Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

Some movies don’t age well. Others? They just get better the more you see them.

I watched Ghostbusters just a month or so ago. It kills me that in all the time that’s gone by, this film has never lost any of its polish. The scenes that were funny then are still funny now.

What made Ghostbusters so great--besides a hefty dose of Saturday Night Live cutting humor--was how it sort of "did it all" in one movie. In one two hour sitting, you saw a movie that was funny, scary and that kept you on the edge of your seat. And it somehow blended all of those feelings together so seamlessly that, honestly, even almost thirty years later, most movies can’t compare.

Harold Ramis has passed away. Sure most people are going to just remember this guy as Egon Spengler, but he was a lot more than that. Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd might take centerstage in the films they've co-starred with Ramis in, but the what most people don’t realize is that Ramis co-wrote Ghostubsters with Aykroyd.

That’s not all. Ramis was a comedic powerhouse. Most of the films that you loved growing up in the 80s that were hysterical and entertaining were written or co-written, sometimes even DIRECTED by Ramis. Even a few that you saw more recently. I’m serious. You wouldn’t believe it. The list includes:

Animal House
Caddyshack
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Groundhog Day
Analyze This

This guy has been the godfather of comedy for a generation, but always backstage. Always mostly off camera, out of the spotlight. He’s done all of this and most people don’t even realize it.

I love Ghostbusters. I love the character of Egon Spengler. Everytime Janine asks Egon what he does for a hobby and he answers :I collect spores, molds and fungus" in a deadpan voice I lose it. And yes. I’m worried Ghostbusters 3 might not happen or at least might not happen the way I’d want it to. With Egon THERE. But please. Don’t just mourn Egon Spengler.

Mourn Harold Ramis. The guy who helped make science-fiction--hell Hollywood--funny for most of us growing up. Don’t forget who he is and his legacy.