Production
"Look Homeward, Ray" was written by Marc Scott Zicree, who contributed four episodes to The Real Ghostbusters in total. The episode was recorded on July 16, 1986 and aired on November 8, 1986. In the episode introduction recorded for The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection box set, Zicree credits his inspiration to various Twilight Zone episodes in which characters return to their hometowns and find things going awry. The title is a direct reference to Thomas Wolfe's 1929 debut novel "Look Homeward, Angel."
The episode appears on Vol. 1, Disc 2 of the DVD box set.
Plot
The episode opens at Grand Central Terminal, where Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore intercept Ray before he boards a train, loading him down with press clippings, scrapbooks, and film reels to take to his hometown. Ray has been invited back to Morrisville, a small town roughly 30 miles outside New York City (though the real Morrisville is some 200 miles away), to serve as grand marshal of the annual Winged Puma Parade. Ray admits the invitation surprised him since nobody back home ever thought he would amount to much. Slimer tags along uninvited, frightens bystanders, and presents Ray with his cherished Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stuffed toy as a parting gift before Ray finally convinces him to stop saying goodbye.
In Morrisville, the Mayor delivers a welcome speech that repeatedly mangles Ray's first name. Elaine Phermon, Ray's childhood crush, and local shoe salesman Alan Favish rush the stage to greet him. Favish informs the crowd that Elaine recently inherited the Pallo Mansion but cannot find occupants because the building is haunted. Ray seizes the opportunity to demonstrate his skills, pulling a Proton Pack from a travel case. A P.K.E. Meter reading confirms only Class 2 Mini-Wraiths inside the mansion. But before Ray can capture them, Favish secretly consults his "Magic Spells" tome and surrounds the ghosts in Negative Energy, transforming them into large, aggressive entities that resist Ray's proton streams, toss him into a garbage can, and demolish the parade tents before retreating to the mansion. The Mayor, left with a repair bill and an empty treasury, strips Ray of the grand marshal honor and awards it to Favish, who conveniently offers to cover all the damage.
Back at the Firehouse, Ray goes straight to bed. Janine Melnitz and the team check the equipment, which reads perfectly normal. Winston tries to console Ray; Peter quips that they knew something was off with Ray back in college. Ray slips out overnight and returns to Pallo Mansion alone. Egon finds his note, wakes the team, and they race after him in Ecto-1. Meanwhile, Elaine startles Ray in the mansion grounds; Favish, watching nearby, drains the Negative Energy from the two ghosts so that Egon, Peter, and Winston capture them easily in their diminished state. The ease of the bust makes Ray look incompetent again. He quits the team and storms off. Favish immediately offers Ray a job as "Hoppy the Boot Bunny" at his shoe store.
The team leaves Ray's Proton Pack on display and debates how to bring him back. When Egon proposes electric shock, Peter vetoes it; Egon then produces a second plan. Slimer puts on a disguise to fake a haunting and almost succeeds, but he spots an ice cream truck (license plate "Drippy 1," a riff on Ecto-1) and abandons the ruse. Ray gets an unexpected visit from Elaine, who flatly refuses to believe the failures were his fault. Together they find and examine Favish's spell book: the cover displays a pentagram, and all the incantations are written in Pig Latin (for example, "Ell-spa egon-bay!"). They also realize the Negative Energy has been building to a critical level, and rush to warn the others.
The Winged Puma, a massive mythological creature, awakens and begins destroying the parade. Favish attempts to recall it using the book but loses control. His own shoe shop is trampled. The Ghostbusters discover their equipment is useless because it runs on positive energy, which Negative Energy directly counters. Ray improvises: he borrows a screwdriver from a local named Mr. Johnson (who notes Ray always had weird pets) and reverses the polarity on his Particle Thrower. The shot works and drives the Puma back into the air. The Ghostbusters board a parade float shaped like a giant shoe, lure the Puma in with a float built in Ray's likeness, and trap it with a Ghost Trap. Peter sums it up from inside the giant shoe: "I never thought it would end like this. Fighting a flying cat from inside a shoe!"
Morrisville restores Ray as grand marshal. He immediately misfires and destroys a Winged Puma float. Elaine plants a kiss on his cheek.
