Michael Ritchie

Wisconsin-born, California-raised Michael Ritchie gained early directorial experience as an undergraduate at Harvard, staging the original production of classmate Arthur Kopit's "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad" in 1960. Following graduation he worked in series TV, directing episodes of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and "Dr. Kildare". Ritchie's first feature, "Downhill Racer" (1969), starring Robert Redford, was noted for its gripping skiing sequences, shot with hand-held 16mm cameras. His third film, "The Candidate" (1972), also starred Redford, and it remains one of the finest cinematic excoriations of the American political system.

Ritchie's subsequent output was primarily in the comedic vein, including the memorable "Smile" (1975, which he also produced), a backstage look at the inner workings of a beauty pageant that exposed the hypocrisies of small-town life in the process. After the amiable "The Bad News Bears" (1976), Ritchie's low-concept comedies, including little-seen bombs like "Student Bodies" (1981) and "Diggstown" (1992), didn't really come off. In a two-year period in the mid-80s, though, Ritchie helmed the fiscally successful Chevy Chase comedy "Fletch" (1985), the Goldie Hawn vehicle "Wildcats", and the Eddie Murphy film "The Golden Child" (both 1986). Somehow Ritchie, who had once directed nifty, very American little movies had become, at best, a hired gun.

In 1993, he penned the story for "Cool Runnings", a cheerful story about the Jamaican bobsled team, which became the sleeper hit of the winter season. This success, paired with his darkly satirical made-for-cable gem, "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom" (HBO, 1993), starring Holly Hunter in the title role, marked a return to form for Ritchie. Both movies received critical adulation, unlike Ritchie's lackluster big screen efforts "Cops and Robbersons" and the less than warmly received baseball comedy "The Scout" (both 1994), starring Albert Brooks.

Ritchie rounded out his career helming the unsuccessful big screen adaptation of the long-running Off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks" (filmed in 1995; released in 2000) and the wan fairy tale-inspired "A Simple Wish" (1997). In the years just prior to his untimely death from prostate cancer in April 2001, the director came full circle, handling helming chores on episodic television, directing for the Showtime showbiz satire "Beggars and Choosers" and the short-lived NBC drama "Deadline".

• Also Credited As:
  Alan Smithee, Michael Brunswick Ritchie
• Born:
  November 28, 1938 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
• Died:
  April 16, 2001.
• Job Titles:
  Director, Producer, Writer, Actor

Family

• Brother: John Benbow Ritchie. born in August 1955
• Daughter: Jessica A Ritchie. born on March 1, 1973; twin of Steven; mother, Georgina Ritchie
• Daughter: Lauren A Ritchie. born in 1966; mother, Georgina Ritchie
• Daughter: Lillian Ritchie. born in July 1986; mother, Jimmie Ritchie
• Daughter: Miriam Rose Ritchie. born in December 1988; mother, Jimmie Ritchie
• Father: Benbow Ferguson Ritchie. taught experimental psychology at UC, Berkeley from 1950 to 1977; died on February 23, 1998 at age 85
• Mother: Patricia Ritchie.
• Sister: Elsie Ritchie. born in October 1953
• Son: Steven P Ritchie. born on February 28, 1973; twin of Jessica; mother, Georgina Ritchie
• Step-daughter: Nelly Bly. mother, Jimmie Ritchie
• Step-son: Billy Bly. mother, Jimmie Ritchie

Education

• Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, history and literature, BA, 1960

Milestones

• 1960 While at Harvard, staged first production of classmate Arthur Kopit s play Oh Dad, Poor, Dad, Mama s Hung You in the Closet and I m Feeling So Sad
• 1964 Graduated to associate producer and director on Profiles in Courage series, executive produced by Saudek
• 1967 Helmed the pilot for the NBC series The Outsider
• 1969 First feature film as director, Downhill Racer , starring Robert Redford as a champion ski racer
• 1972 Reteamed with Redford as director of the politically-themed comedy-drama The Candidate
• 1975 First film as producer, Smile , an underrated satirical look at beauty pageants; also directed
• 1976 Enjoyed a box-office hit with the comedy The Bad News Bears , about an inept Little League team
• 1977 Directed the enjoyable and successful football-themed movie Semi-Tough
• 1978 Helmed the inevitable sequel, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
• 1980 Produced and directed the feature film Divine Madness , adapted from Bette Midler s highly successful concert tour
• 1983 Directed the comedy The Survivors
• 1985 Helmed the film adaptation of the popular detective novel Fletch ; first of four films with Chevy Chase
• 1986 Directed the Eddie Murphy vehicle The Golden Child
• 1986 Returned to sports-themed comedy with Wildcats , about a female coaching a football squad
• 1988 Reunited with comic actor Chevy Chase for The Couch Trip
• 1989 Helmed the disappointing sequel Fletch Lives , starring Chase
• 1992 Played a small role as a night watchman in John Landis s feature, Innocent Blood
• 1993 Returned to the small screen to direct the acclaimed, award-winning HBO movie The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom
• 1994 Last feature with Chevy Chase, Cops & Robbersons
• 1994 Once again returned to sports-themes with The Scout , about a professional baseball scout who discovers a talented young pitcher
• 1997 Directed the unsold pilot Comfort, Texas
• 1997 Last directorial effort, A Simple Wish
• 1999 Helmed episodes of Showtime s Beggars and Choosers , a behind-the-scenes look at the running of a TV network
• 2000 Final TV work, directed episodes of the short-lived NBC series Deadline
• 2000 Final released film, an adaptation of the long-running Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks (filmed in 1995); also produced
• Began career as assistant to Robert Saudek on the Ford Foundation s Omnibus TV series
• Born in Wisconsin
• Raised in the Berkeley, California, area, where his father taught psychology
• Worked as a TV director in the late 1960s on series including Felony Squad , The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , The Big Valley and Dr. Kildare