There’s a scene in Ghostbusters 2, when Venkman, Stanz and Spengler are in court, being tried for causing damage that resulted in a citywide blackout. After the judge becomes a little too aggressive when addressing the court and unwittingly releases the ghosts of two murderers, the guys grab their proton packs and gear up to get rid of the spectral threat. When they turn on their packs, they do this:
I think what made the death of Ramis especially sad (for me, at least) was that he had been a major part of so many films that my generation grew up with that it’s difficult to imagine the filmic landscape of our youth without the films to which he contributed so very much. Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have Ghostbusters in my life, or that (thanks to a very liberally-minded rental store) I wasn’t aware of Meatballs and Stripes. Hell, for all I know, Caddyshack was my introduction to the world of golf (which may be the reason I find watching actual golf so dull, it just can't compare). And Groundhog Day is a movie I watch once a year because it’s set on my birthday. The point remains, Harold Ramis has contributed greatly to my life growing up, and I’m pretty sure the same can be said for a lot of people I know.
When thinking back generally on those movies from my childhood, the titles that spring to mind are the ones that not only connect us all together in that way that these things tend to do, but they are the ones that we can still go back to time and again with an unabashed sense of nostalgia and warmth. Films like Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, E.T., Labyrinth, The Goonies, Uncle Buck, Explorers, Cool Runnings, Bill & Ted, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Flight of the Navigator, Home Alone, Hook, Gremlins, Dark Crystal, The Lost Boys, The Princess Bride… these are all the films that made our childhood, and though we may have worked in other titles along the way, these are the ones that helped define our generation. Mentioning these films to someone of a similar age can start a fond conversation of reminiscence, even with a total stranger. There's a collective kinship to be found in all of them.
The death of Harold Ramis has brought home the reality that will become far more commonplace as we all get older, that the people who gave us some of our most cherished childhood memories in those films, and numerous films throughout the subsequent 20, 30 or 40 years, will someday be gone forever.
There is certainly some consolation to be found in the fact that, even though we will lose all the actors, writers and directors that gave us the likes of Spengler, Venkman, Stanz and Zedmore; of Marty McFly and Doc Brown; of Eddie Valiant; of Inigo Montoya; of Luke Skywalker, we will never lose those characters or the movies they came from. Whenever we watch their work, talk about it with those who were there and, most importantly, share it with those who were not, we will be preserving a personal and cultural legacy for those people who gave them to us. And for all of the joy and happiness they gave to us, it is the least we can do to keep their memory alive.
Harold Ramis may have gone, but he needn't be forgotten. So, find someone who hasn't seen Groundhog Day or National Lampoon's Vacation or Ghostbusters, sit them down and bring Ramis back for a couple of hours. You know they'll thank you for it.