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The 1st Customer is the ninth chapter on the DVDs of Ghostbusters. This chapter has Dana meet the Ghostbusters about the events in Chapter 7.

Cast[]

Equipment[]

Locations[]

Plot[]

Dana Barrett entered the Firehouse through the inner door of the big door on the left. Dana called out "Hello?" but she got no answer and walked past the Cadillac while Ray was head first under the hood ratcheting something. There was a bunch of different sprays atop the tool cabinet like a red CRC Brake Parts Cleaner can. A Diet Coke rested on a drawer pulled out. Ray looked up. Dana walked over to Janine Melnitz. She filed her nails. Dana asked Janine if she was in the Ghostbusters' office. Janine confirmed that and asked how she could help her. Peter peaked up from his office like a gopher out of its hole. Dana admitted she didn't have an appointment but wanted to talk to someone. Peter bolted to them. He narrowly jumped over the office gate. Peter introduced himself. Dana cautioned what she had to say may sound a little unusual. Peter joked that's all they got day in, day out. He invited her into his office. Janine looked up at him in disbelief. Dana introduced herself.

Dana was hooked up to the Aura-Video Analyzer. She was now upstairs on the second floor being interviewed by Peter, Ray, and Egon. The Analyzer's monitor displayed Dana's head in several different colors. Dana concluded her story and told them there was a voice that said "Zuul" and then she slammed the refrigerator door and left. She recounted that was two days ago, and she had not been back to her apartment since. Peter remarked you generally did not see that kind of behavior in a major appliance. He asked her what she thought it was. Ray switched off the Analyzer's monitor. Egon was seated next to Dana looking at her with a head light. He removed the diodes from her head. Dana got annoyed and told him if she knew what it was, she would not have come. Peter asked Egon what he thought. Egon turned to Peter with his head lamp still on. Peter was blinded. He swatted at the air until Egon clicked the light off. Peter opened his eyes in a daze. Egon noted Dana was telling the truth or at least, she thought she was. Dana stammered she was telling the truth and asked who would make up a story like that. Peter informed her they ran into some people who just wanted attention and a lot of nutballs who came in off the street. Ray, with a Budweiser can, speculated it could be a case of past life experience intruding on present time. He sat. Egon walked over to couch and grabbed a Cheez-Its box. Egon thought it could be erased memories stored in the collective unconscious, clairvoyance, or telepathic contact. Dana was skeptical and scoffed. She apologized and admitted she did not believe in any of those things. Peter went next to her and told her he did not either. Egon and Ray exchanged looks. Peter walked behind Dana and gestured to Ray and Egon to make something up as he told her there were standard procedures they did in cases hers that gave them results. Ray figured he could go down to hall of records and check out the structural details in the building. He guessed the building itself could have a history of psychic turbulence. Peter nodded and agreed. Egon suggested he could look for the name Zuul in the usual literature. Ray thought of Spates Catalog. Egon mentioned Tobin's Spirit Guide. Ray agreed. Peter suggested he would take Dana back to her apartment and check her out. She looked up at him. Peter corrected himself and stated he would go check out her apartment. He turned to her. She nodded. He quietly grumbled about his flub. Dana thanked him. She got up and walked away. Peter smacked his head and made a face as he followed her.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • The scene was filmed on the ground floor and second floor of the Fire House #23 at 225 East 5th Street in Los Angeles.
  • On top the tool cabinet is a red CRC Brake Parts Cleaner can. A Diet Coke rests on a open drawer.
  • In the January 20, 1983 draft, Ivo Shandor was the interdimensional employer of the Ghostbusters.[1]
  • Behind and to the left of Janine, a crew member's appendage can be seen briefly from behind the gate near the ground and left side of the cabinet right around when Peter's head pops up and he jumps over to Dana.
  • When Bill Murray leaps over the office rail to Dana, he barely clears it and his foot clicks on the railing.[2]
  • In the July 6, 1983 draft, on pages 35-36, Dana arrives and talks to Janine, Janine calls Peter and he interviews Dana alone about the refrigerator incident. Mid-interview, the scene transitioned to Peter and Dana in her apartment conducting an investigation.
  • In the August 5, 1983 draft, on pages 30-31, Janine has a heated call with a bill collector then mistakes Dana for one, too. After things are cleared up, Dana tells Janine her name first then she buzzes Peter who rushes out. He gives Dana a cigarette to calm her nerves. She tells Peter about what happened.
  • In the September 30, 1983 draft, after the kitchen incident, it skips right to Dana mid-interview with the Ghostbusters on page 30-32 and is similar to the interview in the movie but with an added line from Janine saying her uncle once saw St. Jerome on the subway but he got off at 59th Street to which Dana laughs at then admits she doesn't believe in anything they mentioned. Egon notes she is a Scorpio with her moon in Leo and Aquarius rising.
  • In the October 7, 1983 draft, the sequence of Dana walking into the Firehouse looking for help returns on page 22. She speaks to Peter then is interviewed by the guys like in the movie.
  • During the interview sequence, a device was attached to Sigourney Weaver in order to produce the effect seen on the monitor.[3]
  • Dana talks about looking in her refrigerator, seen in Chapter 7, and a voice saying Zuul.
    • She mentions it has been two days since she left her apartment.
  • An exchange similar to Egon shining his head lamp at Peter was seen in Ghostbusters II when Oscar was examined in Chapter 05: Investigating Oscar.
  • During Dana's interview, there are a couple of Particle Throwers on the table behind her. They can be seen when Egon shines his head light on Peter and when he stands up.
  • Ray drinks a Budweiser. He also drinks one in Chapter 11: "We Got One!".
  • Egon eats from a box of Cheez-Its.
  • Ray's past life intrusion theory is a nod to past life regression therapy.
  • Egon mentions:
    • The collective unconscious, a term coined by Carl Jung.
    • Clairvoyance, the ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception.
    • Telepathic contact, contact without standard sensory or physical means.
  • Ray mentions Spates Catalog.
  • Egon mentions Tobin's Spirit Guide.
  • Peter's slip about checking out Dana was ad-libbed by Bill Murray.[4]
  • Ray finally gets the blueprints to 550 Central Park West several weeks later in Chapter 20: Keymaster and further discusses it in Chapter 22.
  • The box of Cheeze-Its return in Chapter 20 as well when Egon and Janine interview Louis Tully/Vinz Clortho.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • Phoebe Spengler shines her headlight in Callie's face, similar to when Egon did so to Peter in the first movie when they interviewed Dana Barrett.
  • Janine Melnitz repeats one of her lines from the first movie, "Can I help you?"
  • Tobin's Spirit Guide is seen in Phoebe's bedroom. She reads it the first night at the Farmhouse and later, Podcast reads a passage out loud about Gozer and the Terror Dogs.
  • There is a box of Cheez-Its in the underground laboratory.

