What started as a dusty box in a Maryland basement has now made its way to Hollywood — and into the opening moments of a new documentary about John Candy.
Jim Lieberman of Silver Spring recently unearthed reels of 8mm film shot by his late brother, R.C. Lieberman, who worked with the Second City Touring Company between 1970 and 1975.
“There’s a trove of material that my brother left behind,” Jim said. “He would bring an eight-millimeter movie camera to work and to social events.”
The films and photos captured a who’s who of comedy legends before they were famous.
“Harold Ramis was in the cast. Bill Murray right here. This was 1974. Gilda Radner on the left, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy and John Candy,” Jim explained while pointing out the stars in a recently developed photo.
There’s even a photo of the late actor John Belushi at a party before joining Saturday Night Live.
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For many, John Candy’s face alone could light up a room. The Canadian-born actor rose to fame through Second City in Toronto before becoming one of the most recognizable comedic stars of the 1980s and early ’90s.
Candy became beloved for roles in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Cool Runnings, and Splash. Known for his warmth, physical comedy, and ability to balance humor with heart, Candy carved out a place as one of Hollywood’s most endearing performers before his untimely death in 1994 at age 43.
The new Amazon MGM Studios documentary aims to remind audiences not only of his career but also his humanity.
“He was amazingly funny,” said actor Eugene Levy in a clip from the trailer.
“He was one of the top performers out of all of them,” added actor Steve Martin, talking about Candy’s early work on stage.
Producers Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks describe the documentary project as a labor of love, celebrating Candy’s comedic genius while also exploring the personal side of a performer who connected with millions.
For decades, the undeveloped film sat untouched in Jim Lieberman’s basement. “Probably about thirty years,” Jim admitted. “This is the first time this has been on in 20 years, I think.” he said as an old projector whirred back to life.
Jim credits his brother-in-law, photographer Chip Py, with urging him to develop the reels.
“We wouldn’t be sitting here talking if Chip hadn’t suggested I get it digitized,” Jim said. “He edited it and put it on a YouTube channel.”
After being posted online, the video services company reached out to Jim and asked to license some of the footage for the documentary.
Chip recalls the moment the John Candy documentary trailer dropped. R.C.’s footage was the first ten seconds. “My mind was blown away that that had happened. I did feel like we had something there. I didn’t think it would go beyond YouTube,” said Py.
For Jim, seeing his brother’s films in a major production was surreal.
“R.C. was always the guy walking around just sort of filming everywhere and filming a bunch of people before they were well known,” he said. “R.C. always wanted to be in the movie business, and I thought, well, now he is.”
The John Candy documentary premieres this October on Prime Video. Watch the trailer here: .