From National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) and Caddyshack (1980) to Stripes (1981) and Ghostbusters (1984), Harold Ramis perfected a comedy genre with a deceptively simplistic formula: lovable characters who are considered losers rebel against the establishment and save the day with their goofball high jinks.
Growing up in what was called “the Second City,” you always felt like you were on the outside looking in. New York and LA were the real centers of culture in America, and we were kind of a sideshow. There’s always more comedy in being alienated than in fitting in. It’s the alternative comedy posture. It’s what Rodney Dangerfield created with his “I get no respect” routine. The other end of the spectrum isn’t so funny: “I get so much respect.” No one will laugh at how great things are for somebody.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
At the time—it was the late 1960s—the Playboy editors wanted to modernize the jokes a bit, to make them more counterculture. A big part of my job was changing “the farmer” into “a swinging advertising executive.”
How was Rodney as an improviser?
I knew it had some very messy elements. But that was the trade-off. The only way to get all that Bill Murray content into the movie was to settle for the fact that it was off-story and that it had nothing to do with the plot. Whatever arc there was to Bill’s story was crafted later, when we shot the gopher material and everything else.
