Obit: John Ritter

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 07:06 PM

They had an effective mix of laughter and tears in this week's episode. It seemed more tears at the end, but if you recall in the first season, there were tears there also. I'm thinking in particular when his oldest daughter is at the mall and he visualizes her as a little girl in a flash back of sorts--there were many poignant moments before, so I think the ability to convey nuance just might help them pull this off. I know that we'll keep watching.

James Garner has always been an excellent actor who handled the comedy well, without being a comedian. Clear back to Maverick.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Amergin
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 03:03 PM

I agree with you Katdarlin....they have been doing a fantastic job....

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Nerd
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 02:23 PM

test-refresh

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 10:20 AM

Oh, that is sad. Thanks for letting us know.

I've been watching with interest to see how they would treat his character's death on his tv show. Last week's was the first episode which dealt with it and I thought they did a really outstanding job. I admire all of the actors so much, esp. the young people. I would imagine it was a very difficult episode to pull off. It certainly brought back a lot of emotions for me just as a viewer. I cannot even imagine what it must've been like for them. I also think James Garner's character works well. It's not the same as with John, but I do think it works.

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Fiolar
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 09:04 AM

A sad update. John's mother Dorothy passed away on November 5th. She was 88. Ar Deis De le na hAnam.

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Cllr
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 06:36 PM

I liked John Ritter last time I watched him was a couple of nights ago In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer "TED" First time I remember seeing him in a Edward Blake film SkinDeep I think it was, very very funny.
I feel for his family and particularly his daughter My thoughts are with them Cllr

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 04:25 PM

Max, sorry, I also meant to say that I was not comparing the two...

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: mike the knife
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 04:23 PM

Drinks are on the house down at the Regal Beagle...

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 04:08 PM

Splitting hairs, Max? Close enough...

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Mudlark
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 02:35 PM

Very sorry to lose them both, but Ritter was still at the top of his game...very sad and very shocking to all who loved him. I'm going to go rent Noises Off....

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Max
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 02:22 PM

I feel compelled to point out that John Ritter and Johnny Cash did not die on the same day. John Ritter died with two hours left of September 11, and Johnny Cash died one hour into September 12.

I can think of no greater juxtaposition than John Ritter and Johnny Cash.

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Tam the Bam (Nutter)
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 02:14 PM

Another sad day I never knew the man, but he'll be up there with his dad.

Tom

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 02:09 PM

Even more depressing: He died on his daughter's 5th birthday.

This sucks. I agree, very underrated actor, who I was/am really looking forward to seeing in "Bad Santa." :(

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 01:52 PM

This seems worth a read...from less than a year ago:

By Judith S. Gillies
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 1, 2002; Page Y07

John Ritter stars in "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," a sitcom that has been extended by ABC for 26 episodes. It airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Ritter plays Paul Hennessy, a dad who spent a lot of time on the road as a sportswriter but now is taking on more parenting responsibilities because his wife has decided to work as a hospital nurse.

Katey Sagal, who played Peg Bundy in "Married . . . With Children," is the mom; Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson and Martin Spanjers are the teenage children.

Ritter--whose father was Tex Ritter, the singing cowboy--made his movie debut in "The Barefoot Executive" in 1971 and has had a wide variety of roles since.

He also has hosted several national telethons helping to raise funds and awareness for United Cerebral Palsy with his older brother Tom, a lawyer with cerebral palsy.

Ritter is divorced from his first wife, actress Nancy Morgan, with whom he had three children, and is married to actress Amy Yasbeck, with whom he has a daughter.

He made his comedic mark in television playing bachelor Jack Tripper in "Three's Company" from 1977-84. He sees the irony in now playing a protective dad. "It's pretty funny," he said. "Jack Tripper didn't think about the fact that these are somebody's daughters. It's not one of his concerns."

1) What insight can you give us into your character, Paul Hennessy?

"It's real hard for him to realize his girls don't look up at him with the awe and adoration that they used to. Now they are a little embarrassed by his presence and annoyed by restrictions. . . . In one episode, I say to the kids that I was scared that you actually hated me and they say, that's just the way they talk. I say, 'Well, it hurt.' And they say, 'We never thought we could possibly hurt your feelings.'

"So for one little moment there's an airing of real honest fears and realizations. But there's not preaching. We just get off it and move to comedy. But there's a little moment in each show where something happens that you don't usually see."

2) What are the similarities and differences between you and Paul Hennessy?

"I think it's all sort of wrapped up. It's hard to unravel all of that. [In my real family] I have three older children--two have gone through the teen-age years and one is right in the middle. My 4-year-old has all of this ahead of her."

3) What can you tell us about your real-life family?

