I Just Learned That One Of The Office's Season 3 Scenes Came From A Wholesome Thought From Director Harold Ramis

Given the number of times I've seen every episode of The Office, (including the super-sized episodes available with a Peacock subscription), I've come to truly cherish each and every new tidbit I come across about the beloved NBC series. Heck, even old tidbits that are new to me are enough to enhance my already-brimming appreciation for the series.

Such was the case for me after listening to a recent episode of the Office Ladies podcast, when hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey were revisiting Season 3's penultimate episode, "Beach Games" with a "Second Drink" podcast episode. Their discussion led me to fire up my DVD player to listen to the full commentary for the episode, which includes Harold Ramis sharing his reason for having the characters sing on the bus.

If you've seen "Beach Games," you likely remember that the Season 3 episode has the cast of The Office headed off to the beach for what they think is a fun day in the sun, but actually turns out to be an audition to prove to Michael that they're worthy of inheriting his job. On their way to the beach, we see the characters on a bus belting out the words to "The Gambler."

As the episode's writer, Jennifer Celotta explains it on the DVD commentary, the singing was director Harold Ramis' idea, which he had shared in a production meeting prior to filming. But Brian Baumgartner (also speaking on the commentary) apparently wasn't aware this was going to be a thing until they were shooting the scene. As he explained it, Harold Ramis was in a car near the bus, and came in "over a God mic" and told him to sing something, so he did. Ramis piped in at this point on the commentary and explained:

I don't know why, but there's something so wholesome about that explanation to me. Maybe because it has me flashing back to bus-ride singalongs from my own past... Also the less happy bus rides I've experienced where there was no singing, for that matter. I wish I'd never been on a bus where people didn't sing, quite frankly.

It also could just be that I'm a fan of the late Harold Ramis, as an actor, writer and a director. Learning one of these small but meaningful bits of insight into his approach to directing an episode of a show I love so much is a real treat. I also love how he noted that he thinks Kate Flannery is a brave actress (over the scene where she attempts to show off her bathing suit for the cameras and forgets that she isn't wearing it.)

Baumgartner said "The Gambler" was the first song they sang on the bus, but as we see at the very end of the episode, the Flintstones theme song was also one of the tunes the cast sang on the bus ride to the beach. Ed Helms revealed on the commentary that he thinks he may have been the one to suggest that one as a nod to Trains, Planes and Automobiles. The cast also sang the Friends theme song, though that one didn't make it into the episode. "Tiny Dancer" (a song memorably featured in a bus scene in Almost Famous) was another song mentioned left on the cutting room floor.

I'll probably always think of Harold Ramis' simple explanation for why they were singing on the bus ride to the beach whenever I rewatch "Beach Games." Unfortunately, now that I've listened to the DVD commentary, I'll likely also remember the horrific story Ed Helms told about spitting bits of chewed up hot dog into a shared bucket between takes during the hot dog eating contest. Yuck!