More on the Original Ghostbusters — History, Cultural Change, and the Legacy of Harold Ramis
Posted on July 16, 2016 at 3:35 pm
As some of the fanboys go nuts over the idea of a remake of “Ghostbusters” with an all-female lead cast, it’s a good time to take another look at the original they consider a classic. At Fando, Kevin B. Lee reminds us that the 1984 film was pretty sexist by today’s standards.
On Splitsider, Violet Ramis Stiel, daughter of the late Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and starred in the original, writes about her mixed feelings on the remake.
As much as I wanted to stomp my foot and align myself with the opposition, there was no way I could stand behind the viciousness and ugliness that seemed to fuel these fundamentalists. From flat-out rejection of women as funny, to remarks about the actor’s looks, to the invocation of GB84 as ‘untouchable’ and disgust with ‘reboot culture’ generally, I was shocked by the anger and outrage. Are these people for real? I wondered. Sure, the timing sucks, but damn! I mourn my dad’s absence in this world as much, if not more, than anyone, but for people to say that he is “rolling in his grave” or would never have let a female-centered cast happen is INSANE. In his personal life, Harold Ramis was a kind, generous, and gracious person. Professionally, he was always about sharing the spotlight and making the other guy look good. Please, stop using my dad as an excuse to hate the new Ghostbusters. It degrades his memory to spew bile in his name.
In truth, it has been the other kind of crazy fans — the people who adore and obsess over all things Ghostbusters — that have really turned me around.
And Yahoo Movies reminds us of some cool behind-the-scenes facts about the original, from Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History, by Daniel Wallace.
Imagine Eddie Murphy and his fellow paranormal firefighters battling a motorcycle-riding skeleton and a giant lizard monster from their gas-station base in a futuristic New Jersey. Who you gonna call? Ghost Smashers!
By the time it became an instant classic upon its release in 1984, Ghostbusters had morphed through radically different iterations, featuring bonkers plot points and unrecognizable creatures.