jamaica. The new bobsled team was his opportunity for redemption. It was a second opportunity for Candy to play a serious character.

In the 1997 John Hughes buddy comedy, Candy played Del Griffith a wacky shower curtain salesman that Steve Martin runs across trying to get home for Thanksgiving. It's a classic. It's quotable. Right up to the moment where the light bulb goes off above Steve Martin's head, and he starts putting together every thing Del has told his character Neal Page. The slapstick turns to heartwarming in an instant.

Mel Brooks is the master of lampoon and parody. With Candy and Spaceballs, Brooks created one of the funniest characters, Barf...which is short for Barfolomew. Candy's character is a pretty obvious parody of Chewbacca, the Wookie sidekick of Han Solo.

Did you know that Home Alone was turned into a franchise? There was a third and fourth Home Alone in the series. The Mom and Dad divorced and part of the family moved to someplace like Australia or New Zealand or something. If you're like me you probably stopped watching with Lost in New York. The first two films with McCauley Culkin are the best. Candy steals the big finale as Gus Polinski - Polka King of the Midwest. His character is only there to help Catherine O'Hara's character make the final leg of the trip back home, but every thing Candy does is hilarious.

Uncle Buck is probably Candy's best character. Hard to imagine that it came out before Home Alone. It's hilarious. Under the rough, wacky shell, Candy's Buck Russell shows a heart of gold for his nieces and nephew. I love the scene where he tells Maizy's school Principal off. He spends a lot of the movie terrorizing Bug, Tia's (jean Louisa Kelly, pictured) "boyfriend".

Along with the wackiness and laughs, it's got that dark moment with Candy going through his brother's wedding photo album.

Uncle Buck was made into a television series that was cancelled pretty quickly in 1990. Mike Epps is starring in a newer version coming to ABC. The movie doesn't really leave a whole lot of room to keep going. Maybe if there had been a sequel.