OT: Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Caddyshack) dead

Submitted by translator82 on

Link to Chicago Tribune obit

Pretty much the best comedy films from the last 35 years had Harold Ramis' imprint on it. Sounds like had been suffering quite a lot the last couple years too unfortunately with a rare autoimmune disease.

If you got the time, watch a few clips today from Ghostbusters, Stripes, Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, Animal House, National Lampoon's Vacation, Back to School or Meatballs. There are other films too and directing bits on The Office.

UMdad

February 24th, 2014 at 1:24 PM ^

He was also in one of my all-time favorite movies, "Stealing Home," with Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster and a young Jonathan Silverman.  Classic - especially if you are like me and have a special love for baseball movies. 

saveferris

February 24th, 2014 at 1:24 PM ^

My first reaction to this post was that it was impossible that Harold Ramis could be dead.  My second reaction to this post is that Harold Ramis could not possibly be 69 years old.  My third reaction to this post was, "That's a big twinkie".

RIP Harold Ramis.  Thank you for all the laughs.

freejs

February 24th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^

could that guy have been any more likeable? 

I feel like a substantial portion of my youth just got demolished. 

Not that this is what's important here or anything, but dammit. Man, I liked that guy. 

boliver46

February 24th, 2014 at 1:49 PM ^

Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

 

 

LSAClassOf2000

February 24th, 2014 at 1:31 PM ^

It would be fair to say, like other posters have, that a fair number of my favorite films growing up and even into my adulthood had the name "Harold Ramis" somewhere in the credits. This is very sad news - he was a very talented writer and director and great on-screen as well.

Like saveferris though, one of my reactions did involve:

RIP Harold Ramis. 

robpollard

February 24th, 2014 at 1:32 PM ^

Animal House and Caddyshack are still some of the funniest movies ever (particularly Animal House, which I could be talked into being #1 all-time). Sometimes when you look at "classics" you can see why they were important at the time, but they are not really relevant to today -- but the type of comedy he wrote still would crush at the box office today.

As an aside, I recently watched a two hour A&E "Biography" on the making of Caddyshack -- it was Ramis' first director job and he clearly didn't know what he was doing (as he admitted) but he had such an even-keel calm about the whole thing (they had many issues -- finding a course to shoot at, weather issues, changes to the script, etc), he kept the whole, disparate cast together and made a classic.

GoWings2008

February 24th, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^

on an NBC news release:

In a 2004 profile of Ramis, Tad Friend of the New Yorker wrote, " What Elvis did for rock and Eminem did for rap, Harold Ramis did for attitude: he mass-marketed the sixties to the seventies and eighties. He took his generation’s anger and curiosity and laziness and woolly idealism and gave it a hyper-articulate voice. He wised it up."

Dubs

February 24th, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^

Truly a great comedy talent.

I've always believed that Groundhog Day is one of the most underrated comedies and/or movies in recent memory. 

Njia

February 24th, 2014 at 1:51 PM ^

 

My job is to come up with something that you like and you agree with that you would play wholeheartedly. If we disagree, I may not be doing my job correctly.

Actually, Harold, I'd say you did your job exceptionally well. Thank you.

True Blue Grit

February 24th, 2014 at 2:48 PM ^

Animal House came out soon after I joined a fraternity at Michigan. So, among other things, it contributed a lot of humor to what was a fun period in my life.  If you ever find a copy of the National Lampoon Animal House magazine, definitely read it!  They came out with a written, magazine version of the movie complete with pictures that is equally hilarious.  It has some stuff too that was not in the movie.  

But certainly, Ramis was a comedic genius that will be sorely missed.  RIP Egon.  

chatster

February 24th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^

With Shirley Temple Black, Peter O’Toole, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Roger Ebert, Jonathan Winters, James Gandolfini, Sid Caesar, Annette Funicello and now Harold Ramis, the in memoriam tribute during the Academy Awards telecast just became a bit more of a tear jerker.

Very sad news.  But the tears will fade and the laughter will endure. . . . And now to determine whether human emotions will affect my physical environment.

Mgo-Bo

February 24th, 2014 at 2:59 PM ^

So many classics, one of the all-time greats. Truly brought so much laughter and smiles into millions of lives.

Well done Harold!

French West Indian

February 24th, 2014 at 3:28 PM ^

And how weird too because just yesterday afternoon I dug out an old copy of Esquire because it had an interview with him that I wanted to re-read.  Spooky!