Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Not to be confused with the 1984 film, The Ghost Busters was a live action sitcom, which featured the re-teaming of Larry Storch and Forrest Tucker of F-Troop fame. The comic twosome portrayed Eddie Spenser and Jake Kong, respectively, two bumbling detectives hunting for ghosts at a local manor on the edge of an unnamed town. Physical comedy was the order of the day, with Tucker as the level-headed partner and Storch the kooky pun-dropping, zoot-suit wearing comic relief. Their sidekick was an ape named Tracy, played by Bob Burns (in costume, of course).

The episodes would start with the ghost busting trio in the office, goofing off. Kong would then send Spenser and Tracy (Ho Ho!) to the hardware store to retrieve that week’s assignment. The two would hop in the Ghost Buggy, and upon arriving, Tracy would go in to retrieve an inanimate object. The object varied from week to week-a tuba, a door-but no matter what it was, it would play a message from their contact, Zero, then explode. Spenser and Tracy would return to the office, where there was usually a running gag involving a difficult file cabinet, and then they would go tackle the spooks.

These Ghost Busters fought all the traditional monsters (Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc.), as well as ghosts of historical figures, such as Eric the Red and Napoleon. The Busters would then dispose of the ghosts with their “Dematerializer,” a device which looked something like a television camera. The show also featured a parade of guest stars, including Jim Backus, Bernie Kopell, Ted Knight, Marty Ingalls, and Huntz Hall.

The Ghost Busters' original run ended after one season. The shows that aired from 1977-78 were repeats. After the success of the unrelated feature Ghostbusters in 1984, this show was revived as an animated series, also titled Ghostbusters. Legally, Filmation had the name first, so when Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston, Slimer, and company decided they wanted a piece of the cartoon pie, they were forced to take the name The Real Ghostbusters.

Release History

9/6/75 - 9/4/76 CBS

TV Sub Categories

live-action
comedy

TV Studio

Filmation

Television Cast

Eddie Spenser Larry Storch
Jake Kong Forrest Tucker
Tracy Bob Burns

Other Saturday Morning Links