Ultimately Ramis is just another guy at the end of the day, it's some of his work that elevates him. Despite it being the nature of his industry it's still crazy to think some things he did decades ago still generate such positive/negative feedback. Imagine if some came up to you in the street and say 'Hey, that day of work you had back in the 90's? Man that blew my mind/sucked'. Look forward to hearing your experiences on set, although to be honest prior to this piece the concept and details that have seeped through of Year One haven't been overly impressive.

On an unrelated note, I hope Ghostbusters is NEVER remade. Sure the concept is a great one but it's the actors and performers that elevated it to classic status. You just can't recapture that intentionally.

1: K-Mart Bronson: He liked going into K-Mart. I remember seeing him walk across the parking lot, and thinking-hey he's my height. That and 'he's GOTTA be lost-'. One time, he walked into there, a daughter in tow-and kinda barged up to where the electronics were-you know, TV's and shit. Friend of mine was clerking there, and Bronson sorta points at a TV and says he wants it for his daughter. Pulls out a Massive wad of singles, and starts tossing them at her one at a time almost like some guy dealing cards at poker. No joke. I don't think he carried anything larger than a five in that roll from what she told us. Oh and they used to clear open a register for him and let him do his buying w/out the local riffraff hanging around, which was funny because after awhile, no one really gave a shit.

Restaurant Bronson. He liked to give the hired help a hard time, once in a Hanover restaurant (that's basically your run of the mill private version of a Friendly's or whatever)-he's sitting there a table away from some folks, two daughters(or whatever) with him, and he starts to give the waitress a real hard time. "This isn't what I ordered-and they cooked it like shit-" more or less. He liked to see if he could bully folks, he'd respect you if you didn't let him. Apparently the waitress half-jammed the menu in his face, and said 'THIS is EXACTLY what you ordered, Mr Bronson-' and after he actually bothered to read the fine print(in whatever it was he ordered, I donno, I wasn't there-), he abruptly apologized, semi-tipped her and went back to eating whatever it was he'd been pissy about 4 minutes before. What stood out about this, was the guy didn't like alotta attention in public-snarled at people to getthefuckawayfrommedammit! on the street, but in a public restaurant, hardly that pricey-he'd sit and fence/joust w/ the wait help for some long time. It was a scene, and it went on for a while, too. He was hardly trying to hide in plain sight. So-he liked making a scene even if it didn't seem like it, I guess. That's restaurant Bronson.

3: Walker and Cane Bronson. This one's sorta sad. He'd had hip surgery done some 10 years back, and outside the Dartmouth Bookstore, friend of mine was standing there looking at the tables of el-cheapo books they keep there on display. He seemed to notice Something about this old guy standing not far from him at the same table. Bushy haired, stooped, using a cane (or two? I forget...). Well it's hard not to recognize Bunchinsky, even in his late 70's in Hanover. There was the quick-are you-?! and Bronson, nodding said-SHHHHH-don't tell anyone and I'll sign an autograph-which he did, before shuffling off to whatever further business he had elsewheres. I always liked that one, though it's not a pleasent thought, he was clearly nearing the end of his time and aging, like everyone. Bronson w/ a walker? well maybe more like canes. Not exactly Mr. Majestyk.

4: Dirt road Chuck. He was known for acting like Roscoe P Coltrane on some of the local dirt roads near his home, if he wanted to pass you, he kind expected you to recognize him and let him by. At least once he stopped after someone did just that and gave the guy a 20, though WHY it was such a big deal escapes me for the time being. He was odd that way.

5: Ascutney Bronson. You can go see his gravestone right there in the Brownsville VT cemetary at the base of Mt Ascutney. I like to get up there on Brownsville Rock some 3000' feet up over the village(hang-gliders take off there sometimes) and look down at the cemetary, it's weird to think that our Paul Kersey is buried underneath, far far from Hollywood, Lithuania and Scooptown. You never know.

Anyways, I don't think I said much new or shed much light on Chuck, but that's sorta the impression he made around these parts thru the years.

Oh and if you've ever wondered, yes J.D. Salinger is alive and well and there are plenty of sightings of him in the area too. I might have a few stories on him if I bother to ask around.

Well thanks Krish-o. I got a kick outta hearing about someone of Bronson's celeb status being in this area, and the effect it had on the locals. And for someone that was SO private etc-there really wasn't much of a place to 'hide' if he bothered heading into Lebanon or Hanover or wherever locally. So people noticed him and if you ask around, you'll get these sorts of stories of the man.

Wasn't Harold Ramis a Second City guy-?

*in Bronson voice* "It's not ovah-til we go to Rosey Jekes"-

MrFan-I'm looking out for Mikey Bay to create a Charles Bronson Robot in the next Transformers, call him 'GraniteNose' or something. I think he'd transform into Webley.

that might sound sarcastic, but its really not.

I always loved the way Groundhog Day builds up-the varied piano lessons, the insurance sales guy who's an old pal, etc. I think I read where Murray/Ramis finally arrived at the conclusion that 'Murray was stuck there for ten years' or so. Wikipedia? not sure. Anyways I agree that's a good article and interview on the part of Drew. I'm curious about the Albert Brooks encounter(s) myself...

It's a small Irish film that won the Oscar for best Song this year.