The Ghost Busters | |
---|---|
Created by | Marc Richards |
Starring | Forrest Tucker Larry Storch Bob Burns |
Theme music composer | Diane Hildebrand Jackie Mills |
Opening theme | "Ghost-Busters" Theme (sung by Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch) |
Ending theme | "Ghost-Busters" Theme (instrumental) |
Composers | Yvette Blais Jeff Michael |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer Dick Rosenbloom |
Producer | Norman Abbott |
Production location | United States |
Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
Production company | Filmation |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | September 6 – December 13, 1975 |
Related | |
Ghostbusters (1986 TV series) |
The Ghost Busters is a live-action children's sitcom that ran on CBS in 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who investigate ghostly occurrences. Fifteen episodes were produced. [1] The show reunited Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch in roles similar to their characters in F Troop . [2]
The series is unrelated to the 1984 film Ghostbusters (although Columbia Pictures did pay Filmation a significant fee for a license to use the name). Like the film, the series spawned its own animated sequel in 1986. [3]
The series utilizes slapstick, with scenes centered on the perpetual bumbling of the characters, good and evil alike. [4] The series also makes references to classic cinema; the names "Spencer" and "Tracy" were taken from the actor Spencer Tracy, while the name Kong – not given to the gorilla – was an homage to King Kong.[ citation needed ]
Spencer, Tracy, and Kong, bumbling paranormal detectives, billed themselves as "The Ghost Busters." Kong (Tucker) was the leader of the trio with Spencer (Storch) as his partner, and Tracy (a gorilla, played by Burns) as their assistant who also drove their barely-functional jalopy. Their headquarters was situated in a run down office building in an unspecified city. Outside of normal office equipment, plus a large armoire on which Tracy hung numerous hats including his trademark beanie with a propeller, the office itself was also dilapidated, with peeling wallpaper and a pay phone near the door as the Ghost Busters' only means of communicating with prospective clients.
Spencer's name on the office door was misspelled "Spenser." His first name was given as Eddie in the second episode, "Dr. Whatsisname." Kong's first name was never mentioned in the original series.
Each episode consisted of the same formula: in the pre-credits teaser, a ghost or monster (usually accompanied by a half-witted sidekick), would manifest and vow to wreak havoc or vengeance on a particular person, the city, or even the world. After the credits, Kong would send Tracy and Spencer to a general store to get their next assignment from the unseen "Zero" (Scheimer). The tape-recorded message was usually hidden inside an everyday object such as a bicycle, typewriter, or toy. In a parodic homage to Mission: Impossible , the recording would end with Zero saying, "This message will self-destruct in five seconds"; after Tracy counted down the seconds, the message (and often the item in which it was hidden) would explode in Tracy's face.
The Ghost Busters' assignments would invariably take them to the same place, a spooky castle with an adjoining graveyard on the city's outskirts (Kong would point out that the castle was the only one in or near the city), and after a series of farcical chases, the ghouls would be cornered and dispatched back to the netherworld by a "Ghost De-Materializer", usually activated by Kong as he triumphantly shouted "Zap!"
The show frequently made use of ghostly characters and other characters from popular and literary culture, as well as real-life historical figures. These included:
In an interview conducted with Bob Burns III in 2007, he revealed that all 15 episodes were taped in a span of 9 weeks, every other day. Burns also revealed that the show did well enough in the ratings to warrant a second season, coming in at number two behind The Shazam!/ISIS Hour , but Filmation decided instead to put more money into its number-one program, thus canceling the show after one season. [5] Though the series ended, reruns were broadcast for some time afterward.
In 1986, after the success of the Columbia Ghostbusters film, the show was revived in animated format with Kong and Spencer's sons, Jake and Eddie Jr., inheriting their fathers' business (and Tracy the Gorilla) in Ghostbusters . [6]
BCI Eclipse LLC (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment label) (under license from Entertainment Rights PLC) released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 on April 17, 2007. [7] This 2-Disc DVD boxset contains all 15 episodes from the original 1975 live-action series, uncut, re-mastered and transferred from the original broadcast videotapes, and presented in their original production order. It also contains extensive special features including interviews, photo galleries, rare footage and trailers from BCI's Ink & Paint brand. In addition, unlike many of BCI Ink & Paint's other Filmation releases, this DVD set appears to have been sourced from the original NTSC videotapes (the show having been recorded on tape rather than shot on film).
Prior to this, there were at least three VHS tapes released by Continental Video during the 1980s. These are now extremely hard to find. The show was billed as The Original Ghostbusters. [8] [9]
Australia received the complete series on DVD in a two-disc set on July 11, 2016.
As of 2009, this release has been discontinued and is out of print as BCI Eclipse has ceased operations. [10]
Mill Creek Entertainment announced the re-release of the series on DVD.
Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | PC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Maltese Monkey" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | September 6, 1975 | TBA |
The Ghost Busters must stop the Fat Man and the Rabbit from summoning the ghost of gangster Big Al Caesar, who will help them steal the stuff dreams are made of: the Maltese Monkey. Guest stars: Billy Barty, Johnny Brown | |||||
2 | "Dr. Whatshisname" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | September 13, 1975 | TBA |
Dr. Frankenstein returns, seeking the brain of the world's most gullible fool to transplant into his Monster. Enter Eddie Spencer. Guest stars: Bernie Kopell, William Engesser | |||||
3 | "The Canterville Ghost" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | September 20, 1975 | TBA |
The Ghostbusters' assignment is to rid a haunted mansion of the cowardly ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville. They are unaware that master criminal "Mr. C" is after the priceless Canterville diamond worn by Sir Simon. Guest stars: Ted Knight, Kathy Garver, Len Lesser | |||||
4 | "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | September 27, 1975 | TBA |
Hoping to remove the curse of the werewolf from hapless Harry Albert, Gypsy fortuneteller Sophia comes seeking to steal the Baldus Lupus amulet that Spencer recently unearthed. Guest stars: Lennie Weinrib, Dodo Denney | |||||
5 | "The Flying Dutchman" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | October 4, 1975 | TBA |
The ghostly captain and his sidekick from the Flying Dutchman take up residence in the castle, looking for new crewmen for their ship. And what "empty-headed scalawag" might fill the bill? Guest stars: Stanley Adams, Phil Bruns | |||||
6 | "The Dummy's Revenge" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | October 11, 1975 | TBA |
The Phantom of Vaudeville and his ventriloquist's dummy Elmo return from the Great Beyond to settle a score with Slappy, Maxie, and Nijinsky, three vaudevillians who wronged them in the past (one of them wore an ape suit). Guess which trio gets mistaken for the three troublemakers. Guest stars: Tim Herbert, Brian Berlin | |||||
7 | "A Worthless Gauze" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | October 18, 1975 | #83007 |
The Ghost Busters become embroiled with Egyptian Queen Forah and her mummy as they search for the ape-sorcerer Simios, who in turn can bring them to Spen-Zah, possessor of the secret of immortality. Guest stars: Barbara Rhoades, Richard Balin | |||||
8 | "Which Witch Is Which?" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | October 25, 1975 | #83008 |
The ghost of a witch reappears to get revenge against the descendant of Edward Spencer, the spell-dissolver in old Salem who brought ruin to witches. Matters become complicated when the ugly witch transforms herself into a seductive beauty who might lure the Ghost Busting Spencer to his doom. Guest stars: Huntz Hall, Ann Morgan Guilbert, Leigh Christian | |||||
9 | "They Went Thataway" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | November 1, 1975 | TBA |
Those ghost riders in the sky are the spirits of Billy the Kid and Belle Starr, back to round up a new gang of cattle rustlers. The Ghost Busters disguise themselves as cowboys to get the Dematerializer drop on 'em. Guest stars: Marty Ingels, Brooke Tucker | |||||
10 | "The Vampire's Apprentice" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | November 8, 1975 | TBA |
The Ghost Busters may get the bite put on them when Count and Countess Dracula return from the Great Beyond in search of a warm-blooded donor. Guest stars: Dena Dietrich, Billy Holms | |||||
11 | "Jekyll & Hyde: Together, for the First Time!" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | November 15, 1975 | #83011 |
The ghost of Dr. Jekyll appears, and is bedeviled by his bumbling alter ego Mr. Hyde. But if he can find a dolt with no personality at all, he can neutralize the effects of the personality-splitting formula and rid himself of Hyde forever. Guest stars: Joe E. Ross, Severn Darden | |||||
12 | "Only Ghosts Have Wings" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | November 22, 1975 | #83012 |
The ghosts of the Red Baron and his mechanic Sparky return to repair their plane, the Spirit of Icarus, so that they can once more engage their enemies: Lord Smedly Hargroves and his grease monkey, Tracy Holmes-Harrington, who bear a striking resemblance to two of the Ghost Busters. Guest stars: Howard Morris, Robert Easton | |||||
13 | "The Vikings Have Landed" | L.A. Peerce | Marc Richards | November 29, 1975 | TBA |
The ghosts of Erik the Red and Brunhilda return to plant a Viking banner and establish their claim to having discovered America prior to the loathsome Lothar the Hun. Guest stars: Jim Backus, Lisa Todd | |||||
14 | "Merlin the Magician" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | December 6, 1975 | TBA |
Merlin and his jester Gronk are pursued from the Great Beyond by their nemesis Morgan le Fay, who intends to trap them in this era. The Ghost Busters befriend and assist the broken-down magician in his battle with the sorceress. Guest stars: Ina Balin, Huntz Hall, Carl Ballantine | |||||
15 | "The Abominable Snowman" | Norman Abbott | Marc Richards | December 13, 1975 | TBA |
Spencer stumbles onto the scene when Dr. Centigrade is searching for a warm-blooded heart to transplant into the Abominable Snowman. The final episode of the series. Guest stars: Ronny Graham, Richard Balin |
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and principal producers were Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line Masters of the Universe. The show was one of the most popular animated shows of the 1980s.
