A writer's tribute to Harold Ramis - the writer

If you're a fan of the movie careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, or Dan Akroyd - and there are lots of those people - you're a fan of the writing of Harold Ramis. Harold Ramis passed February 24, 2014 (yesterday). The movie comedies he had his fingerprints all over compare to Woody Allen's work. While being less pretentious, and characterized by the neuroses of Mr Allen's work, they're also more accessible with characters more identified with underdogs, nerds, smart asses, boors, and people who fart at parties. You know, all of us! While there is no Carl Spackler without Bill Murray, or Bluto Blutarsky without John Belushi, or Al Czervik without Rodney Dangerfield, to name a few they did have to be written first. Those actors made those characters so memorable. The one thing is common they all have is Harold Ramis wrote, or co-wrote, the dialog, and lines they made so memorable. Everything starts with writing. Every movie, every tv show at their most elemental started out as characters on a page, and Harold Ramis was really, really good at it. This is my list of the 5 best dialog lines of selected Harold Ramis films as a tribute. These are not in order of favorite movie, or favorite quote, and as a tribute to the writing part of it all, there is no video linked, just dialog as written.

(disclosure: Harold Ramis shared writing credits is all of these movies, so that should be noted. Then again, how many of them died yesterday - this is a tribute to Harold Ramis)

From Stripes:

John: C'mon, it's Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick 'em up, we zip out again. We're not going to Moscow. It's Czechoslovakia. It's like going into Wisconsin.
Russell: Well I got the shit kicked out of me in Wisconsin once. Forget it

Recruiter: Now, are either of you homosexuals?
John: (Russell and John look into each others eyes, and John looks back at recruiter) You mean like flaming, or...
Recruiter: It's a standard question we have to ask.
Russell: No. We're not homosexual, but we are willing to learn.

Cruiser: I guess we're going after John and Russell. Can't believe they're Russian spies.
Psycho: Alls I know is, I finally get to kill somebody.

John: Tito Puente's gonna be dead someday, an you're gonna say, "Oh, I've been listening to him for years, and I think he great."

Psycho: The name's Francis Soyer, but everybody calls me Psycho. Any you guys call be Francis, and I'll kill you.
Leon: Oooooh
Psycho: You just made the list buddy. And I don't like nobody touching my stuff. So just keep your meathooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. Also, I don't like nobody touching me. Now, any of you.....homos.....touch me, I'll kill you.
Sgt Hulka: Lighten up Francis.

From Caddyshack:

Carl: He's the Cinderella boy. Uh - tears in his eyes, I guess ..  as he lines up his last shot. He's got about 195 yards left. He's got about an 8-iron. The crowd has gone deathly silent. The Cinderella story, from outta nowhere, former greens keeper now, about to become Masters champion. (swings rake and chops tops of flowers) Oh he got all-a that one! It looks like a mirac - It's in the hole!

Al: (to his asian companion) Hey Wang. I think this club is restricted, so don't tell them you're Jewish - ok.

Carl: (to young caddie holding pitchfork under chin) So we finish the 18th and he's gonna stiff me. And I say "Hey Lama! Hey, how about a little something, y'know, for the effort. And he looks at me and he says, "There'll be no money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Al: Oh look at this hat. This is the worst looking hat I ever saw. What? I bet when you buy this hat you get a free bowl of soup
(looks at Judge Smails who's wearing same hat)
Al: Oh, looks good on you though.

Ty: Be the ball Danny. Just be the ball.
Danny: (blindfolded) Kinda hard to be the ball with you talking
Ty: I'm not talking. I'm perfectly quiet now.

From Animal House:

Bluto: (laying on floor after having been expelled) Christ! 7 years of down the drain. Might as well join the fuckin' Peace Corps.

D-Day: (to Bluto) Let it go. War's over. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: (to group) What?! Over?! Did you say "over?" Nothing is over until we say it is! Was it over when the German's bomber Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: (to Boon) Germans?
Boon: (to otter) Forget it. He's on a roll.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the going gets tough......(thinks of rest)....the tough get going! Who's with me?! Let's go!! (runs out of room alone)

Bluto: See if you can guess what I am now? (shoves hard boiled egg into mouth - chews - pounds each cheek spewing egg bits) - I'm a zit! Get it!

Otter: (to Flounder) Founder, you can spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up! ........ You trusted us! Hey, make the best of it. Maybe we can help!
Flounder: (still crying) That's easy for you to say! What am I supposed to tell Fred?!
Otter: I'll tell you what. I'll tell Fred you were doing a great job taking care of his car, but you parked it out back last night,...and this morning.....it was gone! We report it stolen to the police. D-Day takes care of the wreck. Your brother's insurance company buys him a new car!
Flounder (sobbing) You think that'll work?
Otter: Hey, it's gotta be better than the truth.
Bluto: (thrusting 6-pack of beer into Flounder's hands) My advice to you is; start drinking, heavily.
Otter: Better listen to him Flounder. He's pre-med.

Hoover: (subtly to Boon) Will you tell those assholes to shut up?
Boon: (stands and turns to group) Hey! Shut up you assholes!

From Ghostbusters:

(all 3 looking at ceiling through out scene)
Ray: Y'know, it just occurred to me that we haven't really had a successful test of this equipment.
Egon: I blame myself.
Peter: So do I.
Ray: Well, no sense worrying about it now.
Peter: Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back. 

Ray: Symmetrical book stacking! Just like the Philadelphia Mass Disturbance of 1947!
Peter: You're tight. No humans would stack books this way.

Ray: (into walkie talkie to Egon) He slimed Venkman!
Egon Great! Save me some.

Peter: (after Ray's proton blaster has destroyed a chandelier, and many dining tables in the hotel ballroom) Whoa whoa!..... Nice shootin' Tex!

Egon: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Peter: What?
Egon: Don't cross the streams.
Peter: Why?
Egon: It would be bad.
Peter: I'm a little fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean "bad?"
Egon: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously, and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ray: Total protonic reversal.
Peter: Right, that's bad. OK. Alright. Important safety tip. Thanks Egon.