In the film John Hughes Martin he played a man trying to get home in time for Christmas. Candy he played an insufferable traveling salesman who becomes a random companion on his journey.
“John was sensitive and complex, and we both loved each other very much,” Martin said of his friend, who died in 1994. Looking through the script “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” he mentioned that it had one beautiful scene. “I won't read it now because it's long. (…) He was explaining his life. And I was standing in front of him. I was crying and he was playing.”
Martin revealed that the speech was not included in the finished film. It was shortened to one line of text: “I have no home.” “I don't know why they cut it, maybe because of the pace, maybe they thought it was the end of the movie and then no one wants to listen to long speeches,” said the comedian, who was struggling to hold back tears at the time.
“You put your whole heart into these movies. You think about them, you work hard, you make them. And two years later it's just another title in the video store,” Martin concluded.
Candy was an actor known primarily for comedies such as “Blues Brothers”, “Splash” and “Space Eggs”. He also tried his hand at dramas, including “JFK”. At the beginning of 1994, he started working on the set of the comedy western “Caravan”. He died suddenly on the night of March 4. He was 43 years old. The presumed cause of death was a heart attack. The actor has been struggling with obesity and cigarette addiction for years.
As mourners headed to the cemetery after his funeral, Los Angeles police stopped traffic for them. Previously, it had been done only once – on the occasion of the Pope's visit. In turn, the Canadian Film Awards adopted the nickname “Candys” to honor his memory.