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Dan Aykroyd was a writer and actor in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The Ghostbusters universe was started by him.

Ghostbusters Related[]

Television and Early Career[]

Dan first gained national exposure on the sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1979.

Film Roles[]

Dan is known best for his roles of Blues Brother Elwood Blues and for Ghostbuster Ray Stantz. He created the Ghostbusters Franchise along with Harold Ramis.

He has also been in films: My Girl, Coneheads, Blues Brothers 2000, Evolution.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • Ivan Reitman first met Dan Aykroyd when he hired him to be an announcer at a television station in Toronto in the 1970s.[1]
  • Dan Aykroyd drove the Ecto-1 in New York.[2]
  • During the New York shoot, City Hall revoked the permit allowing the film crew to film Ecto-1's escort to Central Park West out of concern about the traffic snarl it would cause. They revoke the permit on the day filming took place at City Hall. Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd disappeared for one hour and approached Mayor Koch for help. Koch had the issue fixed so they could film the drive to Central Park West.[3]
  • Dan Aykroyd got to meet science fiction writer Isaac Asimov during the 55 Central Park West shoot, but Asimov was angry about the traffic because he couldn't get home.[4]
  • One night during the Central Park West shoot, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray borrowed police motorcycles and rode around Central Park with the lights and sirens on, pulling over pedestrians.[5]
  • Dan Aykroyd loved the shaving cream used to simulate marshmallow residue and kept asking for more to be put on him.[6]
  • Peter Aykroyd, Dan Aykroyd's younger brother, connected Ivan Reitman with Glenn Hughes and Pat Thrall during the search for a theme song.[7]
  • In The Real Ghostbusters episode "Take Two", Winston mentions Dan Aykroyd's last name while reading off the cast of the movie being made about the Ghostbusters.[8]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • Dan Aykroyd suggested using a Jackie Wilson song.[9]
  • Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis enjoyed the stunt scene of the Ghostbuters rappelling down into the Manhattan Museum of Art's restoration room and did it five times for fun.[10]
  • Howie Weed from the creature shop wore the makeup for scenes when Vigo was transformed within the painting and when Ray was possessed due to a scheduling conflict that prevented Dan Aykroyd from filming it himself. Weed was about the same size and he was there, saving time from bringing in another actor for fittings.[11][12][13]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • Dan Aykroyd's daughter Stella Aykroyd portrays Deputy Medjuck.
  • Dan Aykroyd contributed to the dialogue in the scene where Phoebe Spengler calls the Ghostbusters' phone number and speaks to Ray.[14]
  • On the day Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson filmed together, the first shot was done in the morning and was the part where Gozer throws them into the side of Ecto-1.[15]
  • Jason Reitman advised Dan Aykroyd to join in and insult Gozer's godly aspects.[16]

Ghostbusters (2016) Trivia[]

  • Dan Aykroyd did exchange an email with Katie Dippold about Ghostbusters jargon and science.[17]
  • On July 14, 2015, it was reported Dan Aykroyd filmed his cameo on the night of July 13.[18] It was reported Dan Aykroyd confirmed as much on his Facebook account saying "ON SET OF GHOSTBUSTERS SHOOTING MY SCENE WITH THE FUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL KRISTEN WIIG. LADY GB'S are adorable, beautiful,..." but the post was since removed.[19][20]
  • In a rush to get back to Zhu's, Erin hails a taxi in Chapter 14 of Ghostbusters (2016 Movie). The driver is portrayed by Dan Aykroyd.
    • He notes the ghosts he sees are just Class 5 vapors.
      • In the first movie, Ray classified Slimer as a Class 5 after the Ghostbusters trapped him.
    • He recites the classic line, "I ain't afraid of no ghost."
    • He appears to be dressed similarly as the Zombie Taxi Driver in the first movie
    • Initially, driver was going to be attacked by a ghost as he drove away but it was decided that was too terrible a thing to do to Aykroyd.[21]
    • There were comebacks for Erin to say like "That's a double negative!" in the extended edition but they were deleted because it was deemed they extended the scene too much.[22]
    • A discarded idea for Aykroyd was to play a spiritual adviser named Rick Gale but it was cut for pacing.[23]
  • On page 215 of Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal (Three Rivers Press), Dan Aykroyd is thanked in the acknowledgment section.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia[]