Voice Cast
| Character |
Voice Actor |
| Peter Venkman |
Lorenzo Music |
| Slimer |
Lorenzo Music |
| Ray Stantz |
Frank Welker |
| Egon Spengler |
Maurice LaMarche |
| Winston Zeddemore |
Arsenio Hall |
| Janine Melnitz |
Laura Summer |
| Alan Favish |
Tony Anselmo |
| Elaine Phermon |
Sara Ballantine |
| Mayor of Morrisville / Mr. Johnson |
Stanley Wojno, Jr. |
Characters
Peter Venkman
Egon Spengler
Ray Stantz
Winston Zeddemore
Janine Melnitz
Slimer
: Alan Favish The central human antagonist. Favish is a shoe salesman in Morrisville who resents Ray's success as a Ghostbuster and sabotages each of his attempts to demonstrate his abilities using a tome of Magic Spells that generates Negative Energy. His own arrogance ultimately costs him control of the Winged Puma and his shop. Voiced by Tony Anselmo.
: Elaine Phermon Ray's childhood crush, voiced by Sara Ballantine. She tracked the Ghostbusters' exploits over the years, largely because of Ray. She recently inherited the old Pallo Mansion but cannot find tenants willing to stay. Elaine never loses faith in Ray during the episode's reversals and ultimately helps him expose Favish's scheme by finding the spell book. She kisses Ray on the cheek when the town restores his grand marshal status.
: Mayor of Morrisville The town's mayor, who consistently gets Ray's name wrong during the welcome ceremony ("Roy Stantz"). He strips Ray of the grand marshal role after the property damage and awards it to Favish, then restores it to Ray after the Winged Puma is contained.
: Winged Puma The supernatural creature at the center of Morrisville's annual parade tradition. The build-up of Negative Energy from Favish's repeated spell-casting awakens it and sets it loose on the parade. It is ultimately contained in a Ghost Trap after the Ghostbusters lure it using a float built in Ray's likeness.
: Pallo Mansion Ghosts A pair of Class 2 Mini-Wraiths residing in the Pallo Mansion, which Elaine recently inherited. In their natural state they are relatively harmless and easily captured. Favish's Magic Spells amplify them with Negative Energy, making them resistant to proton streams.
Trivia
- Ray has a stuffed toy of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man; Slimer gives it to him at Grand Central before his departure.
- The episode title is a reference to Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel," his 1929 debut novel.
- Marc Scott Zicree revealed in his introduction for The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection that the episode was inspired by Twilight Zone episodes featuring characters who return to their hometowns and encounter trouble.
- Ray tells the team Morrisville is only 30 miles from New York City. The real Morrisville, New York is closer to 200 miles away.
- This is one of the few episodes focused on Ray Stantz, and the only episode in which he has a love interest.
- All of the spells Alan Favish casts are written and spoken in Pig Latin. The cover of his spell tome displays a pentagram.
- The song used in this episode is "Hometown Hero" by Tahiti. It appears in two separate sequences, consistent with the practice of the rest of Season 1 using tracks from The Real Ghostbusters Soundtrack.
- The ice cream truck that distracts Slimer bears the license plate "Drippy 1," a play on Ecto-1.
- In the Firehouse scene after the first failure, Winston and Peter are playing a game of chess when Ray returns.
- When Winston shows concern that Ray is having a rough time, Peter quips, "We knew that back in college."
- After Ray borrows a screwdriver from Mr. Johnson to reverse his Particle Thrower's polarity, Johnson comments that Ray always had the weirdest pets.
- As the Ghostbusters set off aboard the flying shoe float, Winston notes he never knew Ray had a birthmark under his chin.
- Peter pronounces "Winged Puma" as "Wing-ed Pyoo-ma" when the creature first appears.
- There are numerous spelling oddities throughout the episode, including "Ize Cleem" and "Twuck Sreet Twuck."
- In his first appearance in the episode, Alan Favish's suit changes color between blue and brown.
- Due to a coloring error, Winston briefly turns white in one scene.
- When Ray hands his Proton Pack to Winston and says "Maybe you can use it for parts," his mouth does not move.
Animation Errors
- When the Ghostbusters arrive at the Pallo Mansion, Ray appears twice in the same shot, occupying Winston's position. Winston appears a few frames later but is wearing Ray's uniform.
- Winston's skin tone is colored incorrectly in a scene approximately one minute before the end of the episode.
- Ray's mouth does not move when he says "Here, take this. Maybe you can use it for parts" while handing his Proton Pack to Winston.
Quotes
: Mayor: Today's party and tomorrow's parade is Morrisville's way of saying "we will never forget the name, Roy Stantz".
: Ray: Uh, that's Ray....RAY!
: Mayor: How's that?
: Egon: I have a plan.
: Peter: No electric shock, Egon.
: Egon: ...I have another plan.
: Peter Venkman: I never thought it would end like this. Fighting a flying cat from inside a shoe!
