Now re-issued in paperback, Claire Bueno’s book Cleanin’ Up The Town brings together recollections of cast and crew members, pulled from interviews conducted for her brother Anthony’s similarly titled documentary Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters and Claire’s time on the red carpet interviewing talent from all sides of the industry.
Opening with an introduction by Ernie Hudson and a preface explaining the siblings’ love of all things ‘busters which started with a first viewing at the Odeon in Torquay, we roar into the book, and it’s a hefty tome, weighing in at 580 pages (or the equivalent of six copies of Tobin’s Spirit Guide).
In terms of interview guests, this is a lush and comprehensive account of the making of the film, from the germinator of all things Ghostbusters Dan Ackroyd, who was clearly generous with his time and knowledge, to the late Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund, and more.
As the book progresses and the memories flood back, we learn numerous facts about the making of the film. Many will know the original crew were set to be Ackroyd, John Belushi, and John Candy, but you might not know that the city of New York welcomed the production with open arms (it couldn’t have hurt that stars of Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers and Stripes were cleaning up the town), or that Ackroyd’s belief in the paranormal goes far beyond his work on the film. Indeed, Bueno talks with a number of respected parapsychologists and professors about the supernatural spine of the film, and why its themes still hold up over 40 years later.
The book also focuses on the visual effects of 1984’s biggest hit, which for its time were state of the art, considering they weren’t done by ILM (who would join the team on Ghostbusters 2 in 1989). If you crave detail and insight, then this is Christmas come early (or Judgement Day, take your pick).
Understandably, there’s no contribution from the infamously reclusive Bill Murray or Rick Moranis, and while their perspective and memories would certainly have helped the book, it’s tough to criticise when you’d be hard pressed to get either to turn up to a premiere, to say nothing of an interview for a book. However, told from Bueno’s very personal point of view, this is a charming, first-hand account of the making of the documentary and her love for the franchise (five films and counting, not to mention an animated series, computer games and more), and one that is a must for any fan of the films. If bustin’ makes you feel good, this is the book for you.
CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: REMEMBERING GHOSTBUSTERS is available now from Bueno Productions.
