Zack
-I remember another GB with a gorilla. HELP!-

:-) lol!

I will be adding entries on the various issues of the comic, including the Zeddemore Factor, the new Ecto-1 die cast, the Neca toys, the RGB Soundtrack and the USF Ghostbusters.

Just Why Did The Voices Change Anyway? And Why Did The Way Venkman And Janine Acted Change So Much? (IE, Janine losing her attitude, Venkman acting nice to Slimer, ect)

Venkman was changed, according to movie and RGB producer Micheal C. Gross, because Bill Murray complained that the cartoon voice (Lorenzo Music) didn't sound enough like him (even though it didn't look like him at all)

From an interview posted on GhostbustersHQ.com:
http://www.ghostbustershq.com/interviews/interviewmichael.php

NV : From the Newsgroup: “Why wasn't Lorenzo Music used past the midpoint of the Real Ghostbusters?”

MG : Lorenzo Music. First off let me say he was a wonderful, smart. Talented, Funny man. When we started the show we couldn't use the original film actors… too expensive, conflicting and busy schedules, etc. So the voices had to reflect the CHARACTERS not the actors. In (Bill's) Venk's case it was difficult to get the voice to go with the writing… but he was great. Then mid-way through production Bill was having lunch with Ivan Reitman and said how much he liked the show and said “why doesn't he sound like me?” We just assumed we wouldn't get permission and worked around it. Ivan came and told us to change it. Then because we had impressionists/comics doing the voices any way, we went for Bill and figured it wouldn't be the first time changes in a character would be made mid-season on Television. I missed Lorenzo…. on the other hand some people didn't care for him because his voice was so well known for Garfield among many other things.

Presumably, Venkman's attitude toward Slimer was changed by the same “experts” that ordered Janine's mental lobotomy…unlike Janine, the changes to Venkman were never noted or addressed within the continuity of the show itself.

Janine was changed because ABC got jittery, and hired a bunch of “experts” who told them that Janine was too abraisive, rude, unlikeable, ect. and demanded that she be toned down into the same sort of bland Mommy Figure prevalent on Saturday Morning cartoons at the time:

From an interview with J. Micheal Stracyznski on Protoncharging.com
http://www.protoncharging.com/ghostbusters/articles/feature_rgb_jms.html

It was a great deal of fun to work on, until they messed up Janine, which is why I left. Later, when they realized that had been an error, they asked me to write some more with her pretty much as she had been, and then to fix the continuity error in an episode called “Janine, You've Changed.”

The first network season of The Real Ghostbusters, and its only official first-run syndicated season, the show was a monster hit. Major league numbers, #1. Naturally, as soon as that happened, everyone started to try and figure out how to “fix” it. Everyone starts protecting his investment. They want to play it safe. Which inevitably leads to the show getting screwed up, but that never stops them.

So the network brought in consultants, who said that this is a kid's series, so you have to have *kids* in it (this after steadfastly refusing to diverge from the desire on our part to continue the tradition of the movie, using only adult characters). The Junior Ghostbusters, one of the lamest ideas in TV history. Then they started on Janine…who was much to their dismay a strong female character. They felt that she should be changed to a more warm, nurturing character, that her dry sense of humor was too aggressive, and that she should be made more into a “mommy figure” (to use their terms).

Her clothes, eccentric and personalized, were deemed “slutty,” and had to be replaced by dresses and soft blouses. She should be made more deferential to the male characters. She had to lose the pointed glasses she wore, replacing them instead with round glasses because “sharp objects frighten children.”

Janine was a strong, forceful, independent character who could take care of herself, and you didn't mess with her. She was sharp, and funny, and just a real kick to write for. This was the kind of character I'd fought to preserve, and it had proven to be a hit…and now they wanted to turn that upside down and turn her into a mommy. Ain't nothing wrong with mommies. But there's plenty of mommy-figures in cartoons; why not provide an alternative view…a working career woman who is generally satisfied with her life? Leaving aside the role-model question for the moment, I happen to really, really, *really* love writing strong female characters. I love strong female characters in general. Most of my relationships have been with strong-willed, independent, very bright women. I love it when I'm outsmarted or one-upped; it makes me work harder.

