Bill Murray and Harold Ramis were long-time collaborators. Having maintained a friendship since the ’70s, the two worked frequently on several big-screen endeavors. From Meatballs to Caddyshack to Ghostbusters, both had developed a consistent rhythm with one another. However, to people’s disappointment, the uber-classic Groundhog Day would contribute to a growing rift between Murray and Ramis.
This supposed friction was highly reported. Many co-workers bore witness to the souring developments that occurred throughout the production of the 1993 fantasy comedy film. After being requested to appoint a personal assistant following strained communication and unreturned calls, the matter reached an unbelievable escalation when Murray hired a deaf assistant instead. To say everyone was baffled would be an understatement.
The Production Of Groundhog Day (1993) Was Tense
Murray and Ramis reportedly disagreed over the tone of Groundhog Day. While the actor of the endeavor wanted to tackle philosophical themes, Ramis wanted the film to be a comedy. The longstanding colleagues would no longer see eye to eye as a result of this. In addition to the artistic disagreements, there were further issues between the two Hollywood stars as Bill Murray seemed to be having a hard time following personal troubles. Many people link the Lost in Translation alum’s breaking marriage to this on-set emotional upheaval.
Trevor Albert, the 1993 film’s producer, described how stressful the endeavor’s production was in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
“It was a tense shoot for a number of reasons. It was unfortunate and probably made the movie considerably less fun to make. But you can still make a very good movie when people are not in perfect harmony.”
Harold Ramis himself would attest to Bill Murray’s irritable attitude to The New Yorker, by commenting on the the matter:
“At times, Bill was just really irrationally mean and unavailable; he was constantly late on set. What I’d want to say to him is just what we tell our children: ‘You don’t have to throw tantrums to get what you want. Just say what you want.’”
Murray was asked to go along with a particular suggestion when the lack of communication was at its worst. To everyone’s amazement, the actor begrudgingly hired a deaf personal assistant. This seemed to many a sign of deliberate obtuseness.
Bill Murray Hired A Deaf Personal Assistant
According to Harold Ramis via Entertainment Weekly, Murray had “obvious resentments” towards the production of Groundhog Day. This made it challenging to work with him or retain a constant line of contact. Production assistants had trouble getting in touch with the actor, and he never returned their calls. Someone then suggested to Murray, “Bill, you know, things would be easier if you had a personal assistant. Then we wouldn’t have to bother you with all this stuff.”
The actor agreed only to hire an assistant who was completely deaf and spoke only American sign language. Following is how Ramis remembered the incident:
“So he hired a personal assistant who was profoundly deaf, did not have oral speech, spoke only American sign language, which Bill did not speak, nor did anyone else in the production. But Bill said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to learn sign language.’ And I think it was so inconvenient that in a couple weeks, he gave that up. That’s anti-communication, you know?”
Murray and Ramis didn’t work together again once Groundhog Day was through with production. They didn’t even speak to one another for years. However, according to popular reports, the two would reunite and settle their disagreements just a few months before Harold Ramis died in 2014. Albeit a bittersweet reunion, it worked towards ensuring that the two men harbored no regrets over a lost friendship.
Groundhog Day is available for streaming on Netflix.
