John Ritter September 17, 1948-September 11, 2003
“Just as a guy who was interested in the golden thread that intertwines all of us together. You know, that golden thread that goes through me and you, and the cameraman, and all the people out there and back through Nancy. That’s what an artist can do, that someone – anyone – could do, if they’re willing to pluck that. And either it makes you laugh or it makes you cry, it’s that golden thread of humanity, and I’d like to be remembered as maybe a guy who plucked a few of those.”
In 1977 the world was introduced to a comedian who used his timing and amazing physical grace to play a lovable rouge who couldn’t seem to stay on his own two feet. Unfortunately he was introduced in a tv show that, while it was a HUGE hit, was never well-respected. That disrespect rolled over into his later career and kept him from getting the notoriety that he deserved.
John Ritter was born on Sept. 17, 1948 to country singer/cowboy actor Tex Ritter and his actress wife Dorothy Fay in Burbank, California. While his brother, Tom, went on to be a lawyer, John figured that he would take on his dad’s profession. He took some acting classes at the University of Southern California that were taught by Nina Foch. About all Tex, who was originally against John going into the “family business,” could tell him was “Don’t get cocky.”
Beginning in 1971 Ritter started a career in film. Peter Bogdanovich cast him in a smallish role in 1976′s Nickelodeon, but he never really found any kind of success in film.
The first substantial tv role he won was as Reverend Matthew Fordwick on “The Waltons” from 1972-76. But then came the role of a lifetime.
He almost didn’t take the role as Jack Tripper on “Three’s Company” because he didn’t think that anyone would want to see Reverend Matthew in a comedy. Luckily he didn’t listen to that part of his psyche. The new show, based on a hit British sitcom called “Man About The House” was a huge hit. It centered around a young, single guy who had to pretend to be gay so that he could live with two women. It was all about sex jokes, jiggling, slamming doors, misunderstandings and mistaken identities. Not very cerebral, but it showcased John’s physical comedy and ability to deliver a bad line and make it funny.
The show never really got good reviews, but the public loved it and that’s all that really mattered to the network.
After a few years the strain started to show. Co-star Suzanne Somers got greedy and then her husband got even MORE greedy. Relationships were strained between her, Ritter and their third co-star, Joyce DeWitt. (Suzanne and John had recently patched things up and were friends again.)
After the cancellation of “Three’s Company” in 1984, the network tried to relive the success with “Three’s A Crowd.” Jack was living with his girlfriend who didn’t believe in marriage. Her father bought Jack’s restaurant and kept dropping in on them at the most inopportune moments. The show only lasted two seasons and was dropped.
John tried again with movies, but nothing ever really took. He went back to tv in 1987 with “Hooperman,” the story of a down and out detective in San Francisco who inherits an apartment building. The Steven Bochco series only lasted a couple of seasons, but it showed that John could do more than just pratfalls and double entendre.
With more movies like Real Men (1987), Skin Deep (1989) and Problem Child (1990) John wasn’t winning any new fans. It was time to try tv again. Maybe something a little different.
The tv mini-series of Steven King’s It reminded people that John was a good dramatic actor, too. The telefilm was a big hit and got him a little bit of notoriety. He followed it with a couple more tv movies (including one about Frank Baum, creator of the World of Oz) and a sequel to Problem Child. Well, you can’t win ‘em all.
His next tv series was a true bomb. “Fish Police,” and animated series about, well, fish police, was an all-star affair, but no one watched it. And with good reason.
Bogdanovich came to the rescue with Noises Off (1992). It wasn’t a big hit, but it put Ritter back to what he was best at: physical comedy and bumbling characters. It’s one of my personal favorites of his movies.
Finally he was offered a good role on tv again. “Hearts Afire” put him in the role of an aide to a senator and dad to a couple of precocious kids. Markie Post played his wife and Ed Asner played his ex-con father-in-law. Co-star Billy Bob Thornton began a friendship with Ritter that would lead to his best dramatic role a few years after the cancellation of their show.
In the middle of the show’s run they did a complete re-tooling, sending John and his family (and, for some reason, Thornton) to a small town to run a newspaper. Soon after the show was canceled, but it was good while it lasted.
A few more films followed, but none caught on with anyone until 1996. His turn as the gay friend of Billy Bob Thornton’s retarded killer in Sling Blade won him acclaim that he had not seen for his entire career. Suddenly everyone wanted him in their movies. They finally realized that he could act!
Fun supporting roles followed in films like A Gun, A Car, A Blonde, Bride Of Chucky, Montana and, for some reason, the other-wise worthless Nowhere.
2002 was one of the best years for John. He had a good role in Tadpole, an indie film shot on video that made some waves at festivals and got a new sitcom that looked like it could have brought him back to the medium that started his career.
“8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter” was about a father of two teenage girls and a young boy who was trying to reconnect with his kids by living at home. It brought ABC some of its best ratings in years and was going to be the centerpiece of their Friday line-up for its second season.
On Thursday evening during the taping of the fourth episode of the new season, John collapsed. He suffered from a tear in his aorta that no one had known about. He died at the hospital a few hours later.
Right now ABC is trying to figure out what to do with the show. If they cancel it they are losing their only real hit. If they keep it going without that character they are losing the whole reason the show exists. If they recast John’s character they are insensitive jerks.
Either way, there are three episodes done and two more movies (Manhood and Bad Santa) that John had starred in. The movies will go on, but the show is up in the air.
John Ritter was a friend to everyone he worked with. He didn’t care about fame or acclaim, he just wanted the laughs. Even when the material didn’t work he did. He was one of those inherently funny people. Like Phil Hartman in 1998, this is a tragedy in the comedy world. Television and film audiences everywhere will miss him.
He is survived by his second wife Amy Yasbeck, three children from his first marriage (actor Jason, Carly and Tyler) and one from Amy (Stella, whose birthday was Sept. 11th, the day he died).
