Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse is a courthouse located in Lower Manhattan.
History[]
Primary Canon History[]
In late 1989, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Egon Spengler stood trial at Thurgood Marshall for digging a giant hole in First Avenue and causing a city-wide blackout. Judge Stephen Wexler issued a warning before the trial started. He stated the law does not recognize the existence of ghosts and he did not believe in them either. He stressed he did not want to hear a lot of malarkey about goblins, spooks, and demons and they were going to stick to the facts in this case only. A Bailiff stood at the bench. A Stenographer typed away. A county clerk gathered some documents then stood up and walked over to Wexler. Winston Zeddemore leaned against the defendant's table. He joked Wexler sounded like a pretty open-minded guy. Ray, Peter, and Egon sat at the defendants table. The Proton Packs, Traps, P.K.E. Meter, the Giga meter, and the Slime Scooper were on the exhibit table. The Psychomagnotheric Slime Ray collected was in a clear jar. Egon revealed Wexler's nickname was "The Hammer." Ray asserted it was all in the hands of their lawyer now. Louis Tully came over with a messy stack of books. He thought they were making a big mistake using them as their lawyer because he mostly worked on tax laws and probate stuff occasionally. He added he got his law degree at night school. Ray was fine with the arrangement since they got arrested at night. He slammed his head on the books. Jack Hardemeyer conferred with The Prosecutor at her table. He wanted her to put Peter, Egon, and Ray away fast and to make sure they go away for a long, long time. She was confident that would not be hard given the list of charges she had to work with. He was pleased. Jack looked over to Peter and snickered. He walked over to gloat and listed off the charges: violating a judicial restraining order, willful destruction of public property, fraud, and malicious mischief. He joked he would see Peter in a couple of years, at his first parole hearing. Peter retorted they would never take them alive. Judge Wexler banged his gavel and adjusted his glasses. He was ready to get on with it.
Louis made his opening remarks. He turned from the bench and addressed the gallery. He thought it was not fair to call his clients frauds. He conceded that the blackout was a big problem for everybody. He revealed he was stuck in an elevator for two hours and had to make the whole time but he did not blame them because he turned into a dog once and they helped him. He thanked the gallery and walked back to his seat. Judge Wexler was bewildered and speechless. Louis sat back down. The guys looked at him. Egon told Louis that was very good. Short but pointless. The Prosecutor examined the Con Edison Supervisor from First Avenue. His name was revealed to be Mr. Fianella. Winston sat in Fianella's seat in the gallery. The Prosecutor asked Mr. Fianella to look at Exhibits A through F on the table. She asked him if he recognized the equipment. The supervisor confirmed he did and recalled it was the stuff the police took from their truck. She asked him if he knew what the equipment was used for. The supervisor was not sure and presumed it was for catching ghosts. Judge Wexler looked at him. She reminded the court that the defendants were under a judicial restraining order that strictly forbade them from performing services as paranormal investigators or eliminators. The Assistant Prosecutor handed the Prosecutor several sheets from their table. She walked over to the bench. Louis got up and followed her. Judge Wexler noted it. Louis took his copy and walked back to his seat. The Prosecutor handed the Con Edison Supervisor the jar of Psychomagnotheric ectoplasm collected by Ray. She asked him if he could identify the substance in this jar marked Exhibit F. She walked to the witness stand and handed him the jar. He turned to Wexler and told him he worked underground for Con Edison for 27 years and he never saw anything like it in his life. Wexler understood. The supervisor presumed the Ghostbusters put the ectoplasm underground. Fianella pointed at the defendant's table. Ray quickly stood up and denied it. Judge Wexler banged his gavel and told him to shut up.
