Hi all,
 
   I hate to start this way, but I also just subscribed to Screen-L. I'm a
pre-grad film student studying Cinema Arts & Criticism and I'm having a heck
of a time keeping up with one of my favorite directors. I'm looking for info
on Harold Ramis. Other than two articles in PREMIERE Magazine (one written by
himself), and a short write up by Ephram Katz; I've found very little on him.
This is a daunting because I'd like to really study him (I don't want to
stalk him, like everybody at Columbia Pictures seems to think.) I just want
to know:
 
   1) who his influences are
   2) what he plans to do (writing, acting, directing) in the furture
   3) how he thinks (or really, how he initially regards all of projects he
creates or               undertakes, and how he decides 'what goes where,'
and how the end result should        look)
   4) did he study film while he was doing undergrad as a education major?
   4) how exactly he went from being an orderly in a mental ward to being
involved with          Second City; eventually becoming who and what he is
today
 
   I realize that there are more influential members of the film community to
focus on (and certainly easier to get information on), but, for the past six
years... I've kept coming back to Harold Ramis.
 
   I attempted to either send him (or his p.r. liason) a letter directly and
was either misinterpreted and 'circular filed,' or it just never got to
either of them. Columbia Pictures has done nothing but give me a huge run
around (on a good day), or completely snow me over on a bad day (days that I
try to talk to Columbia at all are few and FAR BETWEEN). I've even tried to
go through the Film Department at my school and they were derailed, too. This
bugs me. When I begin my graduate thesis work; will I only be able to study
someone who's dead? How stupid! Everybody else does that! I'd love to emulate
Ramis a little with my graduate project, but how can I justify myself to the
department if I can't find anything out about the guy?
 
   If anyone out there knows him personally and can answer some questions, or
knows how to get around this stupid "GOVERNMENT" that's keeping me away (and
uninformed), or even if Harold himself is reading this, please E-mail me. My
address:
[log in to unmask]
 
   Thanks for your consideration.
 
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