TOMBSTONE GHOSTBUSTER STYLE

Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral

Original Air date November 11, 1987^[1]

Writer: Mark Edward Edens

Director: Dale Schott

Main Cast:

• Lorenzo Music as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Laura Summer as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary:  In Tombstone Arizona, the Mayor is opening a new theme park, as part of the celebration the Mayor is presented with the very boots of Wyatt Earp.  However out of the boots emerged Wyatt Earp’s ghost who starts shooting ectoplasmic bullets at the crowd out of his fingers.

Local mayor is in for a surprise.

                The Ghostbusters fly out to Arizona and Peter is super excited being a fan of Westerns.  The other Ghostbusters don’t share Peter’s enthusiasm.   Peter was also happy to get away from Slimer but he was unaware that Slimer had snuck along.  Rather than get the famous western writer that Peter wanted to meet, they are met by his assistant who picks them up after their rental car broke down.

Here we are again.

                The assistant drives them into town and the Ghostbusters begin investigating.  They noticed four sets of footprints and decided to split up. Winston went to investigate the local newspaper where he ran into the ghost boots then full ghost of Virgil Earp.  Virgil Earp attacks Winston with newspapers forcing him to retreat.  Ray and Slimer visit the dental office where Ray is attacked by Doc Holiday but Slimer helps him get away, and Morgan Earp attacked Egon at the General Store.  Peter encounters the whole gang at the salon and plays poker with them.  He is accused of cheating and attacked by the ghosts but is helped with the intervention of Slimer.

The Earps and Doc Holiday.

                It is now apparent that the Ghostbusters have been cast by the ghosts in the role of the Claytons.  The ghosts are trying to recreate the battle of the OK Corral.  The Ghostbusters meet them there but things do not go well, the Earps are experienced gunmen and get the upper hand forcing the Ghostbusters to retreat.  While running Peter stumbles across sixteen horseshoes, realizing the ghosts they are fighting first appear as boots, Peter lays down four traps.  Sure enough when the ghost gang gets there four ghost horses appear and soon as they mount Peter activates the traps.  Peter’s western fantasy is complete.

The Ghostbusters as the Claytons.

My Take: The Gunfight at the OK Corral is the most famous in the American West, interestingly enough it was not very famous in its own time.  It was only after a published biography in 1931 of Wyatt Earp did it enter the public knowledge.  Ever since that biography it had been the focus of many Westerns from Law and Order in 1932 to Wyatt Earp in 1994.  The Earps and Doc Holiday are almost always viewed as good guys while the Claytons are always view as the lawless outlaws that they town needed to be cleaned of.  This episode is interesting.  It is very similar to the Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun" where are traditional heroes are cast in the role of the Claytons and the Tombstone heroes are the villains.  Captain Kirk however didn’t fight the real Earps where the Ghostbusters are fighting their actual ghosts.

They spirits need to get over this.

                Now for my Stray Observations:

·         Back to back episodes of Peter being the main hero.

·         Slimer being a useful ghost.

·         I love when Peter confronted the other Ghostbusters on their childhoods.  Peter played Cowboys and Indians, while Egon had chemistry set, Ray was into science fiction, Winston played basketball.  Speaking of which last I checked Winston denied playing basketball before and claimed not to like it.  Of course he was trapped a stretcher at the time so he might not have been overly honest.

·         The legendary Wyatt Earp, his brothers Morgan and Virgil, and Doc Holiday now are residents of the Containment Unit.  I wonder if their celebrity status will count for anything in there.

A great episode if you're into Westerns.

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[1] Listed original air dates for entire syndicated season may not be correct.