"Hold That Schmoe" is a Season 3 episode of Johnny Bravo.
Synopsis[]
Learning that it will sell for thousands, Johnny attempts to find his mint first issue of "Man Bean, The Bean that Walks Like a Man," but it's guarded by a ghost! So Johnny and Carl attempt to take it on— Ghostbusters style.
Plot Summary[]
Sitting upon his doorstep, Johnny reads the newest issue of Man Bean. Carl soon catches him in the act, asking if he could read it afterwards. Johnny feigns disinterest, saying comics are for "thin-wristed little dweebs." Carl tries to refute this, asking why a mint first issue of Man Bean sells for thousands and thousands of dollars. Realizing he could make a fortune, Johnny ventures into the attic to find his old copy of Man Bean #1. After a series of eerie noises and ghostly violence, Johnny fails to retrieve the comic and gets thrown out of the house. As a witness, Carl tells Johnny he has a ghost in his attic. Johnny denies this until he gets hit by a boot and begs for Carl's help.
.png){kind=link}
In full ghost hunting gear, Johnny and Carl set out to capture the ghost. Following Carl's plan, Johnny goes into the attic alone while Carl charges his partible beam. The angry spirit attacks Johnny, bringing him down to the living room and destroying furniture in the process. Tired of waiting, Johnny tries to blast the ghost himself, leading to his beam crossing with Carl's. Bunny arrives to see the wreckage, learns of the poltergeist, and takes control of the situation.
Back in the attic, the three sit as Bunny attempts to reach the spirit. The ghost reveals itself to be none other than Uncle Lou, who rented out Bunny's attic as an apartment during the seventies. After Bunny tries to convince Lou to move on without the comic, he snatches it from Johnny and leaves through a ectoplasmic portal to the afterworld. Johnny gives chase and Bunny decides to go in after him, tying a rope around her waist and throwing the end to Carl. In the afterworld, Bunny finds Johnny and reaches out for his hand. Once pulled out of the portal, Bunny discovers that she accidentally grabbed the spirit of Marie Antoinette instead. Stuck in the afterlife, Johnny begs a group of ghosts to let him read one of their comics, which they all refuse.
Trivia[]
- It is likely that Johnny's issue of Man Bean is far from mint condition, especially after the events of the episode.
- Johnny finds his comic in a chest within the attic, buried under stacks of money and gold.
- Carl made the ghost hunting costumes himself, borrowing one of his mother's dresses for the fabric.
- Uncle Lou is voiced by the late Ed Asner.
- As a ghost, Marie Antoinette carries around her own head and asks Bunny and Carl if they have any aspirin.
- Uncle Lou's name may be a tribute to Louis Fagenson, the composer of the series' main title theme.
- In the closed captions for this episode, Bunny is incorrectly referred to as 'Bonnie'.
- This episode reveals that Bunny's living at her current place of residence since at least the 1970s, because during the seance she conducts with Johnny and Carl, she explains that she had rented out the house's attic as an apartment to her brother (Johnny's uncle) back in the 1970s.
- Also, based on the dialogue between Bunny, her brother and her son during the seance, it can be deduced that Lou must have passed away either before Johnny was born or when Johnny was too young to remember anything about his uncle, because the two don't seem to have ever known each other prior to the seance.
Cultural References[]
- Although the title references Hold That Ghost, the plot parodies Ghostbusters.
- Johnny and Carl's ghost hunting gear is directly influenced by the film, Johnny saying he "doesn't remember the outfits in the movie being quite so, um, colorful."
- An offkey melody resembling the Ghostbusters theme is played once they enter the house.
Video[]
