Ned Ryerson Reflects on Groundhog Day Twenty-Two Years Later

When I first moved to Chicago many years ago as a young, fresh-faced college grad, I waited tables at a theme restaurant on Navy Pier. I won't specify which restaurant because it's not relevant to this story, and because I prefer to avoid the inevitable ridicule that usually accompanies this disclosure. 

There are two experiences from my time at said restaurant that are relevant to this story. The first is the party of three I once waited on who engaged me in a most intriguing debate. They were a middle-aged couple from the suburbs and their young son. He was probably right around my age, and he was visiting his parents from LA, where he worked in the film business for a prominent special effects production company. 

The debate in which they engaged me was as follows: Which film do you like better, Raising Arizona or Groundhog Day? Being a rather passionate film buff myself, this question immediately commanded my attention. I was accustomed to answering many questions from patrons during a typical shift, but they were usually along the lines of "Where is the bathroom?" or "Do y'all have sweet tea?" or "Do you actually like working here?" or "Where does Oprah live?" But this inquiry caught me off guard. I have come to love both Raising Arizona (my favorite Coen Bros. film) and Groundhog Day (my favorite Bill Murray film), and own both on DVD. 

The family was clearly divided between parents (Groundhog Day) and son (Raising Arizona), and it was  pretty clear that the son was rather disgusted by the particular taste of his parents in this regard. He was "in the film business", after all, and the Coen Brothers have a reputation as innovative, original filmmakers, beloved by critics and fellow filmmakers alike. I speculated that the son's disgust in his parents' taste was based on their affinity for sentimentality and whimsy, qualities which abound in Groundhog Day. 

I struggled with the question while refilling their sodas, and I came to the conclusion that I agreed with the son. The film snob in me preferred the absurdist humor and technical mastery of Raising Arizona. The wide-eyed moviegoer in me preferred the nostalgia and magic of Groundhog Day. I chose the diplomatic route and informed them that I could not decide which film was better, as I liked them both a great deal (a generous tip being my primary concern). The son's disgust in his parents was quickly but subtly redirected toward me, while his parents seemed pleased that someone their son's age could appreciate a film that they also like. 

I suppose I should be getting to the goddamn point of this post, which is Groundhog Day (don't worry Joel and Ethan, you'll get your own post at some point). The film was directed by Harold Ramis, who began in Hollywood as an actor in Stripes and Ghostbusters, among other films. The second experience I mentioned way back at the top before my rambling digression is that Harold Ramis once brought his son in to my restaurant for lunch. I did not wait on them, so that is the end of that story. 

The true point of this post is Stephen Tobolowsky, who is the actor who played "Needle Nose" Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, arguably the second most memorable character in the film (after Phil Connors, of course). Stephen hosts The Tobolowsky Files, a series on PRX which chronicles the actor's "amazing stories of love, life, and the entertainment industry". In the latest installment, Tobolowsky recounts his experience working on Groundhog Day and provides his perspective on why the film has become so beloved to so many movie fans. Check it here.