Louis examined Peter. It was extremely obvious Peter was feeding Louis his lines. Louis repeated that Peter was just trying to help out a friend, who was scared of what was happening to her. He asked Peter to say it again. Louis continued there was no evil intended. Judge Wexler stared at them. Louis continued if you live in a place you love, you do not want anything bad to happen. The Prosecutor stood up slowly. Louis called it an isolated incident that would not happen again. The Prosecutor objected. Louis wanted to know why. She stated Louis was leading the witness. Wexler approved the objection. Louis told her to give him a break because they were both lawyers. Wexler called Louis over to him. Louis approached the bench. The Prosecutor sat back down. He asked Louis if he had any questions for the witness that might have some bearing on the case. Louis asked Peter. Peter told him no, and they helped them out enough already. Louis told Wexler he had no more questions. Louis walked back to his seat but half turned to the Prosecutor and told her Peter was hers. After Louis sat down, Ray patted his shoulder. The Prosecutor stood up. She asked Peter to please tell the court why it is that he and his co-defendants took it upon themselves to dig a very big hole in the middle of First Avenue. Peter dryly joked there were so many holes in First Avenue, they really did not think anyone would have noticed. The gallery laughed. Judge Wexler banged his gavel. He warned Peter he would find him in contempt if he kept it up. The Psychomagnotheric ectoplasm bubbled in reaction to Wexler's negative emotions. Peter apologized. The Prosecutor repeated her question and reminded him he was under oath. Peter answered there were some things in this world that go way beyond human understanding, things that cannot be explained, things that most people did not even want to know about. He pointed out that was where the Ghostbusters came in. Ray and Egon nodded in agreement. The Prosecutor interpreted his words as a claim that the world of the supernatural was his exclusive province. She leaned on the stand. Peter placed his hands on top of hers. She pulled away. He referred to her as "Kitten" and clarified that "sometimes, shit happens, someone has to deal with it, and who ya gonna call?" The gallery erupted in cheers and applauded. Egon and Ray turned and looked at the gallery. Judge Wexler banged his gavel and told everyone to shut up.
Judge Wexler ordered Peter, Ray, and Egon to stand. He had to tell Louis to stand, too. They all stood. Wexler revealed the verdict and found them guilty on all charges and ordered them to pay fines in the amount of $25,000 each. The Psychomagnotheric ectoplasm continued to bubble. Ray finally noticed it and became alarmed. The atmosphere in the courtroom began to eerily shift, too. Wexler sentenced them to 18 months in the city correctional facility at Riker's Island. Ray alerted Egon about the ectoplasm. Wexler shouted he was not finished. He stated on a more personal note and on the record, he believed there was no place for fakes and charlatans. Egon interrupted him. Wexler told him to shut up and continued tricksters like the Ghostbusters had no place in decent society. Peter stated what they had to say was important. The Psychomagnotheric ectoplasm started bubbling faster. Wexler ignored Peter and accused the Ghostbusters of preying upon the gullibility of innocent people. Ray agreed to get him to stop. Wexler told him to be quiet. Ray tried to tell him but Wexler continued that if his hands were not tied by the unalterable fetters of the law, he would indulge in the tradition of their illustrious forebears. Peter, Ray, and Egon gestured and started to lower themselves to hide under the table. Louis nervously followed suit. The people in the gallery became worried, too. Wexler stated he would reach back, to a purer, sterner justice, and have them burned at the stake. The Psychomagnotheric ectoplasm exploded violently and triggered the manifestation of the Scoleri Brothers. The spectator's gallery immediately cleared out into the hallway. The Scoleri Brothers sat atop electric chairs floating above the judge's bench. The stenographer and the bailiff ran to the juror's door. The clerk jumped out of his seat. Ray exclaimed in amazement. The Prosecutor looked up in shock at the ghosts.
