For this week's RankEm, let's reflect on John Candy's filmography of the '80s and pick our top 5 roles. He was in more than 15 movies throughout the decade, so it might be a challenge to choose just five! I had planned on putting together a photo montage, but I found an awesome tribute video that fits in nicely...
Last week's Rank 'Em totaled 11 lists of Michael Jackson's top 5 songs which was the most participation we've had so far! Unfortunately, nine were submitted anonymously and the other two had been previous guests, so I called in a backup plan...my good buddy Wyatt Bloom is this week's guest ranker! Wyatt occasionally writes for RD80s, co-hosts MASKast with me, and is the creator of Clearfield-County.Com, a resource website for residents of central PA. You can also find him on Twitter @infamouswb and @servantwb. I remember watching several of these movies with him back in the '80s and early '90s, so it's no surprise that we picked similar favorites.
Let's rank 'em! I've got most of Candy's roles listed below, but feel free to look at his IMDB page.
RANK 'EM!
Top 5 John Candy Movie Roles of the '80s
Burton Mercer in The Blues Brothers
Dewey "Ox" Oxberger in Stripes
Security Guard Lasky in National Lampoon's Vacation
John Bourgignon in Going Berserk
Freddie Bauer in Splash
Spike Nolan in Brewster's Millions
Jack Chester in Summer Rental
Frank Dooley in Armed and Dangerous
Wink Wilkinson in Little Shop of Horrors
Barf in Spaceballs
Del Griffith in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Chet Ripley in The Great Outdoors
Don (voice) in Hot To Trot
Harry Crumb in Who's Harry Crumb?
Charlie Cronan in Speed Zone
Buck Russell in Uncle Buck
Wyatt's List
- Frank Dooley
- Buck Russell
- Del Griffith
- Chet Ripley
- Barf
Frank Dooley in Armed & Dangerous: John Candy's role was actually quite diverse here and I enjoyed this. A policeman, a detective, and a cross-dresser. Yet the diversity paled in comparison when he hitched a ride with the rocket fuel hauling truck driver and pulled out his 50 caliber pistol and said, "it's only legal in two states...and this isn't one of them." Hilarious movie throughout though, "Slim!" Buck Russell in Uncle Buck: Two of the funniest bits that rings out is how he knows the exact timing from when he turns off the key in his "Buckmobile," walks away from the car, and when it will backfire to a stop. The second is when he crashes a party in search of his niece. After finding her walking away from the party, he drives up and after a heartfelt apology from the guy and climbing out of the trunk, Uncle Buck practices his golfing "with a little five wood." Del Griffith in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The greatest bit was when they are pulled over by a policeman in their burned out Chrysler convertible. When asked if the vehicle is safe for travel, Del replies with a firm, "Yes, yes I do, I really do. I know it's not pretty to look at but it'll get you where you need to go." Then, the police officer identifies that he has no mirrors. Del's reply, "Yes we lost them." Police officer, "You have no functioning gauges." Del's reply, "No not a one, but the radio still works." Chet Ripley in The Great Outdoors: Another great movie of his but probably one of the two entertaining moments for me is when he comes storming into the cabin and stutters broken words while the family tries to decipher it. "Big sandwich? Big bear?" Then, he finally utters a sentence saying, "Big bear chase me" just as the door is knocked down and the grizzly bear walks in and jumps on Chet, repeatedly. The other funniest bit is actually the racoons in the trash. Finally, Barf from Spaceballs: A few good moments, but the one that sticks out is when they land their space RV in front of a guard post to which the guards identify that there is no parking. Barf opens the door and flips the guards off while making kissing sounds. Though brief, quite a laugh to me.
Jason's List
- Barf
- Buck Russell
- Frank Dooley
- Jack Chester/Chet Ripley
- Del Griffith
Rank more of your 80s favorites by visiting the Rank 'Em Archive
