Janine Melnitz is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
in the ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...
'' series. She is the Ghostbusters' secretary, confidante, and occasionally, a ghostbuster herself. She was played by
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
in the first two movies, and in ''The Real Ghostbusters'' she was voiced initially by
Laura Summer
Laura Summer is an American voice actress and producer.
Career
Summer's career began in New York City theater, when she was cast in a production of Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Estelle Parsons. Including voice-over work, she has appeared i ...
, and later on the series by
Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to:
* Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm
* Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
* KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska
* KATH (AM)
KATH (910 kHz) is an ...
. In ''
Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "E ...
'', she was voiced by
Pat Musick
Patricia Anne Musick is an American voice actress, who has provided numerous voices in many television shows, films and video games. She and her husband, Jeff Whitman, a personal manager and set construction coordinator, are the parents of actre ...
. Potts reprised the role for 2009's ''
Ghostbusters: The Video Game'' and 2021's ''
Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', and had a cameo as a similar hotel receptionist in the 2016 remake.
Personal life
Throughout most ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...
'' media, Janine is often displayed as having a romantic attraction to
Egon Spengler
Egon Spengler, PhD is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films '' Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', and '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', in the animated television series '' The Real Ghostbusters'' and '' ...
. This is shown in the original movie and the 2021 film ''
Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', and more prominently in ''
The Real Ghostbusters
''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...
'' cartoons. In ''
Ghostbusters II
''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis ...
'', however, she becomes involved with
Louis Tully
The ''Ghostbusters'' franchise spans multiple films, animated series, novelizations, comic books, and video games. Beginning with the 1984 live-action film ''Ghostbusters'', directed by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Rami ...
, who has become the team's
financial advisor
A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...
and
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
. Despite this, Janine retains her attraction to Egon throughout the entire ''Real Ghostbusters'' series and into the ''
Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "E ...
'' series.
In "Janine's Genie", in which Janine encounters an evil genie after receiving a possessed lamp (unaware that the
genie
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...
is evil), one of her wishes was for Egon to fall in love with her, and in one instance when she is driving
Ecto-1, Egon comments "Janine, you're beautiful when you drive." Egon and Janine share a handful of tender moments throughout the series, but Egon's somewhat stilted emotions often create a barrier between them.
Appearances
''Ghostbusters''
In ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...
'', Janine is hired as the secretary of the Ghostbusters, where she keeps tabs on the clients. In the film's novelization, it is stated that she was the one who helped designed the Ghostbusters' "no ghost allowed" logo. She also interviews Winston Zeddemore for the job as the fourth member of the team. Later, she helps Egon interviewing Louis Tully who was possessed by Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster of Gozer. After the battle with Gozer, she is seen outside of
55 Central Park West
55 Central Park West is a 19-floor housing cooperative located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by the architectural firm Schwartz & Gross, and built in 1929. The building is a contributing property wi ...
, hugging Egon, happy to see him alive and well, joining the rest of the Ghostbusters as they drive off in the Ecto-1.
''The Real Ghostbusters''
Janine is the youngest daughter of a working-class family from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Though her parents, sister, nephew and grandmother all live in
Canarsie
Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Aven ...
(as seen in "Janine's Day Off"), she has remained in
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, an ...
, where she grew up. She tends to wear loud, blocky jewelry and (in early seasons) wears a mini-skirt at work.
In 1987, Janine owns a red
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
convertible, which is severely damaged after being loaned to the Ghostbusters in "Beneath These Streets". In "Baby Spookums" she has a yellow
Renault 5
The Renault 5 is a four-passenger, three or five-door, front-engine, front-wheel drive hatchback supermini manufactured and marketed by the French automaker Renault over two generations: 1972–1985 (also called R5) and 1984–1996 (also called S ...
Le Car, although it is not known if this is a loaner/rental or her own car; in later instances she owns a pink Beetle convertible.
