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What the Hell Happened to Rick Moranis?
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TMC
Dec 12, 2012, 6:41:40 PM12/12/12
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http://lebeauleblog.com/2011/06/21/what-the-hell-happened-to-rick-moranis/
Posted by lebeau
.
The last few celebrities I have spotlighted all had pretty dramatic
stories which resulted in the end of their A-list status. But today’s
story doesn’t include the usual celebrity excesses. This is the story
of a guy who basically walked away from it all and never looked back.
Rick Moranis first rose to prominence on SCTV alongside John Candy,
Eugene Levy and Martin Short. Moranis was best known for playing Doug
McKenzie in the Great White North sketches which would later serve as
the source material for the film Strange Brew.
Strange Brew tells the story of the McKenzie brothers played by
Moranis and Dave Thomas (no relation to the founder of Wendy’s). The
McKenzie’s are idiots in the Wayne and Garth and/or Bill and Ted
tradition. Only Canadian.
If you’re unfamiliar with the McKenzie brothers, here’s a clip:
When I was a kid, Strange Brew ran on cable roughly every 6 hours. As
a result, my friends and I were constantly ending sentences with “eh”
and calling each other “hosers”.
Strange Brew was a modest hit in 1983. And has since developed a cult
following.
1984 was a big year for Moranis. First he appeared in a movie I had
completely forgotten about. The Wild Life was a Fast Times at
Ridgemont High knock-off from the makers of Fast Times at Ridgemont
High.
I have never seen this movie, but I am going to have to hunt it down.
It was actually written by Fast Times writer (and future auteur)
Cameron Crowe. In a desperate bid to confuse fans of Fast Times, they
actually cast Sean Penn’s brother, Chris Penn, in the lead role!
The movie actually has an impressive ensemble. In addition to Moranis
and Penn, there’s Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, and a pre-Twin Peaks
Sherilyn Fenn! Damn it, Netflix! Why isn’t this movie available?
(Probably because it was dismissed as a Fast Times knock off and
instantly forgotten.)
In 1984, Moranis also appeared in a little film called Ghostbusters.
In a small role as an accountant who has an unrequited crush on his
neighbor and is turned into a dog, Moranis just about steals the show
from comedy heavyweights, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.
Ghostbusters was a smash hit and established Moranis as the go-to guy
in Hollywood for loveable nerds.
Rounding out 1984, the busy Moranis also appeared in Streets of Fire.
Streets of Fire starred Michael Pare. Who’s Michael Pare? He’s the
guy who would have been a star if Streets of Fire had been a hit.
Streets of Fire was a billed as a “rock and roll fable” and was
intended to launch a trilogy. But instead it bombed and the sequels
never got made.
Continuing his string of scene-stealing cameos, Moranis appeared in
Brewster’s Millions as the self-proclaimed King of the Mimics, Morty
King. The joke was that he walked around repeating everything Richard
Pryor said without making any effort at all to sound like Richard
Pryor.
Moranis made the move to leading man in 1986′s adaptation of the off-
Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors. The film, directed by Frank
Oz of the Muppets, was a critical darling and a moderate hit. But it
has since developed a cult following.
Steve Martin and Bill Murray had memorable cameos as a sadistic
dentist and his masochistic patient respectively. I know Moranis
isn’t in this scene, but I can’t help including the Dentist Song.
Moranis was back in cameo-mode for the Robin Williams bomb, Club
Paradise. Moranis reteamed with former SCTV co-star Eugene Levy to
play tourists at a Club Med-style resort run by Williams.
In 1987, Moranis was once again part of an ensemble in Mel Brooks’
Star Wars parody, Space Balls. Moranis played the evil, Dark Helmet.
Whereas Darth Vader is a big, imposing presence, Dark Helmet is a
little guy with a really, really over-sized helmet.
The movie isn’t a classic by any means. But it has a few laugh-out-
loud funny moments. The film was a moderate success at the box office
and received mostly negative reviews. But it continues to have a
strong cult following and actually launched a short-lived cartoon.
1989 was another big year for Moranis’ career. So, it’s only fitting
that he returned to the role that made him a star in Ghostbusters 2.
