ROCKS 16C: The Real Gostbusters

WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE THIRD AND FINAL DISCUSSION IN THE SIXTEENTH STRAND OF "R.O.C.K.S." - REWATCHING OLD CLASSIC KIDS SHOWS! A big thanks to everyone that are joining us through all of this.
We're covering another 80s classic the next few weeks, "The Real Ghostbusters".

This week's episodes, picked jointly by myself, Mark M and Wilycub:

- Captain Steel Saves The Day
- No One Comes To Lupusville
- The Collect Call of Cthulhu
- The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that, whilst fans are obviously welcome to passionately discuss and give their views on these episodes, please remember to keep things on a friendly footing and respect your fellow posters.
Also, please do not post where or how to find the full episode online. And do not post asking others to PM it to you. You are however allowed to watch the show in whatever manner you want.

Some of my absolute favourite Ghostbusters episodes.

Captain Steel Saves The Day.
This was my first time seeing this episode and I really enjoyed it.
The concept story is a little strange.
Captain Steel has a pretty cool design. He has a look and elements in his design and personality of Superman, Captain Marvel and the X-Men.
Dr Destructo look and personality is like Dr Sivana and Lex Luthor when he wore that power suit.


No One Comes To Lupusville.
This is my favourite Ghostbusters episode and one of my favourite episodes of all cartoons.
It is just so brilliant. Vampires versus werewolves.
We get to see Ray's intelligence and quick thinking setting the proton packs to emulate the sun spectrum. He is also the one who realises lupus is Latin for wolf.
So many great scenes.
The opening with Gregor and Janine then disappearing then the rain and lightning when his name is spoken.
The scene where Gregor asks Egon if he finds the mirror interesting.
When the man asks if there is a full moon then later tells Gregor there was a reason they also wanted to live in the isolated town...then the transformation.
Love this episode, I must have watched it hundreds of times over the years.
When I seen the proper version on DVD I realised ITV in the UK edited the version they broadcast that I recorded quite a bit. They edited out the whole scene with the rival vampire in the graveyard and the full scene with Gregor organising his attack and Ray shooting the vampires. It only showed Ray and Peter walking with the other vampires and Peter saying he doubted they would let them leave even if they did win then they weren't seen until the scene with Ray being thrown to the floor which seemed a bit out of place.
I also had the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman toy which was great for rein acting this episode.


The Collect Call To Cthullhu.
I really liked this episode.
The Cthulhu monster looks pretty cool. It and some of the sewer monsters remind me of Tendril from Inhumanoids.

One of the more interesting aspects of this episode is that the Ghostbusters are facing human villains in the form of the cult.
The Scooby Doo style unmasking at the end was also quite good.
I am not too familiar with the works of H.P. Lovecraft although I do know of him.
When I first read the title of this episode I watched it as it reminded me of the name of an instrumental song by Metallica ''The Call Of Ktulu.
The song is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's most well-known story, the Call of Cthulhu as Metallica's bass layer Cliff Burton was a fan of his work and introduced the rest of the band to his work.
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The Thing In Mrs Faversham's Attic.
I love this episode. I only seen this once growing up but I always remembered it and I was really happy watching it again around 2011 when I got the DVD.
This is a great story that could have worked really well as a movie as it's a proper haunted house story.
Especially the theme of the ghost and noises coming from the attic. To a child going to the attic/cellar can seem a bit like a scary place.
The ghost in the attic with the coat on the coat rack looked pretty creepy. I recall not long after seeing this episode going on holiday to England for the first time and seeing someone who resembled the ghost on the boat which I found quite odd. It was a really enjoyable holiday though. :D
I like how in this episode we get to see Peter is a caring person and not always selfish and thinking about money, women and fame.

Captain Steel Saves The Day
This was the first episode I ever recorded on tape as a kid.
Btw, Mark, this is Ghostbusters, so by definition all the stories are going to be a little strange! But the idea of comic book characters coming to life works well in this concept. And, like anything else, it's right that the same thing that caused the problem is used to solve it - when artist Len Wolfman draws them a gadget and Captain Steel gets it off the page for them to use, that's fair enough as it was him and his nemesis escaping the pages that caused it.
Captain Steel himself is clearly a Superman take-off - even down to his secret identity of "Kurt Clint"! Dr Destructo's voice was provided by Peter Cullen according to Wikipedia, and that sounds about right. So they did get the odd guest in to voice a villain.

