You already know he sports a superior mustache and is blessed with a nose for news, but there
are a few things you might not know about San Diego's most beloved newsperson.
This is the untold truth of Ron Burgundy.
Of course, there could be no Ron Burgundy without Will Ferrell, the actor and comedian
who enjoyed a triumphant seven-year run on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002.
"Hey!
Hey!"
"What is it, Mr. Tarkanian?"
"Oh thank you, that's exactly the response I'm lookin' for."
Ferrell has left his indelible mark on a number of films and television shows including memorable
turns in Zoolander, Stranger than Fiction, and The Office, to name just a few.
He's a master at creating huge, bombastic characters and he'll do just about anything
for a laugh.
"But the last time I checked, we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell."
"I gotta have more cowbell, babe."
He can also infuse roles with heart and emotional heft, as he demonstrated in the 2003 comedy
Elf.
A man of many talents, Ferrell also created the comedy website Funny or Die with frequent
collaborator Adam McKay.
"Don't make fun of me crying."
"You'll be evicted."
What's more, he's served as an executive producer on shows like Eastbound & Down and Succession.
Much like Ron Burgundy, Ferrell really gets around.
Released in 2004, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of the most eminently
quotable movies of all time.
The now-classic film tells the story of you guessed it Ron Burgundy, a local newscaster
in San Diego.
His world is suddenly turned upside down by the addition of newscaster Veronica Corningstone,
played by Christina Applegate.
Ron is instantly smitten, and he has a really interesting way of showing it.
"You stay classy, San Diego."
"And thanks for stopping by."
"But mainly, stay classy."
"Thanks for stopping by."
"Stay classy, I"m Ron Burgundy."
Ferrell's performance makes the film work seamlessly and the end result is a truly uproarious
and original comedy.
In fact, the bloody anchorman fight might be one of the oddest sequences ever committed
to celluloid.
"I stabbed a man in the heart."
"I saw that."
If you thought the original Anchorman was crazy, it's got nothing on the sequel.
Released in 2013, the film finds Ron and Veronica working at a huge network in New York City.
Harrison Ford plays newscaster Mack Tannen, who announces his retirement and reveals he
wants to give his job to Veronica rather than Ron.
This development immediately drives a rift between the couple.
Burgundy temporarily leaves his wife and child to join the first 24-hour news network alongside
his original team, facing off against younger, more popular anchorman Jack Lime, portrayed
by James Marsden.
There's even a second anchorman fight, which is bigger and better than the first one.
We'd also be remiss not to mention the insane subplot that finds Ron adopting a shark named
Doby.
While it never quite reaches the comedic heights of the original, it's still a worthwhile film
— especially since it fully embraces its own ridiculousness.
"Check this out.
This… this was fun.
We shot this over two weeks in Prague."
"Wow."
Ron Burgundy is based on a real person, and his name is Mort Crim.
The Philadelphia-born newsman spent decades delivering the news.
In 2009, Crim was even inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia's "Hall of Fame."
But what makes him so ripe for satire?
"Well you have to understand that I was a typical traditional 1972 male chauvinist anchor."
In 2013, Ferrell admitted he was inspired by Crim's voice and general look, and Crim
seems to have enjoyed the imitation, telling USA Today:
"Any good parody takes a grain of truth and exaggerates it for the big screen.
People ask me if I'm offended at all and I say not in the least."
As he told the Australian morning show Wake Up in 2013,
"You know, I think Anchorman 1 was a very good parody of how it was back in the seventies."
But no love for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues?
Interesting.
You just never know when a little bit of Ron will enter your life.
During the promotional period for Anchorman 2 in 2012, Burgundy made a few memorable appearances
on Conan.
"Night in and night out, you guys get it done."
"Thank you."
He's also no stranger to the world of sports, contributing his special brand of madness
to both the 2014 Sochi Olympics and a Los Angeles Kings game in 2019.
"They even brought me this ice-cold cup of milk."
A true media maven, Ron Burgundy has also appeared in a series of commercials for Dodge.
"Get outta here, you dumb dancers!
I've told them a hundred times they can't dance in here.
Buncha dirty dancers."
Last but not least, he appeared at the Comedy Central's Roast of Justin Bieber in 2015.
"Some real clever writing.
Great energy over there."
Whatever the occasion, it's always a pleasure to see Ron again.
In the summer of 2019, Will Ferrell really ramped up his Ron Burgundy appearances, staging
an unexpected late-night takeover.
On one random Thursday, six different shows listed a "Surprise Guest" in their credits,
and that guest turned out to be none other than Ron Burgundy.
On Thursday, August 8th, Burgundy appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The
Late Late Show with James Corden, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, Late Night
with Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Burgundy was ostensibly making the rounds to hone his so-called "comedy routine," which
— as you've probably guessed — is terrible.
"Have we got any Shawn Mendes fans here tonight?
Yeah, don't like him, never have."
"Oh I see, it's an anacronym."
All these appearances helped promote the second season of The Ron Burgundy Podcast, and you
can bet we've been tuning in.
We just can't get enough of his incisive worldview.
"Why are tiny refrigerators called 'minibars' in hotels?
I don't call bars 'giant refrigerators.'"
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