Judge Wexler recognized the ghosts right away. They dive bombed the Judge's bench. Wexler hopped off just in time and scooted over to Peter, Ray, Egon, and Louis under their table. Wexler identified the ghosts. Ray asked rhetorically if they were friends of his. Wexler explained he tried them for murder and sentenced them to death by electric chair. Tony Scoleri, the skinnier ghost, surveyed the room and cackled. Wexler implored the guys to do something. Egon suggested he tell them he did not believe in ghosts. The Scoleri Brothers picked up their table and threw it at the judge's bench. Wexler, Peter, Ray, Egon, and Louis ran behind the glass partition to the judge's door. Wexler pounded on the locked door in vain. He turned to Ray and grabbed him by his suit jacket. Wexler was visibly scared and shouted at him to do something. Ray calmly deferred Wexler to his attorney. Louis stepped him and pointed out his clients were still under a judicial restraining order, the "blue thing" he got from The Prosecutor, and if they busted the ghosts, they would be exposing themselves. Peter quipped he did not want them exposing themselves. The Prosecutor screamed. They peeked around the partition. Nunzio Scoleri carried the Prosecutor by her ankle across the courtroom. A lone woman peeked out from behind a column. Nunzio and the Prosecutor exited the courtroom. The people outside shrieked. The doors closed and electricity traveled throughout it. Judge Wexler was at the end of his rope. Peter told him he was next. Wexler caved. He rescinded the restraining order and dismissed the case. Louis was elated they won. Wexler implored them to deal with the ghosts. Ray, Egon, and Peter donned the Proton Packs laid out on the exhibit table. Ray helped put one on Egon's back. Peter stumbled around with his pack on to oversell the weight of it. Peter remembered he always hated that part of the business. Egon helped Ray put on the third pack. Peter noted it had been a couple of years since they last used the equipment. He hoped it still worked. Egon stated the packs should still work since the power cells had a half-life of five thousand years. Ray pointed out there was no time for a bench test and cued everyone to turn on the throwers. Peter turned on the switch on his thrower and in reaction to the sound, sang "Do," Ray followed with his thrower, sang "Ri," Egon turned on his, and sang "Egon!" Peter looked at Egon in disbelief. Egon grinned.
The chairs in the gallery started to bounce around. Egon, Ray, and Peter stood their ground waiting for the ghosts to reappear. The Scoleri Brothers popped up. The three fired wildly at them and missed. The Scoleri Brothers flew away through the wall behind the judge's bench. Peter yelled. Peter, then Ray, then Egon all laughed. Louis started to calm down but freaked out when the Scoleri Brothers came back. Peter fired at Nunzio in the gallery. He walked past the bar and snagged him. Peter goaded him and declared he was going to take him home to his private zoo. Ray exclaimed, "You got him!" and asked Egon to bring over the Trap. Egon got the Trap off the exhibit table. Tony Scoleri came through a wall cackling. Egon warned Ray and ducked as he fired. The glass partition shattered and the shards rained down on Judge Wexler's back. Ray soon wrangled Tony Scoleri. Peter backed out of the gallery with Nunzio. Egon instructed Ray to hold Tony and then told Peter to start bringing Nunzio back. Peter continued teasing Nunzio's figure. Egon told Ray to hold Tony and to keep pulling to the right. Egon placed the Trap on the floor and signaled Ray and Peter. He pushed the Trap across the floor. Ray encouraged Egon to hit the pedal. Egon waited then stomped the pedal. They all turned away. The Scoleri Brothers were pulled into the Trap. Their eyeballs were the last to be seen as the Trap closed. It beeped. Ray declared, "Two in the box!" Egon followed with, "Ready to go!" Peter started with, "We be fast..." and all three shouted, "...and they be slow!" Louis came over and looked at the Trap in awe. Peter, Egon, and Ray triumphantly strode out of the courtroom. Louis held out the Trap. The Prosecutor was tended to nearby. Reporters swarmed around them. Cameras flashed. Peter announced they were the best, the beautiful, and the only Ghostbusters. Ray declared they were back. Meanwhile, Judge Wexler stood silently in shock in his tattered courtroom.
Secondary Canon History[]
IDW Comics[]
In late 1989, during Peter, Ray, and Egon's trial, Winston could tell Judge Wexler made up his mind to find them guilty before starting. Winston decided to leave court room and noticed two police officers with a beaker of the Psychomagnotheric Slime. Winston tried to warn them about the dangers of the slime, but they snapped at him. Their negative emotions gave way to the manifestation of Mama Scoleri. The officers thought she was wearing a costume, pulled their guns, and told her to freeze. She was amused and knocked them off their feet. Winston returned to Ecto-1 parked out front but it was stripped by the police after they seized it. He managed to find one Trap. He headed back inside and taunted the ghost. She flew right at him and was trapped. Eyewitness accounts of Winston's presence at the trail conflicted. Several years later, two writers named Erik and Luis met with Winston at Waltz's Dining Car to gather research for their book about the Ghostbusters. They asked him to set the record straight on the Scoleri Brothers case. He eventually conceded and told them the truth about what happened to him during the court room bust.
Trivia[]
Ghostbusters II Trivia[]
- In the August 5, 1988 draft:
- In page 31, the trial took place at the Criminal Courts Building.[1]
- On page 36, a low rumbling tremor is felt under the judge's bench followed by two Full-Torso Apparitions exploding out of it.
