A Convenient Parallel Dimension
"I love this book like Winston loved New York!
The perfect book to enjoy for Halloween is the pop history of one of the most iconic movies of the last 40 years and the franchise it begat.
There were many streams of connections and skills that came from such diverse sources: Second City, The Harvard Lampoon, Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, SCTV, and Saturday Night Live were all critical components of Ghostbusters. (Ivan Reitman directed a script by Harold Ramis that was the raucous college comedy Animal House, which starred John Belushi, a castmate with Dan Akroyd on SNL. Ramis became the head writer for SCTV. Reitman hired Ramis to write Meatballs, which brought Bill Murray into the show, having just joined the SNL cast. Ramis wrote and directed Caddyshack, which featured Murray, and they worked together in Stripes. After Belushi died, Aykroyd wroteseveral screenplays, but the one that matters most was Ghost Smashers, about a trio of para-normal exterminators. He showed it to Bill Murray, and contacted director Ivan Reitman. He would bring in Harold Ramis.
When the screenplay was finished, they began casting for a 1984 release. Sigourney Weaver was so good the writers completely redid the character to improve and flesh her out. Winston Zeddemore was originally a man with a very impressive back-story, which almost went to Reginald VelJohnson. But it was established playwright Ernie Hudson who would ultimately win the role. Gozer, the main villain, wentto Yugoslavian actress Slavitz Jovan.The antagonist Walter Peck of the EPA went to NYC Theater stalwart William Atherton. Music was composed by Elmer Bernstein, a giant among film scorers. The catchy theme song came from an in-demand studio musician who’d been working professionally since age 14, Ray Parker, Jr. and it was inspired by a Huey Lewis & The News song.
No one expected Ghostbusters to be so big! The film company wanted a sequel almost immediately, but it took a long time because the first movie was so good and the controlling partners (Reitman, Ramis, Aykroyd & Murray) were very particular about their “baby”. Draft after draft was prepared, eventually settling on a story which used the core people with a few new wrinkles. Shooting began in earnest in 1989, and it was rush-released that summer to eager fans. But it wasn’t universally praised nor as big as the original.
Cartoon versions of the characters would air later on Saturday mornings. Internet sites discussed the possibility of a third GB movie. As the original actors were not interested or available (Harold Ramis, sadly had died), the new script went a different direction with an all-new cast. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call had an outstanding cast (again, heavy on SNL actors and exceptional comedic film stars), but sadly there were rude dissenting voices online. The movie was respectably received. The most recent , Ghostbusters: Afterlife wrapped everything up and passed on the GB brand to a younger generation. As a fan since 1984, my wife & I loved the movie.(For the record, we have liked them ALL.)"
“Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines.” So wrote Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that handed our paranormal fears over to some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; to date, it remains the highest-grossing horror comedy of all time. The film spawned an Emmy-nominated Saturday morning cartoon, a tentpole 1989 sequel, a contentious 2016 reboot, legions of merchandise, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in history. Ghostbusters also elevated its players to superstardom, something a few cast members found more daunting than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Now, for the first time, the entire history of the slime-soaked franchise is told in A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever. The cohesion of talent during the mid-’70s comedy revolution, the seat-of-their-pants creation of the first Ghostbusters, the explosive success that seemed to mandate a franchise, the five year struggle to make Ghostbusters II, the thirty-one-year struggle to make Ghostbusters III—it’s all here, with incredible attention to detail. Thoroughly researched and engaging, A Convenient Parallel Dimension smashes long-held myths and half truths about the dynamics behind this cultural juggernaut and presents the real story, down to the last drop of ectoplasm.
Praise