Ghostbusters (franchise)

Ghostbusters is a science fiction series created by in 1984. The first film was titled Ghostbusters, which was released on June 8th, 1984 by Columbia Pictures. The film became a pop culture phenomenon, leading to two sequels, 3 television shows, various video games and other merchandise.

After the release of Ghostbusters, various other Ghostbusters products were developed including a novel, a comic series, video games, action figures, trading cards, and other merchandise, all set within the fictional Ghostbusters reality.

Development

The concept was inspired by Aykroyd's own fascination with the paranormal, and it was conceived by Aykroyd as a vehicle for himself and friend and fellow Saturday Night Live alum John Belushi. The original story as written by Aykroyd was much more ambitious—and unfocused—than what would be eventually filmed; in Aykroyd's original vision, a group of Ghostbusters would travel through time, space and other dimensions taking on huge ghosts (of which the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man was just one of many). Also, the Ghostbusters wore S.W.A.T.-like outfits and used wands instead of Proton Packs to fight the ghosts; Ghostbusters storyboards show them wearing riotsquad-type helmets with movable transparent visors.

Aykroyd pitched his story to director / producer Ivan Reitman, who liked the basic idea but immediately saw the budgetary impossibilities demanded by Aykroyd's first draft. At Reitman's suggestion, the story was given a major overhaul, eventually evolving into the final screenplay which Aykroyd and Ramis hammered out over the course of a few months in a Martha's Vineyard bomb shelter (according to Ramis on the DVD Commentary Track for the movie). Aykroyd and Ramis initially wrote the script with roles written especially for Belushi, Eddie Murphy and John Candy. However, Belushi died due to a drug overdose during the writing of the screenplay, and neither Murphy nor Candy could commit to the movie due to prior engagements, so Aykroyd and Ramis shifted some of these changes around and polished a basic, yet sci-fi oriented screenplay for their final draft.

In addition to Aykroyd's high-concept basic premise and Ramis' skill at grounding the fantastic elements with a realistic setting, the film benefits from Bill Murray's semi-improvisational performance as Peter Venkman, the character initially intended for Belushi. The extent of Murray's improvisation while delivering his lines varies wildly with every re-telling of the making of the film; some say he never even read the script, and improvised so much he deserves a writing credit, while others insist that he only improvised a few lines, and used his deadpan comic delivery to make scripted lines seem spontaneous.

With the first DVD release of the film on the 15th anniversary of the original theatrical release, many original concepts of the film were revealed, based on the storyboard artwork: Louis Tully was originally to be a conservative man in a business suit played by comedian John Candy, but Candy was unable to commit to the role. The role was taken by Rick Moranis, portraying Louis as a geek. Gozer was originally going to appear in the form of Ivo Shandor as a slender, unremarkable man in a suit played by Paul Reubens. In the end, the role was played by Yugoslavian model Slavitza Jovan, whose Eastern European accent (later dubbed by Paddi Edwards) caused "choose and perish" to sound like "Jews and berries".

Gozer's temple was the biggest and most expensive set ever to be constructed at that time. In order to properly light it and create the physical effects for the set, other stages needed to be shut down and all their power diverted over to the set. The hallway sets for the Sedgewick Hotel were originally built for the movie Rich and Famous in 1981 and patterned after the Algonquin Hotel in New York City, where Reitman originally wanted to do the hotel bust. The Biltmore Hotel was chosen because the large lobby allowed for a tracking shot of the Ghostbusters in complete gear for the first time. Dana Barrett and Louis Tully's apartments were constructed across two stages and were actually on the other side of their doors in the hallway, an unusual move in filmmaking.

A problem arose during filming when it was discovered that a show was produced in 1975 by Filmation for CBS called The Ghost Busters, starring Larry Storch and Forrest Tucker. (It should be noted that this show's title is written as two words instead of one word like the 1984 movie.) Columbia Pictures prepared a list of alternative names just in case the rights could not be secured, but during the filming of the crowd for the final battle, the extras were all chanting "Ghostbusters", which inspired the producers to insist that the studio buy the rights to the name. For the test screening of Ghostbusters, half of the ghost effects were missing, not yet having been completed by the production team. The audience response was still enthusiastic, and the ghost elements were completed for the official theatrical release shortly thereafter.

