Bill Murray and me . . .
- Marilyn Gardner Woods
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Actually, there is no Bill Murray and me.
But, in my mind, there’s a Me and Bill Murray.
I know Bill Murray, the quirky comedian best known for his party crashing and playful high jinks, from a rural paradise in the northeastern corner of San Diego County where I lived for twenty years and where he still has a compound with land and horses.
The first time I saw Bill he was in a potato sack—hopping and struggling to remain upright, at a country-style Fourth of July picnic. Great delight in my family as my son beat the deadpan movie star and all others to the finish line.
The next time I saw Bill Murray, a scratch golfer, it was hot, and he was sweating coming from the course’s eighteenth hole. He wore a long sleeve collared white shirt, with a splashy all-over print of bright red tomatoes—the antithesis of standard golf wear. Maybe the antithesis of men’s standard wear period!
The actor/comedian showed up again in my life when he told my friend who tried to pay for her share of the tab at a six-person dinner gathering, “I’m a millionaire.” He burst into hysterical laughter when my friend (and his), a demure seventy-five-year-old woman answered back, “I am too.”
And I will always be grateful to Bill Murray for swooping into a gift fair where my thirteen-year-old granddaughter was selling the lavender silk eye patches she and I had spent the summer making. He purchased all she had at her booth and then leaned backwards to the tipping point, arms spread wide, with one of the silky sachets across his eyes. To the crowd’s amusement, he yelled to my granddaughter, “Is this how I’m supposed to use them?”
More Bill Murray sightings—in the crowded club house dining room, he swept my good friend Sue, up from her chair and swirled her around to the delight of all.
And at my husband’s Celebration of Life where he hung for just a moment with my grandkids.
The tales of Bill Murray’s adventures are endless.
His movies are classics—Groundhog Day, Stripes, Lost in Translation, Ghostbusters, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
And I couldn’t resist his newest, The Friend, on Friday night date night last week.
To be truthful, it’s probably a good one to stream, but we love to go to the movies.
The Friend isn’t your average dog movie.
Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 National Book Award-winning novel, it stars Naomi Watts as Iris, a New York author who reluctantly inherits Apollo, the cherished companion of her late mentor Walter (Bill Murray).
And Bing, the 150-pound dalmatian with the saddest eyes ever helps both Iris and sad-eyed Walter navigate love, grief, and healing. The heartfelt story, which I loved, is a lot about how creatures find each other.
And I’m wondering when and how I’ll find Bill Murray the next time . . .
So many connections. I've enjoyed many Bill Murray movies. I think my favorite is "Lost in Translation." And I loved the book, The Friend." Hope I'll like the movie too.