  • For Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Dan Aykroyd recorded around at least three takes of each of his total 2400 lines in under four studio hours.[24]
  • For Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Dan Aykroyd is credited as a writer but to be exact, he did rewrites of the original script by John Zuur Platten and Flint Dille. Then Harold Ramis did a pass on the script. Aykroyd and Ramis mainly polished the tone of the dialogue and vernacular used.[25]
  • In an interview, Aykroyd said he liked how everyone looked in the Wii version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game and joked about how they "shaved about 60 pounds" off his current weight for the look of Ray.[26]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • On page 12 of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1, Aykroyd is listed as one of the authors of the technical report.
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters International #4, one of the Olympia Restaurant Ghosts is visually based on Aykroyd's character George Dionasopolis, a cook and Pete's first cousin, in the Saturday Night Live "Olympia Cafe" sketch from season 3 episode 11 (1/21/78).
  • On page 2 of Ghostbusters 101 #4, in panel 5, Ray's pill bottle references Clifford Skridlow, who Dan Aykroyd portrayed in the movie "Doctor Detroit".
  • Aykroyd is mentioned in the Introduction of Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers The Call TPB on page 2.
  • On page 7 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1, Ray's civies are inspired by an outfit worn by Louis Winthrope III, a character portrayed by Dan Aykroyd in the movie "Trading Places", notably during a mug shot.
  • On page 2 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #3, one of the Ghostbusturtles has the first name of Dan Aykroyd.
  • On page 15 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #8, in panel 2, the screen on Jenny's phone references Dan Aykroyd's character Austin Millbarge in the movie "Spies Like Us".
  • On Cover B of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, the New York Times Monday classifieds references Dan Aykroyd's encounter with Isaac Asimov during filming in Central Park West amid a traffic jam production caused.
  • On page 3 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2:
    • In panel 3, Ray's outfit is based on a jogging outfit worn by Dan Aykroyd's character Clifford Skridlow in "Dr. Detroit" (1983).
    • In panel 4, Ray is wearing a blue suit based on one also worn by Clifford Skridlow in "Dr. Detroit" when Smooth Walker and his girls take him out on the town.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Ray's hairstyle is based on Dan Aykroyd's character Millbarge in "Spies Like Us" (1985).
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2, Ray mentions Ottawa, the capital of Canada and also the birthplace of Dan Aykroyd on July 1, 1952.
  • On page 11 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #3, Ray states he only knows the Blues, a nod to Dan Aykroyd and also his role in Blues Brothers.
  • On page 1 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4, once again, Ray's outfit is visually based on one also worn by Dan Aykroyd's character Clifford Skridlow in "Dr. Detroit" when Smooth Walker and his girls take out on the town.