"My son Jason is 22 and an actor. He's been working in Canada on 'Freddy Vs. Jason,' a Freddy Krueger movie--my son, who studied at NYU and the Atlantic Theater Company . . .

"My daughter Carly is 20 and a college student, studying in Scotland at the University of St Andrews--it's just a coincidence that Prince William goes there. . .

"Tyler is 17 and a star baseball player in high school, a shortstop.

"Stella is 4, just a child who wants to be something--empress, I have a hunch that's what she's going to go for. The country will be named Stellaland."

4) What was it like for you growing up the son of a performer?

"I was around a lot of music. Something was always going on around our house. My brother and I went touring with Dad around the country. We would have dinner with people who worked in government, dinner with rodeo clowns. We would meet children of country stars. But my own friends from the neighborhood didn't know what my dad did."

5) What are your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity?

"The advantage is that you get a nice table [at a restaurant]. But the disadvantage is that it's like being out in the sun. It feels warm and you get a nice tan--but if you're out there too long, it can kill you. The real joy is in the work, the trap is in the celebrity."

6) How is the show produced--and what's it like on the set?

"The show starts on Monday and we film Friday in front of a live audience. I love it. It's real exciting to know the show is funny to people with opinions as opposed to a laugh track . . . There are people who know about the show and want to come every week, but the seating is tight. There's not a dry seat in the house. There are only 15 in the audience but they are very loud--no, actually, there are about 350 in the audience."

7) What are strengths of the show? And where would you like to see "Rules" go?

"I don't know. We're so happy audiences are tuning in. People can use a laugh these days and the situations may be familiar--or viewers may be glad that they don't have these problems. I know several families who like to watch the show together.

"The writing is so good . . . I'd like to see [several] seasons, then start 'Simple Rules for Dating My Granddaughters.'

8) At home, what are Ritter's Rules for life or parenting?

"Just one, when it comes to my kids: When in doubt, just listen to them."

Eight Simple Rules . . .

These are guidelines by W. Bruce Cameron, who wrote the book "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter":

1. Use your hands on my daughter and you'll lose them later.

2. You make her cry, I make you cry.

3. Safe sex is a myth. Anything you try will be hazardous to your health.

4. Bring her home late, there's no next date.

5. Only delivery men honk. Dates ring the doorbell. Once.

6. No complaining while waiting for her. If you're bored, change my oil.

7. If your pants hang off your hips, I'll gladly secure them with my staple gun.

8. Date must be in crowded public places. You want romance? Read a book.


© 2002 The Washington Post Company

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Amergin
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 01:32 PM

jesus christ....too good men gone this morning....too bad he didn't get the credit he deserved...

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 01:32 PM

Too damn young to go and on the same day as Johnny Cash, too!

Spaw, I freaked out, too. I do remember! Rog called me from work to let me know. We've really been enjoying his newset sitcom, "8 Simple Rules for dating my teenage daughter." I understand he was sticken while on the set for that show. Those poor kids who acted with him...it must be such a shock and sad, sad experience for them.

I always thought it was so cool that he was Tex Ritter's son, too.

What is it about September, eh?

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Fiolar
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 08:05 AM

Loved "Hooperman" and as already stated a vastly underated actor. He'll be in good company up there. RIP.

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Banjer
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 07:33 AM

Spaw amd I crossed.....he explains it much better, having been there, done that!

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: Banjer
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 07:32 AM

I think, Kendall, it is medical term for a ruptured aorta, or something similar. Not pleasant in any event!

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 07:31 AM

It is a form of aneurysm Kendall. The aorta has three layers and what happens is that a tear in one layers opens up and literally rips down the aorta to some point where it stops. It is generally fatal because it will stop the blood supply to the brachial or renal arteries or the dissection continues into the femoral artery OR actually extends into the heart itself. The survival rate is very low for obvious reasons and any dissection will eventually cause death. The only real scenario for someone to survive the initial dissection is if it happens in a way as to properly continue to feed the brachial and renal arteries and stops below the aortic arch and above the femoral artery.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: kendall
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 07:20 AM

And what is that exactly, in English?

Subject: RE: Obit: John Ritter
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 07:07 AM

I woke up to this news and of course investigated the cause......and then spent the next hour in a major freak out. I really liked John Ritter for the many things he did after the sitcom "Three's Company." Watching him in some of Billy Bob's pix was a treat....an excellent dramatic actor!!

Most of you know why I freaked......John Ritter died of an undiagnosed Aortic Dissection........been there, done that, got the shirt--remember that one gang?.....at age 54.

Anyway, I will miss him ... very underrated actor!

Spaw

Subject: Obit: John Ritter
From: kendall
Date: 12 Sep 03 - 06:42 AM

Actor John Ritter has also moved on.