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"Banshee Bake a Cherry Pie?" is the 46th episode of The Real Ghostbusters by air order (episode 34 on DVD), produced as Season 2. It first aired on October 28, 1987, with production number 76021. Written by Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy, the story turns a chart-topping rock record into a supernatural threat when the Irish pop star behind it is revealed to be a banshee in disguise.
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| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Air date | October 28, 1987 |
| Season | 2 |
| Air order | #46 |
| DVD order | #34 |
| Production number | 76021 |
| Written by | Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy |
| Box set | Vol. 2, Disc 1 |
Janine Melnitz does not appear in this episode.
Writers Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy, in the episode introduction included in The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection, described this as their rock-and-roll tribute and freely admitted it was probably the worst title they ever created.1 The episode was recorded on July 30, 1986, over a year before its broadcast premiere.
Peter Venkman plays an advance copy of a debut album by Irish rock star Shanna O'Callahan, released on the fictional Insanity Records label. The moment the song "Love Makes Me Live" plays, chaos breaks out in the Firehouse: Peter levitates above his bed, two beds explode, the ceiling lamp disintegrates, and the stereo destroys itself in a flash of blue light. Ray Stantz's uniform apparently becomes animated and runs away while Slimer hides inside Winston's. Egon Spengler names the culprit: a banshee, an Irish spirit whose singing causes destruction and can enslave men to its will.
The situation is urgent. A poster outside the Firehouse reveals Shanna is set to perform live at Carnegie Hall that night at 8 pm, with a simultaneous worldwide broadcast.
The Ghostbusters visit her agent, Vince Braggs, who throws them out rather than default on a multimillion-dollar deal. They track Shanna to a nearby rehearsal hall, where she is already causing disturbances. After dodging an unhinged janitor (who brandishes his mop as a "registered deadly weapon"), the team breaks into her rehearsal room. Shanna sings a few notes, the floor caves in, and she escapes. Peter falls under her spell, lost in a music-video daydream, and Egon has to wake him up and end it.
At Carnegie Hall the building manager is also under Shanna's spell and useless. The team dresses in glam-rock clothing and bluffs their way in as undercover bodyguards. They reach her dressing room but she sings again and Peter gets tied up. Crucially, a mirror shows Shanna's true banshee form, which breaks Peter's infatuation. Shanna escapes to the stage before they can stop her. Peter cannot recall the last two hours. The clock reads 7:58 pm.
On stage, Shanna's first verse summons giant spiders from the ceiling and dragons from the video equipment. Her second verse conjures giant bats. The Ghostbusters zap the apparitions with their Proton Streams as the audience watches, delighted, assuming it is all part of the show. Just as the broadcast goes live coast-to-coast, Egon uses the PA system to feed Shanna's own voice back at her. The feedback forces her to revert to her true banshee form and the team traps her. They exit to cheering crowds who want more. Vince Braggs offers Peter a career as a showman, but Peter declines, declaring he will never leave the ghostbusting business.
Shanna O'Callahan is the episode's antagonist, a banshee who disguised herself as an Irish rock musician. Voiced by Jodi Carlisle, she is described by Egon and Ray as a "negative spirit" and "aspiring agent of doom." Having grown tired of harming one victim at a time, she devised a scheme to affect millions at once through a recorded and then live-broadcast performance.
In human form, Shanna is a glamorous pop star. Her true banshee form is revealed when Egon reflects her voice back at her with feedback. According to the Carnegie Hall building manager, secret number three about Shanna is that she likes petite men with gentle voices and good grooming habits. Venkman, upon hearing this, is seen stooping down while wearing a Shanna t-shirt.
The song heard in the episode is identified in the show as "Love Makes Me Live" from Shanna's debut album. The actual piece of music used was a production track from Saban Productions, distinct from the in-show title, and the same track was later used as an Easter egg on the Best of She-Ra DVD.1
Shanna O'Callahan has made non-canon cameo appearances in IDW Publishing comics, including a poster on a footlocker door in Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #2, and concert posters in Ghostbusters International #2.
Vince Braggs is Shanna's talent agent. He refuses to cooperate with the Ghostbusters and dismisses their warnings, unwilling to walk away from a multimillion-dollar deal. By the time the Ghostbusters encounter him at Carnegie Hall he appears to be under Shanna's influence as well. After the concert, Braggs attempts to sign Peter as a showman, using the stage name "Dr. V," but Peter turns him down.
The episode title is a pun on the 1983 film "Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?", which itself takes its title from the lyrics of the American folk song "Billy Boy": "Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? / Can she bake a cherry pie, Charming Billy? / She can bake a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink an eye."1
The name Shanna O'Callahan may be a nod to Irish singer Sinead O'Connor.
Egon is shown to have named his latest computer "Marsha."
Ray Stantz is shown wearing green boxer shorts with the No-Ghost logo on them.
For the final sequence the team is dressed in rock-star outfits, but some shots during the trapping sequence show them back in their regular uniforms, switching between the two looks. (See also Animation Errors below.)
Peter offers "Dr. V" as his proposed stage name when Vince Braggs makes his post-concert offer.
During the trapping of Shanna at Carnegie Hall, the Ghostbusters shift back and forth between their glam-rock disguises and their regular uniforms between shots.
When the Ecto-1 changes lanes, the car passes straight through a truck.
The fire trucks shown outside Carnegie Hall have "EDNY" painted on their sides, a misspelling of FDNY (Fire Department of New York).
Egon Spengler: For the good of the nation, I suggest you get OFF the stage.
Janitor: You're going to make a mess, aren't you? No more MESSES!
Ray Stantz: I think the sight of all this destruction may have driven him over the edge.
Janitor: Okay. Come on. One at a time, or all at once!? This mop is registered as a deadly weapon!