Harold Ramis 1944-2014

Harold Ramis, one of the definitive comedic writers and directors of the last 40 years, died on Monday at the age of 69. The Chicago native started his career in comedy when he became a joke editor and reviewer for Playboy magazine in the early-Seventies. Like the Cambridge Footlights Review in England did to shape the career of Monty Python's Flying Circus, it was at Chicago's Second City Improv that Ramis fell into the band of comedic icons like Bill Murray, John Belushi and Gilda Radner leading him to excel his comedic talents on stage and at the typewriter when he became head writer of Canada's version of Saturday Night Live, SCTV.

In 1978, Ramis began a long and fruitful collaboration with director/producer Ivan Reitman writing the screenplays for Animal House (which Reitman produced), Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters, in which Ramis starred in the latter two films opposite Second City alum, Bill Murray. In 1980, Ramis made his directorial debut by helping one of the great comedies of the last thirty years, Caddyshack. The success of Ramis' goofball golfing film led him to direct a slew of other comedy hits like National Lampoon's Vacation, Groundhog Day and Analyze This. While not behind he camera, Ramis made cameo appearances in films such as As Good As It Gets, Knocked Up, and Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story. In the last few years of his life, Ramis directed several episodes of NBC's hit comedy series, The Office.

Ramis will be remembered by his collective achievements in film and television whether it be his nerdy presence as Dr. Eagon Spengler in Ghostbusters, or coming up with gag after gag on some of the most celebrated comedies of the last four decades. Ramis set a standard that many other comedic writers and directors have strived to live up to, such as Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Judd Apatow. I would be hard pressed to believe that no one would think of a Baby Ruth bar floating in a swimming pool or Robert De Niro confiding his fears on the couch opposite Billy Crystal and not think of Harold Ramis.