The Real Ghostbusters

                                                   

 

 

                                                      Play theme tune...

 

The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Entertainment and Coca-Cola. "The Real" was added to the title over a dispute with Filmation and its Ghost Busters properties. The series continues the adventures of paranormal investigators Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Dr. Ray Stantz, their secretary Janine Melnitz and their mascot ghost Slimer.

A short pilot episode was produced, but never aired in full. The full four minute promo was released on Time Life's DVD set in 2008. Scenes of the pilot can be seen in TV promos that aired prior to the beginning of the series. Among differences seen in the promo pilot, the Ghostbusters wore the beige jumpsuits they had worn in the film instead of the color coded jumpsuits they would wear in the finished series, and the character design for Peter Venkman bore more of a resemblance to actor Bill Murray than the character design seen in the finished series. When he auditioned for the voice of Egon Spengler, Maurice LaMarche, noted that while he was asked not to impersonate Harold Ramis, he did so anyway and eventually got the part. LaMarche also noted that Bill Murray complained that Lorenzo Music's voice of Peter Venkman sounded more like Garfield (who was also voiced by Lorenzo Music at the time). Ernie Hudson was the only actor from the films who auditioned to play his character in the series, however the role was given to Arsenio Hall.

At the same time The Real Ghostbusters was being created, Filmation was making a cartoon known simply as "Filmation's Ghostbusters", which was a revamp of Filmation's 1970s series The Ghost Busters. The character designs by Jim McDermott, were dramatically redesigned from the way the same characters looked in the movie.

Although the "Ghostbusters" concept was tinkered with, the finalized show does feature many tie-ins from the films. The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man made numerous appearances. During the third season, Walter Peck, the Environmental Protection Agency antagonist from the original film, reappeared. The uniforms and containment unit were redesigned, and Slimer was changed from a bad ghost to a resident, events which are explained in the episode "Citizen Ghost" that flashbacks to what happened to the Ghostbusters right after the movie's events. Gozer is also mentioned repeatedly throughout the series, usually in comparison to a ghost they are currently battling.

In the second season, some of the character designs were modified. Ray's character design was slimmed down to give the character a less overweight appearance and Slimer was given a tail instead of the formerly rounded bottom. The biggest change was to the character of Janine, whose hair was completely changed from being short and spiky to long and straight. Her overall design was softened, as was her personality. Her voice was also softened with Kath Soucie taking over the voice role from Laura Summer.

At the start of the series' third season in 1988, the series was retitled to Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters. The opening was completely redone to center around Slimer. Eventually the episodes were expanded from their original half-hour format to last an hour and the overall feel of the show was changed to be more youthful, with episodes having a lighter tone to be less frightening.[3] When Ghostbusters II was released, the character of Louis Tully was introduced to the show, with his voice provided by Rodger Bumpass, and later episodes referenced events from the film.

With the departure of writer J. Michael Straczynski, more changes were also made. Dave Coulier took over the role of voicing Peter from Lorenzo Music and Buster Jones replaced Arsenio Hall as the voice of Winston. The show was canceled in 1991, with Straczynski returned to the series to write a few of the episodes in the final season in 1990. The only voice actors to remain for the entire series were Frank Welker and Maurice LaMarche.

 

  Title Writer Original airdate
01 "Ghosts Я Us" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)
02 "Killerwatt" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 20, 1986 (1986-09-20)
03 "Mrs. Roger's Neighborhood" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 27, 1986 (1986-09-27)
04 "Slimer, Come Home" J. Michael Straczynski October 4, 1986 (1986-10-04)
05 "Troll Bridge" Bruce Reid Schaeffer October 11, 1986 (1986-10-11)
06 "The Boogieman Cometh" Michael Reaves October 18, 1986 (1986-10-18)
07 "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream" J. Michael Straczynski October 25, 1986 (1986-10-25)
08 "When Halloween Was Forever" J. Michael Straczynski November 1, 1986 (1986-11-01)
09 "Look Homeward, Ray" Marc Scott Zicree November 8, 1986 (1986-11-08)
010 "Take Two" J. Michael Straczynski November 15, 1986 (1986-11-15)
011 "Citizen Ghost" J. Michael Straczynski November 22, 1986 (1986-11-22)
012 "Janine's Genie" Len Janson, Chuck Menville December 6, 1986 (1986-12-06)
013 "Xmas Marks the Spot" J. Michael Straczynski December 13, 1986 (1986-12-13)

 