- On page 37, the Scoleri Brothers blast the defense table with high-voltage finger lightning.
- On page 40, Ray handles the Trap that captures the Scoleri Brothers
- In the September 29, 1988 draft:
- On page 39, the ghosts pound the bench then blast it with finger lightning. They hide in the jury box.
- On page 40, the Ghostbusters jump over the rail and dash across to the exhibit table.
- On page 42, they pose for photographs inside the wrecked courtroom.
- In the November 27, 1988 draft:
- On page 47, they put on their Proton Packs while the ghosts tear up chairs in search of the Judge. Ray tells everyone to switch to full neutronas. Peter asks the ghosts to pick on someone their own size.
- On page 48, Ray traps the ghosts. Peter declares, "Occupado." Egon tells the Prosecutor she made a brilliant summation as she is tended to by the bailiff and county clerk. They pose for photographs inside the wrecked courtroom.
- In the February 27, 1989 draft, Dana Barrett was in the courtroom talking to Peter in the opening of the scene.
- This becomes the deleted scene El Gato/The Cat.
- On page 46, the Scoleri Brothers blast the defense table with finger lightning then punch through the jury box in search of the Judge. He rescinds the restraining order and dismisses the case. The Ghostbusters jump over the rail and dash across to the exhibit table.
- The exterior is the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse at 40 Centre Street (Foley Square) in New York City.
- The interior courtroom set was filmed at the Burbank Studios in Los Angeles. The set was modified from one used in "Legal Eagles" (1986) which Ivan Reitman directed. It was pulled out of stock and materials were added like a glass partition. The set was put atop a platform so the crew could drill holes for chairs. An expensive heavy cornice ceiling was added. There were complaints about how much was spent on the set.[2][3]
- At the 29:55 mark, when Mr. Fianella is testifying on the stand, Winston is seating on Fianella's seat in the spectator's gallery. At any point before and after this mark, Winston is not in the courtroom.
- The bottom of the slime jar was cut out and a plexiglass tube was fed into it from under the table. To push the slime up the jar, the crew filled an air piston with additional slime. An air feed created the bubbles. The jar itself sat on a piece of foam rubber that was inlaid into the top of the table. Two motors below the table shook the jar. Lights under the table were reflected upward to add to the tension of the scene. A big red flash was set off when the slime exploded.[4]
- Jim Fye and Tim Lawrence filmed separately as the Scoleri Brothers in wire rigged suits in front of blue screen at the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) special effects studio. The footage would later be projected onto flexible mirrorplex then rephotographed.[5] Meanwhile, in place of the actors, full-scale cutouts were used to aid the cast and crew during filming.[6]
- When the Scoleri Brothers first manifest, they are seated in electrical chairs. For filming, Fye and Lawrence had to pretend to be sitting in midair. Others in the crew stayed underneath and pushed their feet up so their legs bent properly. Despite the scene of them bursting from the chairs being difficult in theory, it was filmed rather quickly. One brother was filmed in the morning and the other in the afternoon. About 5-6 shots of each were achieved each day of shooting. By the time they finished filming, the Scoleri Brothers concept had changed to much that third-scale marionettes on wires could have been used.[7]
- Only 14 chairs would be thrown around because the rest were rented, only four pillars could be blown up, and only one wall of glass could be broken.[8]
- Whatever was slated to be blown up was made of balsa wood: the railing, the walk through hinged doors, the judge's box and defense table. [9]
- The defense table was on a flying track and pulled on a compound cable when the Scoleri Brothers slammed it on a wall.[10]
- In order to reset the scene easily, parts were made for three takes of everything.[11]
- The stuntwoman who was in place of the Prosecutor when she is carried off by the Scoleri Brothers wore a pair of flying pants and vest with a cable running up her leg to the ceiling track above. Ivan Reitman wanted one leg dangling, something very easy if she weren't upside down. As the stuntwoman went along the track, her head barely missed the chairs still standing in the room.[12]
- When Nunzio Scoleri carries out the Prosecutor, there is a woman hiding behind a pillar and she peeks her head out.