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Dan Aykroyd (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 05:39-05:47). Bueno Productions. Dan Aykroyd says: "He hired me as an announcer at a television station in the '70s, in Toronto, so I know him for many years, and the fact that Harold Ramis had worked with him."
  2. Joe Medjuck (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:03:35-1:03:38). Bueno Productions. Joe Medjuck says: "Dan drove the Ectomobile."
  3. Peter Giuliano (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:28:56-1:29:35). Bueno Productions. Peter Giuliano says: "We had this massive location on Central Park West between, I think was 66th and 67th Street. So it's also where the traffic not only goes north and south in the city, but also east and west. The city, when they finally realized what we wanted to do, panicked and revoked the permit. When they did it, it was the day we were shooting at City Hall. And all of a sudden, we couldn't find Bill or Danny. And for an hour, we couldn't find them. And then they reappeared. And they said, we just talked with Mayor Koch, because we were at City Hall. So they went to see the real mayor. And he's gonna fix it, and we're gonna be able to shoot."
  4. Harold Ramis (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 1:19:24-1:19:50). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "Ah right, so we're taking a break one day, Danny and I are standing on 65th and Central Park West, Danny sees Isaac Asimov, who lives in the neighborhood. Danny was so excited, he was one of the great science fiction writers of our age, 'Mr. Asimov, Dan Aykroyd, we're shooting the Ghostbusters movie'... he says 'Are you the ones responsible for this?'... and he walks away. He couldn't get home. "
  5. The Tonight Show with Jmmy Fallon YouTube "Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & Ernie Hudson Look Back on the Original Ghostbusters Film | Tonight Show" 11/15/2021 Dan Aykroyd says: "We had a wonderful night, I remember, where we had available to us some New York police motorcycles because we were shooting in Uptown. And so Billy and I decided we'd like to take a little ride around Central Park. And we grabbed those bikes and screamed all over the park. It was closed for some reason. And we were just - you know, lights and sirens and, you know, and pulling over pedestrians."
  6. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 01:37:30-01:37:35). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "Danny Aykroyd loved the shaving cream more than anybody else and kept asking for more."
  7. Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 50. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Dan Aykroyd's younger brother Peter was recording an album in Los Angeles around this time and connected Reitman with two of the musicians he was working with, Glenn Hughes and Pat Thrall (who comprised the hard rock duo Hughes/Thrall)."
  8. Winston Zeddemore (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Take Two" (1986) (DVD ts. 06:20-06:24). Time Life Entertainment. Winston says: "Murray...Aykroyd...Ramis. What's that? A law firm?"
  9. Joe Medjuck (2019). Ghostbusters II- Commentary (2019) (Blu-ray ts. 41:14-41:20). Sony Home Entertainment. Joe Medjuck says: "My memory is, Danny, that this was your idea. Jack Wilson. 'Cause it's a song I love, and as soon as you mentioned it--"
  10. Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 42. Cinefex, USA. Ernie Hudson says: "The nice thing about Ghostbusters was that nobody held back, no matter what they were asked to do. Everybody was committed , having fun and giving one hundred percent. When we did the scene where we slide down the rope and landed in the restoration room, we had to go pretty high up in the rafters to slide down the rope. But Bill was there, Danny was there and so was Harold. That made it pretty hard not to commit. We were up there with our backpacks on, and I was thinking, 'Gee I don't know about this.' But Danny was all excited about it and Harold loved it so much that he went up and down five times."
  11. Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 45. Cinefex, USA.Tim Lawrence says: "Howie Weed--one of the creature shop crew members--wore the makeup for scenes of Vigo transformed within the painting and for a subsequent scene when Ray becomes entranced by Vigo and momentarily turns into a demon before his friends restore him with a blast of positive slime."
  12. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 176. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Howie Weed says: "I'm a big guy, so I asked Dennis Muren if I could do it. Because I was already there they didn't have to bring an actor in for fittings, and they could get on it right away."
  13. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 176. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "Ivan Reitman OK'ed the look, but Dan Aykroyd's schedule didn't allow him to play the demon-possessed Stantz."
  14. Den of Geek "Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Jason Reitman Finally Addresses the Biggest Spoilers in the Movie" 11/22/2021 Jason Reitman says: "Oh yeah, particularly the dialogue for his character. When he's talking to Phoebe on the phone and he starts talking about the fuel isotopes and things like that, this is just stuff that only Dan can come up with."
  15. Vanity Fair "The Day Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson Became Ghostbusters Again" 11/22/2021 Line reads: "The first thing Hudson, Murray, and Aykroyd shoot that morning is getting cast aside. Gozer hurls the Original Ghostbusters (a.k.a. The OGBs, as they were nicknamed on set) back against the steel hull of the Ecto-1. This plot point literally makes the absence of Egon hurt."
  16. Vanity Fair "The Day Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson Became Ghostbusters Again" 11/22/2021 Line reads: "While Hudson prepared to take his shot, Reitman encouraged Aykroyd to join in the verbal jabs. "For Stantz, I feel like your insults would be about her actual cosmic properties," the director said. Akyroyd nodded, agreeing that Gozer might feel some insecurity about rival deities. "Hawaiians have better gods than you!" he shouted. "Pele could kick your ass!""
  17. IGN "What we learned on the set of the Ghostbusters Reboot" (page 1) 4/28/16 Katie Dippold says: "Dan Aykroyd was so good at that fake science mumbo jumbo that's so charming and fun. He weighed in with notes of what to call things. That was a wonderful email to get."
  18. Indie Revolver "Dan Aykroyd's Cameo in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters Revealed!!" 7/14/15
  19. /Film "Dan Aykroyd Confirms Cameo in Paul Feig's 'Ghostbusters'" 7/14/15
  20. ProtonCharging FB 7/14/15 Aykroyd's post
  21. Yahoo! Movies "Screenwriter Katie Dippold on How 'Ghostbusters' Changed and Why 'The Heat 2' Isn't Happening" 7/20/16 Katie Dippold: "Originally in the script the taxicab won't pick her up, but then when he drives off without her, a ghost gets in the cab and kind of attacks him. But then we realized, I don't know that we want to see Dan Aykroyd attacked [laughs]. That seemed terrible."
  22. EMPIRE Online "Empire Podcast: Ghostbusters Spoiler Special with Paul Feig" 24:34-25:11 7/27/16 Paul Feig says: "Those lines we kind of wrote when we got there. Originally, it was 'guy pulls up and she's trying to get a ride and he won't take her' He drives off then a ghost flies in the cab and throws him out of the cab and takes off. But we where going to do that with Dan then 'I don't know...' I want Dan to be in control. He should be the one guy unphased by the whole thing. And so that's where we came up with 'I don't drive wackos. I ain't afraid of no ghosts' Uh, we had funny lines and come backs for Kristen but they always felt like they extended the scene and like she goes, 'That's a double negative! That means you're afraid of ghosts!'."
  23. Yahoo! Movies "Screenwriter Katie Dippold on How 'Ghostbusters' Changed and Why 'The Heat 2' Isn't Happening" 7/20/16 Katie Dippold: "With Dan Aykroyd … we originally had a scene in the script where there was this spiritual adviser named Rick Gale that we were hoping he would do. But then we ended up cutting the scene because it was kind of slowing down the story."
  24. Reddit AMA "AMA with the developers of 2009's Ghostbusters: The Video Game!" 7/16/16 Drew Haworth says: "With Dan we recorded something like 2400 lines, at least three takes each, all great takes, in under 4 studio hours. THAT is a badass."
  25. New York Times "New Video Game? Who You Gonna Call?" 5/28/2009 Dan Aykroyd says: "They gave me the script. I took it. I rewrote it doing little tiny structural things, mostly bringing back the tone of the original dialogue and the vernacular - the terms, the idiom - but they really had it. Two-thirds of it was there. Then they gave it to Harold. He did the same thing."
  26. Joystiq article 4/13/09

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