014 "Knock, Knock" J. Michael Straczynski
015 "Station Identification" Marc Scott Zicree
016 "Play Them Ragtime Boos" Michael Reaves, Steve Perry
017 "Sea Fright" Arthur Byron Cover, Lydia Marano
018 "The Spirit of Aunt Lois" Richard Mueller
019 "Cry Uncle" Bruce Reid Schaeffer
020 "Adventures in Slime and Space" David Gerrold
021 "Night Game" Kathryn M. Drennan
022 "Venkman's Ghost Repellers" Richard Mueller
023 "The Old College Spirit" John Shirley
024 "Ain't NASA-Sarily So" Craig Miller, Mark Nelson
025 "Who're You Calling Two-Dimensional?" J. Michael Straczynski
026 "A Fright at the Opera" Mark Edward Edens
027 "Doctor, Doctor" J. Michael Straczynski
028 "Ghost Busted" Michael Reaves
029 "Beneath These Streets" Richard Mueller, Daniel Pitlik
030 "Boo-Dunit" Dennys McCoy, Pamela Hickey
031 "Chicken, He Clucked" J. Michael Straczynski
032 "Ragnarok and Roll" J. Michael Straczynski
033 "Don't Forget the Motor City" Dennys McCoy, Pamela Hickey
034 "Banshee Bake a Cherry Pie?" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy
035 "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Ghost" Lydia Marano, Arthur Byron Cover
036 "Hanging By a Thread" William Rotsler, Richard Mueller
037 "You Can't Take It With You" Durnie King, Richard Mueller
038 "No One Comes to Lupusville" J. Michael Straczynski
039 "Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin" Linda Woolverton
040 "The Man Who Never Reached Home" Kathryn M. Drennan
041 "The Collect Call of Cathulhu" Michael Reaves
042 "Bustman's Holiday" Richard Mueller
043 "The Headless Motorcyclist" Randy Lofficier
044 "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" J. Michael Straczynski
045 "Egon on the Rampage" Marc Scott Zicree
046 "Lights! Camera! Haunting!" Marc Scott Zicree
047 "The Bird of Kildarby" Craig Miller, Mark Nelson
048 "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster" Michael Reaves
049 "Apocalypse—What, Now?" Mark Edward Edens, Michael Edens
050 "Lost and Foundry" Mark Edward Edens
051 "Hard Knight's Day" Steve Perrin, Bruce Reid Schaeffer
052 "Cold Cash and Hot Water" Richard Mueller
053 "The Scaring of the Green" Michael Edens, Mark Edward Edens
054 "They Call me MISTER Slimer" J. Michael Straczynski
055 "Last Train to Oblivion" Michael Edens, Mark Edward Edens
056 "Masquerade" Mark Nelson, Craig Miller
057 "Janine's Day Off" Michael Reaves, Steve Perry
058 "The Ghostbusters in Paris" Randy Lofficier
059 "The Devil in the Deep" J. M. DeMatteis
060 "Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral" Mark Edward Edens
061 "Ghostbuster of the Year" Mark Edward Edens
062 "Deadcon I" Mark Edward Edens, Michael Edens
063 "The Cabinet of Calamari" Michael Edens, Mark Edward Edens
064 "A Ghost Grows in Brooklyn" Michael Edens, Mark Edward Edens
065 "The Revenge of Murray the Mantis" Richard Mueller
066 "Rollerghoster" Richard Mueller
067 "I Am the City" Richard Mueller
068 "Moaning Stone" Steven Barnes
069 "The Long, Long, Long, Etc. Goodbye" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy
070 "Buster the Ghost" Robert Loren Fleming, Keith Giffen
071 "The Devil to Pay" Dennys McCoy, Pamela Hickey
072 "Slimer, Is That You?" J. Michael Straczynski
073 "Egon's Ghost" Michael Reaves
074 "Captain Steel Saves the Day" Michael Reaves, Steve Perry
075 "Victor the Happy Ghost" Michael Reaves
076 "Egon's Dragon" Kathryn M. Drennan
077 "Dairy Farm" Larry DiTillio
078 "The Hole in the Wall Gang" David Gerrold

 

# Title Writer Original airdate
079 "Baby Spookums" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 12, 1987 (1987-09-12)
080 "It's a Jungle Out There" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 19, 1987 (1987-09-19)
081 "The Bogeyman Is Back" Michael Reaves October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)
082 "Once Upon a Slime" Len Janson, Chuck Menville October 10, 1987 (1987-10-10)
083 "The Two Faces of Slimer" Michael Reaves October 17, 1987 (1987-10-17)
084 "Sticky Business" Richard Mueller October 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)
085 "Halloween II 1/2" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)
086 "Loathe Thy Neighbor" Michael Reaves November 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)
087 "Big Trouble With Little Slimer" Len Janson, Chuck Menville November 21, 1987 (1987-11-21)
088 "The Copycat" Michael Reaves December 5, 1987 (1987-12-05)
089 "Camping It Up" Michael Reaves December 12, 1987 (1987-12-12)
090 "The Grundel" J. Michael Straczynski November 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)
091 "Transylvanian Homesick Blues" Michael Reaves December 11, 1987 (1987-12-11)

