A very funny, talented man is being mourned this week, especially by those in the improv comedy community. Ron House was an actor, producer, writer and teacher. A graduate of Second City in his native Chicago, he later founded a group called Low Moan Spectacular whose members wrote, staged and starred in plays. A sensation in the London underground Theatre Company, they eventually relocated to New York where their show El Grande de Coca-Cola was an off-Broadway hit that ran three years there and additional years in other cities. Other theater groups still mount productions of it and the other fine plays with which Ron was involved.
Their next one, Bullshot Crummond, ran in London, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco for over four years and was made into a film by George Harrison. Others followed, including Footlight Frenzy, which may be the funniest thing I've ever seen on a stage in my life. That's about when I got to know Ron and other members of Low Moan.
He had a fine career as a film and television actor with roles on Roseanne, All My Children, L.A. Law and many more but his first love was the stage. Not long ago, he completed a successful run in a revival of El Grande de Coca-Cola in which he re-created his starring role from the original 1973 production. I saw it twice and raved about it here.
Ron died early last Friday morning, losing a long battle with throat/tongue cancer. The plays he authored or co-authored though will continue to be performed around the world. The last one — a sequel to Bullshot Crummond — is scheduled to open next month at the Lakewood Center for the Performing Arts in Oswego, Oregon. Its title? The Evil Eye of Jabar and The Invisible Bride of Death. If it's like everything he did, it will be very humorous and very special, just like he was.
Here is a brief clip from the original Bullshot Crummond showing Ron in action. The lady is Brandis Kemp. Her two co-stars are Ron. This will give you just the briefest sense of how clever and funny he could be…