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Columbus Circle is a famous traffic circle where Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South (West 59th Street), and Central Park West intersect.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters[]

Upon being possessed by Vinz Clortho, Louis Tully was seen emerging from the southern part of Central Park at the Merchant's Gate. He walked past the USS Maine National Monument and mistook a horse for Zuul and tried to make contact. The Coachman asked Louis if he wanted a ride. Vinz flared his red eyes at him and ran off in a rant about how everyone will perish in flames, knocking over a woman's bag. The next night, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man manifested and stepped out at 2 Columbus Circle then walked up Central Park West. Cars came to a grinding halt or rammed into each other. Civilians ran away in terror. Drivers abandoned their cars in the middle of the street.

Ghostbusters II[]

In late 1989, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore, in Ecto-1, turned off of 2 Columbus Circle onto Broadway while on their way to entertain at a birthday party.

Secondary Canon History[]

IDW Comic Series[]

Weeks after the Gozer incident, Peter addressed a crowd at the USS Maine National Monument. He told a man to stay in school. The man stated he was 35 years old and stormed off. Peter quipped he was old enough to know he was right. Rebecca Morales approached and asked if he was Peter Venkman. He replied he was sometimes. She introduced herself. Peter remembered she was writing the book about the Ghostbusters. He joked he was happy to talk to her since the check finally cleared. She noted she talked to everyone except him and Egon Spengler. Peter teased he was disappointed she didn't save him for last. They walked into Central Park and continued talking.

During one of his dreams, Ray Stantz witnessed the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, with his face, march down 2 Columbus Circle. The day after Winston Zeddemore and Tiyah Zeddemore's wedding, Janine Melnitz met with Dana Barrett at the Pequod's on Columbus. Soon after they started talking, vehicles on Columbus Circle began to float in the air. Later that day, the strange phenomenon was studied by Peter, Ray and Egon. While there were conflicting readings, it was apparent a localized entity was able to make changes on the subatomic level. As the Ghostbusters' studies progressed, some vehicles came crashing back down to the ground. Columbus Circle was soon showered with Blood Rain. A few hours later, the vehicles ceased to float.

Trivia[]

  • During the Vinz scene, the street performers use steel drums to play calypso, a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to mid-19th century.
  • The scene in Central Park where possessed Louis talks to the horse is near 6th Avenue and was really done in the middle of the night on location at Columbus Circle in New York.[1]
  • The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appearing at Columbus Circle first appears in the September 30, 1983 draft.[2]
  • During filming for the first movie, all-night shooting sessions turned Columbus Circle look like a "combat zone."[3]
  • The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's entrance was done in front of a bluescreen traveling matte shot at Entertainment Effects Group. The New York location as lit up for blocks with giant arc lights and populated with 500 screaming extras running in terror.[4]
    • Each person running in the foreground had to be rotoscoped so that a matte could be created to keep them in front. In addition, a matte was drawn for a building in the background to enable the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to enter the scene by coming from behind the building. A street lamp in the foreground was removed with a matte painting.[5]
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #1, page 5, the Blues Brothers' Bluesmobile is parked near Ray Puft's left foot.
  • In Ghostbusters #14 Page Seven
  • In Ghostbusters #14 Page Eight
    • The St. Patrick's Day Parade banner on the light pole has a picture of the IDW canon's Mayor and a picture of the Mayor's Wife from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Scaring of the Green" where she was the honorary grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
    • Peter and Ray study the DeLorean from the Back to the Future franchise.
  • In Ghostbusters #14 Page 9
    • The bus that crashes down is visually based on the one Peter captures the Bus Ghost in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Ghostbuster of the Year"
    • Behind the bus is the USS Maine Monument.
      • The monument was previously seen in the first movie during the "Keymaster" scene before the possessed Louis talks to the horse.
  • In Ghostbusters #14 Page 14
  • In Ghostbusters #14 Page 15
    • In the background is the right tower of the AOL Time Warner Center.
    • Floating between the taxi cab and the police car is the Ray Runner from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Afterlife in the Fast Lane"
    • The police car is the one used by the Blues Brothers.
  • On page 3 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #3, the USS Maine National Monument appears in panel 1, indicating Peter and the crowd are at the Merchant's Gate entrance to Central Park on Columbus Circle.

Appearances[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

References[]

  1. Joe Medjuck (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 59:15-59:17). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "This is uh 6th Avenue I think. This is the middle of the night near Central Park I remember. "
  2. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (Third Draft September 30, 1983) (Script p. 63). Line reads: "Looking south past Columbus Circle, they see part of something big and white moving between the buildings and accompanied by thunderous footsteps of almost seismic proportions."
  3. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 184 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The area around Central Park West and Columbus Circle looked like a combat zone during the all-night shooting sessions for the grand finale."
  4. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 188. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Entertainment Effects Group stagehands prepare for a bluescreen traveling matte shot of the Stay-Puft marshmallow man's grand entrance. For its accompanying live-action element - shot in New York - Laszlo Kovacs and his crew had Columbus Circle and all visible side-streets lit up for blocks with giant power-draining arc lights. Five hundred screaming extras stampeded on cue, running headlong through the streets and climbing over cars."
  5. American Cinematographer June 1984 Line reads: "As people running in the foreground passed in front of Stay Puft Man, each person had to be rotoscoped so that a matte could be created to keep them in front. In addition, a matte was drawn for a building in the background to enable Stay Puft Man to enter the scene by coming from behind the building. The camera angle permitted foreground objects to obscure the bottom of his feet, but it also resulted in a street lamp in the foreground which was distracting because it was right in front of the man. The street lamp was removed with the help of a matte painting for the central area of the frame."
  6. Peter Venkman (2014). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #15" (2014) (Comic p.12). Peter says: "Those cars stopped floating on Columbus hours ago."


Gallery[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

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