President Obama a bored White House speechwriter unexpectedly provided the perfect comment on Harold Ramis’ untimely death this Monday.
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.
Only if he loped for the Dalai Lama.
Anyway: it might seem weird for the White House to comment on the passing of a guy you might know just as Spengler from Ghostbusters.
But look at Ramis’ body of work as a writer or director. He’s maybe a top-three most important person in comedy in the last 30 years: Stripes. Caddyshack. Animal House. Ghostbusters. Groundhog Day. Stripes. Vacation. He fucking developed his craft alongside Belushi at Second City. Anyone important in the world of making us laugh crossed his path at some point or another in the ’70s and ’80s. As Bill Murray said today, “He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.” Agreed.
[H/T: USA Today]