“It’s such dirty laundry”: the one movie John Candy hated with a passion
John Candy is responsible for some of the biggest laughs in cinema history.
During his time on top, the lovable Canadian starred in many comedies that have gone on to become staples of the genre, having worked with the very best co-stars and directors around, forging strong friendships in the process, but unfortunately, one of those friendships would culminate in tragedy.
On March 5th, 1982, John Belushi was found dead in his home at just 33, and while the innovative comedian had led a troubled life, the entertainment world was stick shocked to hear this devastating news. Candy was one of Belushi’s closest industry pals, and they’d starred in a number of films together, including Steven Spielberg’s 1941 and, for my money, one of the best films ever made: The Blues Brothers. So when Belushi died, Candy was said to have slipped into a deep depression.
The fallout from the original Saturday Night Live cast members’ untimely passing continued to reverberate. In 1989, Taurus Entertainment made the baffling decision to distribute a biopic of the late star called Wired, with Michael Chiklis playing Belushi. The movie, which was based on a book by famous Watergate reporter Bob Woodward, was slammed by just about anyone who knew the actor in real life, who was portrayed as a pathetic loser who drove himself to the grave through pure pig-headed stubbornness; not an ounce of sympathy was directed towards a deeply flawed, yet deeply troubled individual.
John Landis, who was set to be a character in the story, demanded to have his name removed from the project and threatened to sue if it wasn’t. He also claimed that a scene in which ‘he’ punched Belushi in the face wasn’t accurate, with Judith Belushi, John’s widow, releasing her own account of her husband’s life, Samurai Widow, to counter the film’s allegations.
Candy went one step further and decried that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the alleged hit piece. “I have no desire to see that,” he said, “I don’t see the need. I didn’t see the need for the book. I don’t see the need for the movie. Let it alone. Why? Why do we have to drag that out? It’s such dirty laundry.”
The decision to take this approach to Belushi’s life story less than a decade after it came to an end was short-sighted and just plain wrong. It was a horrible idea that should never have made it past the pitch stage and was rightfully condemned on pretty much every front.
Tragically, it wouldn’t be long before the world had to deal with another death of a beloved comedy icon, as Candy himself died in 1994, at 44, which was another massive loss for the film community in general, but at least some lessons had been learned from the Wired debacle.
Candy’s life was left untouched for decades, until filmmaker (and son of Tom) Colin Hanks released the documentary John Candy: I Like Me in 2025, which received widespread praise and Hanks was commended for his delicate approach to such a difficult subject.