IDW Comics Trivia[]

References[]

  1. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 152 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In Dan Aykroyd's original script, Shandor was the name of the Ghostbusters' interdimensional employer - a decided eccentric whose walls were lined with mounted trophy heads taken from such challenging big game as bats, rats and lobsters. Though Shandor was invariably to be found sequestered in his darkened office, perched on a swivel armchair and covered entirely by a near-opaque mosquito bonnet, no one seemed to suspect that there might be anything inherently out of the ordinary about him."
  2. Harold Ramis (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 21:58-22:05). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "Now, when Bill leaps over the rail, he almost doesn't make it. You'll hear his foot click on the railing. If he'd fallen, he would've been dead."
  3. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 22:43-22:54). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "We did all this live, as well. There really was something attached to her that caused this solarization effect. It's kind of a cheapo effect, but it kinda worked."
  4. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 56 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "On the set, Bill Murray ad-libbed a Freudian slip for his obviously smitten character: "I'll take Miss Barrett back to her apartment and check her out." Rolling his eyes in embarrassment, Venkman corrects himself and -- as Dana rises and turns away -- bangs his fist on his forehead."

Gallery[]

Selected Screengrabs[]

Behind the Scenes[]

 
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Chapter 08: "Bug-Eyes Thing" Chapter 10: Checking Out Dana
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