The Real Ghostbusters!

[firstjump]

Does anyone remember The Real Ghostbusters? It used to be my favorite cartoon, and then it completely slipped off of my radar. A few weeks ago I found out that it's been released for the first time on DVD! Season 1 just came out and I picked it up the other day.

It's awesome! The episodes all have introductions by random cast/crew who give a bit of behind the scenes info about the show. There are also some commentaries, a "making of"documentary, and a lot of other cool stuff.

Can't wait for volume 2!

 

[Trekker4747]

Pfft.

I have this:

LINK

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I found this the other day and have been watching it. Man, it's bringing back memories! Plus, I was unaware that J. Michael Strazynski (or whatever) was a writer on it.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

One of my favourite 80s cartoons. Loved the show, as did all my friends.

Plus, I was unaware that J. Michael Strazynski (or whatever) was a writer on it.

He also wrote for another favourite 80s cartoon, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I've got a bootleg box set of the show (plus the entire run of Extreme Ghostbusters, which was thrown in for free) and the first volume of the series when it was finally released on legitimate DVD earlier this year.

Columbia House actually has the entire show available in a really cool-looking box set, but I haven't felt like dropping a hundred and seventy on that.

 

[Christopher]

Plus, I was unaware that J. Michael Strazynski (or whatever) was a writer on it.

Not just a writer, but the story editor (which in animation terms means the showrunner) for its first couple of seasons. He was responsible for raising the bar with the show, proving that daytime TV animation could be more intelligent and sophisticated than it had ever been allowed to get in the past, and thus paving the way for shows like Batman: TAS and Gargoyles later on. He also managed to corral accomplished SF/fantasy writers like David Gerrold, Michael Reaves, Marc Scott Zicree, John Shirley, and Steven Barnes.

 

[Warp Coil]

I was a big Ghostbusters fan as a kid (I dressed up as one for Halloween one year), so naturally I watched the cartoon series. I remember loving it for at least the first few seasons, but I think they changed some things later on and I didn't like it as much. IIRC, there was also some sort of Slimer-centric cartoon that eventually aired on Saturday mornings along with The Real Ghostbusters... and I hated that.

Would be curious to re-watch the series, but with most kids cartoons from the 80s, I fear that I would just get embarrassed. I've watched other shows that I loved as a kid, and I just think "why the hell did I like this?!"

 

[Christopher]

I was a big Ghostbusters fan as a kid (I dressed up as one for Halloween one year), so naturally I watched the cartoon series. I remember loving it for at least the first few seasons, but I think they changed some things later on and I didn't like it as much. IIRC, there was also some sort of Slimer-centric cartoon that eventually aired on Saturday mornings along with The Real Ghostbusters... and I hated that.

Yeah... like I said, JMS did a lot to make the show smarter and more sophisticated than the norm for US TV animation at the time, but the network execs and advertisers were still locked in to their prejudices about animation having to be for kids. The show had the most freedom and intelligence in its syndicated season, but unfortunately, after that first year, it was only broadcast on ABC Saturday mornings, and fell increasingly victim to executive meddling, which got even worse when JMS left the show. It was actually retitled Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters (sic), pairing RGB episodes with a more overtly cartoony series of Slimer cartoons aimed at young children.


Would be curious to re-watch the series, but with most kids cartoons from the 80s, I fear that I would just get embarrassed. I've watched other shows that I loved as a kid, and I just think "why the hell did I like this?!"[/QUOTE]

 

[Jadzia]

I remember the cartoon, as typical CITV fare. I also remember there was another short lived ghostbusters cartoon brought out earlier in the year that wasn't based on the film.

