# Only the Lonely (1991) | John Candy Romantic Comedy Drama | VHSSB

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704/only-the-lonely-1991-john-candy-romantic-comedy-drama-vhssb.md
Podcast: [The VHS Strikes Back](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704)
Published: 2026-05-27T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevhsstrikesback/episodes/Only-the-Lonely-1991--John-Candy-Romantic-Comedy-Drama--VHSSB-e3jsk8s
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/bd52f7c/podcast/play/120524508/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-25%2F6c648b90-e23e-313f-c02f-05cc284d1beb.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-vhs-strikes-back-1174704/episodes/only-the-lonely-1991-john-candy-romantic-comedy-drama-vhssb
Duration seconds: 3333

## Resource

Chosen by Justin, Only the Lonely arrived in 1991 as a gentler, more bittersweet John Candy vehicle than the broad comedy many audiences might have expected. Written and directed by Chris Columbus and produced by John Hughes and Hunt Lowry, the film brought together Candy, Maureen O’Hara, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Quinn, James Belushi and Kevin Dunn for a Chicago-set romantic comedy-drama with a softer heart than its VHS-era packaging probably suggested. A widely reported production budget is not readily available, but the film earned around $21.8 million domestically after opening wide through 20th Century Fox in May 1991. The production leaned heavily into real Chicago texture, with principal photography beginning on 1 October 1990 and running until 22 December 1990. Locations included North Avenue Beach, the Pump Room, St. John Cantius Church, Greektown and Comiskey Park, with additional interiors built at Chicago Metropolitan Studios. Reception was mixed-to-positive in the period, with particular praise for the performances, and the film has since picked up a modest legacy as one of John Candy’s more tender, underrated leading roles: less “falling through furniture,” more “quietly breaking your heart while still making you laugh.” Trailer Guy Synopsis In a city of crowded bars, roaring trains and overbearing family dinners, one Chicago cop is about to face the most terrifying case of his career: falling in love. Danny Muldoon is loyal, dependable, kind-hearted… and still very much under the command of his mother. But when he meets Theresa, a shy funeral home worker with a quiet charm, Danny sees the possibility of a life beyond guilt, duty and being emotionally handcuffed to the family sofa. Fun Facts Only the Lonely was Maureen O’Hara’s first feature film appearance in…

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