No On Comes To Lupusville
Another one I remember recording as a kid. Although the version I recorded was missing a few scenes, firstly the bit at the start where Janine and Slimer were playing cards, which is fair enough, but also the bit where Ray and Peter learn about Gregor and his cronies being vampires too before we cut back to Egon and Winston. That omission was a little more confusing as a kid, because I saw Egon & Winston waking up without Ray and Peter and no explanation of where they were - it was only a year or two later when I saw the uncut version that it all made sense. I liked the stalemate ending, with vampires and werewolves biting each other to the point where neither side would ever win, and then the Ghostbusters having their moment of action when they sealed off the village by doing a Force Ten From Navarone and blowing the dam. (Force Ten From Navarone is the sequel to The Guns Of Navarone, a great book but a lousy film - Force Ten that is, because both the book and film of The Guns Of Navarone are excellent!) As to the voice of Gregor - I'm wondering now if it might have been Hal Rayle. Favourite line in this episode? Lita: "Turnip?" Egon: "Yes, it is."

The Collect Call Of Cthulhu
This is the only one I hadn't seen before, and yes, the unmasking at the end was very reminiscent of Scooby Doo. We also get to see the workings of Peter's mind in glorious technicolor here when they fly to collect the woman who can help them, he's expecting some old biddy, but when she turns out to be young and good-looking, his entire attitude changes - and of course at the end when she agrees to a date with him but her tastes then demonstrate she'd have had a better time with Eoon…

The Thing In Mrs Faversham's Attic
Another one I recorded as a kid. I'd forgotten about Slimer playing the part of Charles Faversham, and indeed what the origins of the ghost were, but I do remember it making use of things in the attic to give itself physical forms, and turning out to be a big purple thing with more eyes than a peacock's tail. Also, yes, Peter has a softer side, motivated by guilt about not being there for his late mother, but still, it's there. (Actually I went and watched the episode with his dad after that - Lorenzo Music providing both voices, it was a hoot.)

"LiamABC, post: 125072, member: 25438" said:

Actually I went and watched the episode with his dad after that - Lorenzo Music providing both voices, it was a hoot.

Venkman's Ghost Rappelers. That's a pretty good episode. I recall seeing that on TV when I was in third year in high school. I was so excited they were showing Ghostbusters agin and the fact it was a new episode I hadn't seen before. I had a blank tape handy and recorded it.

"LiamABC, post: 125072, member: 25438" said:

No On Comes To Lupusville
Although the version I recorded was missing a few scenes, firstly the bit at the start where Janine and Slimer were playing cards, which is fair enough...

Now that you mention it I recall that bit was also edited out.
I recall starting to record it just as the intro and tile card ended so I missed it and the name of the episode and it just started with Janine outside calling on Slimer and then Gregor appearing.
We obviously recorded the same broadcast which must have been around October 1989.

Sounds about right. I remember it starting with Janine looking for Slimer telling him to come in. I remember not having any clue as to how they got separated in the middle of the episode until I saw the repeat.

Actually, the joke meme "still a better love story than Twilight" is definitely apt in this scenario!

Also, on the subject of edits, I'm reminded of a similar experience I had when I recorded "Return Of The Musketeers" - where the classic 1970s cast reunited in the late 80s to make the film of Dumas' first sequel, "Twenty Years After". When I recorded it originally, there were a couple of scenes missing. Then about a decade later I saw it on TV and noticed these two additional scenes that weren't on my recording. It made a bit more sense when I did see them. I was also gratified to see them on the DVD. We're going to have to cover them in Movie Club at some point.

I just always assumed she was calling Slimer to come in as it was late/bed time.

We definitely must cover the Musketeer movies in movie club.

As for Twilight...I am planning on covering The Lost Boys in movie club soon, now that is a good vampire movie.

I figured the same thing.

Actually I'm going to look at The Drifter's suggestions, which we've not been paying much attention to of late, see what we can go with from those.