Harold Ramis dead at 69

[ulukinatme]

Harold Ramis dead at 69 - chicagotribune.com

Better known as Russell Ziskey in Stripes and Egon in the Ghostbusters films, he was also an influential director in movies like Caddyshack and Groundhog Day. He also directed Analyze This/Analyze That, co-wrote a number of movies like Meatballs and Animal House, and I think directed the second season of The Office.

 

[tko]

R.I.P.

 

[Irishnuke]

He must have crossed the streams.

 

[NDBoiler]

His work was great, sad to hear. He was a part of so many classics, many of my favorites.

 

[#1rish]

Doe...Ray...EGON

RIP Harold

 

[Irish8248]

this is beyond tragic -- i wanted ghostbusters 3!!

 

[ulukinatme]

I kind of feel like it's Bill Murray's fault that we won't get a 3rd Ghostbuster's film with the whole cast. He tore up one or two scripts that were sent his way, forcing Aykroyd to find a new writer and start from scratch, and ultimately having to exclude Murray from the project as he didn't want any part of it. Bill is awesome though, so I guess he gets a pass.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Nothing better than watching Stripes again and again....

RIP Mr. Ramis. You will be missed.

 

[Booslum31]

69 years old...is that possible? Thought he was much younger than that. Sad day...RIP.

 

[dre1919]

A true talent. Goodbye and RIP, Mr. Ramis. Not many like you.

 

[Irish#1]

Thanks for the laughs Harold.

 

[ulukinatme]

Didn't realize it, but according to the article, Raimi was actually a big inspiration for contemporary big comedians/writers:

Judd Apatow ("The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents," the "Austin Powers" movies), Peter Farrelly ("There's Something About Mary," "Dumb and Dumber"), Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," "Orange County," both of which featured Ramis in small roles) and Adam Sandler (who starred in his own wacky golf comedy, "Happy Gilmore") — to cite him as a key inspiration.

 

[NDFan4Life]

Excellent director and actor.

We'll never see anyone like him again.

R.I.P. Harold.

 

[GoIrish41]

Funny, funny man. RIP and thanks for the laughs.

 

[Corry]

He's on my Comedic Mount Rushmore. Thanks for the laughs.

 

[RyCo1983]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FcyktkVGUBM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[ACamp1900]

69 years old...is that possible? Thought he was much younger than that. Sad day...RIP.

This was my first thought... anyway, always thought the Analyze movies were much better/more funny than Caddyshack (Always felt it was highly overrated) or Groundhog... just my thoughts... love the Analyze This movies...

Ghostbusters of course is a classic... I'm assuming he lived his dreams, RIP to him.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Guess he was battling some rare illness for awhile. Sucks. He was one of the last really creative funny guys.

 

[rtrn2glory]

sad day....very funny man

 

[ulukinatme]

anyway, always thought the Analyze movies were much better/more funny than Caddyshack (Always felt it was highly overrated)

This might be the best minute in the whole movie. In fact, most of Murray's parts were some of the best parts of the movie, and by all accounts Raimi basically had nothing written for him, he just told him to "wing it."

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3lYm0c7gYyU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The movie was originally supposed to be centered entirely around the young boy, Danny Newnan, but with the way Chevy and Murray were stealing the show, Harold ended up beefing up their parts

 

[KPENN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>This wonderful Harold Ramis tribute by <a href="https://twitter.com/Mega_Ashra">@Mega_Ashra</a> makes me happy, sad and a bit teary. <a href="http://t.co/0pfyta6ngx">pic.twitter.com/0pfyta6ngx</a></p>— Declan Fay (@declanf) <a href="https://twitter.com/declanf/statuses/438212379721998336">February 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

Statement from the President on the Passing of Harold Ramis | The White House

Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Harold Ramis, one of America’s greatest satirists, and like so many other comedic geniuses, a proud product of Chicago’s Second City. When we watched his movies – from “Animal House” and “Caddyshack” to “Ghostbusters” and “Groundhog Day” – we didn’t just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings. Our thoughts and prayers are with Harold’s wife, Erica, his children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him, who quote his work with abandon, and who hope that he received total consciousness.

So I got that going for me.

 

[Emcee77]

I'm really sad. This guy's films captivated me as a kid. He may be a funnyman but I can't help but think he had a profound impact on me. I watched those films over and over. Groundhog Day in particular, no joke. It's one of my favorite movies.

Also, small world story: my boss insists that Danny Noonan was based on him. I guess he grew up near Ramis on Chicago's far North Side and they knew each other. My boss was indeed a young caddy angling for a scholarship to college. According to him, the stories are eerily similar.

 

[Catholics_Rule]

Very sad news. Groundhog Day is one of my favorite films.

 

[ulukinatme]

Still seeing news out there about Harold's passing. Most celebrity deaths kind of fade away after the first day or two, but I'm still seeing news and tributes popping up. Plus, just this morning I was taking a break from work and sat down with my daughter as she watched one of her shows. In this particular show they had a Ghostbusters throwback/theme for the entire episode. I checked the Guide on the TV, but the episode slated to be shown was not the one that was actually showing, so they must have changed it when the news came out. I thought that was kind of cool.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I swear this guy could picture it, write it and it would end up like that in front of the camera. And he may have been the most trusting writer ever.

 

[Pachuco]

Dr. Spengler brought authenticity/validity to the psuedo sciences in a way few others have.

He will live forever in my consciousness as the "nerd" who shirked Columbia's elitism out of loyalty to his friends, and used his intelligence to help save humanity.

Thank you, Mr. Ramis.