- During filming of the courtroom scene, there was a fight between Bill Murray and propmaster Bill MacSeems about the weight of the Proton Pack prop. Murray slapped him then there was kicking and punching. First assistant director Peter Giuliano came between them. Murray came running towards MacSeems and Giuliano with a large wooden chair. Murray had MacSeems fired. A law suit was filed.[13]
- When Peter, Ray, and Egon emerged and declare they're back, the female reporter holds up her microphone to them. The microphone logo indicates she is from WKRR.
IDW Publishing Trivia[]
- In Ghostbusters Volume 2 #17:
- On Page 12, Peter alludes to when Judge Wexler told them the ghosts were the Scoleri Brothers.
- In Ghostbusters Annual 2017:
- On Page 8, in panel 3, Erik notes the fans have asked where Winston was during the trial - a nod to a long standing mystery of where Winston went after he appeared at the beginning of the court case.
- On Page 10, it is revealed in the IDW canon, Winston was taking on the ghost of Mama Scoleri elsewhere in the courthouse, while the other Ghostbusters took on her sons, the Scoleri Brothers.
- On Page 12, Winston mentions the doors to the courtroom being jammed. This was likely the point when the Ghostbusters and Louis convinced Judge Wexler to drop the charges against them.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Trivia[]
- The S.C.Y. County Courthouse in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed was the development team's attempt to bring in something iconic and recreate the feel of Ghostbusters II.[14]
External Links[]
Appearances[]
Primary Canon Appearances[]
Expanded Universe
- Ghostbusters II
- Deleted Scenes
Secondary Canon Appearances[]
- IDW Comics
- Ongoing Series
- Volume 2
- Issue #15
- Flashback only
- Issue #15
- Volume 2
- Ghostbusters Annual 2017
- Where Winston Was
- Ongoing Series
- Insight Editions
References[]
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 31). "Paragraph reads: "EXT. CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING - DAY."
- ↑ Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 146. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "Tom Duffield snapped up the courtroom set from 1986's Legal Eagles, a Universal comeday starring Robert Redford, which Ivan Reitman had directed in between the two Ghostbusters films."
- ↑ Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 146. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Tom Duffield says: "We pulled it out of stock and added stuff like the glass partition, because the director wanted glass to blow up. We put the stage on a platform because he had to get under the floor to drill holes for the chairs, which were in air mortars. If you look at the chairs as they're blown up off the ground, you'll notice there's a six-inch extension on one side of each chair leg. That's the part that was loaded into the air mortar tube. We also spent a fortune on the ceiling. We wanted a grand feeling, and we thought we'd see it when we were looking up at all the damage. We put in a really heavy cornice ceiling, and I got notices complaining how much we spent."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 11. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "The bottom of the jar was cut out, and we had a plexiglass tube that fed into the glass from below the table. To drive the slime upward, we filled an air piston with additional slime. We also had an air feed to create the bubbles. The jar was sitting on a piece of foam rubber that was inlaid into the top of the table and we had two little motors below to make it shake. Then to create a sense that the slime was coming alive, we had lights under the table that reflected upward. As the slime slowly rose up, we increased the light. For the shot when the Scoleri brothers actually emerge from the slime, we put a big red flash behind the jar and set it off at the correct moment."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13 footnote. Cinefex, USA. Line reads: "The footage thus recorded would later be altered by projecting it into flexible mirrorplex and then rephotographing the distorted imagery."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13. Cinefex, USA. Line reads: "To aid actors and crew in the courtroom, full-scale cutouts of the ghosts were placed in appropriate positions around the set."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 17. Cinefex, USA. Michael Gross says: "When the brothers first appear, they are sitting in the electric chairs that ended their lives. In reality, the chairs were miniatures that were shot separately from the ghosts. To make the two elements merge, Lawrence and Fye had to hang in midair and pretend to be sitting. "In the Nunzio suit," Lawrence admitted, "it was very hard to pretend like I was sitting in midair. Fortunately, one of the crew members was underneath and helped me push my feet up so my legs were bent properly at the knees. Then on a certain count, he would duck away and I would pretend like I was bursting out of the chair and falling forward in a dive. To get the best negative, we needed the biggest image we could get--so we had to stay in the center of the frame. Therefore, if Nunzio was sitting and he had to burst out of his chair in an upward arch and then dive back down, I had to move my arms and feet accordingly, but I could actually swing through the frame. Sometimes if it was a particularly difficult shot, we would do a black-and-white test and make a quick composite to check our moves. Despite the complications, we actually shot the sequence