Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

trust me, my friends and I knew very well the difference between TRG & Filmations GB. In fact, at the time, we had stumbled upon a VHS of the Prescott/Scheimer live action Ghost Busters from the 70's (I think it was a couple episodes fused together to make a telefilm?) but we thought it was extremely boring, but we knew it was the source material for Filmations GB. And while TRG will always stand the test of time as the far superior series, Filmations GB has a goofy charm now, that I can still appreciate.

We knew Arsenio Hall (from his late night show) was the voice of Winston (until it changed to Buster Jones). We knew Venkman was the voice of "Garfield" uncle it changed to "Uncle Joey" from full house. We knew Ray Stanz & Slimer were the voices I had heard in a hundred other cartoons (Frank Welker), and years later I would hear The Brain and think---That's the same voice at TRG Egon (Maurice LaMarche)

all that aside...a new animated series will be interesting, depending on the premise. I just hope if the new film fails, this will not put off execs from making a new animated series

Filmation actually owned the trademark on "Ghostbusters" due to the 70s live action show, they had to sue to get some compensation from Columbia Pictures. (Unfortunately, not much help as the studio would be shuttered a few years after the movie came out).

I think Lou Scheimer regretted not making the cartoon rights apart of the lawsuit deal (I'm not sure if it was a settlement or full court judgement). Filmation did offer to produce a movie-Ghostbusters cartoon for Columbia, I think they even did some preliminary work but the studio cancelled the plans and turned to DiC to develop The Real Ghostbusters.

Filmation still gets a lot of undeserved flack for it's use of limited animation at times, namely He-Man, but that's more a factor of the budget they're given to work with. When Mattel worked with Filmation to develop the She-Ra cartoon they gave Filmation a much improved budget to work with and it shows in the end product when you compare the two shows.

I knew about the 70's series that was allegedly Dan Akroyd's inspiration, but I recently learned about several haunted house films called The Ghost Breakers which are all based on a 1909 play of the same name. Tell me you don't get a Peter Venkman vibe from Bob Hope in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSUAxJldvl8

I don't know if Filmation's live action t.v. show itself was any inspiration for the movie, it always seemed to me that it was just a trademark issue (Filmation having the trademark on variations of "Ghost Busters") that no one at Columbia thought to check up on until it was too late.

Definitely agree on the similar Venkman-Hope vibe in the clip; years ago when I first watched The Ghost Breakers (1940) {sometime in the early 90s I think} it seemed to me that surely the earlier movie has served as concept inspiration for Ghostbusters. I didn't know The Ghost Breakers was adapted from a play, or that it has had multiple movie verisons. I wonder if TCM will run a themed day or night of The Ghost Breakers and similar movies to coincide with the new Ghostbusters movie's theatrical release?

^ Ackroyd has said Ghostbusters was intended as an update of older comedians + spooky stuff movies like Bob Hope and Abbot and Costello used to do.