8 Jun: Who You Gonna Call?
‘Ghostbusters’ opened in US cinemas on 8th June, 1984, quickly becoming the highest-grossing comedy of all time.
The brainchild of SNL’s Dan Aykroyd – whose great-grandfather was a 19th-century psychic investigator – the film was pitched and delivered within 13 months. Drawing inspiration from 1930s ghost comedies, the wisecracking ensemble comedy smashed the Hollywood wisdom that big-budget comedies don’t recoup their investment.
In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca survey some original alternative titles for the film; revisit Akroyd’s unworkable first draft (set in the future, with intergalactic travel); and reveal why the production necessitated building a whole effects studio from scratch…
Further Reading:
• ‘Ghostbusters’ director Ivan Reitman on the making of the 1984 comedy: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/ghostbusters-director-ivan-reitman-making-911408/
• Ghostbusters at 30: EW looks back at the making of a comedy classic | Longform – EW.com: https://microsites.ew.com/microsite/longform/ghostbusters/
• ‘Ghostbusters Trailer’ (Columbia Pictures, 1984):