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John Candy and Macaulay Culkin had previously collaborated in the ’80s movie “Uncle Buck,” and the following year, they contributed to the classic Christmas film “Home Alone,” albeit not sharing the screen. Culkin portrayed Kevin McAllister, a young boy who finds himself contending with home intruders after his family inadvertently leaves him behind during their vacation preparations for the holidays.
In a pivotal airport scene, Kevin’s mother, Kate, played by Catherine O’Hara, converses with a stranger about the experience of leaving a child behind. This ‘stranger’ happens to be John Candy, who had a brief cameo role as ‘Polka King of the Midwest’ Gus Polinski. Despite the character’s brevity, he played a crucial role by assisting Kate in returning to Chicago, hitching a ride with his polka band.
During their conversation, Gus shares a rather unsettling anecdote about once leaving a child alone at a funeral for an entire day, causing concern for Kate. He attempts to reassure her by stating, “He was ok, you know, after six, seven weeks … came around, started talking again.”
Although this traumatizing story fails to calm Kate’s nerves, it indeed provides comedic relief. Director Chris Columbus revealed that this entire exchange was entirely improvised, stating, “None of that stuff was in the script.” He mentioned to Insider, “The funeral-parlor story, that was all improvised at 4:30 in the morning. We could barely keep a straight face on set just listening to John.”
According to IMDB’s trivia page, Candy shot the scene within an exhaustive 23-hour day on set. Despite the grueling schedule, the scene remains a fondly remembered and cherished moment from the movie. For those seeking more heartwarming festive films, exploring guides to the best Santa Claus movies, top Netflix Christmas movies, and finest Amazon Prime Christmas movies could offer further seasonal delights.