The Murricane

His eyes tell the tale. They speak of a tired man, someone who has been disappointed in the world and people not living up to his expectations. They are world-weary eyes, too sad to even have any faith in human beings. It is an admirable look to have in an dramatic actor. The late, great James Gandolfini had those same eyes. A sad beagle drooping its sadness. But, in a comedian, the sad eyes look is not something that is the norm. You must have joy in the eyes of the comedian. The face must be of a jolly mask, even when the clown is truly hurting inside. A comedian must never be handsome, either. It is ok to be All-American attractive, like Johnny Carson was. But, never must he or she be a looker. Comedians must be inferior in appearance to their audience, because sympathy and protectiveness for the underdog is also vital for the comedian. And, Bill Murray has the scars on his face. Pock-marked, as if, as Chevy Chase once stated, it looked like ''Neil Armstrong landed on it''........ Bill Murray is someone I have admired ever since he came on the national scene in 1977. He came through the ranks of ''The Second City'' in Chicago in the early 1970's, honing his craft and finding his gift facing the toughest of all audiences: the drunk and hostile midnight crowds. To be on a stage without a net is, depending on how you look at it, a brave and audacious feat, or, someone who is a dumbfuck masochist. But, Murray faced the music in these long-ago nights, earning his stripes as a comic performer. He was only at ''Second City'' for a year before he was called to New York by his old friend and mentor, John Belushi, and asked to be a part of the ''National Lampoon Radio Hour'' and road show, ''Lemmings''. Having learned the tricks of the trade at ''Second City'', Bill Murray shined in his new environment. A comic genius was flowering. The underground scene of comedy noticed, and, when Lorne Michaels was putting together a new late-nught show, he asked the best and brightest young comic minds in the comedy scene to audition. Bill Murray did not make the cut. There were three comics that were up for the last two spots on the new show. Lorne wanted Dan Aykroyd for one of those spots. The second was a close contest between Belushi and Murray. Lorne was leaning towards hiring Murray because Belushi, he knew, was gonna be a handful to handle. But, Lorne was talked into hiring Belushi by everyone on his staff, especially, Chevy Chase. Thus, Bill Murray missed out on the inaugural season of ''Saturday Night Live'' by a hair....... His time would come in the second season of the show, 1976-77. Chevy was leaving for Hollywood and Bill was hired from a strong recommendation by John Belushi. His first show, in January, 1977, was a home run for him. He played in just two sketches but he garnered huge laughs. In one sketch, he hilariously played a director filming an execution of a prison inmate. After that show, Lorne Michaels told him that he was now a ''Not Ready For Prime Time Player''. But, he then went south on the show. Because he was the new guy, the writers did not trust him right away with the big scenes. The stars of the show, Belushi and Gilda Radner, were the meat and potatoes of most sketches. Soon, Bill Murray found himself playing second cop roles or having one line in a sketch appearances. His frustration at being shoved aside by the cast and writers showed on-air, as he muffled several times the jokes in the sketches he was in. His position on the show was shaky until the very last show of the season when he came up with his own idea for a sketch. He would play a simple working class Joe showering in the morning before starting his day. But, he put on a little variety show in the shower. The laughs that greeted this skit saved him from being fired off the program. And, in this three minute performance, his ''Shower Mike'' skit, he started to employ his comic persona--- the anti-comic....... The next three years on ''SNL'' Bill Murray rose in the ranks and became a huge star. Soon, Hollywood was calling for him and he made a small, innocent movie called ''Meatballs'' about summer camp hijinks. It wasn't much of a plot but Murray showed he had real screen presence. And, in some scenes, where he befriended a lonely misfit kid, Bill showed genuine acting ability. Yes, his smart-ass persona from the show was onscreen but, also, a touching compassion. With this little movie---which was a huge hit at the box office--- Bill Murray became a movie star to watch........ After leaving ''SNL'' in 1980, Bill made a succession of successful movies---- ''Caddyshack'', ''Stripes'', and a small but superb cameo in ''Tootsie''. He was coasting from one giant hit to another. And, in the summer of 1984, he and his old pals, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, made the gigantic hit ''Ghostbusters''. With this movie, Bill Murray became an icon, a show business institution......... But, behind every comedian lurks a serious actor wanting desperately to come out and play. His committment to work in ''Ghostbusters'' came with a demand. He wanted to play a serious role in a remake of a classic drama. It was ''The Razor's Edge''. Bill wanted to show his dramatic side. And, he did, with mixed results. While the movie was deeply flawed, he was good in the role of a lost ex-soldier seeking the meaning of life. Not many of his fans remember this movie because it came just a few months after the enormous success of his movie where he was just slimed. ''The Razor's Edge'' sank without a trace. But, it was a noble failure. It showed the public---- and, us fans---that there was more to this comic genius than making an audience laugh.......... Then, in the mid-80's, Bill Murray did an extraordinary career move: he disappeared. While at the height of his box office prowess, he made no movies for four years [ except for a brief appearance in ''Little Shop Of Horrors'']. The public was seeing for the first time what many who knew Murray throughout the years had already known: this man did not play the Hollywood game. He would not dance to the tune the