The
entertainment world lost a great one today.
At the age of 69, Harold Ramis passed away. Director of Groundhog Day, star of Stripes,
and most importantly, Egon Spengler.
Nothing
makes you come to terms with your own mortality like losing a childhood hero. I must admit that I did get a bit teary eyed
today when I found out. I even checked
several online sources before I gave in and believed it. Sadly, it was true.
I first encountered Ramis like a great number
of us did, as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.
1984, I sat in the movie theater with my best friend Colby. His parents had dropped us off and there we
were, watching the Ghostbusters in all their glory. We both left that theater chit chatting away
on how we were going to create our own group and bust some paranormal heads of
our own. We played Ghostbusters that
night, the next day, and on into the rest of that school year. I ended up seeing that movie on THREE different
occasions while it was out. Very unheard
of in those times and days.
When I think
back, Murray was magic, Akroyd was phenomenal, but Ramis was IT. Without his dry sense of humor and facial
expressions, who would the other two master comics have played off of?
I have
Ghostbuster shirts, toys, posters, movies…heck, there is even a Stay Puft
Marshmallow Man and Slimer on my kiddos’ walls thanks to my lovely wife. My kids have been exposed to the movies. Ghostbusters had a huge part in developing me
into who I am today. I thank Harold
Ramis for playing a huge part of that.
You know
what else is funny? Egon was actually my
nickname in high school. I not only had
a mullet, but I had what was known as a fullet, part fro, part mullet. This is what earned me the title of
Egon. I actually wore it with
pride. Even carved it on locker number
in Woodlawn High School’s hallway. That
was back in 1988. And you know
what? Up through a few years ago, it was
STILL there!
There may
never be a Ghostbusters III, but in reality, who really needs it? All one needs to do is pop in the DVD of
Ghostbusters to see the true magic. 30 years ago Ramis graced the screen as
Egon Spengler, and 30 years from now we will STILL be talking about his
contributions to the entertainment world.
“Well, let's
say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the
New York area. Based on this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie...
thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.”
Some
Twinkie? Mr Ramis, you were something
special.
Thanks for
the memories.
