Janine Melnitz
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| Janine Melnitz | |
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Receptionist | |
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| Appeared in | Ghostbusters Ghostbusters II Ghostbusters: The Video Game 88MPH Studios Ghost Busted (manga) IDW Comics Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime |
| Played by | Annie Potts |
"Ghostbusters, whaddaya want?!?"
- Janine Melnitz; Ghostbusters
Janine Melnitz was the receptionist that worked for the boys in grey at the Firehouse. She like the four Ghostbusters and Slimer. She is usually present in all Ghosbusters media.
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History
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GhostbustersEdit
Janine was the first person hired to work at the Firehouse. She staffed the phones and kept track of appointments, calls, messages, etc. While initially extremely bored with her job, once the boys picked up more and more clients, she began to complain of being overworked. After Dr. Venkman implied that perhaps she'd find more pleasure in another low-wage job, she took offense, but stopped her complaints. When Walter Peck showed up to shut down the storage facility, she tried to stop them, but the Police Captain, along with all of Walter's paperwork, gave her no choice. Before the explosion at the firehouse, she kept watch with Egon Spengler over Louis Tully.
After the guys blow up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, sending Gozer back to its own dimension, Janine is seen at the entrance of the building, hugging Egon, as he heads to the Ecto-1.
Ghostbusters IIEdit
In late 1989, Janine was re-hired following the Ghostbusters' capture of the Scoleri Brothers during their trial. She soon responded to a new phone call. After hearing what the customer says, she smiled and replied, "Yes, we're back." In the weeks after, the Ghostbusters were flush with business. In one instance, she was entrusted with two Traps by the guys and walked off to deposit the ghosts in the Containment Unit. She becomes attracted to Louis Tully, the staff accountant.
Venkman hired her to babysit Dana Barrett's son Oscar while he went on a date with Dana. When Louis asked her out, Janine had to decline but invited him to instead come with her to babysit. They ended up making out in Peter's apartment. Later, when the Ghostbusters are stuck at the Manhattan Museum of Art, she lends Louis one of Egon's uniforms.
Ghostbusters: The Video GameEdit
Janine retains her job of monitoring the phones at the Firehouse, arranging appointments, and the other secretarial work involved in keeping the Ghostbusters business operating. She is seen in the scene before the Rookie is introduced, she is holding calls, and gets a rather odd one when a customer wants to know if they can contact a dead relative to get the combination for a safe. If the Rookie sticks around for a while between investigations, he can overhear some of Janine's phone calls, including some complaints of having used up all of her float holidays, copier problems, a mix up involving ordering dragon blood, and general remarks on the franchising of the Ghostbusters establishment.
On Thanksgiving morning, Janine's favorite pair of pumps broke and Lester's was out of her favorite flavor of tea, chamomile. While the Ghostbusters were returning from Shandor's Island, Janine was rendered unconscious. When she came to, Ilyssa Selwyn was missing, the Containment Unit was shut off again, and the Firehouse in shambles. She attempts to explain what happened to the team when a NY News 6 report reveals tremors at Central Park.
Secondary Canon HistoryEdit
IDW Comic SeriesEdit
Janine arrived at the Firehouse unaware 3/4 of the Ghostbusters were murdered hours earlier. She found Peter inside, who was really Fred possessing the body, and clued him the Ghost Traps were in the storage room next to the Containment Unit. Fred then knocked Janine unconscious and gathered up the Ghostbusters' equipment.
After Koza'Rai banished the Ghostbusters, only Janine Melnitz was left. He banished her to Versailles, France in the year 1780. Armed with only a Proton Pack, Janine was teleported into the middle of a party. While the people didn't believe she was from the future, they hired her to deal with the ghost of Leonardo da Vinci. Without a Trap, Janine reasoned with Leonardo and convinced him to use his skills for a greater cause. Ghostbusters Versailles was born. After recruiting three employees, Janine's team went on many busts; including taking on Morgan Le Fay, singing Gargoyles of Notre-Dame, Viking Ghosts, and a Slime Entity. She also had a brief one night stand with one employee. Upon capturing the Slime Entity, Janine learned four of its victims were the original Ghostbusters, who arrived earlier in search of her. Janine agreed to return with them to the present, if she got a promotion.
On one Christmas Eve, while the Ghostbusters went to see Woodrow Wainwright Fraser III, Peter had Janine work through until midnight and guard their $1 million check payments. When the Ghost of Christmas Present brought the team and Fraser to the Firehouse, Janine looked extremely angry while taking phone calls despite being paid time-and-a-half.