Characters

Peter Venkman is a fictional scientist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters. In both the live action films, he was portrayed by Bill Murray, and was voiced in the animated series first by Lorenzo Music and then by Dave Coulier. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Peter is one of three doctors of parapsychology on the team, though he also holds a PhD in psychology. In the movies, he is characterized by his flippant persona, his lackadaisical approach to his profession, and his womanizing demeanor; of the three doctors in the Ghostbusters, he is the least committed to the academic and scientific side of their profession, and tends to regard his field, in the words of his employer in the first film, as "a dodge or hustle". However, he possesses more savvy and street-smarts than either Ray Stantz or Egon Spengler. In Ghostbusters II, following the break-up of the team, he hosts a psychic-themed talk show on local television. In The Real Ghostbusters series, Peter's womanizing is toned down somewhat, but he retains his dry wit and sarcastic demeanor. While not the official leader of the group, Venkman often makes the decision whether the Ghostbusters will take a case or not. He is originally opposed to the idea of Slimer living in the firehouse, but quickly develops a love-hate relationship with the ghost. The episodes "Venkman's Ghost Repellers", "Cold Cash and Hot Water", and "Treasure of the Sierra Tamale" feature Peter's father, a con-man who couldn't make an honest dollar and was always away on business at Christmas, as mentioned in "X-mas Marks The Spot". Peter has claimed to be a Scorpio, as mentioned in "Mean Green Teen Machine". In "Last Train to Oblivion", one of Peter's favorite hobbies is trains, and he used to dream about driving a big locomotive when he was a child (Peter even studied engineering in college for two years before finding out it had nothing to do with trains). Two of the actors who played Venkman also shared another role. Lorenzo Music provided the voice of the popular cartoon cat Garfield in his animated specials and television series in the 1980s and 1990s. Bill Murray later took over the role in two live-action feature films following Music's death.

Raymond "Ray" Stantz is a fictional scientist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Casper (played by Dan Aykroyd) and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters (voiced by Frank Welker). He is one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team, along with Dr. Peter Venkman and Dr. Egon Spengler. Ray is considered the "heart" of the Ghostbusters by the other members of the team. He is an expert on paranormal history and metallurgy. He is characterized by his almost childlike enthusiasm towards his work, and his forthright acceptance of paranormal activity, though he expresses skepticism toward Christianity. He is known for his wordy and overly technical explanations of scientific and paranormal phenomena. Ray, along with Egon, is responsible for pioneering the Ghostbusters' theories and designing and building the equipment used for catching and containing ghosts. Aykroyd did a cameo in the movie version of Casper as Stantz.

File:Ramisghost.JPG

Egon in Ghostbusters

Egon Spengler is a fictional scientist appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team. Egon is portrayed by Harold Ramis in the films, and voiced by Maurice LaMarche in the cartoon series. Bespectacled, awkward, and laconic, Egon is the member of the team responsible for the main theoretical framework for their paranormal studies. Also, being addicted to science, he is the creator of the Ghostbusters' equipment along with Dr. Ray Stantz. Egon is the most serious and straightforward member of the team. Of his hobbies, he states that he collects "spores, molds, and fungus," and claims that as a child, the only toy he ever had was "part of a Slinky," but he straightened it. As implied in the first movie, Egon apparently has an affection for sweets and candy (such as twinkies). He also once attempted self-trepanation, but was stopped by Peter Venkman. He is also the love interest of Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters' secretary, in the first film and both animated series (Ghostbusters II excluded it due to Ramis' dislike of the subplot). Egon is the only original Ghostbuster to return for the Extreme Ghostbusters series.

Winston Zeddemore is a fictional character appearing in the Ghostbusters films and TV series. He was played by Ernie Hudson in both movies and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first season of The Real Ghostbusters. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons, and he reprised the role in a cameo on Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a Ghostbuster, but unlike the other members of the team, he is not a scientist with a background in the paranormal. (The novelisation notes he is a former Marine.) He is hired later in the company's existence when their business begins to pick up. However, despite not sharing the educational credentials of his coworkers, Winston often serves as a voice of reason and displays far more common sense than the other Ghostbusters. For instance, when the jailed Ghostbusters seriously propose asking a U.S. federal judge to release them because they must fight an invading god, Zeddemore is the only one to remind the others that they would never be believed.