studios wanted him to. Bill Murray has always been an individual who plays by his own rules. That is why he is a star, a wonderful outsider who will join the party when he is damn ready to. The anti-comic.......... He came back in 1988 with ''Scrooged''. It was a disappointment to Murray fans. Gone was the wise-ass who lit up the screen with his absurdist observations of the world --- aligning himself always with his fans, the underdogs---- and, in ''Scrooged'' came a most unlikable man. The movie has its moments but is unpleasant to watch---a fatal flaw for a comedy. He seemed bitter in the role, as if screaming his part would make up for its faults. The following year would come the long-awaited follow-up to his ghost film. And, ''Ghostbusters 2'' was a horrible movie [ except, for the courtroom scene involving the ''Scoleri Brothers'' ghosts]. Bill Murray looked flat-out bored and unhappy in this film, as if he was going through the motions. And, if he was, then, there was something wrong because this man has based his whole career on being true to himself and his comedy. Phoniness, especially, from the Hollywood end, has always been a huge target for his comedy. Like Groucho Marx, Bill Murray--- the modern day Groucho---- sticks comic barbs at pomposity and arrogance found in the world. With the second ''Ghostbusters'' Bill Murray entered this world of selling out. He would not make the same mistake again......... The 1990's would start with two minor hits, ''Quick Change'', which he co-directed, and ''What About Bob'', where he went over the top in annoying Richard Dreyfuss [ not a bad thing, really]. Then, like a king returning to his throne, came in 1993 ''Groundhog Day''. This movie, directed by his old pal, Harold Ramis, finally was his crown jewel. The role of a cynical, self-obsessed weatherman forced to relive the same day over and over again, was the point in his career where the actor and the comic met at the same intersection equally. By turns funny and bitter, sad and painfully honest, his Phil, the weatherman, showed how truly gifted this man is. It was his finest performance up to this point in his career. More impressive work would come that same year with ''Mad Dog And Glory'' with Robert De Niro. Murray played a mob boss who desperately wanted to be a stand-up comic. The only problem was that the goomba was not funny. In this role, Bill showed his patented irony at looking at the world but, also, a genuine menace. In a few scenes, he is downright scary. And, interesting. It may be hard for those that haven't seen this movie to believe but Bill Murray blows De Niro off the screen with his acting......... As the 90's progressed, he hit another rough patch onscreen. He transported an elephant across country in ''Larger Than Life'', played in a movie I have never seen ''The Man Who Wasn't There''. But, he also got some mileage from juicy supporting roles in ''Kingpin'' and ''Wild Things''. And, in 1998, he made a wonderful movie called ''Rushmore'', where he played an older man competing with a teenager for the affections of a girl. This was another movie where comedy and drama met for him in a role. and, finally, the critics took note. He was nominated for several awards for his performance......... Came 2003. A movie called ''Lost In Translation'', directed by Sofia Coppola. It is a small movie, intimate in its subject matter and quiet in its execution. Bill plays a quietly bitter man, stubbornly facing middle-age. His character has a marriage that is in the toilet and he is in Japan doing a commercial he doesn't want to do because he needs the money. There, he meets a young American girl, played by Scarlett Johanson, who is running away from her own failed marriage. The heart and power of this movie is tied into loneliness. These two characters are far away from home and are lost in their lives. Life has let them down and they are sad. Here, Bill Murray, with those sad and world-weary eyes, shows his character's depth by just being in the moment. When he speaks, it is from a wounded man that wants to cry out at fate. But, no one will listen to him. Until, that is, this girl in Japan. Both performances are excellent by the actors. Award season rewarded Bill Murray royally. He won every major award that year, except the big prize, the Oscar. It is a shame because he deserved it [ Sean Penn won for the overwrought and contrived ''Mystic River'']. And, it is also a shame because the Academy Awards missed out on a potentially memorable acceptance speech by Bill Murray. His time will come....... And, that may be this year with ''St. Vincent''. It has Oscar nomination written all over it. I haven't seen the movie yet but I am planning on it soon........ In private, Bill Murray reportedly is as compelling, and a hard to pin down person, as his characters. He is notorious for his moods [ Dan Aykroyd calls him fondly ''The Murricane''] because they take him to a dark place. He has a somewhat difficult reputation as being hard to work with, but, those that claim this also are quick to point out that it is not ego that gives off this behavior but rather frustration at the job not being done correctly. Bill is a perfectionist, mostly with himself. Those that have shared the same working environment with him say he is a great guy. Just don't fuck with him....... I have always enjoyed watching him. He is part ticking time bomb, part hero at large. A friend of the audience, who has the charisma of a world class star. But, Bill Murray doesn't play the star game, a refreshing change of Hollywood behavior. He doesn't have an agent or manager. He has a 800 number that people can call to get in contact with him if they have a project he might be interested in. If Bill has the interest he will call the person back. Or, his lawyer will. This is so far out in left field that Hollywood looks at him in awe. He plays by his own rules, like his onscreen representations, never to be boxed in. Bill Murray is an enigma rapped in a riddle. We, the world, don't know what to expect from him at any time. He likes it that way....... And, so do we........