Today is Friday the 13th, which is basically an unofficial holiday.  But you know what?  Instead of celebrating Jason Voorhees today, maybe we should celebrate Crazy Ralph.  For countless years, Crazy Old Ralph warned everyone, “You’re doomed!”  He told them that Camp Crystal Lake had a death curse.  He warned them that Jason was still out there…

And nobody listened to Ralph.  People accused Ralph of being drunk.  (Of course, he was.)  They called him crazy.  (Of course, he was.)  The police harassed him.  The local truckers laughed at him.  The waitresses in the diner all said, “Oh, that’s just old Ralph being crazy and drunk!”  The camp counselors ignored him.

But you know what?

Crazy Old Ralph was right!

Sadly, Ralph wasn’t that smart or maybe he was just too drunk and/or crazy to take his own advice because, for some reason, he always seemed to be hanging out around Camp Crystal Lake.  Sure, maybe he was just coming by to remind everyone that they were doomed and, if that’s the case, that was nice of him to do.

But actually, I think Ralph’s motives were a little more icky.  After all, Ralph did die while hiding behind a tree and spying on Ginny and Paul…

But fear not!  The actor who played Ralph survived.  Walt Gorney was mostly a stage actor.  He appeared in a handful of films and he typically played characters with names like “Homeless guy” and “Drunk man.”  According to the book Crystal Lake Memories, Gorney was a nice man and a dedicated actor who insisted on “staying in character” whenever he played Crazy Old Ralph.

Ralph may have died by Gorney was invited back to provide the opening narration for Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood. 

So, on this Friday the 13th, let’s all take a moment to remember Crazy Old Ralph and the actor who brought him to life, Walt Gorney!

Happy Ralph Day!