Described as the "everyman" of the Ghostbusters, Winston is hired as a member on the spot, seemingly because he is the only applicant at the time. When applying for the job as a Ghostbuster he is questioned extensively by Janine Melnitz as to whether he believes in a large number of supernatural occurrences and beings. He simply replies, "If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say." When he is introduced to Ray Stantz, Ray's response is, "Beautiful. You're hired." In one episode of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, Winston mentions that he did not believe in the supernatural before becoming a Ghostbuster, which shows that he was only looking for a paying job. Nevertheless, he accepts the existence of the paranormal once he witnesses it firsthand, even stating that "these things are real" and that he has "seen shit that will turn you white". The name "Zeddemore" is misspelled as "Zeddmore" in the closing credits of Ghostbusters. As a result it was also sometimes misspelled in scripts and other sources related to The Real Ghostbusters. The name is spelled correctly on the nametag on Winston's jumpsuit, in the shooting script of Ghostbusters (as published in the book Making Ghostbusters), and in the closing credits of Ghostbusters II. The name is also pronounced correctly (with three syllables) by both Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters.

Winston has been noted as being the character most often not featured in video games based upon Ghostbusters media, even when Peter, Ray and Egon are selectable. Most believe this is because Winston was hired later and most of the games have the player begin before the Ghostbusters company was started. It may have been as simple as limited graphics or limited time to make an individual sprite for him, as none of the original three Ghostbusters have individual sprites either, only generic ones. So far, Winston has only been featured as a playable character in Ghostbusters II for NES and the New Ghostbusters II for NES and Game Boy. In the original script Winston was intended as the smartest and most capable of the Ghostbusters. He held multiple degrees and was a Ph.D as well as an ex-marine, making him more suited for the job than the original three. This was discussed in detail in the commentary on the DVD of the original movie; no explanation was given for the change in his character, but it was likely to make him a blue-collar, "everyman" type of character to provide a common person's response to the supernatural happenings witnessed by the group. Winston is the only Ghostbuster ever shown actually at the wheel of Ecto-1 for more than a few moments in the two films. As a result, he is almost always shown driving the car in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon. According to J. Michael Straczynski, network consultants demanded that Winston be depicted as the "driver". [1]

Janine Melnitz is a fictional character in the Ghostbusters series. She was played by Annie Potts in both movies, and was voiced by Laura Summer and Kath Soucie in The Real Ghostbusters, and Pat Musick in Extreme Ghostbusters. Over time, the Ghostbusters have come to count on Janine, not only for her work as a secretary keeping the business afloat, but also for help against ghosts. On numerous occasions, Janine has been forced to take up a 'busters uniform and proton pack to bail the guys out of trouble. In Ghostbusters II, Peter Venkman assigns her to baby-sit Dana Barrett's baby Oscar. She asks Louis Tully to babysit with her. Throughout most Ghostbusters media, Janine is often displayed as having a romantic attraction to Egon Spengler. This is shown in the first movie and more prominently in the Real Ghostbusters cartoons. In Ghostbusters II, however, she becomes involved with Louis Tully, who has become the busters' financial advisor and lawyer. Despite this, Janine retains her attraction to Egon throughout the entire Real Ghostbusters series, and even into the Extreme Ghostbusters series. Season 3 of Real Ghostbusters features severe changes to the character: a new voice actor, a new character design, and a softened personality. In the season 5 episode "Janine, You've Changed", it is revealed that her changes were the result of her wishes to a "makeoverus lotsabucks" (the name likely a swipe at the network; J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of the episode, resigned from the series before Season 3 over several show changes, Janine being one). Egon defeats the creature's hold over Janine. Strangely, by the time of Extreme Ghostbusters, Janine has apparently reverted back to the way she was before Season 2 (note that the NOW and Marvel UK comics ignored the changes completely).

Ramis has stated that Slimer was jokingly referred to as "the ghost of John Belushi".)

Technology

The proton packs' particle throwers were originally portrayed as wands worn on each arm. Winston Zeddemore was written with Eddie Murphy in mind, but he had to decline the role as he was filming Beverly Hills Cop at the same time. When Murphy had the role, Zeddemore was going to be hired much earlier in the film, and would accompany the trio on their hunt for Slimer at the hotel and be slimed in place of Peter Venkman. When Ernie Hudson took over, it was decided that he be brought in later to indicate how the Ghostbusters were struggling to keep up with the outbreak of ghosts.

Movies

Ghostbusters

Main article: Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is a 1984 sci-fi comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists. After they are fired from a university, they start their own business investigating and capturing ghosts. It was released in the United States on June 8, 1984, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson. The film grossed approximately USD$240 million in the U.S. and over $50 million abroad during its theatrical run, more than the second Indiana Jones installment, making it easily the most successful film of that year, and the most successful comedy of the 1980s. The American Film Institute ranked it 28th in its list of the top 100 comedies of all time (in their "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" list). In 2005, IGN voted Ghostbusters the greatest comedy ever. In 2006, Bravo ranked Ghostbusters 76 on their "100 Funniest Movies" list.

