Who You Gonna Call?

About this episode

This episode explores the making of the iconic film 'Ghostbusters' and its impact on comedy.

‘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): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hDkhw5Wkas Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB…

People in this episode

Hosts: Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina, Arion McNicoll

Topics covered

• Ghostbusters
• film history
• comedy
• production
• 1980s cinema

Keywords

• Ghostbusters
• Dan Aykroyd
• Ivan Reitman
• 1984
• comedy classic
• film production
• SNL

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SNL

Books & works: Ghostbusters

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