She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated series produced in 1985 by Filmation. A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was ended in 1987, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film Ghostbusters. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DIC Enterprises, and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications.
The Brady Kids is an American animated television series and a spin-off based on the ABC live-action sitcom The Brady Bunch, produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television. It aired on ABC from September 9, 1972, to October 6, 1973, and also spun off another Filmation series, Mission: Magic!, starring Rick Springfield.
Groovie Goolies is an American animated television show that had its original run Saturday mornings on CBS between 1970 and 1972. It was rebroadcast the following season on Sunday mornings. Set at a decrepit castle, the show focused on its monstrous but good-natured and mostly friendly inhabitants. Created by Filmation, Groovie Goolies was an original creation of the studio; its characters would cross over with Filmation's Archie Comics adaptations including Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Archie Show, as well as with the Looney Tunes cast.
Defenders of the Earth is an American animated television series produced in 1986, featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's assistant Lothar—opposing Ming the Merciless in the year 2015. Supporting characters include their children Rick Gordon, L.J., Kshin, and Jedda Walker.
BraveStarr is an American Space Western animated series that aired 65 episodes from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. The show was created a year after Mattel had released a line of action figures. BraveStarr was the last animated series produced by Filmation and Group W Productions before Filmation shut down in 1989. Reruns of the show aired on Qubo Night Owl from 2010 to 2013, and on the Retro Television Network from 2010 to 2015.
Louis Scheimer was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons.
Space Sentinels is a Saturday morning animated series produced by Filmation which debuted on the American NBC network on September 10, 1977, and ran for thirteen half-hour episodes. The science fiction action series follows a superhero team during missions to protect the Earth.
Space Academy is an American science fiction television series produced by Filmation that originally aired Saturday mornings on the CBS television network, from September 10 to December 17, 1977. A total of 15 half-hour episodes were made.
Ark II is an American live-action science fiction television series, aimed at children, that aired on CBS from September 11 to December 18, 1976, as part of its weekend line-up. Only 15 half-hour episodes were produced. The program's central characters were created by Martin Roth; Ted Post helped Roth develop its core format.
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, also known as The Adventures of Flash Gordon, is a 1979–1982 animated television series. The series is actually called Flash Gordon but the expanded title is used in official records to distinguish it from previous versions. Filmation produced the series in 1979, partly as a reaction to the mammoth success of Star Wars in 1977. The series was an homage to the original Flash Gordon comic strip and featured many of the original characters, including Flash's girlfriend Dale Arden, and the scientist Hans Zarkov. The series is still regarded as one of the most faithful adaptations, and one of Filmation's finest overall efforts.
Fraidy Cat is a 1975 comical children's cartoon show that originally appeared as a segment on Filmation's short-lived ABC series Uncle Croc's Block. 18 episodes were commissioned and planned for inclusion on Uncle Croc's Block; 12 were ultimately made. The remaining six were scrapped due to the show getting removed from Uncle Croc's Block when the latter was shortened to a half hour. Episodes would be aired in short 6-7 minute story formats.
Hero High was a 1981–1982 cartoon and live action series created by Filmation that aired as part of NBC's The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! It was about a high school where young superheroes were taught how to use their powers and fight crime. Originally intended to be a new entry in Filmation's long-running line of Archie cartoon series, the 1981 series was altered at the last minute because the company's rights to the Archie characters had expired and new characters had to be created.
The Freedom Force is a 1978 animated television series produced by Filmation and aired on CBS as a segment of Tarzan and the Super 7. It showcased a superhero team gathered from around the world by the heroine Isis to help fight evil. While the heroine had previously appeared in the live-action television series The Secrets of Isis, actress Joanna Cameron did not reprise her role for the animated series.
Andy Mangels is an American science fiction author who has written novels, comic books, and magazine articles, and produced DVD collections, mostly focusing on media in popular culture. As an openly gay man, he has been a longtime advocate for greater visibility of gay and lesbian characters in various media, especially comics, including the coordination and moderation of the annual "Gays in Comics" panel for Comic Con International since it was begun in 1988. He is the founder of an annual "Women of Wonder Day" event, which raised over $136,000 in funds for domestic violence shelters and related programs during its seven-year run. As of 2011 he has had three books on the USA Today "best-selling books" list.
Iron King is a tokusatsu superhero TV series about a giant cyborg. The series was produced by Nippon Gendai and Senkosha, and aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 8, 1972, to April 8, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes.
Ghostbusters is a 1986 American animated television series created by Filmation and distributed by Tribune Entertainment, serving as the sequel to Filmation's 1975 live-action television show The Ghost Busters.
Bob Burns is an American actor, consultant, producer, archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other paraphernalia from science fiction, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is best known for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from horror and science-fiction movies. He has also had numerous smaller acting roles in movies, including Tracy the Gorilla in the 1975 television show The Ghost Busters.