Ghostbusters 2

Main article: Ghostbusters 2

Ghostbusters 3

Main article: Ghostbusters 3

Ghostbusters III is a planned sequel to the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. During his interview with CISN Country[1], Dan Aykroyd announced that Ghostbusters III: Hellbent will be CGI. "I can do all the things I wanted to do for much, much less money," he stated. The plot involves the Ghostbusters traveling to hell. Aykroyd wrote the script. Bill Murray has agreed to voice a character, reprising his role as wisecracking Peter Venkman from the first two films, and Harold Ramis is already attached.There have been rumors of a third Ghostbusters film for years. The idea of a "young Ghostbusters" film was circulated in the 90s with names like Will Smith and Ben Stiller tossed around. Hellbent, however, sounds more like an all-star, big budget version of The Real Ghostbusters animated series from the 1980s. Aykroyd and Ramis wrote and starred in the first two films. There's no word yet on a release date or whether this project will hit theaters or go straight to DVD.

Video games

1. Ghostbusters II, the 1990 Activision videogame
2. New Ghostbusters II, the the 1990 HAL Laboratory videogame
3. Ghostbusters (Sega video game), the 1990 SEGA videogame.
4. The Real Ghostbusters, the 1993 Activision videogame
5. Extreme Ghostbusters, the 2001 LSP videogame
6. Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1, the 2002 DreamCatcher videogame
7. Extreme Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Invasion, the 2004 LSP videogame

Ghostbusters (Activision video game)

Main article: Ghostbusters (Activision video game)

Real Ghostbusters (arcade game)

Main article: Real Ghostbusters (arcade game)

The Real Ghostbusters was an arcade game based on the cartoon series of the same name released by Data East in 1987. The game was later ported to the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum. Up to three players can control members of the Ghostbusters. The characters are only differentiated by the colors of their uniforms, no effort is made to identify them, although the game's marquee art shows the characters from the cartoon.

The Ghostbusters fight off hordes of nightmarish creatures with energy guns which reduce the monsters to harmless ghosts which can then be captured with beams from their proton packs. Power-ups available included stronger basic shoots, a force field that makes the Ghostbuster invincible for several seconds, and an item that summons Slimer to throw himself in the way of attacks.

Ghostbusters II (video game)

Main article: Ghostbusters II (video game)

Ghostbusters (Sega video game)

File:Ghostbusters Genesisboxart.jpg

Ghostbusters was released by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis on June 29, 1990. It is unrelated to the earlier Activision game, and is instead a straightforward platform game in which the player takes control of squat cartoon representations of three of the four Ghostbusters from the movie, with the noticeable absence of Winston Zeddemore.

File:Genesis Ghostbusters.png

In-game screenshot of Ghostbusters.

It takes place between Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and the Ghostbusters are down on their luck. Random calls begin to pour in from around the city, including the eventual reappearance of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (although dialogue indicates it is not the same one from the movie). After each case, a piece of a medallion is collected. The three Ghostbusters (Winston is missing here) are trying to put together the pieces of a stone tablet.

Ghostbusters (2007 game)

Main article: Ghostbusters (2007 game)

Ghostbusters III is a planned sequel to the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. During his interview with CISN Country[1], Dan Aykroyd announced that Ghostbusters III: Hellbent will be CGI. "I can do all the things I wanted to do for much, much less money," he stated. The plot involves the Ghostbusters traveling to hell. Aykroyd wrote the script.

Bill Murray has agreed to voice a character, reprising his role as wisecracking Peter Venkman from the first two films, and Harold Ramis is already attached. There have been rumors of a third Ghostbusters film for years. The idea of a "young Ghostbusters" film was circulated in the 90s with names like Will Smith and Ben Stiller tossed around. Hellbent, however, sounds more like an all-star, big budget version of The Real Ghostbusters animated series from the 1980s. Aykroyd and Ramis wrote and starred in the first two films. There's no word yet on a release date or whether this project will hit theaters or go straight to DVD.

