'Only The Lonely' (1991) was written for Maureen O'Hara
Dec 31, 2021 0:18:15 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Dec 31, 2021 0:18:15 GMT
'Only The Lonely'
Polka Time {SCTV}
Filmmaker Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay for the romantic comedy 'Only The Lonely' (1991) as a vehicle for actress Maureen O'Hara. The movie was produced by filmmaker John Hughes who'd scripted Columbus' family comedy 'Home Alone' (1990). Columbus and Hughes were able to utilise some of the same cast and crew members from 'Home Alone' including actors John Candy, Macauley Culkin & Kieran Culkin, cinematographer Julio Macat and editor Raja Gosnell.
"Wherever you go in the world, you just have to say you're Canadian and people laugh."
- John Candy
John Candy
John Candy speaks with David Letterman [and performs Divine as Peter Pan]
Maureen O'Hara starred opposite John Payne in 'To The Shores Of Tripoli' (1942), 'Miracle On 34th Street' (1947), 'Tripoli' (1950) and 'Sentimental Journey' (1958). She starred opposite John Wayne in 'Rio Grande' (1950), 'The Quiet Man' (1952), 'The Wings Of Eagles' (1957), 'McLintock!' (1963) and 'Big Jake' (1971). She appeared with Anthony Quinn in ' The Black Swan' (1942), 'Buffalo Bill' (1944), 'Sinbad The Sailor' (1947), 'Against All Flags' (1952), 'The Magnificent Matador' (1955) and Only The Lonely' (1991) which was to be her cinematic swansong and final big screen role.
“Above all else, deep in my soul, I'm a tough Irishwoman.”
- Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn
John Candy and Maureen O'Hara discuss 'Only The Lonely' with Johnny Carson
The film 'Only The Lonely' charts the efforts of Irish-American policeman Officer Daniel Muldoon (John Candy) to handle family business while courting Italian-American spinster Theresa Luna (Ally Sheedy) who works as a cinema-inspired embalmer in a funeral home run by her Sicilian father. Danny lives within a small Catholic community in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois with his widowed mother Rose Muldoon (Maureen O'Hara) and works the city with his partner Salvatore Buonarte (James Belushi). The Muldoon's next door neighbour is ageing Greek romantic Nick Acropolis (Anthony Quinn) who spends his time gardening.
"John Candy was born on Halloween 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, and he remained proud of his Canadian nationality all his life. Indeed, in Canada, he is a cultural hero and even appears on a postage stamp. He also identified strongly with his Roman Catholic faith. Candy attended Catholic schools, notably Neil McNeil Catholic High School in Toronto. Long after he graduated and became famous, Candy returned to the school annually. Following his death, the school renamed its arts studio in Candy’s honor. Candy once said, in his simple plaintive way, that the basic reason for his success was “rooted in the values and discipline and respect for others that I was taught at Neil McNeil.”
Throughout his career, that modest humility revealed itself in Candy’s most notable characters, from the lovable Uncle Buck in the film of the same name to the bashful and beleaguered Danny Muldoon in “Only the Lonely.” Yet it is for his role as Del O. Griffith in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” that Candy will probably always be best remembered."
Throughout his career, that modest humility revealed itself in Candy’s most notable characters, from the lovable Uncle Buck in the film of the same name to the bashful and beleaguered Danny Muldoon in “Only the Lonely.” Yet it is for his role as Del O. Griffith in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” that Candy will probably always be best remembered."
- David A. King PH.D, The Georgia Bulletin
James Belushi and John Candy
John Candy and Eugene Levy in 'Armed And Dangerous' (1986) in which Candy paid homage to Divine
There's an authenticity to the general casting of 'Only The Lonely'. Maureen O'Hara was a singer from Dublin, Ireland. Anthony Quinn and Ally Sheedy were of Irish ancestry. John Candy was a Canadian of Polish ancestry. The cast includes Kevin Dunn (a Chicagoan of Irish ancestry) as Danny's brother Patrick Muldoon and Joe Greco (a Chicagoan of Italian ancestry) as Theresa's father Joey Luna, as well as Irishman Milo O'Shea and decorated American World War 2 veteran Bert Remsen as a pair of local bachelors.
"One night a few years after "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was released, I came upon John Candy (1950 - 1994) sitting all by himself in a hotel bar in New York, smoking and drinking, and we talked for a while. We were going to be on the same TV show the next day. He was depressed. People loved him, but he didn't seem to know that, or it wasn't enough. He was a sweet guy and nobody had a word to say against him, but he was down on himself. All he wanted to do was make people laugh, but sometimes he tried too hard, and he hated himself for doing that in some of his movies. I thought of Del. There is so much truth in the role that it transforms the whole movie. (John) Hughes knew it, and captured it again in "Only the Lonely" (1991). And Steve Martin knew it, and played straight to it.
The movies that last, the ones we return to, don't always have lofty themes or Byzantine complexities. Sometimes they last because they are arrows straight to the heart. When Neal unleashes that tirade in the motel room and Del's face saddens, he says, "Oh. I see." It is a moment that not only defines Del's life, but is a turning point in Neal's, because he also is a lonely soul, and too well organized to know it. Strange, how much poignancy creeps into this comedy, and only becomes stronger while we're laughing."
The movies that last, the ones we return to, don't always have lofty themes or Byzantine complexities. Sometimes they last because they are arrows straight to the heart. When Neal unleashes that tirade in the motel room and Del's face saddens, he says, "Oh. I see." It is a moment that not only defines Del's life, but is a turning point in Neal's, because he also is a lonely soul, and too well organized to know it. Strange, how much poignancy creeps into this comedy, and only becomes stronger while we're laughing."
- Roger Ebert returns to 'Planes, Trains And Autmobiles', Chicago Sun-Times (article published November 12, 2000)
John Candy and Ally Sheedy
'Only The Lonely' - Roy Orbison
'Only The Lonely' was mostly shot on location in Chicago. Some additional scenes were filmed in Michigan. The original music score for the movie was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre. The film's soundtrack includes songs performed by Etta James, Van Morrison and Roy Orbison.