really fast. We filmed on one brother in the morning and one in the afternoon, and we could usually get five or six shots a day of both." Though the results were impressive, the essential concept for the Scoleri brothers sequence was ultimately altered and simplified to such an extent that the characters could have been achieved much more simply in other ways. "By the time much of the work had been done," Lawrence reflected, "the concept had changed to the point that the brothers were now always in flight, never really spoke, were very transparent and also heavily augmented with roto effects. The facial animation--while excellent--was now all but superfluous. The characters could easily have been done with third-scale marionettes on wires. You just never know how the stuff is going to be used until it is. With the script changing daily, all you can do is adapt and hope you are prepared for anything." The movements of the Scoleri brothers through the composite frame were created later on a track camera by effects cameraman Peter Daulton."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "We also had to throw fourteen visitor chairs across the room, explode the jury box, shatter a glass partition and rig walls and pillars with explosive charges to simulate strafe marks created by the Ghostbusters' guns. We had parts made for three takes of everything so we could reset easily."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "Everything that was blown up inside the courtroom was made of balsa wood. The railing, the walk-through hinge doors, the judge's box and even the defense table were made so they could easily be blown up or moved."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "We had to pick the defense table up and fly it across the room for a scene where the brothers uncover the cowards hiding underneath. They pick it up and slam it into the back wall of the room. We had that table on a flying track and just pulled it on a compound cable to slam it into the wall as hard as we as we could."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 13. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "We had parts made for three takes of everything so we could reset easily."
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 14. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "The stuntwoman in the scene wore a pair of flying pants and a vest, and the cable ran up from her leg to the ceiling track above. Ivan wanted her to have one leg free so it could dangle--which made things more difficult. All the weight was on her shoulders when she was upside down, so that was not a problem--but she had to try to hold her leg out and kick and flip it around. There were also all these chairs underneath, and her head was just missing the tops of the ones that we had not already blown out of the way."
- ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 115-116. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "A more serious incident occurred on the Ghostbusters II courtroom set one day after filming. "The prop master was having an argument with Murray," Giuliano begins. "I have no idea what they were arguing about, but Murray slapped him. Suddenly there was all this kicking and punching. And this guy was so much bigger than Murray. I got between them and started talking to the prop master to figure out what's going on. All of a sudden his eyes got gigantic. I turned around and Murray was running at us with a big wooden chair, like it was a wrestling match. A set costumer, a woman, got involved to help me. That night when I went home I was fuckin' black and blue all over my body!" Giuliano declined to identify the prop master by name, citing "a big lawsuit" that broke out after Murray had the individual fired, but call sheets from that week list a "MacSems" filling the position. It was Bill MacSems, a veteran in his field whose credits included Chinatown, Marathon Man, All the President's Men, and RoboCop. Now retired, Bill MacSems declined to be interviewed for this volume. Sources who wish to remain anonymous say the courtroom altercation started because Murray was angry about the weight of his proton pack, the cumbersome piece of equipment all three lead actors had to wear like a rucksack during their ghost-busting sequences. Murray wasn't fond of wearing the fifty-pound apparatus while shooting the first Ghostbusters, and it remained an issue on the sequel, even though he was scripted to spend less time with the proton pack and the prop department had crafted a more lightweight device Livid that the straps were cutting into his shoulders, Murray allegedly tore the proton pack off his body, threw it to the ground of the courtroom set, and then knocked over a nearby table filled with other proton packs before accosting MacSems."
- ↑ Illfonic Twitch TV "DLC #2 Preview Stream | feat. Design Director Jordan" 7:21-7:36 4/19/2023 Jordan says: "The courthouse we wanted to bring in some obviously--something that was iconic to the franchise, the courthouse is part of the second movie and we wanted to recreate that feeling of being able to go through and bust-- and bust throughout the courthouse."
- ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Comic p.7). Paragraph reads: "From the public library to the Foley Square courthouse; from Madison Avenue to Central Park; the New York metropolitan area is full of iconic locations plagued by supernatural phenomena."
- ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.18). Paragraph reads: "CLASS IV. NONCORPOREAL ELEMENTAL SPIRITS. ANCHORED TO THE FOLEY SQUARE COURTHOUSE."