Before Ghostbusters, Harold's first on-screen pairing with Bill Murray was in the 1981 war comedy, Stripes. In what is one of Murray's funniest roles, we see John (Murray) and Russell (Ramis) join the army after a string of bad luck and dead end jobs, which could have been considerably different had director Ivan Reitman got his own way of casting Cheech And Chong in the lead roles. As it was, the comedic duo passed over their refused complete creative control, and Reitman went after Ramis - then an unknown actor - to tailor the script to himself and Bill Murray. In the history of inspired decisions, that must rank highly. Featuring a wonderful supporting cast including Warren Oates as drill instructor Sgt. Hulka and John Candy as Ox to name but a few, Stripes is a hilarious ode to the people who never fit in and a great parody of the American army. Like other Ramis films, this is gut-busting stuff with Ivan Reitman directing and wise-cracking, smart-mouthed Bill Murray at the top of his game. Like Caddyshack and Animal House, Stripes was a sign of great things to come from all involved - a silly film with baser content, but with surprising intellect behind it.
