|:
|

T’VE NEVER been particu-
larly fixated on the stars of
the big and small screen,

Even when I was a teenager, and

* The Beatles were at the height of
their popularity, | never thought of
- putting a poster of The Fab Four up
“von my bedroom wall. Iwas always
_ puzzled by the hysteria of hard-core

i

fans.
l remember watching The Tom
Jones Show on TV and being

sappalled as the mainly female

members of the audience stretched
-and screamed to receive the sweaty
‘bow tic that Tom would toss their
“way at the end of the show.

if the phrase had been arcund in

‘that era, I probably would have said

to those swooning Jonettes what

‘actor William Shatner reportedly

. said to a convention of Trekkies:

o “Get a life,”

_So since I've never been a‘self-

: declared fan, I'm asking myseif

: why my heart dropped several cen-

. "“timetres when I read in last

Saturday’s newspapers that John
cot had died of a heart attack.
Why did his passing feel like I'd

lost a wonderful, funny friend I
might have gone through high
school with? Why did John Candy
have that effect on me and so many
others?

Of course, he was side-splitting-
ly hilarious. You just look at him
and you start to smile,

When I think of all the charac-
ters he played on SCTV (which I
watched religiously for years) and
in his movie roles, 1 feel that one of
the things that made us love Candy
was his vulnerability.

He was vulnerable for the obvi-
ous reason that people pick on fat-
tics; but he was also vulnerable
because. in so many of his roles, he
played the essentially goou person
he was in real fife.

The sort of good persen who
struggles and isn’t expected to
come up a winner.

Fil never forget the scene at the
beginning of the movie Trains,
Planes and Automobiles when the
smooth, urbane Steve Martin char-
acter finds himself seated on a
plane beside Candy's travelling
salesman character — a big hick of
a guy who won't shut up and

Friday, March 11, 1994 - North Shor

News - 7

y was a real sweetie

Catherine

JUST ADD WATER

doesn’t have the brains to see his
seat mate doesn't want to be his
buddy just because they happen io
be travelling tagether.

The movie continues with a hot
of laughs until it becomes poigaant-
ly evident that Candy’s character
knows full well that most people

a Dear Editor: ;
Re: Feb. -f1 News
“Reform Column Assailed.” John

Lakes would better serve the pub-
lic to direct his criticisra’on more
= Serious issues in this country,

_. father than focus on petty accusa-
* tions to discredit Ted White.
Mr, White's publications in
_ the News are informative, and

give the constituents an insight
‘and a better understanding of pro-

item -

cedure and conduet of our
Parliament.

In reference to Mrs. White's
denating her time at the con-
stituency office, the former MP. .
Mary Collins should be grateful °
for any contribution available to
reduce the huge deficit for which
the past Conservative govern-
ment is largely responsible!

But her comments do not sur-
prise me, since the Conservatives

were. iotorious for their patron-
age.of “full-time jobs” for friends
and supporters. Ms. Collins and
ber infamous government had
“their chance but they failed:
thererore, she is well advised to
enjoy her political retirement and
allow someone else to repair the
damage she and her fellow
Conservatives left behind.

Railie Jackson

North Var-suver

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don’t want to be seen with an over-
bearing hick like him,

In a movie that’s ostensibly a
comedy, Candy has you absolutely
aching for him as he sits alone ina
train station at Christmastime. The
fat kid nobody wants at their party.

I think the other great appeal of
Candy — und it’s corroborated by
all the reaction of close friends to
his death —- is that he remained, in
spite of enormous conimercial suc-
cess, humble and genuine.

His friend and SCTV co-star
Dave Thomas said of him:

“He left a great legacy, that of
being a genuinely nice guy, the
sweetest man in the world who
brought laughter to so many.”

If that were said about some big
stars you'd find yourself muttering,
“Yeah, right,” but you believe this
300-pound man was a real sweetie.

It's clewr Hollywood never
owned John Candy.

Unlike so many Canadian stars
who immerse themselves in
American life, Candy always kept
in touch with Canada and came
back regularly.

1 remember hearing Peter

Gzowski interview Candy on
Morningside in 1991, just after the
comedian had become a co-owner
(along with Wayne Gretzky) of the
Toronto Argonauts.

Anyone listening to Candy’s
straightforward, almost low-key
responses would never have
guessed the interviewee was an
Olympian of the comedy world.

The fact that his fame never sent
his ego soaring, that he came back
to Canada 10 host relatively
unglamorous events like an anti-*
drug concert at Toronto's Ontario
Place, showed that John Candy
never forgot he was tie guy from’
the ordinary Canadian suburb of :
East York.

When | do think of some of the
stars | admire — Anthony Hopkins,
Alan Bates, Harrison Ford, Robin’
Williams — I couldn't imagine
meeting them for coffee and just :
talking about things.

J could have scen myself having
a coffee with John Candy — and
maybe that’s why a lot of us will
miss the big, sweet guy.

Thanks for all the Jaughs, Sohn.

‘You were terrific.

Lawmakers must wake up:
time to get tough on crime

Dear Editor:

Re: RCMP Corp. Magark, What
are policemen supposed to do: ask
first if the accused has a gun before
taking the necessary steps to appre-
hend the person? He is risking his:

life against something that should
have no place in a law-abiding
society. When are lawmakers going
to wake up today's crime situation?
Noel Freeman

North Vancouver ‘

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