Ghostbusters 2 is one of those sequels I try to pretend doesn’t
exist. It’s not that it’s terrible. It’s just that it’s completely
unnecessary. The sequel amps up the special effects, but forgets to
bring along the jokes. Not even Bill Murray can elicit more than a
chuckle.
In the summer of 89, Moranis also starred in Honey, I Shrunk the
Kids. Honey was a Disney film in the tradition of The Absent Minded-
Professor. Moranis was cast as Wayne Szalnski, an inventor who
accidentally shrinks his kids. (I know, it’s right there in the
title).
The family-friendly comedy was a hit with critics and audiences. It
went on to inspire a sequel, a Disney theme-park attraction and a TV
series!
Completing a trifecta, Moranis also appeared in Ron Howard’s dramedy,
Parenthood. Moranis plays Steve Martin’s brother-in-law who’s trying
to raise a brilliant child. Kind of like my two kids…
Proving that no one launches TV series like Rick Moranis, Parenthood
has been adapted to TV twice!
Moranis re-teamed with Steve Martin the following year for My Blue
Heaven. Martin played a mobster in the witness protection program and
Moranis played the federal agent assigned to watch over him.
Originally, the film was set to star Steve Martin and Arnold
Swarzenegger with the future governor playing the gangster and Martin
playing the federal agent. Then the Governator left to star in
Kindergarten Cop. Martin switched roles and Moranis came on board.
The film did so-so box office and wasn’t a big hit with critics
either.
In 1991, Moranis had a cameo as the gravedigger in Steve Martin’s LA
Story. His part is so small, I wouldn’t have mentioned it save for
the fact that it is another re-teaming of Martin and Moranis and it’s
a movie worth checking out.
In 1992, Moranis starred in the obligatory sequel to Honey, I Shrunk
the Kids. The sequel had the unfortunate name of Honey, I Blew Up the
Baby.
The first movie was really an adventure about a bunch of kids in a
backyard that took on the proportions of a jungle. The sequel lacked
that element of adventure. While it performed at the box office, it
didn’t fare as well with critics.
In 1993 and 1994, Moranis appeared in a couple of comedic misfires,
Splitting Heirs with Eric Idol and Little Giants with Ed O’Neil.
In 1994, Moranis played Barney Rubble in the live-action version of
The Flintstones. The Flintstones was a summer juggernaut. It was
everywhere. In spite of the fact the movie wasn’t very good, there
was no way it could fail. It was more of a Happy Meal commercial than
a movie.
The Flintstones was a big enough hit to inspire a prequel, Viva Rock
Vegas. But none of the original cast returned. The role of Barney
was played by Stephen Baldwin. Talk about a step down! A lesser
Baldwin.
In 1996, Moranis appeared in Big Bully with Tom Arnold. The next
year, he returned to the Wayne Szalinski role for the 3rd time (4th if
you could Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Disney theme parks) for the
direct-to-video sequel, Honey We Shrunk Ourselves.
Ordinarily, when we get to the point where direct-to-video sequels and
Tom arnold are involved, we have officially hit the “downward spiral”
part of the article. But that wasn’t the case with Moranis.
Sadly, Rick Moranis’ wife died of live cancer in 1991. In 1997,
Moranis decided to take a break from film-making.
As Moranis himself explained, “I’m a single parent and I just found
that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the
traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a
break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and
then I found that I really didn’t miss it”.
So that’s it. That’s the answer to the question, What the hell
happened to Rick Moranis? It’s a lot cleaner than the answer I
usually come up with in these articles.
But Moranis wasn’t completely done with showbusiness. He dabbled in
voice-over work in 2001′s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the
Island of Misfit Toys, 2003′s Brother Bear and 2006′s direct-to-video
Brother Bear 2.
The Brother Bear films fittingly reuinted Moranis with his Strange
Brew co-star Dave Thomas. The two played a pair of moose with more
than a passing resemblence to the McKenzie brothers.
Moranis also released a comedy album of country songs in 2005 titled
The Agorophobic Cowboy.
With rumors of Ghostbusters 3 constantly swirling around, people are
always wondering whether or not Bill Murray will return if the sequel
is made. But the bigger question may be whether or not Moranis would
return. It seems unlikely that Moranis would come out of retirement,
but there have been rumors.
