Foreword -- Prologue: I like me -- Enter laughing -- An actor prepares -- Johnny Toronto meets the Second City -- Turning up the heat -- From stage to screen -- SCTV is on the air! -- I like your movie about the fish -- Something borrowed, something blues -- Bright lights, big city -- The year of the ox -- Johnny gets his crane shot -- 'The moose out front shoulda told ya' -- A fish out of water -- Candy's millions -- Jungle hotels and summer rentals -- 'I'm my own best friend' -- Getting there is half the fun -- 'Big bear chase me' -- Frostbacks and greenbacks -- Everybody's favourite uncle -- Home alone with the polka king -- The actor is here -- True double blue -- Johnny Toronto -- Fumbles, panics, and reunions -- Cool Runnings -- Russian gangsters and Canadian Bacon -- Wagons East -- Aftershocks -- The mourning -- The legacy -- Acknowledgments -- Sources -- Index

"From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy's tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs. Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy's closest friends and colleagues, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, and many more, John Candy: A Life in Comedy celebrates the comedian's unparalleled talent, infectious charm, and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world."--