Games and merchandise

The film spawned a theme park special effects show at Universal Studios Florida. (The show closed some time in 1997 to make way for Twister: Ride it Out!) The Ghostbusters were also featured in a lip-synching dance show featuring Beetlejuice on the steps of the New York Public Library facade at the park after the attraction closed. The GBs were all new and "extreme" versions in the show, save for the Zeddemore character. Their Ecto-1 automobile was used to drive them around the park, and was often used in the park's annual "Macy's Holiday Parade". The show, Ecto-1, and all other Ghostbuster trademarks were discontinued in 2005 when Universal failed to renew the rights for theme park use. Currently, the Ghostbuster Firehouse can still be seen near Twister, without its GB logo and "Engine 89" ribbon. A "paranormal investigator" etching on a nearby doorway hints at the old show.

NECA released a line of action figures based on the first movie but only produced a series of ghost characters, as Bill Murray refused the rights to use his facial likeness. Their first and only series included Gozer, Slimer (or Onionhead), the Terror Dogs, Vinz Clortho, and a massive Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, contrasting the diminutive figure that was in the original figure line. Ertl released a die-cast 1/25 scale Ectomobile, also known as Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters' main transportation. iBooks published the novel Ghostbusters: The Return by Sholly Fisch and Rubies' Costumes has produced a Ghostbusters Halloween costume, consisting of a one-piece jumpsuit with logos and an inflatable Proton Pack.

Ghostbusters (role-playing game), mention costumes, toys, action figures, 3d books, coloring books, etc.

Music

The first film sparked the catchphrases "Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" and "I ain't 'fraid of no ghost(s)." Both came from the hit theme song written and performed by Ray Parker, Jr. The song was a huge hit, staying #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and #1 for two weeks on the Black Singles chart. The song earned Parker an Academy Awards nomination for "Best Song."

The music video produced for the song is considered one of the key productions in the early music video era, and was a #1 MTV video. Directed by Ivan Reitman, and produced by Jeffrey Abelson, the video organically integrated footage of the film in a specially-designed, haunted house made entirely of neon for the music-video. The film footage was intercut with a humorous performance by Parker, and—in a first for a music-video—was further intercut with cameo appearances by various celebrities who joined in the call and response chorus, including Chevy Chase, Irene Cara, John Candy, Nickolas Ashford, Melissa Gilbert, Jeffrey Tambor, George Wendt, Al Franken, Danny DeVito, Carly Simon, Peter Falk and Teri Garr. The video ends with comical footage of the four Ghostbusters, in costume and character, dancing in Times Square behind Parker, joining in the singing.

Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker, Jr. for plagiarism, citing that Parker stole the melody from his 1983 song "I Want A New Drug". Ironically, Lewis was approached to compose the main theme song for the movie, but he declined due to his work on the soundtrack for Back to the Future. It was reported in 2001 that Lewis allegedly breached an agreement not to mention the original suit, doing so on VH1's Behind the Music [2]. Lindsey Buckingham was also approached to do the theme song based on his success with "Holiday Road" for the National Lampoon's Vacation films. He declined, reasoning that he did not want to be known as just a soundtrack artist.

Literary adaptations

Comics

Ghostbusters legion comic series

Novels

Ghostbusters: The Return was a novel written by long-time science fiction writer Sholly Fisch in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary. Set two years after Ghostbusters II, the novel revolves around Peter Venkman running for mayor of New York City and an ancient entity trying to conquer the world by bringing urban legends to life. The book looks to be re-released in the near future, retitled Ghostbusters: Urban Legends.

In the novel, it is five years after the events of Ghostbusters II. The group finds themselves once again neck-deep in ghosts and ghouls as some of the most unsettling urban legends-like the hook-handed killer in Lovers' Lane and The Vanishing Hitchhiker-all come to deadly life! But the worst is yet to come for Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore-and quite possibly the people of New York: the Ghostbusters' leader, Peter Venkman, has been chosen by an independent political party to be their candidate¨for Mayor! With the city reeling under a supernatural reign of terror, can the Ghostbusters stop the arrival of an ancient fear-demon in time to save Election Day-or should Venkman start looking for another job already?

Cultural impact

The building that was Dana Barretts apartment building in Ghostbusters has, since the release of the film, been known as the Ghostbusters Building. Ghostbusters has had many instances of popularity and parody in popular culture since the first movies release.

References

• Shay, Don (1985). Making Ghostbusters, New York: New York Zoetrope. ISBN 0918432685
• "IGN: Interview with J. Michael Straczynski (Part 2 of 4)". Retrieved 2007-02-06.

External links

• The Real Ghostbusters at the Killer List of Videogames
• The Real Ghostbusters at MobyGames