During one Halloween day, Janine is less than pleased with Ray and Peter's cost of living increase offer on the grounds her job is anything but typical. After witnessing Artie Lester's $50,000 proposal rejected by the team, Janine secretly calls Lester and takes him up on it herself. She arrives to the Tobin Mansion and discovers Lester did not cancel his Halloween gala. Clad in a modified uniform with Winston's Proton Pack, a Ghost Trap, and a P.K.E. Meter, Janine investigates and finds Sam Hain in a secret passage. However, she loses the trap and becomes stuck in a supernatural soft spot between reality and the nether realm.
While the Ghostbusters crash onto the Hain Estate, Janine figures out the circumstances surrounding Hain's death and manages to empathize with him. Ray bursts into the room and wrangles Sam Hain. As Egon pulls Janine from the soft spot, she tells them to stand down and promises Hain they would give him a proper burial. Hain accepts and goes back to the other side just as the spot closes at midnight. Janine then kept the remainder of Lester's $50,000 fee after the funeral costs were paid.
During the Infestation, Janine is the unlikely hero who indirectly reveals a solution to the dozens of escaped Poltergeists and Zombies by throwing a loaded Trap at a Zombie's head. The trap opened and the Poltergeist was drawn to the soulless Zombie. Both were changed, one could now be kept indefinitely in the Containment Unit while the Zombie could now be safely dispersed without the threat of Necrotic Slime being spread.
In one of Ray's precognitive dreams, Janine was talk show host of "The Ja'nine Show" and a segment featured the Ghostbusters. The next day, Janine received a flower bouquet from her boyfriend, Roger Baugh. She and Winston allowed Alan Crendall to confide in them about a paranormal curse that turned out to be Slimer. Hours later, she summoned the Ghostbusters to meet with a visitor named Jim Silver, who was possessed by Idulnas. Several weeks later, Janine broke up another argument between Peter and Peck. Ray noted she seemed to be behaving overly aggressive. One week after the Fantastic Land case, Janine visited Peter in the hospital on the way to a Yoga class. After Peter gloated about his perfect health, Janine handed him a gift from Ray and left smiling as Peter voiced his "appreciation."
About a week later, Janine and Roger bumped into Egon outside of Delgado's Gym. This was the first meeting between Egon and Roger. After Egon abruptly walked off, Janine already sensed Egon was busy thinking of something else - the ambient P.K.E. in the Tri-State area. Towards the end of summer, Roger took Janine out on a date to attend a special performance of Don Giovanni for charity at the Metropolitan Opera House. Janine became irritated and took the unwitting Roger away from the Firehouse for dinner after the guys gave him a hard time. The date came to end when the Phantom of the Opera manifested. Janine called up Ray but the Ghost Smashers arrived first.
In the fall, Janine was shocked to be asked by Egon point blank if she was trying to make him jealous by dating Roger. Egon went on to admit he noticed how over the years she made advances on him then tried to date someone shared superficial characteristics with him, eventually got bored and dumped them, and resumed aggressive flirtations. Egon even once made a flow chart of her process for contrasting purposes while he was studying a haunting at a chapel in Yonkers. Janine was insulted and stormed off.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of SlimeEdit
Janine's role in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime was limited to a few panels in three cinematics.
When Ray and Egon come to conclusion to let the junior team investigate the Sedgewick Hotel, Janine calls them. She is later present when everyone observes the shards of the Relic of Nilhe and celebrating victory over Dumazu.
Animated SeriesEdit
She started off much like her film counterpart in character but with green pointy glasses. Later season saw her becoming less tough and more motherly as the show wanted to give good role models. To read more about the animated version of her, go here.
PersonalityEdit
Janine is highly sardonic with her eccentric bosses, while taking her job in such an unusual business in stride. As such, no matter how strange circumstances become at work, she is largely unflappable. Her hobbies included racquetball and reading.
In the first film, Janine showed romantic interest in Egon, but by the second film, begins a relationship with Louis Tully.
DescriptionEdit
In Ghostbusters II, Janine's appearance is very different from the first film; she now has red hair, a new hairstyle, and wears humongous glasses. This new look was perhaps influenced by the Real Ghostbuster cartoon series, which was popular at the time.
ReferencesEdit
AppearancesEdit
Secondary Canon AppearancesEdit
- 88MPH Studios
- Ghost Busted (manga)
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- IDW Comics
- Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime
GalleryEdit
OverallEdit
Primary CanonEdit
Secondary CanonEdit
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