🌟 The Art of Heartbreak Humor: When Comedy Gets Complex
We all know the actor, Richie Moriarty, as Pete Martino, the lovable, perpetually optimistic, and eternally arrow-in-the-neck Boy Scout leader on the hit CBS comedy Ghosts. Pete is the glue—the guy who always sees the bright side, even when stuck in the afterlife forever with a motley crew of deceased residents. His humor is gentle, his sweetness is endless, but beneath that pristine Boy Scout veneer lies a surprising depth, a well of awkwardness and a longing for acceptance that resonates with millions of viewers.
But where does that unique blend of wide-eyed innocence and deep, relatable melancholy come from? It’s a tricky balance to strike, especially in a show as fast-paced and witty as Ghosts. Moriarty recently pulled back the curtain on his creative process, revealing a beautiful truth about the character: Pete is heavily influenced by one of the greatest, most emotionally nuanced comedians of all time—John Candy.
This isn’t just about general comedic inspiration; it’s specific. Moriarty channeled Candy’s performance in the seminal 1987 road trip classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, particularly during one of Ghosts‘ most memorable episodes. This connection is the secret sauce to understanding why Pete’s simple, goofy humor often hits us right in the heart.
🎬 The Planes, Trains and Automobiles Connection: An Accidental Homage
The episode in question is the Season 2 standout, “The Traveling Weed” (though sometimes misremembered by fans as an “airplane episode” due to the core concept of being stuck). In this episode, Pete, the ghost, finds himself trapped on a long-distance road trip, unable to leave the car that carries his prized Boy Scout troop paraphernalia.
The Narrative Mirror: Pete as Del Griffith
If you have seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, you know the plot centers on the high-strung, perpetually unlucky Neal Page (Steve Martin) being forced to travel cross-country with the eternally cheerful, yet irritatingly awkward, traveling salesman Del Griffith (John Candy).
Moriarty explained that when he read the script for the Ghosts road trip episode, the parallels to the 1987 classic were immediately clear. He recognized that Pete’s challenge mirrored Del Griffith’s in a profound way: maintaining relentless positivity despite crippling, isolating circumstances.
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The Emotional Core: Candy’s Del Griffith is a character who talks too much, has embarrassing habits, and drives Neal Page absolutely mad. But in the final, heartbreaking reveal, we realize Del is deeply lonely, covering profound sadness with relentless, exhausting cheer. Moriarty saw Pete in that exact light.
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The Annoying Companion: In “The Traveling Weed,” Pete, desperate to connect with the living, tries too hard to guide and interact with the car’s occupants, mirroring Del’s overwhelming presence. The core of the episode is Pete learning that sometimes, his desire to help is just perceived as annoying interference.
🎭 The Nuance of Comic Sadness: Embodying the Candy Archetype
John Candy was a master of what we call “comic sadness.” He could make you laugh until you cried, and then—in a single, beautifully delivered line—he could make you cry because you felt his character’s genuine pain. This is the quality Moriarty worked diligently to capture in his portrayal of Pete.
H3: The Importance of High Stakes Positivity
Pete, like Del, never lets his isolation define him publicly.
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Del’s Persistence: Del Griffith never stops trying to cheer up Neal or find a solution, even when disaster strikes.
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Pete’s Scout Spirit: Pete never stops trying to be helpful, even though he’s a ghost and his actions are largely futile. This persistence, Moriarty realized, is key to the character’s heart. We root for them precisely because their optimism is a defense mechanism against a crushing reality—Del’s loneliness, Pete’s accidental death and afterlife entrapment.
Moriarty tapped into this idea that Pete’s persistent, slightly manic cheerfulness is a mask. It’s the only way he knows how to cope with his afterlife, much like Del uses his traveling salesman persona to mask his deep loneliness on the road.
H3: The Physicality of the Inconvenience
Another key Candy element Moriarty likely channeled is the physicality of inconvenience. Del Griffith is always getting into physical messes, taking up too much space, and creating chaos with his sheer presence. Pete, though incorporeal, creates psychological chaos for his fellow ghosts and, inadvertently, the living. Moriarty’s wide-eyed, slightly frantic physical movements when Pete is excited or desperate mirror Candy’s ability to use his entire body for comedic effect, often to show his characters are slightly too big for the world they inhabit.
💡 Beyond the Road Trip: Candy’s Wider Influence on Moriarty’s Craft
While Planes, Trains and Automobiles provided the specific narrative inspiration for one episode, John Candy’s entire career provides a framework for how Moriarty plays Pete every week.
The Lovable Loser Trope
Candy excelled at the lovable loser trope—characters who are fundamentally good, often overlooked, and perpetually underdogs. Think of his roles in Uncle Buck or The Great Outdoors.