On numerous occasions, Janine has taken up a proton pack, and usually a jumpsuit, to help the Ghostbusters in episodes including "Janine's Genie", "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me A Dream", "Janine’s Day Off", "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster" and "Jailbusters". However, her jumpsuit color has never been consistent. For example, in "Janine's Genie", it was brownish-orange, similar to Venkman's but lighter. In "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me A Dream", it was a very pale pink, nearly white. In "Janine’s Day Off", she does not wear a jumpsuit at all, just a proton pack. In the episode "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster", she borrows one of
Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman, PhD is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films ''Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' and in the animated television series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. In all ...
's uniforms, and in the ''
Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "E ...
'' episode "A Temporary Insanity", she borrowed one of
Egon Spengler
Egon Spengler, PhD is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films '' Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', and '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', in the animated television series '' The Real Ghostbusters'' and '' ...
's.
She has a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor and has been known to make jokes about the Ghostbusters, either to their faces or under her breath, but most of the time she usually gets along with Ray and Winston, while usually having a kind of sibling rivalry with Peter.
Changes in ''The Real Ghostbusters''
Significant changes to the character occurred over the course of ''The Real Ghostbusters''. In the first two seasons, her portrayal was almost identical to the rude secretary Potts portrayed in the film. However, production season 3 (ABC season 2) saw Kath Soucie replace Laura Summer as Janine's voice actor. Notably, her marked
Brooklyn accent
The sound system of New York City English is popularly known as a New York accent. The New York metropolitan accent is one of the most recognizable accents of the United States, largely due to its popular stereotypes and portrayal in radio, ...
disappeared. Her appearance and personality were also "softened". After the release of
Ghostbusters II
''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis ...
, her appearance was revised again to match her appearance in that movie.
In the Season 6 episode "Janine, You've Changed", it is revealed that the changes of the past three years were the result of her wishes to a "makeoveris lotsabucks", a demon posing as a
fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale with ...
(and even referred to as such by Janine herself). This was one of a handful of episodes writer
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ( ...
wrote as a favor to the show's producers, as he could not return as a full-time writer due to other working commitments he had at the time. As such, the demon fed off of Janine's
insecurity
InSecurity is a Canadian spy comedy television series that aired on CBC Television from 2011 to 2012. The series centres on a team of covert operatives working for the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), a fictional Canadian intelli ...
regarding her looks, and frustration in failing to win Egon's heart. The demon used her magic to blind Egon (and the other Ghostbusters) to Janine's changes, thus making Janine more dependent on the demon for "improvements" on her appearance in hopes she would become "perfect," making Egon notice her. Unknown to Janine, the demon was feeding on desire to be "perfect" for Egon to slowly strip away her humanity, and turn her into a "makeoveris lotsabucks" herself.
None of the Ghostbusters noticed until Slimer showed them pictures of Janine in their photo album. They demonstrated her startling changes over the years with a hologram projector. The demon had used ectoplasmic energy to alter Janine's cellular and bone structure. When Janine leaves the firehouse to meet the demon alone, the Ghostbusters send Slimer to go after her. In the car Egon tells the others, just as he's realizing how much Janine means to him, now he could lose her forever. In the climax of the episode, Janine turns into a "makeoverus lotsabucks" with powers similar to those of her "fairy godmother" (allowing her to change her own appearance at will). She lashes out at Egon when he comes to her rescue, blaming him for hardly ever acknowledging her affection for him. Egon defeats the demon's hold over Janine by confessing his love for her (the
NOW
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
and
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dill ...
comics ignore these changes). Egon's confession proves sincere (and is not just a way of defeating the demon), as he and Janine are later seen sitting on a bench together, watching the sun rise. It is here Egon puts his arm round Janine and asks her out on a date.
Janine's character was changed at the suggestion of consultants, who said that they wanted to change the shape of Janine's
glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...
(which they thought would frighten children), and change her from a feisty character to the "mother" of the Ghostbusters group as they felt she was "too abrasive". Additionally, the Brooklyn accent was discarded with a change in voice actresses. This, among other reasons, was why writer J. Michael Straczynski left ''The Real Ghostbusters''.
''Ghostbusters II''
In ''
Ghostbusters II
''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis ...