Posted by lebeau
.
The last few celebrities I have spotlighted all had pretty dramatic
stories which resulted in the end of their A-list status. But today’s
story doesn’t include the usual celebrity excesses. This is the story
of a guy who basically walked away from it all and never looked back.
Rick Moranis first rose to prominence on SCTV alongside John Candy,
Eugene Levy and Martin Short. Moranis was best known for playing Doug
McKenzie in the Great White North sketches which would later serve as
the source material for the film Strange Brew.
Strange Brew tells the story of the McKenzie brothers played by
Moranis and Dave Thomas (no relation to the founder of Wendy’s). The
McKenzie’s are idiots in the Wayne and Garth and/or Bill and Ted
tradition. Only Canadian.
If you’re unfamiliar with the McKenzie brothers, here’s a clip:
When I was a kid, Strange Brew ran on cable roughly every 6 hours. As
a result, my friends and I were constantly ending sentences with “eh”
and calling each other “hosers”.
Strange Brew was a modest hit in 1983. And has since developed a cult
following.
1984 was a big year for Moranis. First he appeared in a movie I had
completely forgotten about. The Wild Life was a Fast Times at
Ridgemont High knock-off from the makers of Fast Times at Ridgemont
High.
I have never seen this movie, but I am going to have to hunt it down.
It was actually written by Fast Times writer (and future auteur)
Cameron Crowe. In a desperate bid to confuse fans of Fast Times, they
actually cast Sean Penn’s brother, Chris Penn, in the lead role!
The movie actually has an impressive ensemble. In addition to Moranis
and Penn, there’s Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, and a pre-Twin Peaks
Sherilyn Fenn! Damn it, Netflix! Why isn’t this movie available?
(Probably because it was dismissed as a Fast Times knock off and
instantly forgotten.)
In 1984, Moranis also appeared in a little film called Ghostbusters.
In a small role as an accountant who has an unrequited crush on his
neighbor and is turned into a dog, Moranis just about steals the show
from comedy heavyweights, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.
Ghostbusters was a smash hit and established Moranis as the go-to guy
in Hollywood for loveable nerds.
Rounding out 1984, the busy Moranis also appeared in Streets of Fire.
Streets of Fire starred Michael Pare. Who’s Michael Pare? He’s the
guy who would have been a star if Streets of Fire had been a hit.
Streets of Fire was a billed as a “rock and roll fable” and was
intended to launch a trilogy. But instead it bombed and the sequels
never got made.
Continuing his string of scene-stealing cameos, Moranis appeared in
Brewster’s Millions as the self-proclaimed King of the Mimics, Morty
King. The joke was that he walked around repeating everything Richard
Pryor said without making any effort at all to sound like Richard
Pryor.
Moranis made the move to leading man in 1986′s adaptation of the off-
Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors. The film, directed by Frank
Oz of the Muppets, was a critical darling and a moderate hit. But it
has since developed a cult following.
Steve Martin and Bill Murray had memorable cameos as a sadistic
dentist and his masochistic patient respectively. I know Moranis
isn’t in this scene, but I can’t help including the Dentist Song.
Moranis was back in cameo-mode for the Robin Williams bomb, Club
Paradise. Moranis reteamed with former SCTV co-star Eugene Levy to
play tourists at a Club Med-style resort run by Williams.
In 1987, Moranis was once again part of an ensemble in Mel Brooks’
Star Wars parody, Space Balls. Moranis played the evil, Dark Helmet.
Whereas Darth Vader is a big, imposing presence, Dark Helmet is a
little guy with a really, really over-sized helmet.
The movie isn’t a classic by any means. But it has a few laugh-out-
loud funny moments. The film was a moderate success at the box office
and received mostly negative reviews. But it continues to have a
strong cult following and actually launched a short-lived cartoon.
1989 was another big year for Moranis’ career. So, it’s only fitting
that he returned to the role that made him a star in Ghostbusters 2.
Ghostbusters 2 is one of those sequels I try to pretend doesn’t
exist. It’s not that it’s terrible. It’s just that it’s completely
unnecessary. The sequel amps up the special effects, but forgets to
bring along the jokes. Not even Bill Murray can elicit more than a
chuckle.
