Harold Ramis R.I.P.

Didn't know about the feud...but after you mentioned it:

http://www.thewrap.com/harold-ramis-bill-murray-inside-groundhog-day-duos-decade-long-feud/

 

Neither did I--thanks for the link.

Bill and Harold were estranged for all that time and people wondered why Bill never wanted to do another Ghostbusters? It's so clear now why he never wanted to do it.

 

I agree with all of the sentiments expressed above regarding Harold Ramis, and thought I'd mention that VH1 will be running a film retrospective on Saturday, March 1st:
http://blog.vh1.com/2014-02-25/vh1-honors-harold-ramis-movie-marathon/

Given that it is VH1, my guess is these will be heavily edited, but hey, we should at least get the spores, molds, and fungus.

 

Ramis discussed his collapsed friendship with Bill Murray in a 2004 New Yorker interview:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/04/19/040419fa_fact3?currentPage=all

I had heard that Bill Murray had been very difficult on the set of Groundhog Day, mainly because he wanted the film to be much more philosophical and emotional, and Ramis (who wrote and directed the movie) wanted it to primarily be a comedy. I think Murray was chagrined when the film was a huge hit, plus Ramis got a lot of the credit, and he hated to admit that Ramis had been right. I think the balance between laughs and poignancy in the film is really good, particularly in the last 20 minutes -- like the scene where Murray's character can't save the life of the homeless man.

Groundhog Day is one of those films that really sticks with you, because it takes an obnoxious character, thoroughly redeems him, but also puts him in positions where you completely empathize with him when everything goes wrong. I think the parallels between that film and Galaxy Quest -- a film Ramis developed for a year but ultimately walked off due to disagreements with Disney -- are very interesting, particularly in that both films have a central obnoxious character who becomes a hero, both films are centered in fantasy, and both films are comedies that are balanced by a lot more thought and pathos than you might otherwise expect.

 

I've always thought of it as an updated, sci-fi, Frank Capra film.

 

Yup, I agree completely. The perfect straddle between sentimentality and humor. If it had been any less funny, it would have been less of a film. Bill Murray's interest in making Groundhog Day into Razor's Edge II...not as good an idea.

 

Don't think "Groundhog Day" is any more "sci-fi" than "It's a Wonderful Life"!

 

I think it's more fantasy than SF. An early draft of Groundhog Day explained that Bill Murray's character had used and abandoned another employee at the TV station, and she had been hurt and angry enough to steal a few strands of Bill's hair, put them in a voodoo doll, and then cast a spell on it. That was the explanation for why he was living the same day thousands of times. Ramis eventually decided to cut that piece out of the script, since he felt it worked better simply as a Twilight Zone bit that was never explained. Either way, more fantasy than sci-fi.

 

I don't watch a lot of comedies, but Groundhog Day is an absolutely fantastic film.

 

Okay, replace the word "fantasy" in my previous post, I still stand by my view that it's an updated Frank Capra style film. Another movie from the same era that falls into that category is "Dave".

 

You know someone is a good man when even Chevy Chase can get along with them.

In fact, surprisingly, I think Chevy's statement on the passing of Harold is the most heartfelt, respectful and spot-on. Even if there were severe creative differences on one film from decades ago, I find Bill Murray's comments very cold.

Chevy Chase: "“I’m shocked and heartbroken to hear of Harold’s passing. He was truly a great friend and a great man who shunned unnecessary Hollywood-type publicity and lived with a wonderful wife, Erica. I’m deeply saddened for Erica, Violet, Julian and Daniel. Harold directed me in Caddyshack and the first Vacation. It was Harold who acted out and gave me the inspiration for the character of Clark Griswold. I was really copying Harold’s impression of Clark. He was a truly funny and highly intelligent man with great honesty and a great appreciation for the best kind of comedy. It’s just awful to lose Harold, there is just no one like him, he was so kind, so caring and so smart. God Bless him and God Bless his family.”

Jeff

 

Well said Chevy!!!!

 

Yep, I totally agree with that -- very Capra-esque. Several of Gary Ross' films share that same sensibility, and that includes Dave, Pleasantville, and Big. Each one is a relatively simple premise: what if a guy who looked just like the President of the United States wound up having to take his place for real? What if two modern-day kids got sucked into a TV set and forced to live in a 1950s B&W TV show? What if a 12-year-old boy wished to become an adult, and the next day, he was inside a 30-year-old body? The real cleverness of Ross' films lie in all the ramifications and emotion that happen after the premise, and in all three cases, it becomes a surprisingly deep, moving, and poignant experience. The moment where the mother in Pleasantville is in the bathroom and... well, turns from B&W into color... that's a pretty cool bit. I also thought that was an amazing scene where Presidential imposter Kevin Kline has to sleep with the First Lady... and she notices the difference and doesn't care. Some great moments in those films.

I think Harold Ramis was another one of those guys, and Groundhog Day is such a simple premise: a nasty guy is forced to live the same day over and over 10,000 times... and instead of going insane, he becomes a kinder, more philosophical, more generous, and far wiser person. It's an incredible transformation. I think Bill Murray was dismayed at people telling him many times, "wow, Groundhog Day was the best film you ever made," because I think he knew that most of the film really came from Ramis. But nobody else could've played that part but Murray, so without the two of them, the film wouldn't have worked nearly as well.

 

Stripes is streaming on Encore.

"It's Czechoslovakia, it's like going into Wisconsin."

"I got the s*** kicked out of me in Wisconsin once."

 

Too bad murray is holding onto an old bitter memory
he created. A real sad unhappy man.

 

Very classy and you can tell that Bill Murray had a hard time holding back his tears >>>

Source:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-harold-ramis-dead-20140224,0,2259309.story?page=2

 

Obviously this was heartbreaking for me, as Ghostbusters is my all-time favorite movie and (mostly) has been since it came out. (See my username for a clue.) I don't think I've been this shocked and saddened by a celebrity death since John Ritter died. It's really tough when people you've admired since childhood begin passing away.

Ramis leaves behind an amazing career. SCTV, Vacation, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day...Ramis was one of the godfathers of comedy.

Armed & Dangerous is another one I've always liked that no one ever mentions.

 

Well done by Bill Murray bringing up his name at the Oscar's.