Hey, Summer Camp Fans!
Back in 2013, this Blog saw its beginning and ever since our heyday, I’ve been posting about celebrities who attended summer camp or at least have had a significant involvement in the community of summer camp. And since we first started posting, I’ve covered over 100 celebrities who have a past at camp! Now it’s time to backtrack a bit and retread some of the famous folks we’ve already featured.
So, as we posted five years ago on the Blog, funnyman Chris Farley was also a fan of summer camp Chris attended camp at Red Arrow nearby Minocqua, Wisconsin. It’s obvious that Chris had a close connection with his time away at camp since he spent many of his summers at camp and, eventually, then later as a camp counselor at the same camp!
With his over-the-top, enthusiastic and energetic charm, Chris enjoyed making people laugh from a very early age—competing with his siblings for the attention of their father. Here are a few more things about Chris that we didn’t quite get into in our first post about him:
Like Belushi, Like Farley
John Belushi was a huge role model for Chris Farley. Ironically, the two had very similar biographies with work on ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL), starring in films, battling obesity, and an early death at 33 because of unhealthy habits.
Almost a Cable Guy
Chris Farley was actually the original choice for the 1996 film ‘The Cable Guy’. The film’s star role ended up going to an up-and-coming Jim Carrey instead due to scheduling conflicts that left Chris Farley unable to take the role.
100 Saturdays
Discovered by a producer of the ever-so-popular sketch comedy show, SNL, Chris boomed with popularity in the years to come as he resurrected characters of his own for sketches on the show. Belonging to the SNL cast for five years, Chris appeared in 100 episodes.
The Quieter Side of Chris
Despite inner turmoil, he would attend mass services and would continue to sit after the services ended to spend quiet times alone, reflecting on his life. We’ve all heard that money won’t bring you happiness. In Chris’ own words:
“I used to think that you could get to a level of success where the laws of the universe didn’t apply. But they do. It’s still life on life’s terms, not on movie-star terms. I still have to work at relationships. I still have to work on my weight and some of my other demons.”
His passing still brings us sorrow, but he left a large body of comedy to keep us laughing as well. Keep on laughing and, as always, thanks for reading.
- John