In the summer of 89, Moranis also starred in Honey, I Shrunk the
Kids. Honey was a Disney film in the tradition of The Absent Minded-
Professor. Moranis was cast as Wayne Szalnski, an inventor who
accidentally shrinks his kids. (I know, it’s right there in the
title).
The family-friendly comedy was a hit with critics and audiences. It
went on to inspire a sequel, a Disney theme-park attraction and a TV
series!
Completing a trifecta, Moranis also appeared in Ron Howard’s dramedy,
Parenthood. Moranis plays Steve Martin’s brother-in-law who’s trying
to raise a brilliant child. Kind of like my two kids…
Proving that no one launches TV series like Rick Moranis, Parenthood
has been adapted to TV twice!
Moranis re-teamed with Steve Martin the following year for My Blue
Heaven. Martin played a mobster in the witness protection program and
Moranis played the federal agent assigned to watch over him.
Originally, the film was set to star Steve Martin and Arnold
Swarzenegger with the future governor playing the gangster and Martin
playing the federal agent. Then the Governator left to star in
Kindergarten Cop. Martin switched roles and Moranis came on board.
The film did so-so box office and wasn’t a big hit with critics
either.
In 1991, Moranis had a cameo as the gravedigger in Steve Martin’s LA
Story. His part is so small, I wouldn’t have mentioned it save for
the fact that it is another re-teaming of Martin and Moranis and it’s
a movie worth checking out.
In 1992, Moranis starred in the obligatory sequel to Honey, I Shrunk
the Kids. The sequel had the unfortunate name of Honey, I Blew Up the
Baby.
The first movie was really an adventure about a bunch of kids in a
backyard that took on the proportions of a jungle. The sequel lacked
that element of adventure. While it performed at the box office, it
didn’t fare as well with critics.
In 1993 and 1994, Moranis appeared in a couple of comedic misfires,
Splitting Heirs with Eric Idol and Little Giants with Ed O’Neil.
In 1994, Moranis played Barney Rubble in the live-action version of
The Flintstones. The Flintstones was a summer juggernaut. It was
everywhere. In spite of the fact the movie wasn’t very good, there
was no way it could fail. It was more of a Happy Meal commercial than
a movie.
The Flintstones was a big enough hit to inspire a prequel, Viva Rock
Vegas. But none of the original cast returned. The role of Barney
was played by Stephen Baldwin. Talk about a step down! A lesser
Baldwin.
In 1996, Moranis appeared in Big Bully with Tom Arnold. The next
year, he returned to the Wayne Szalinski role for the 3rd time (4th if
you could Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Disney theme parks) for the
direct-to-video sequel, Honey We Shrunk Ourselves.
Ordinarily, when we get to the point where direct-to-video sequels and
Tom arnold are involved, we have officially hit the “downward spiral”
part of the article. But that wasn’t the case with Moranis.
Sadly, Rick Moranis’ wife died of live cancer in 1991. In 1997,
Moranis decided to take a break from film-making.
As Moranis himself explained, “I’m a single parent and I just found
that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the
traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a
break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and
then I found that I really didn’t miss it”.
So that’s it. That’s the answer to the question, What the hell
happened to Rick Moranis? It’s a lot cleaner than the answer I
usually come up with in these articles.
But Moranis wasn’t completely done with showbusiness. He dabbled in
voice-over work in 2001′s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the
Island of Misfit Toys, 2003′s Brother Bear and 2006′s direct-to-video
Brother Bear 2.
The Brother Bear films fittingly reuinted Moranis with his Strange
Brew co-star Dave Thomas. The two played a pair of moose with more
than a passing resemblence to the McKenzie brothers.
Moranis also released a comedy album of country songs in 2005 titled
The Agorophobic Cowboy.
With rumors of Ghostbusters 3 constantly swirling around, people are
always wondering whether or not Bill Murray will return if the sequel
is made. But the bigger question may be whether or not Moranis would
return. It seems unlikely that Moranis would come out of retirement,
but there have been rumors.
