Hurried off to work after that. Between stunning weather and it being the end of the month and the day before a major holiday that doesn't involve big meals, we were dead almost the entire afternoon. It picked up a little bit around the last hour...just as the managers kept calling me to put cold items away and I spilled soapy water in the back area when I was taking it to the drains and had to mop it all up. Thanks to all that, I barely had 15 minutes to do carts before I went home.
Went straight upstairs and into Ghostbusters when I got home. Paranormal scientists Egon Spangler (Harold Ramis), Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), and Ray Stantz (Dan Acroyd) go into business as ghost-catchers after they're fired by Columbia University. Venkman is more interested in flirting with their first customer, pretty and intelligent musician Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), then taking her claim that she saw a ghost in her refrigerator seriously. He begins to wonder if she might really be onto something when their business triples after they catch a little green ghost roaming around a swanky hotel. They're so busy, they have to hire a fourth man, Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) to help them deal with the volume.
Their secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) is convinced that something terrible is going to happen...and it turns out she's right. They're arrested when a man from the Environmental Protection Agency (William Atherton) shuts down their containment unit and literally blows the top off their headquarters. Turns out the apartment building where Dana and her nerdy neighbor Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) live is actually the conduit for Gozer, a spirit who could bring about the apocalypse. It's up to the Ghostbusters to stop Gozer and the Stay-Puft Man from turning New York into the world's largest charred marshmallow!
I've loved the original version of this movie since it came out in 1984. The sequel was the first movie my sisters and I saw in a theater without parental supervision. I don't think the first sequel is that bad, am still convinced that the 2016 remake gets a bum rap, and haven't gotten around to the recent sequels. Frankly, the original is probably the only Ghostbusters movie most casual viewers need.
Watched The Halloween Tree during dinner. Four kids dressed as a skeleton, a witch, a mummy, and a monster are alarmed when their leader and best friend Pip doesn't turn up for trick or treat. Halloween is Pip's favorite night of the year! They follow what they think is him to a spooky old house and a tree filled with Jack o'lanterns. The house and the tree are owned by Moundshround (Leonard Nimoy), a spooky old man. Pip takes off with a pumpkin carved to look like him, prompting Moundshround and the kids to go after him. Moundshround tells the kids that if they can keep up with Pip - and learn about 4,000 years of Halloween history in the process - he'll let him go. Even when the kids do manage to follow him and learn about the death customs of Ancient Egypt, the Celtic Druids, medieval Europe, and modern Mexico, the old man may not be ready to keep his promise, until the kids make the ultimate sacrifice.
Ray Bradbury narrates the story, based on his own book of the same name. It's interesting to learn about how Halloween came around, especially since its customs and origins aren't as widely-discussed as those for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sweet and spooky, with decent animation for a TV special in 1993, this is very much recommended for pre-teens looking for something different to watch before trick-or-treat and adults who are interested in learning more about the holiday.
Put on Match Game '77 before taking a shower. They're finally down to New Year's week. Fannie Flagg took over from Brett Somers, who was out doing a play, in the character actress seat. She's joined by Richard Deacon and sweet but slightly bizarre Joyce Bulifant.
Switched to vintage Disney holiday specials next, starting with Halloween Hall of Fame. Jonathan Winters plays a Disney security guard who is working at the studio Halloween night when he finds a Jack o'lantern (Winters) in a crystal ball. Jack claims he's hiding at Disney because the holiday just isn't scary enough for him anymore. Winters points to the Donald Duck short "Trick Or Treat," the truly scary "Pluto's Judgement Day," and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to prove otherwise.
Disney's Halloween Treat debuted in 1982 in syndication, but we saw it when it ran yearly on The Disney Channel. A talking pumpkin is the main narrator as he introduces spooky shorts like "Donald and the Gorilla" and "The Old Mill," along with the Wizard's Duel sequence from The Sword In the Stone and a short piece on the cat's contribution to horror mythology. Hans Conried as the Magic Mirror takes over to introduce some of Disney's most beloved villains, including the one he voiced, Captain Hook. The special ends with what's likely their most famous spooky shorts, Micky, Donald, and Goofy being their own ghost catchers in "Lonesome Ghosts" and "Trick or Treat."
Moved to YouTube for "Jack O'Lantern." This episode Rankin Bass's Festival of Family Classics TV show is the closest they got to a Halloween special. Jack is a leprechaun living inside a carved pumpkin who makes a scarecrow come alive to battle a witch and a warlock and help two kids save their father's farm.
Returned to Disney Plus for more Muppet Show. Alice Cooper was one of the earliest "shock jocks," and his appearance in the third season was controversial, to say the least. Henson played on his ghoulish reputation by having him try to buy the souls of various Muppets...but Gonzo is the only taker. Meanwhile, teeth complain of a toothache, ghosts sing about their "Once a Year Day," the crew of the Swine Trek try to figure out what to do when a space virus turns them all invisible, and Robin sings a lovely "Over the Rainbow."
Finished the night back at YouTube with the short "Betty's Halloween Party" from 1933. Betty Boop has fun on Halloween with her friends, until a gorilla breaks up the party and tries to grab Betty. He gets a real scare when she turns off the light, and he's attacked by ghosts, ghoulies, and the witch and black cat decorations.
And here's even more vintage Halloween specials to enjoy before trick or treat tomorrow!
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