I actually preferred the earlier cartoon, with good old 'Prime Evil', and it had an awesome sound track too

The show is also known as The Original Ghost Busters because when Columbia Pictures released the film Ghostbusters in 1984 it neglected the fact that Filmation had already produced a live-action comedy series with that same name in 1975. Filmation sued Columbia in 1985, and as part of the out-of-court settlement the cartoon based on the Columbia Pictures property could not simply be called Ghostbusters. Columbia proceeded to name their cartoon show The Real Ghostbusters to directly distinguish it from the Filmation show.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

^I'm ashamed to say it, but back in the day, I was more a fan of the "fake" Ghostbusters than The Real Ghostbusters (which were actually on at competing timeslots in Arizona for a time; Ghostbusters on channel 45 & The Real Ghostbusters on FOX15). Still, I collected more toys from The Real Ghostbusters because those were easier to find. I used to have a bunch of the action figures but the favorite in our neighborhood was playing with the "full size" (for kids anyway) equipment. My best friend Kyle & I would always fight over who got to be Egon.

Actually, I was thinking about a particular episode of The Real Ghostbusters recently. It had one of the biggest "oh shit" cliffhangers of all time, where someone broke into the firehouse and released all of the ghosts from the containment facility. At the end of the episode, Ray summarized their totaly screwed plight, "Well, the firehouse is gone, Ecto-1 has been destroyed, we're out of ghost traps, and we only have a couple more hours left on our proton packs." Did that cliffhanger ever get resolved? I don't recall ever seeing the conclusion.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I still could never get the hang of the one with the gorilla.

 

[Christopher]

The show is also known as The Original Ghost Busters because when Columbia Pictures released the film Ghostbusters in 1984 it neglected the fact that Filmation had already produced a live-action comedy series with that same name in 1975. Filmation sued Columbia in 1985, and as part of the out-of-court settlement the cartoon based on the Columbia Pictures property could not simply be called Ghostbusters. Columbia proceeded to name their cartoon show The Real Ghostbusters to directly distinguish it from the Filmation show.

Actually, the way I recall it is that Columbia sued Filmation for the right to use the name. Wikipedia's page for the film says:

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. 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. The later Filmation cartoon series had the unofficial name of Filmation's Ghostbusters.

 

[Vanyel]

I grew up with The Ghost Busters, the Ghost Dematerialized seemed a lot easier to handle than Proton Packs, and there was need for a containment unit.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I have it on DVD.

I friggin loved it as a kid. Watching it again brings back memories.

 

[Ethros]

Does anyone remember The Real Ghostbusters? It used to be my favorite cartoon, and then it completely slipped off of my radar. A few weeks ago I found out that it's been released for the first time on DVD! Season 1 just came out and I picked it up the other day.

Are you referring to the Region 2 release? As I know the Season 1 set came out the other week.
I may have to invest in it at some point

 

[Chekov's Phaser]

As a Kid, I liked both RGB and Filmation's The Ghost Busters. I still have the lunch pail of the latter. I'm pretty sure I had both sets of toys, but come on, there's no question, RGB were the Real Ghostbusters.

I grew up with The Ghost Busters, the Ghost Dematerialized seemed a lot easier to handle than Proton Packs, and there was need for a containment unit.

Wow! I had no idea that was a live action show. I remember watching the Filmation cartoon, but I didn't know it was based on something else. Interesting...

 

[Christopher]

Both The Ghost Busters and its animated sequel are available on DVD. I've seen the trailer for the live-action show on another Filmation DVD. It was pretty cheap-looking, shot on videotape with fake-looking sets and dreadful effects.

 

[Vanyel]

Both The Ghost Busters and its animated sequel are available on DVD. I've seen the trailer for the live-action show on another Filmation DVD. It was pretty cheap-looking, shot on videotape with fake-looking sets and dreadful effects.

Yes, but when I was 6 years old it was the coolest show around.

 

[Chekov's Phaser]

Both The Ghost Busters and its animated sequel are available on DVD. I've seen the trailer for the live-action show on another Filmation DVD. It was pretty cheap-looking, shot on videotape with fake-looking sets and dreadful effects.

WOW! Fake and cheap-looking is an understatement. Learn something new everyday though...

 

[Holoaddict]

Both The Ghost Busters and its animated sequel are available on DVD. I've seen the trailer for the live-action show on another Filmation DVD. It was pretty cheap-looking, shot on videotape with fake-looking sets and dreadful effects.

I own both volumes of the cartoon. The first set includes the first ep of the live action series. After viewing that ep I decided the live action series was... not for me.