Today In History... with The Retrospectors
Who You Gonna Call?
Published: 8 June 2026 at 01:30 Europe/London
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Episode notes
‘Ghostbusters’ opened in US cinemas on 8th June, 1984, quickly becoming the highest-grossing comedy of all time.
The brainchild of SNL’s Dan Aykroyd - whose great-grandfather was a 19th-century psychic investigator - the film was pitched and delivered within 13 months. Drawing inspiration from 1930s ghost comedies, the wisecracking ensemble comedy smashed the Hollywood wisdom that big-budget comedies don’t recoup their investment.
In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca survey some original alternative titles for the film; revisit Akroyd’s unworkable first draft (set in the future, with intergalactic travel); and reveal why the production necessitated building a whole effects studio from scratch…
Further Reading:
• 'Ghostbusters' director Ivan Reitman on the making of the 1984 comedy: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/ghostbusters-director-ivan-reitman-making-911408/
• Ghostbusters at 30: EW looks back at the making of a comedy classic | Longform - EW.com: https://microsites.ew.com/microsite/longform/ghostbusters/
• ‘Ghostbusters Trailer’ (Columbia Pictures, 1984): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hDkhw5Wkas
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026.
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