 

# Title Writer Original airdate
092 "Flip Side" Tony Marino September 17, 1988 (1988-09-17)
093 "Poultrygeist" Duane Capizzi, Steven Roberts September 24, 1988 (1988-09-24)
094 "The Joke's on Ray" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 10, 1988 (1988-09-10)
095 "Standing Room Only" Richard Mueller October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08)
096 "Robo-Buster" Francis Moss October 15, 1988 (1988-10-15)
097 "Short Stuff" Richard Mueller October 22, 1988 (1988-10-22)
098 "Follow That Hearse" Len Janson, Chuck Menville November 12, 1988 (1988-11-12)
099 "The Brooklyn Triangle" Richard Mueller November 19, 1988 (1988-11-19)

 

# Title Writer Original airdate
100 "Something's Going Around" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 9, 1989 (1989-09-09)
101 "Three Men and an Egon" Joe S. Landon September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)
102 "Elementary My Dear Winston" Richard Mueller September 23, 1989 (1989-09-23)
103 "If I Were a Witch Man" Charles Kaufman September 30, 1989 (1989-09-30)
104 "Partners in Slime" Richard Mueller October 7, 1989 (1989-10-07)
105 "Future Tense" Richard Mueller October 14, 1989 (1989-10-14)
106 "Jailbusters" Len Janson, Chuck Menville October 21, 1989 (1989-10-21)
107 "Live! from Al Capone's Tomb!" J. Michael Straczynski October 28, 1989 (1989-10-28)
108A "Trading Faces" Len Janson, Chuck Menville November 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)
108B "Transcendental Tourists" Len Janson, Chuck Menville November 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)
109A "Surely You Joust" Tony Marino November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)
109B "Kitty-Cornered" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy November 25, 1989 (1989-11-25)
110A "Slimer's Curse" Richard Mueller December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)
110B "Til Death Do Us Part" Pat Allee, Ben Hurst December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)
111A "It's About Time" Len Janson, Chuck Menville December 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)
111B "The Ransom of Greenspud" Stan Phillips December 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)
112A "Revenge of the Ghostmaster" Richard Mueller December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16)
112B "Loose Screws" Pat Allee, Ben Hurst December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16)
113A "Venk-Man!" Richard Mueller November 11, 1989 (1989-11-11)
113B "Slimer Streak" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy December 23, 1989 (1989-12-23)
114 "The Halloween Door" J. Michael Straczynski October 29, 1989 (1989-10-29)

 

  Title Writer Original airdate
115 "Russian About" J. Michael Straczynski October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)
116 "The Haunting of Heck House" J. Michael Straczynski September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
117 "You Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks" Larry DiTillio September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
118 "Janine, You've Changed" J. Michael Straczynski September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08)
119 "Mean Green Teen Machine" Jules Dennis October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
120 "Spacebusters" Len Janson, Chuck Menville October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
121 "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" Jules Dennis November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24)
122 "Very Beast Friends" Gordon Bressack December 8, 1990 (1990-12-08)
123 "Ghostworld" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
124 "Afterlife in the Fast Lane" Tony Marino November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)
125 "The Slob" Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)
126 "Busters in Toyland" Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley December 15, 1990 (1990-12-15)
127 "My Left Fang" Sean Roche October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
128 "Stay Tooned" Len Janson, Chuck Menville December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)
129 "The Magnificent Five" Sean Roche December 22, 1990 (1990-12-22)
130 "Deja Boo Chuck Menville
Richard Mueller
 November 10, 1990 (1990-11-10)

 

# Title Writer Original airdate
131 "The Treasure of Sierra Tamale" Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)
132 "Not Now, Slimer!" Len Janson, Chuck Menville September 21, 1991 (1991-09-21)
133 "Attack of the B-Movie Monsters" Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller September 28, 1991 (1991-09-28)
134 "20,000 Leagues Under the Street" Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller October 5, 1991 (1991-10-05)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                          Copyright(C) 2007 - 2020. All rights reserved

 

 

Genre Animated Series, Mystery, Comedy
Created by Dan Aykroyd
Harold Ramis
Voices of Lorenzo Music
Maurice LaMarche
Frank Welker
Arsenio Hall
Dave Coulier
Buster Jones
Laura Summer
Kath Soucie
Narrated by  
Counrty of origin United States
No. of episodes 147
Running Time) 30 mins
Original Run September 13, 1986 – October 22, 1991
Language English

 

 

back