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Pete as the Ultimate Loser: Pete is the ultimate lovable loser. He died young, his one defining achievement is being a Boy Scout leader, and he remains stuck in the house with the literal arrow in his neck as a permanent reminder of his embarrassing demise. Yet, we love him because he retains his innate kindness. Moriarty ensures that Pete’s vulnerability always shines through, preventing the character from becoming a mere punchline.
H4: The Mastery of the Monologue
John Candy could deliver an emotional monologue that blindsided the audience with its sincerity. Think of the final scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles where Del reveals he is alone. Moriarty, in his own quieter moments as Pete—such as reminiscing about his wife or trying to give advice to the living—shows that same capacity for sudden, earnest depth. This moment of dramatic revelation gives the character necessary burstiness, shifting the emotional landscape suddenly and forcefully.
✍️ The Writer’s Perspective: Why the Homage Works for Ghosts
The decision to lean into the Planes, Trains and Automobiles homage was brilliant for Ghosts because it utilizes a shared cultural shorthand.
The Cultural Echo Chamber
Most comedy fans immediately recognize the dynamics of the 1987 film. By referencing it, the Ghosts writers instantly signal to the audience the emotional subtext of Pete’s journey in that episode. We understand, without Moriarty having to overtly state it, that Pete is feeling isolated and trying too hard to compensate.
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Efficient Storytelling: Referencing a classic piece of comedy allows the show to shortcut the emotional exposition. The audience projects the deep sadness of Del Griffith onto Pete, giving the episode immediate narrative weight and emotional payoff.
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Elevating the Goofiness: The homage elevates the typical sitcom situation (ghost stuck in a car) into a meditation on loneliness and human connection, which is the enduring theme of both Ghosts and the Candy film.
💖 The Legacy of Heart in Comedy
The influence of John Candy on Richie Moriarty’s performance as Pete is the perfect illustration of how classic, emotionally grounded comedy can inspire contemporary success.
The Key to Pete’s Authenticity
Pete’s unique ability to be both hilarious and profoundly sad—to serve as the comic relief while simultaneously holding one of the show’s most tragic backstories—is directly traceable to the archetype perfected by Candy. Moriarty understands that truly great comedy isn’t about the joke; it’s about the truthful reaction to pain.
When Pete gets overly excited about a troop meeting or offers terrible advice to Sam, we laugh because he’s goofy, but we smile because we understand his motivation: he just wants to belong. He just wants to connect. That earnest, human longing is the enduring legacy of John Candy, a legacy that Richie Moriarty perfectly honors every time he pops into frame with an arrow in his chest and a hopeful smile on his face.
Final Conclusion
Richie Moriarty’s revelation that his performance as Pete Martino in Ghosts—particularly during the Planes, Trains and Automobiles-inspired road trip episode—was heavily influenced by John Candy provides a crucial insight into the character’s success. Moriarty deliberately channeled Candy’s portrayal of Del Griffith, focusing on the character’s ability to mask deep loneliness and vulnerability with relentless, sometimes annoying, positivity. This commitment to embodying the “comic sadness” archetype gives Pete his unique, beloved depth, preventing him from being a one-note joke. By paying homage to one of the masters of heart-driven comedy, Moriarty ensures that Pete remains the kindest, and often the most heartbreaking, ghost in Woodstone Mansion.
❓ 5 Unique FAQs After The Conclusion
Q1: Which specific episode of Ghosts (US) contains the storyline where Pete is stuck in the car on a road trip?
A1: The episode featuring Pete stuck in the car on a long-distance road trip is “The Traveling Weed,” which aired during Season 2 of the CBS series Ghosts.
Q2: Did the Ghosts actor, Richie Moriarty, directly state that the episode was a conscious homage to Planes, Trains and Automobiles?
A2: While the writers may have intentionally created the parallel, Richie Moriarty confirmed that he personally channeled John Candy’s performance as Del Griffith when reading and executing the script, recognizing the similar emotional dynamics of the characters being trapped together.
Q3: What is the main source of Pete Martino’s sadness or vulnerability in Ghosts?
A3: Pete’s primary source of sadness and vulnerability stems from his accidental, early death and the subsequent realization that he missed raising his daughter, seeing her grow up, and interacting with his family. His inability to connect with them often manifests as his overzealous desire to help the living.
Q4: Has John Candy’s comedy influenced other modern sitcom actors or roles?
A4: Yes, John Candy’s approach to blending genuine emotion with physical comedy has profoundly influenced many modern comedic actors. His ability to portray characters who are inherently kind but physically awkward or emotionally messy is a foundation for many “lovable loser” roles in contemporary sitcoms.
Q5: Which other Ghosts actor has cited a classic comedy influence on their performance?
A5: Asher Grodman, who plays the ghost Trevor, has often cited influences from classic ’80s and ’90s comedies for his character’s persona, drawing on the tropes of the excessive, status-obsessed Wall Street “bro” figure.