So when they did *this*…I shot back a very loud “Not a chance.” Not on this show. I went to meetings. Got into huge arguments with these so-called consultants. Finally, I said that if they were going to do this, they'd have to do it without my participation; I refused to participate in the lobotomy of that show, or that character. So I resigned. Later, when their new “approach” to the show began to nosedive, I was asked if I'd return. I was then working on , and couldn't…but agreed to write some episodes on the following conditions: 1) the new story editors were not to so much as *touch* my scripts, or the deal was off; 2) in my unverse the Junior Ghostbusters did not exist, and would not appear in any of my scripts; and 3) I wrote the old Janine, not the “new” Janine, and that was with all of her attitudes intact. They agreed.

I walked off the show when they a) decided to emphasize Slimer, and b) make Janine a “mommie” character rather than the hard-as-nails, sharp, sarcastic person she'd always been. It wasn't a show I wanted to do anymore.

I've actually walked off a *lot* of shows in my time, something I only really realized lately. Walked of The Real Ghostbusters when they softened it down and knocked all the corners off; walked off aptain Power when the toy company got too much control over the stories; zipped off Jake and the Fatman when my exec producers got screwed over (if they went, I went); finally left Murder, She Wrote to do B5. All but the last were over story control/story integrity. My agent is frequently driven to distraction over this. Money doesn't work to hold me. If it ain't right, it ain't right.

As for Janine…the change bothered the hell out of me, to go from a strong, smart, fashion-aware (in a weird way), independent woman…to a mommy-character. And, in time, they kinda realized that I was right, and the consultants were wrong…mainly when the mailbags filled with angry letters from mothers and young girls raising ten kinds of hell.

But by then they didn't have any solution except just change her without explanation *again*…which is when I chimed in and said, “I can fix this. But you've got to let me do this MY way.” They did, and it was done.

(*janine) –I wrote one of those nasty letters. And then I wrote one to Ramis after I saw the second movie…

The changes to Janine only applied to the ABC episodes, so in all other licensing (ie the action figures, the Now comic book) her original appearance and attitude remained intact.

Arsenio Hall resigned as Winston's voice after the 1987-1988 season, because he was in the process of starting a talk show that began in fall 1988 and ran for several years. Most fans consider his replacement, Buster Jones, as by far the least noticeable and unpleasant change.

Thought I'd stop by and introduce myself, awesome board, and of course a passion we all have for the RGB. I ended up purchashing 3 dvds the day of launch & I'd like to say if it was'nt for the board I would'nt have know. Just a little pi$$ed that Sony only released 13 episodes. It should have been the complete season. Thanks and hope to gather & contribute information here.

Nelson

Hi Boys,

I've been around since 2001 but didn't post much after the whole board makeover several years ago. I actually remember my first post back then when it was a little more prop oriented. It was something like, “anyone know what the track thing is on the bottom of the proton gun?” Well, believe it or not, to this day I still don't know what the dang thing is!

Anyway, nice to see everyone!

Darrin

I couldn't find this question in the FAQ's, so I guess you could add it:

I seem to have a problem watching the episodes on this website. When I click the link next to the tv-icon, I get the following message:

"Requested file not found. The link you followed may be outdated or inaccurate.

http://media.ghostbusters.net//rpm/.rpm"

Is it possible for me to watch the episodes on this site?

There are actually a couple of topics about this in Board Talk… but given the number recently devoted to SPAM I can understand how you might have missed them.

Chad took the episodes down some time ago now, as part of his future plans for GBN 2.0.

When the new site is launched, they will hopefully become available once again.


There are episodes available on YouTube, and on Ghostbusters International.

Thanks. I'm new here, just came to say this is a well put and thought out FAQ.

I wanna update this really really soon with pictures and current links, info etc and reorganize it a bit to deem it worthy of having it at the top of the forum. :-) It's just so old and needs some work. I'm sure Kingpin will agree. I'm gonna try to come up with some stuff as well as I like the linking where you click the question and it takes you down to that part of the page in a hurry. I forget what the html is, I'll have to check.

Just some stuff that might make it a little more fun, maybe with a few pics to help rather than just coming across as a statute of “read this, this is what we know about already”

Morning everyone! (unless your not in the UK) jst signed up to the site yesterday so will take a look around today to see whats here (^_^) great news about the game, shame its not a film but who knows what could happen…..anyway just to say hi and introduce myself, names rich ages 29 and in birmingham england, been a busters fan since i was about 7/8 and still enjoy watching the films and RGB today! got a cracking pic of ecto1 as my desktop picture! Speaks soon