AICN Remembers John Ritter

Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...

Wow. Back to back this morning. I heard this news and then heard about Johnny Cash within minutes. One of the people in our chat room was particularly shocked by the news about THREE’S COMPANY star John Ritter, and he asked me if he could write up a quick remembrance of the actor. Here it is for you:

John Ritter was my cousin. He was also my hero. I am writing this only hours after I heard about his death, so forgive me if it's a little disjointed. I thought this would make me feel better. Thank you to Moriarty for posting this. John was raised by father and country legend Tex Ritter, best known for penning the Academy-Award winning theme for "High Noon," and his mother Dorothy, an actress. Raised around his father's television show and film career, John always had a bug for performing. As a young man, he was good-looking, gregarious and well liked, even serving as class president in high school. He studied acting at USC, and impressed his teachers with his ability to shift between weighty dramatic acting and light comedic fair. His biggest talent was perhaps his control of his physical comedy, but he was so strong in other areas that he would eventually be part of many different genres in his career. His notable early roles included a bit part in the Kurt Russell Disney movie Barefoot Executive, and a recurring role on "The Waltons" as Rev. Matthew Fordwick. His most iconic role however was of course that of Jack Tripper on "Three's Company," which debuted in 1977. The show was a misfire with critics, but gained huge popularity thanks to John's physical comedy (and what John called "the jiggle factor"). He performed many a pratfall and couch trip, and in one famous incident, had a viewer notice that his testicle was hanging out briefly during a shot with particularly short shorts. (His response to the offending shot being removed from reruns was classic John: "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.") The show lasted for eight seasons, and on the show's finale, John had a dream come true when comedic legend Lucille Ball hosted a retrospective strictly because of how much she admired John's work. She noted that John's goal was not to make someone laugh, but to make them fall out of their seat laughing. John moved onto film work, at first contrasting his TV comedic stylings for more dramatic fare. He returned to outrageous physical comedy in the Blake Edward's gem Skin Deep. Edwards told John he was in Peter Sellers’s league as far as using his body for broad shtick, something John took much joy in. He poured his blood and sweat into the movie, even breaking his shoulder during the scene where he is hit by a wall of rushing water, after insisting on doing his own stunt. The following year, he had his biggest commercial success with the first Problem Child film. John also was instrumental in doing telethons for cerebral palsy, a disease his brother Tommy suffers from. He stayed up days straight to host, raising lots of money to help understand CP. John was the rare type who truly cared about the causes he put his heart into, a man who was always much more giving than he would ever let on. He never made a big deal out of how charitable he was, but everyone who knew him could only describe him as having a heart of gold. His career got a second wind when he costarred in Sling Blade with buddy Billy Bob Thorton, whom he had starred with in the sitcom "Hearts Afire" in 1992. John's acting in the movie was widely praised, and was a chance for him to go in new directions. He starred in several independents over the next few years, most notably the Sundance hit Tadpole and this year's Manhood. Last year, John starred in the ABC sitcom "8 Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter." The show was one of the only hits of last season, and it marked a return to form for this tried-and-true sitcom actor. On a personal note, John also inspired my direction in life. He hammered comedy classics into my head from a young age, making me sit through flicks like It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World and The Party until I understood their genius. He was so literate in the art of comedy. I'm now an aspiring filmmaker (aren't we all?), and I owe that to John's inspiration. He spoke of how comedy could communicate, and how in a way it was the most fulfilling art form, because it encompassed happiness and tragedy equally, and it was the style which best helped people sleep at night. The times we watched films together hearing nuggets of wisdom like this were among my happiest memories of childhood. He understood what value comedy could have, and he shared his gift with everyone he could. Initial reports this morning indicate he collapsed on the set of his show. While tragic, I cannot think of a better way for a man to go who cared so much about bringing joy to people through entertaining. John leaves behind his wife, his four kids, and an extended group of family and friends who absolutely thought he hung the moon. Thank you, John, for inspiring me to be a better person and to bring joy to those around me. Your spirit was a real treasure. I know you are up there, doing a pratfall at the Pearly Gates, making everybody laugh. (You can call me "Couch Tripper")

I’m sure at some point today, we’ll pay equal tribute to The Man in Black. For now, I appreciate this contributor’s fond farewell to a very funny guy.

"Moriarty" out.