Rick Moranis: Prolific in the ‘80s, family man beyond

Rick Moranis plays a hockey coach in the 1984 television movie "Hockey Night".

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He never seemed to have the best luck. Either he was being shrunken to microscopic size, blown up to monstrous proportions, or possessed by an evil demon. Throw in some time with a demented plant, a beer guzzling dim-witted brother, and under a space helmet, and Rick Moranis had quite a wild ride in the 1980s.

His name came across my newsfeed today because it is his birthday, and he largely has retired from the movies.

That was not the case in the 1980s, when he had a lot going on in both in Canada and the States.

Second City Television
Rick Moranis really got his start on “Second City Television” in 1980. Wikipedia reveals he is the only cast member not to come from a Second City stage troupe.

In 1980, with “SCTV” moving to CBC in 1980 and syndication in the United States, Mornis and his good friend Dave Thomas were challenged to fill two additional minutes with identifiable Canadian content.

Thus Bob and Doug McKenzie and their show “The Great White North” were born. They were two beer guzzling, toque and flannel wearing hosers who made fun of each other. The duo ended up having a successful album and a movie in 1983 called “Strange Brew”.

Moranis’ time on “SCTV” ended in 1982. After “Strange Brew”, Moranis got really busy in the rest of the decade.

Classic Canadiana
In 1984, Moranis appeared in “Hockey Night”, which is just as about as Canadian as a movie can get. It starred a very young Megan Follows and Yannick Bisson in his first TV role. Follows plays a girl who moves to a small town and wants to play hockey for the boys’ team. Bisson is one of the members of that team. Moranis plays the coach who gets caught in the middle when the team’s sponsor does not want a girl on the team.

I saw this movie when it aired in 1984 on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial and really liked it.

I saw it again a couple years ago, and it stands up pretty well, in my opinion.

Movie magic
Moranis also appeared in several movies in 1984. He started with “Streets of Fire” a dystopian fable about an ex-soldier out to rescue his ex-girlfriend. Moranis plays a sleazy concert promoter who is the woman’s current boyfriend.

Later that year, Moranis was back on the screen in the blockbuster “Ghostbusters” where he plays a poor nebbish possessed by a demon the Ghostbusters do battle with.

He rounded out the year in “The Wild Life”, a movie I have never seen.

In 1985, he was in “Brewster’s Million” which starred Richard Pryor who stands to inherit $300 million if he can spend $30 million in 30 days. Moranis was also in “Head Office”, which I had never even heard of.

Then in 1986, Moranis was in “Club Paradise”, a movie I have never seen, and “Little Shop of Horrors” where he plays a nerdy florist contending with a carnivorous plant. I have never actually seen this version in its entirety, but I have seen the stage version.

In 1987, Moranis spoofed Darth Vader in the Mel Brooks parody “Space Balls” as Dark Helmet, and he is hilarious.

He reprised his role as a nebbish possessed by a demon in “Ghostbusters II” in 1989. He also appeared opposite Steve Martin in “Parenthood”.

The year 1989 also marked the first time Moranis played eccentric scientist Wayne Szalinski in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” whose experiment well, shrinks his kids.

By the end of the ‘80s, Rick Moranis had put together an incredible body of work, and it looked like he had nothing but good days in front of him.

The years after
Rick Moranis appeared in “My Blue Heaven”; the sequel “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid”; “Splitting Heirs”; “The Flintstones", where he brought Barney Rubble to life; “Little Giants”; “Big Bully”; and the second sequel “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves”.

Sadly, his wife died of cancer in 1991, so Moranis tapered off acting as his two children got older. He stopped altogether for awhile in 1997.

He slowly returned to acting in 2001 with some direct to video movies, and a few TV appearances. Those included two Bob and Doug McKenzie projects and a guest spot on “The Goldbergs” in 2018 as Dark Helmet.

Parting thoughts
Rick Moranis was incredibly prolific through the ‘80s in a variety of roles that really have stood up to the test of time.

However, as funny and talented as he is, I will forever admire him for walking away from that success to be a dad to his children.

Beyond all those great characters he played, that commitment to his family is all about character.