Egon Spengler

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Egon Spengler

Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler
First appearance Ghostbusters (1984)
Last appearance Extreme Ghostbusters Series Finale (1997)
Portrayed by Movies
Harold Ramis
Cartoons
Real Ghostbusters:
Extreme Ghostbusters:
Maurice LaMarche
Information
Date of birth 21 November 1957
Occupation Scientist
Ghostbuster
Address Manhattan
Religion Unknown
Nationality American

Egon Spengler, Ph.D[1] is a fictional scientist from Ohio appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team. Egon is portrayed by Harold Ramis in the films, and voiced by Maurice LaMarche in the cartoon series.

Contents

[edit] Character

Tall, lanky, laconic, bespectacled, and awkward, Egon is the member of the team responsible for the main theoretical framework for their paranormal studies. Being addicted to science, he is the creator of the Ghostbusters' equipment along with Dr. Ray Stantz, thus making him the "Brains" of the Ghostbusters.

Egon's role was the equivalent of Velma in the Scooby Doo cartoons; if the other members of the team didn't understand something about their current situation, they'd ask him to explain it, but they very often wouldn't understand the answer he gave, either. Although he was brilliant, he didn't have as much social ability (as demonstrated in his interactions with the Ghostbusters secretary, Janine Melnitz, and generally needed Peter to do the talking for the group).

[edit] Ghostbusters I and II

Egon is the most serious and straightforward member of the team. Of his hobbies, he states that he collects "spores, molds, and fungus", and claims that as a child the only toy he ever had was "part of a Slinky", which he straightened. As implied in the first movie, Egon apparently has an affection for sweets and candy (such as Twinkies and Crunchie bars). He also once attempted self-trepanation, but was stopped by Peter Venkman.

[edit] The Real Ghostbusters

Egon's hair was curiously changed from brown in the films (Harold Ramis' natural hair color) to a blond pompadour in the animated versions (Egon wore his hair in a ponytail on Extreme Ghostbusters) of the character. This was reportedly done due to legal issues concerning character/actor likeness.

In the animated series, Egon was haunted by the Boogieman as a child, and was severely traumatized. This led him to paranormal research, where he would eventually be given a chance to use his knowledge and devices to gain revenge. Despite his leanings toward science, Egon has a family history of witchcraft (three ancestors, Zedekiah, Eli and Ezekiel, were wizards), of which he is not so much ashamed as strongly considers irrelevant.

He is the love interest of Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters' secretary, in the first film and both animated series (Ghostbusters II excluded their romance due to Ramis' dislike of the subplot); Egon sometimes appears to be unaware of Janine's romantic interest in him, but at times he displays having similar feelings for her, such as when he gave her a geranium as a gift when she expressed an interest in plants (which backfired horribly when it was revealed that the geranium was possessed by a ghost and nearly destroyed her apartment; though Egon managed to thwart the ghost, Janine angrily told Egon he would have to pay for the damages to her home) and when he rushed to Janine's rescue in "Janine, You've Changed"; he also embraces Janine in "Ghost Busted" after Janine was kidnapped and held for ransom by a gangster, and became jealous when Janine was briefly involved with a slimy businessman named Paul Smart.

In the episode "Cry Uncle" Egon's well meaning but skeptical Uncle Cyrus visits him and, since he does not believe that Egon's work with the Ghostbusters is real scientific work and therefore a waste of Egon's genius, tries to make him come back to Ohio (where Egon grew up) to work at his uncle's lab, but fortunately, after his uncle accidentally releases the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man from the containment unit, he realizes that ghosts are real and accepts Egon's work. Throughout the series, Egon would have his soul switched with that of a demon, have his molecular structure destabilized to the point that it stranded him in the Netherworld (requiring him to be rescued by the others), experience a curse induced age regression that nearly destroyed him, and have his intellect switched with Slimer's. It is revealed in "The Boogieman Cometh" that as a child Egon was stalked by the Boogieman, a supernatural monster that fed on the fear of children and hid in their closets, and was particularly fond of Egon's fear; it was these encounters with the creature that inspired Egon to study the paranormal, and as an adult he would battle the Boogieman twice, and defeat him. It is implied in one episode of the animated series that he accidentally burned down his family's garage.

[edit] Extreme Ghostbusters

Egon is the only original Ghostbuster to return for the Extreme Ghostbusters series as a regular, acting as a mentor to the new Ghostbusters (the others appearing for a two-part episode). He is the de facto leader of the new, younger team of Ghostbusters. Although willing to do his share of the legwork, Egon overestimates his abilities and his aging becomes apparent when he is no longer able to work at the same level as in his younger days. Janine is still carrying a torch for him, which leaves him a little flustered. He celebrates his 40th birthday during this series, which would put him in his late twenties when The Real Ghostbusters began.

[edit] Video games

Harold Ramis, and all the other main characters, will be appearing in the upcoming Ghostbusters game that's coming out on all current gen systems.[citation needed]

[edit] Trivia

Ironically, while Egon is the brains and expert on ghosts, Harold Ramis, who portrays the character is actually a skeptic of ghosts and the paranormal, while Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz) is a firm believer of the paranormal.

In the video game Half-Life, one of the protagonist's weapons is the "Egon Gun", which shares similar design and ammo as the proton pack. This was most likely a homage to the Ghostbusters series.

"Egon Spengler!" is a common greeting by guests on the Adam Carolla Radio Show.

[edit] Quotes

[edit] Ghostbusters

Dr. Egon Spengler: "That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me."
  • "I'm always serious."
  • "Print is dead."
Dr. Egon Spengler: "I collect spores, molds, and fungus."
  • "Venkman, shorten your stream, I don't want my face burned off."
  • "Sorry, Venkman. I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought."

[edit] Ghostbusters II

  • "Let's see what happens when we take away the puppy."
  • "We had part of a Slinky - but I straightened it."
  • "I'd like to run some gynecological tests on the mother."[2]
  • Dr. Raymond Stantz: "Do you think there is a connection between this Vigo and the ... slime?"
Dr. Egon Spengler: "Is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9?"[3]
  • "I don't think they make Nikes in her size, Ray."
  • "Ray... we'd like to shoot the monster, could you move, please?"

[edit] The Real Ghostbusters

  • "Precisely."
  • "Sometimes I think the universe just waits for me to get cocky."[4]
  • (to Venkman) "You know, we're all descended from fish. It would be no trouble at all to flip back in time, find the fish you descended from, and stuff it into a Cuisinart."
  • "Ooo, candy! Mmm, want candy yum yum! What am I saying?? I gotta get outta Slimer fast!"
  • "The square root of the hypotenuse is always equal to the other two sides humm humm..."
  • "Of course!"
  • "Fascinating!"
  • "Cthulhu makes Gozer look like Little Mary Sunshine."
  • (when asked if he can read the Sumerian language) "In my sleep. Underwater, with the lights off. Of course I can read Sumerian."

[edit] References

Most references come from the Movies and television shows.

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