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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 26 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 27 2022
SUNDAY BREAKFAST
Former executive search associate Ann Wildman finds joy as director of events at Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest P14
WEEKEND WEATHER
Saturday, Mostly sunny, high 35 Saturday night, Mostly clear, low 24 Sunday, Sunny, high around 40
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
The Sheridan Road Charitable Foundation hosts star-studded benefit P10 FOLLOW US:
NO. 489 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION
ONE HOUR WITH HAROLD RAMIS A FORMER STAFF WRITER REFLECTS ON AN AFTERNOON SPENT WITH A SCREEN COMEDY LEGEND. BY JAKE JARVI THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
With this month's passing of Ivan Reitman, the director of Ghostbusters, and the recent release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the afternoon I got to spend with the legendary Harold Ramis thanks to my position as a staff writer at Sheridan Road. Prior to that day in May 2010, I'd just been a casual fan of the late comedy icon and former Glencoe resident. I loved Ghostbusters as a kid and his role as Egon Spengler was a big part of that. Groundhog Day, which he directed, was a VCR staple in my household, as well as the homes of everyone I knew. In cameo roles in movies like Knocked Up and As Good As It Gets, he always played warm, sage characters trying to impart helpful advice to struggling main characters, but I had no idea what to expect when meeting him in person. As soon as he walked in the door of the photo studio, with a great big beard and sunglasses, he was immediately polite and professional. He'd recently been honored by Landmarks Illinois for his "extraordinary contributions to Chicago's civic and cultural
skyline" and agreed to be interviewed about the event, so we sat down for what we all assumed would be a brief Q&A. As soon as he started discussing the event, however, his indelible inclinations as a storyteller took over and he began describing in great comedic detail how he came up with an impromptu speech at the event. Once he had our photographer and myself laughing, the interview turned into a conversation I'll never forget and we ended up talking for almost an hour. We bounced around covering his time at Second City, the National Lampoon, breaking into showbusiness with Animal House, a bunch of his movies, and more. Every question was answered with personal stories, deeply researched philosophies, and hilarious professional The late comedy legend Harold Ramis was a Glencoe resident. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON CANCELINO
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