The Prosecutor is the legal representative assigned to prosecute the Ghostbusters after they were arrested on First Avenue.
History[]
Primary Canon History[]
After reviewing the list of charges, she was very confident she would win the criminal trial. Jack Hardemeyer was pleased with her certainty and relished getting rid of the Ghostbusters. The Prosecutor examined the Con Edison Supervisor from First Avenue. She asked Mr. Fianella to look at Exhibits A through F on the table. She asked him if he recognized the equipment. The supervisor confirmed he did and recalled it was the stuff the police took from the Ghostbusters' truck. She asked him if he knew what the equipment was used for. The supervisor was not sure and presumed it was for catching ghosts. She made it a point to remind the court the defendants were under a judicial restraining order that strictly forbade them from performing services as paranormal investigators or eliminators. The Assistant Prosecutor handed the Prosecutor several sheets from their table. She walked over to the bench. Louis Tully got up and followed her. Judge Wexler noted it. Louis took his copy and walked back to his seat. The Prosecutor handed the Con Edison Supervisor the jar of Psychomagnotheric Slime collected by Ray Stantz. She asked him if he could identify the substance in this jar marked Exhibit F. She walked to the witness stand and handed him the jar. He claimed he never saw anything like it in his life and presumed the Ghostbusters put the ectoplasm underground. Ray quickly stood up and denied it. Judge Wexler banged his gavel and told him to shut up.
Louis examined Peter Venkman. It was extremely obvious Peter was feeding Louis his lines. Eventually, the Prosecutor stood up slowly and objected. Louis wanted to know why. She stated Louis was leading the witness. Wexler approved the objection. Louis told her to give him a break because they were both lawyers. The Prosecutor asked Peter to please tell the court why it is that he and his co-defendants took it upon themselves to dig a very big hole in the middle of First Avenue. Peter dryly joked there were so many holes in First Avenue, they really did not think anyone would have noticed. The gallery laughed. Judge Wexler banged his gavel. He warned Peter he would find him in contempt if he kept it up. Peter apologized. The Prosecutor repeated her question and reminded him he was under oath. Peter answered there were some things in this world that go way beyond human understanding, things that cannot be explained, things that most people did not even want to know about. He pointed out that was where the Ghostbusters came in. Ray and Egon nodded in agreement. The Prosecutor interpreted his words as a claim that the world of the supernatural was his exclusive province. She leaned on the stand. Peter placed his hands on top of hers. She pulled away. He referred to her as "Kitten" and clarified that "sometimes, shit happens, someone has to deal with it, and who ya gonna call?" The gallery erupted in cheers and applauded. Judge Wexler banged his gavel and told everyone to shut up. The Prosecutor won the case. However, as Judge Wexler read the verdict, the Psychomagnotheric Slime manifested the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers. Nunzio Scoleri carried off the Prosecutor into the hall outside. A bit shell shocked, she was still conscious when the Ghostbusters exited the courtroom and declared they were back in business. The Prosecutor was later tended to by a paramedic.
Secondary Canon History[]
Some years later, the Prosecutor relocated to Detroit. She was present when the Mayor of Detroit hired the Ghostbusters to take care of the Fort Wayne Army ghosts.
Personality[]
The Prosecutor is a very sober, humorless woman in her late thirties.[1]
Trivia[]
- In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, the Prosecutor is male.[2]
- In the November 27, 1988 and February 27, 1989 drafts:
- On page 39, Jack implies if she wins, the Mayor (and future Governor) will owe her a favor.
- On page 41, Louis rephrases himself after the Prosecutor's objection. He notes Peter coached a basketball team for underprivileged children. Peter adds they were city champs. The Prosecutor counters that is irrelevant and immaterial.
- On page 48, after the ghosts are trapped, Egon tells The Prosecutor she made a brilliant summation as she is tended to by the Bailiff and county clerk.
- For Janet Margolin, this was her last theatrical performance. She died in 1993 of ovarian cancer.[3]
- The stuntwoman who was in place of the Prosecutor when she is carried off by the Scoleri Brothers wore a pair of flying pants and vest with a cable running up her leg to the ceiling track above. Ivan Reitman wanted one leg dangling, something very easy if she weren't upside down. As the stuntwoman went along the track, her head barely missed the chairs still standing in the room.[4]
- In The Real Ghostbusters starring in Ghostbusters II Part 1, she is depicted as less involved in the case, and is only seen in one panel.
- All of her lines used in the comic book were spoken by the Assistant Prosecutor instead.
Appearances[]
Primary Canon Appearances[]
Expanded Universe
- Ghostbusters II
- Deleted Scenes
Secondary Canon Appearances[]
- IDW Comics
- Ongoing Series
- Volume One
- Ongoing Series
References[]
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (February 27, 1989 Draft) (Script p. 36). Line reads: "Jack Hardemeyer, the mayor's principal aide, is goading the PROSECUTOR, a very sober, humorless woman in her late thirties."
- ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 32). The Judge says: "Mr. Prosecutor, you may proceed."
- ↑ IMDb: Janet Margolin (1943–1993)
- ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 14. Cinefex, USA. Chuck Gaspar says: "The stuntwoman in the scene wore a pair of flying pants and a vest, and the cable ran up from her leg to the ceiling track above. Ivan wanted her to have one leg free so it could dangle--which made things more difficult. All the weight was on her shoulders when she was upside down, so that was not a problem--but she had to try to hold her leg out and kick and flip it around. There were also all these chairs underneath, and her head was just missing the tops of the ones that we had not already blown out of the way."