Michael OConnor
Dec 13, 2012, 6:30:29 AM12/13/12
to
Rick Moranis got his start in comedy as a DJ in Toronto radio in his
early 20's. It was there that he presumably developed many of his
voices and characters that he would use on SCTV such as Gerry Todd,
the first Veejay. My personal favorite Gerry Todd sketch featured him
playing a video of Michael McDonald (also played by Moranis) cutting
his tracks for the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like the Wind" while
seemingly trying to get to another recording sessions, as in the late
70's and early 80's McDonald's voice showed up in practically every
other pop song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDojwQ8cJC4
Moranis also did a perfect impersonation of Gordon Lightfoot, that he
used on another SCTV sketch for a record offer for an album called
"Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written" or something like
that; if you ever wondered what it would sound like to hear Lightfoot
cover "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or "76 Trombones", you get
to hear a snippet of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlrrwUIwcE
He also nails his Dick Cavett impersonation, one of the many
celebrity voices he did on SCTV.
Bob and Doug McKenzie also had a hit song in the Spring of 1982 with
"Take Off" which featured Geddy Lee of Rush (who went to school with
Moranis) on vocals.
In 2005, Moranis recorded a CD "The Agoraphobic Cowboy" that was
nominated for a Grammy.
early 20's. It was there that he presumably developed many of his
voices and characters that he would use on SCTV such as Gerry Todd,
the first Veejay. My personal favorite Gerry Todd sketch featured him
playing a video of Michael McDonald (also played by Moranis) cutting
his tracks for the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like the Wind" while
seemingly trying to get to another recording sessions, as in the late
70's and early 80's McDonald's voice showed up in practically every
other pop song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDojwQ8cJC4
Moranis also did a perfect impersonation of Gordon Lightfoot, that he
used on another SCTV sketch for a record offer for an album called
"Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written" or something like
that; if you ever wondered what it would sound like to hear Lightfoot
cover "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or "76 Trombones", you get
to hear a snippet of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlrrwUIwcE
He also nails his Dick Cavett impersonation, one of the many
celebrity voices he did on SCTV.
Bob and Doug McKenzie also had a hit song in the Spring of 1982 with
"Take Off" which featured Geddy Lee of Rush (who went to school with
Moranis) on vocals.
In 2005, Moranis recorded a CD "The Agoraphobic Cowboy" that was
nominated for a Grammy.
Daryl
Dec 13, 2012, 6:57:36 AM12/13/12
to
On 12/13/2012 4:30 AM, Michael OConnor wrote:
> Rick Moranis got his start in comedy as a DJ in Toronto radio in his
> early 20's. It was there that he presumably developed many of his
> voices and characters that he would use on SCTV such as Gerry Todd,
> the first Veejay. My personal favorite Gerry Todd sketch featured him
> playing a video of Michael McDonald (also played by Moranis) cutting
> his tracks for the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like the Wind" while
> seemingly trying to get to another recording sessions, as in the late
> 70's and early 80's McDonald's voice showed up in practically every
> other pop song.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDojwQ8cJC4
thanks, I forgot just how talented he really is.
> Rick Moranis got his start in comedy as a DJ in Toronto radio in his
> early 20's. It was there that he presumably developed many of his
> voices and characters that he would use on SCTV such as Gerry Todd,
> the first Veejay. My personal favorite Gerry Todd sketch featured him
> playing a video of Michael McDonald (also played by Moranis) cutting
> his tracks for the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like the Wind" while
> seemingly trying to get to another recording sessions, as in the late
> 70's and early 80's McDonald's voice showed up in practically every
> other pop song.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDojwQ8cJC4
>
> Moranis also did a perfect impersonation of Gordon Lightfoot, that he
> used on another SCTV sketch for a record offer for an album called
> "Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written" or something like
> that; if you ever wondered what it would sound like to hear Lightfoot
> cover "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or "76 Trombones", you get
> to hear a snippet of it.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlrrwUIwcE
>
> He also nails his Dick Cavett impersonation, one of the many
> celebrity voices he did on SCTV.
>
> Bob and Doug McKenzie also had a hit song in the Spring of 1982 with
> "Take Off" which featured Geddy Lee of Rush (who went to school with
> Moranis) on vocals.
>
> In 2005, Moranis recorded a CD "The Agoraphobic Cowboy" that was
> nominated for a Grammy.
>
http://tvmoviesforfree.com
for free movies and Nostalgic TV. Tons of Military shows and
programs.
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