I struggled trying to work an angle on how to begin this article. When I began piling notes about Rick Moranis, I started to cover the basics and his main films he’s known for. But as I dove deeper into the pile of work he has produced, one re-occurring thing happened.
He has an awesome rubbery face.
I don’t mean that in an insulting way, but the use of his style can go from a serious indentation, to a goofy look instantly. But what’s amazing is what he has done over his career, and why he isn’t around in the limelight as much anymore as he was between the 1980s to the 1990s. So, I checked my collection, and this is what I came up with.
Sketch Comedy TV
Around the time of popular sketch TV comedy in the US, where Saturday Night Live was churning through talent that made their stars who they are today (Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray etc), a rival to SNL was Canada’s influence – Second City TV. While SCTV had already established itself since 1976 with cast members John Candy, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara and others, Moranis joined in 1980 and became an instant audience favourite.
While on the show, he and Thomas created Bob and Doug McKenzie, two Canadian brothers who swill their beer and run their own budget TV show. Some consider the characters as the original “Wayne’s World” – which itself had a spin-off movie and animated TV series.
Another character that was popular was Gerry Todd doing ‘The Gerry Todd Show’, a Disc Jockey music video show in which Gerry interacted where possible with his viewers via phone-ins, while playing the latest “hit song”. Funnily enough, Rick would be impersonating that artist.
A favourite sketch of Gerry Todd was the Michael McDonald backing vocals in singer Christopher Cross’s Ride Like The Wind.
He’s In One Of Your Favourite 1980s/90s Films.
If you’re over 30, he was in a childhood film of yours. If you’re over 20, he was just in a childhood film that was shown around that age. Rick is well known as the anal-retentive and constant crowd-pleaser Tax Accountant / Lawyer Louis Tully in Ghostbusters I and II, doing the best piss take of Darth Vader as Dark Helmet in Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, an over-organised father in Parenthood, but the favourite goes to the 80s remake of the 60s classic Little Shop Of Horrors, playing Seymour, who works at a plant store, discovers a carnivorous alien plant who threatens to take over Seymour’s life. Funnily enough, Rick co-stars with Steve Martin (who end up pairing together in future films Parenthood and My Blue Heaven) and Bill Murray (who he starred with in Ghostbusters).
For the kid in you, he starred in the 1989 Disney classic Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!, which spawned the 1992 sequel Honey, I Blew Up The Kid, which followed the 1997 direct-to video release of Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. Disney even created the 3d interaction ride Honey, I Shrunk the Audience for some of its theme parks, but all of them closed around the same time in 2010. Rick was the only actor to appear in all three films, as well as the ride. He also played Barney Rubble, alongside John Goodman‘s Fred Flintstone in the live action film The Flintstones. Rick was not attached to the prequel Viva Rock Vegas.
He Has A Few Albums Out.
While the creations of Bob and Doug McKenzie were popular, Rick and Thomas released The Great White North comedy album in 1981, which developed a cult following. Due to the major sales, they developed the Bob and Doug movie Strange Brew in 1983, to a huge success. Other than soundtracks, in 2005 Rick released The Agoraphobic Cowboy – a music album that was written in country style tunes, but with comedic lyrics. Enough for the album to be nominated for a Grammy Award.
You can listen to one of the tracks on his website, which hasn’t really been updated since 2007.
Rick Was a Disc Jockey.
Not to be confused with his Gerry Todd persona, Rick was a radio disc jockey in the early 1970s for CFTR Toronto. Known as Rick Allan, (Allan being his middle name), he would spin the vinyl all night and get Toronto into the rocking mood. Have a listen here. (RealMedia audio. Use VLC Player to listen). Credit to Rock Radio Scrapbook.
… the sad clincher.
This is not the reason why he’s cool, but it’s a footnote on why Rick has disappeared from the public spotlight. Rick lost his wife, Anne to liver cancer in 1991. While he worked for a few more years, he went into retirement in 1997 to concentrate on bringing up his family. He has been noted that he was ‘taking a break’ from the spotlight, only to realise he didn’t miss the spotlight that much at all. While there’s many rumours of Rick coming out of retirement to do Ghostbusters III .. that’s even if the third film gets off the floor, it looks more realistic that Rick will stay grounded. Though, he has popped up occasionally – lending his voice to animated films Brother Bear I and II in the early to mid 2000s.
Well, are we stopped? Good.. well, why don’t we take a 5 minute break? Smoke if you got ’em!