'', she is rehired as secretary by the Ghostbusters, working side-by-side with Louis Tully, who became the team's financial advisor, accountant and lawyer. At some point prior to the film, she dyed her hair red (to match the appearance of the animated iteration of the character from ''The Real Ghostbusters''),
Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman, PhD is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films ''Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' and in the animated television series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. In all ...
assigns her to baby-sit
Dana Barrett
The ''Ghostbusters'' franchise spans multiple films, animated series, novelizations, comic books, and video games. Beginning with the 1984 live-action film ''Ghostbusters'', directed by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, ...
's baby Oscar. She asks Louis Tully to babysit with her, where she, along with Dana and Louis see Oscar being kidnapped by Dana's boss, Janosz Poha. In order to help the guys fight Vigo the Carpathian, she lends Louis one of Egon's spare suits and a spare Proton pack, so he can join them in the battle. After the battle, she attends a ceremony to restore the
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
, where she and the Ghostbusters are awarded the Key to the City from the mayor.
''Extreme Ghostbusters''
Set six years after the series finale of ''The Real Ghostbusters'' and ''Ghostbusters II'', Janine had bounced from various jobs since the Ghostbusters closed down in 1991. Having been recently downsized from her last job she returned to school at the
New York City College
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, City ...
and amongst the various (and unmentioned) courses she was taking was a paranormal one, where she was reunited with Egon, going on to help him form the new team.
''Ghostbusters: Afterlife''
Potts reprised her role as Janine in ''
Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021). In the film, now an elderly woman, Janine informs Egon's daughter Callie of her father's death and her inheritance of his decrepit farm in Summerville, Oklahoma. A post-credits scene includes a deleted clip from the original ''Ghostbusters'', in which Janine gives one of her lucky coins to Egon, followed by a present-day meeting between her and Winston in which they reminisce about their time with the Ghostbusters.
Video games
Janine has had brief appearances in the ''Extreme Ghostbusters''
Game Boy Color
The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
game (only released in Europe) and in the ''Extreme Ghostbusters'' game, Code Ecto-1 for the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
.
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
reprised her role as Janine in the ''
Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', once again being the team's secretary, warning them about what's going on, either by calling them or by radio, and making sarcastic comments about the situation. A man named Mark from the Gamble Architectural firm left her a message on the Ghostbusters' answering machine, offering her a job as his personal assistant to replace the one he fired during Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man's rampage. Her physical appearance is quite similar to the way she appeared in the second movie, but again being a brunette.
Janine appears as a
non-playable character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...
in the Ghostbusters Adventure World of ''
Lego Dimensions
''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...
'' voiced by
Courtenay Taylor
Courtenay Taylor is an American actress. She is best known for her video game voice roles as Jack in the ''Mass Effect'' series, Ada Wong in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and the female Sole Survivor in ''Fallout 4''.
Career
Taylor has been na ...
. She has two missions for the player: The first one has the player bust some ghosts for the mayor, while the second one requires the player to assist her in recovering the books for Ray's bookstore after they're scattered by ghosts.
Commercials
During the filming of ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', Potts also reprised her role as Janine in a 2020 commercial for
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is an accounting software package developed and marketed by Intuit. First introduced in 1983, QuickBooks products are geared mainly toward Small and medium-sized enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses and offer On-premises sof ...
.
Portrayals
In the film series and ''
Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', she was portrayed by
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty i ...
. In the cartoon series ''
The Real Ghostbusters
''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...
'', she was originally voiced by Laura Summer and later by
Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to:
* Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm
* Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
* KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska
* KATH (AM)
KATH (910 kHz) is an ...
.
In the cartoon series ''
Extreme Ghostbusters
''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. It is a spin-off to the animated series ''The Real Ghostbusters''. The series originally aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "E ...
'', she is voiced by
Pat Musick
Patricia Anne Musick is an American voice actress, who has provided numerous voices in many television shows, films and video games. She and her husband, Jeff Whitman, a personal manager and set construction coordinator, are the parents of actre ...
.
References
Inline citations
General references
*Shay, Don (1985). ''Making Ghostbusters'', New York: New York Zoetrope.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melnitz, Janine
Ghostbusters characters
Animated human characters
Fictional paranormal investigators
Fictional secretaries
Fictional characters from New York City
Film characters introduced in 1984
Female characters in film
Female characters in animated series