In what could be the perfect tribute to a prolific comedy filmmaker such as Harold Ramis, Second City will be opening a film school in Chicago in the director’s name that will concentrate on comedy. Ramis got his start at Second City, along with John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty and George Wendt, and went on to write and/or direct some of cinema’s greatest comedies, including Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day.
Second City CEO had this to say about Ramis and the school:
“Harold Ramis was the quintessential Second City writer/performer – intelligent, funny and devoted to the spirit of ensemble. His unselfish and generous spirit dominated the many wonderful films that he directed and wrote. I am thrilled by this opportunity to instill Harold’s philosophy of successful storytelling in film in the next generation of artists.”
The Harold Ramis Film School will be the first film school whose content focuses on comedy, and will feature yearlong programs with a traditional education in film theory, cinema history, and production classes, in addition to comedy training by Second City instructors. An open house about the Harold Ramis Film School will be held at The Second City Training Center in Chicago on March 16. Information on how to apply can be found here.