Saturday, October 23, 2010

Spooktober: Ghost Busters (1975)

Ghost Busters was one of three first-year live-action series Filmation unveiled in 1975, and the last part of a 2-hour live-action block as part of CBS' Saturday lineup that year. Former F-Troop co-stars Forrest Tucker & Larry Storch were reunited for this series, which would also mark the end of Storch's association with the studio after 8 seasons. Tucker & Storch also performed the show's theme song.

Here's the open:



Unfortunately, Ghost Busters was a wee bit ahead of its time, and was cancelled after 1 season. Dick Rosenbloom, brought in as a co-executive producer that year, was gone the next, after seeing 2 of the 3 series under his watch cancelled. Rosenbloom was not involved with Filmation's lone animated newcomer that season, The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty, which also bombed. The only series to go beyond one year of this group, The Secrets of Isis, would continue for 2 more years before departing in 1978.

10 years after the original series ended, and in response to Ivan Reitman's smash hit, "Ghostbusters", from 1984, Filmation decided to bring back their Ghostbusters (note the spelling change) in an animated weekday series for syndication in 1986. This show featured the sons of the originals, and currently airs Saturdays on RTV (check local listings). I'll have a review of that show before the end of the month.

Rating: B+.

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