Bing! Stephen Tobolowsky on How 'Groundhog Day' Changed His Life

Stephen Tobolowsky — 2011-02-02T09:30:00+00:00

Stephen Tobolowsky is an award-winning character actor who has appeared in more than 200 movies and TV shows. His podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, is absolutely worth your time, and you should totally follow him on Twitter.

He is also a Moviefone columnist. (His first insightful humor column for us was about on-set catering and craft services.) Since it's Feb. 2, we asked Tobolowsky to write about the movie 1993 comedy 'Groundhog Day' and how his landmark role as annoying insurance salesman Ned Ryerson (aka Needlenose Ned, Ned the Head!) has stuck with him through the years.

In particular, he discusses his famous lines: the irksome 'Bing!' and the snickering "Watch that first step -- it's a doozy!"

Before you read Tobolowsky's awesome column below, check out our list of interesting facts about him and watch the following clip that compiles all of his scenes from 'Groundhog Day.'

Happy Groundhog Day!

I am referring to the movie. 'Groundhog Day' has become a comedy classic and a part of the fabric of popular culture. It is one of the few films that has added mythology to a pre-existing holiday.

You can tell the movie's effect with one simple test: If people refer to Groundhog Day in connection with being caught in a web of senselessly recurring events, they're really talking about the movie. If they are talking about six more weeks of winter, they are talking about the holiday in its original incarnation. I would bet the split is greater than 50-50 toward the movie reference these days.

People still recognize me as Ned everywhere and indirectly express their love of the film though various Ned-related interactions with me. Here are some of my favorites.

1. I was working on a film for Disney called 'Don't Look Under the Bed.' We were doing a night shoot in Utah. It was about 10PM when an assistant director told me a couple of kids wanted to meet me. He said they were big fans of 'Groundhog Day.' I said, "Sure, bring em on." Two guys came up to my trailer and said they had something they wanted to show me. They proceeded to do the entire first street scene I did with Bill Murray in the movie. Full out. They had every line learned and every movement copied perfectly. By the end of the scene, they'd drawn a crowd of cast and crew, and with the final "Watch out for that first step -- it's a doozy!" they got wild applause, which they deeply deserved.

2. I was in the Bahamas shooting another movie for Disney, 'My Father the Hero.' A family got on the elevator. The husband did a double take when he saw me and asked what I was doing here. I said, "Working." He said, "You're kidding -- you guys have gone international?" I said, "We go where they tell us to go." He was very impressed. Then he started asking questions about his policy. I got a little lost and apologized. I told him I wasn't sure what he was talking about. He said, "You signed me to a big life insurance policy." I said, "Not me." He was certain. Finally his wife intervened and said, "No honey. This isn't our real insurance man; he was the insurance man in that movie." He stared at me for a long time and said, "You're an actor?" I said, "Yes." "But you played an insurance man in a movie?" Again I said, "Yes." He was still unsure. "And you said, 'Bing!'?" I nodded. He shook his head and said, "And you're sure you didn't sell me a life insurance policy?"

3. I was in Iceland and I got lost in the airport. I ended up in a hallway with lots of stripes painted on the floor and warning signs that were unintelligible to me. I walked on to see if there was a way out. Sirens went off. Lights started flashing. One of the three people in Iceland with a military uniform came running out of nowhere with two tough looking tattooed women behind him. He had his gun drawn. I froze as he pointed the weapon at me. I raised my hands ready to be hauled off to an Icelandic jail somewhere. The soldier looked at me sideways and started to smile, then giggle, then he called out to his two assistants, "Hey! It's OK! It's just Ned!" After which he came up to me and shook my hand.

Have a happy Groundhog Day, and remember it's all right if the same thing occasionally happens to you over and over again, like getting kissed by a stranger, receiving money in the mail -- or seeing the movie 'Groundhog Day,' of course.

For more Stephen Tobolowsky, check out his other columns and follow him on Twitter. For more 'Groundhog Day' coverage, enjoy our post about Bill Murray and the rest of the cast.

Rent 'Groundhog Day' at Netflix
Buy 'Groundhog Day' on Blu-ray/DVD

Stephen Tobolowsky #1: Craft Services Explained! (And Why 'Glee' Does It Best)

Stephen Tobolowsky — 2010-12-10T12:01:00+00:00

I have been asked by the powers that be at Moviefone to write little behind-the-scenes stories about movies. They apparently want me to be their "expert" on such matters.

An expert is loosely defined by Wikipedia (a completely unreliable, non-expert source) as "someone who is recognized as an authority in his or her given field."

The problem: I am not recognized as an authority in my given field. In fact, I am often not recognized as even being in my given field.

I was at Starbucks the other day, and a man waved at me and said, "I can't believe you're here!" I, of course, thought he was amazed to be seeing a famous actor standing in line for a latte with all the common folk. I was wrong. It turns out that he thought I was the barista who had recently been fired for getting high in the backroom during work hours. He couldn't believe I had the cajones to show up again.

So, in accepting Moviefone's offer to write a semi-regular column, I graciously declined the role of "expert." Instead, I suggested a far more accurate title: The Best Expert Moviefone Could Find.

And so, in coming months, I will share with you a glimpse of weird and true happenings on movie sets -- everything from dealing with difficult stars and producers to getting blown up by special-effects people.

Our first topic: snacks on set.

Food is not just food when you work in movies and TV. Seasoned actors know to expect two very different versions of food: catering (which provides meals) and craft services (which provides snacks).

Meals are almost always preferable to snacks -- for a reason. A few weeks ago, I did a part for an upcoming episode of 'The Defenders,' a CBS show starring Jerry O'Connell, and took this photo of the craft-services table -- an image that might as well be captioned "Typical Nasty Craft."

And yet filming makes you hungry, so graze we must. Upon first glance at the snack table, an experienced actor goes through a million mental calculations and applies the same type of calculus a bear uses when he looks at a berry bush.

But real actors don't check out the actual food. Instead, we look at the crew person running the craft-services table. In an instant we can tell the quality of the snacks by taking note of three qualities about the craft-services person.

1. The stomach
The same rule applies to craft-services people as it did to Michelle Pfeiffer in 'Scarface': Don't rely on your own supply. Only it's rarely enforced. The size of the crew person's stomach is usually in direct proportion to the yumminess of what's on the table.

A skinny craft-services person likely means that the best the set has to offer are wasabi-covered chocolate balls from Trader Joe's. They will be virtually inedible and will make you crap fire.

2. The tattoos
Lightening bolt tattoos on a man's calf will always mean there will be jelly donuts. I don't know why, but it's true. I don't make these things up.

3. The gender
Portly or not, I prefer a man providing the snacks. Quite often, a woman running craft services will mean deviled eggs and, occasionally, sushi. Not bad, in theory -- but eggs and the sushi are time-related snacks. Very dangerous. No one ever died from eating an old jelly donut.

Anyway, my best craft-services experience to date: 'Glee' - there were trucks of food and basically unlimited M&M's.

The worst: 'My Father the Hero' - it was just carrot sticks floating in a bowl of water, and bubble gum.

All I know is that Jerry O'Connell used his years of experience to avoid the tuna and instead go for the breadstick on 'The Defender' set.

Stephen Tobolowsky is an award-winning character actor who has appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows. His podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, is absolutely worth your time, and you should totally follow him on Twitter.

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Bing! Stephen Tobolowsky on How 'Groundhog Day' Changed His Life

Stephen Tobolowsky #1: Craft Services Explained! (And Why 'Glee' Does It Best)