1. DAN AYKROYD’S FAMILY INSPIRED THE MAKING OF GHOSTBUSTERS. Co-author and star Aykroyd is from a family of spiritualists. His great-grandfather would perform séances in their family home and even had a personal medium he consulted regularly.
2. THE ESTIMATED $30 MILLION BUDGET CAME WITH A STIPULATION THAT THE FILM WAS COMPLETED IN 12 MONTHS OR FEWER. Despite being considered a financial risk by many production higher-ups, Ghostbusters had Columbia Pictures executive Frank Price to thank for the green light. The film was an instant blockbuster and became an icon in American cinema.
3. THE FILM NEARLY HAD ANOTHER TITLE. Filmation Associates filed a copyright lawsuit seeking to protect their ’70s live-action show of the same name. Filmmakers quickly resolved the conflict by settling out of court, paying Filmation $500,000 and promising one percent of movie profits.
4. EACH STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN SUIT COST $20,000 TO MAKE. Ultimately, all three of the costumes created for the production were destroyed by fire as depicted in the film.
5. THE MAN WHO DESIGNED THE FAMOUS GHOSTBUSTERS LOGO WAS ASSOCIATE PRODUCER MICHAEL C. GROSS. Before producing films, Gross worked as a graphic designer and art consultant, and, most notably, as artistic director for National Lampoon in the early ’70s.
6. GHOSTBUSTERS’ DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE SURPASSED BEVERLY HILLS COP, THE KARATE KID, AND INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM to become the highest-grossing film of 1984
7. CANADIAN COMEDIAN JOHN CANDY WAS FIRST OFFERED THE ROLE OF LOUIS TULLY but ultimately turned it down. Director Ivan Reitman reports getting a phone call from Rick Moranis, jokingly asking him to pass along thanks to Candy for declining the role.
8. IN ONE SCENE, THE GREEN ECTOPLASMIC GHOST NAMED SLIMER WAS PLAYED BY A GREEN SPRAY- PAINTED PEANUT. For the scene in which Slimer spins rapidly around a chandelier, the original model was too big to achieve the desired rate of spin. Animation supervisor Terry Windell had to improvise on set.
9. RAY PARKER JR. WAS GIVEN TWO DAYS TO WRITE THE EPONYMOUS TITLE SONG. Initially intended for the montage in the middle of the film, the song was reworked into the beloved hit we know and love. Parker mentioned in a 1984 interview that what made the song difficult to write was not just the short amount of time but the incorporation of the word “ghostbusters.”
10. THE “MELTED MARSHMALLOW” OF THE DEFEATED MARSHMALLOW MAN that covered the entire set and actors was 50 pounds of shaving cream.
Checkout Oregon Symphony's 19/20 Season Offerings
a screening of the ’80s cult classic film, January 18 & 19!
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