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In Ghostbusters 2, I don't recall the father of Dana's baby, Oscar, being named.

At the beginning of the movie, Dana and Venkman are estranged.

However, in the first movie it is strongly implied that Dana and Tully had sex while possessed.

Is there any official explanation offered for the identity of the father?

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Beofett
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  • I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I do seem to remember that Dana said the father was in the orchestra with her? Having trouble finding a quote though – Jason Baker Dec 11 '14 at 19:36

3 Answers3

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According to the GBFans FAQ, the identity is revealed in one of the DVD commentaries, though the father's name is never specifically stated in the movie or credits. The novelization, however, supposedly identifies "the violinist" as Andre Wallance.

Q. Who is Oscar's Father?

A. First off, it's not Louis Tully. Oscar is not the by product of Zuul and Vinz Clortho mating. There is five years between the movies. Oscar is about eight months or so old in GB2. Basic biology says that's impossible

The real answer has never been 100% established onscreen or in any officially endorsed materials, but Sigourney Weaver (1989 on The Arsenio Hall Show) and Joe Medjuck (in the 1999 Ghostbusters DVD) both state, however, that Oscar's father is the violinist seen with Dana in one scene in GB1, whom Venkman calls "The Stiff" (and Sigourney referred to as "Mister Nose Spray").

He's never given a name onscreen (he's simply referred to as "Violinist" in the GB1 credits), but in the GB1 novelization he's referred to as Andre Wallance, which indicates that Dana's son's birth name is presumed to be Oscar Wallance

From the novelization by Mueller (thanks to Richard for a verifiable quote)

“You certainly know the technical terms.” He indicated Wallance, who was looking impatiently in their direction. “Who’s the stiff?” “That stiff happens to be one of the finest musicians in the world and a wonderful man.” Wallance looked uncomfortable; with New York, the weather, and certainly with the presence of Peter Venkman. He resorted to a bottle of nasal spray.

phantom42
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  • From the Mueller version of the GB1 novelisation; "“You certainly know the technical terms.” He indicated Wallance, who was looking impatiently in their direction. “Who’s the stiff?” “That stiff happens to be one of the finest musicians in the world and a wonderful man.” Wallance looked uncomfortable; with New York, the weather, and certainly with the presence of Peter Venkman. He resorted to a bottle of nasal spray.". – Valorum Dec 11 '14 at 20:06
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    @Richard Well, no. The novelization for Ghostbusters 1 says they hadn't slept together. GB2, however, takes place 5 years after GB1, meaning that whomever fathered Oscar did so between the two movies since Oscar is clearly nowhere near 4-5 years old. – phantom42 Dec 11 '14 at 20:17
  • Which is why I removed the comment. – Valorum Dec 11 '14 at 20:30
  • He isn't named in the Milne version of the novelisation. – Valorum Dec 11 '14 at 20:32
  • @Richard Is there any indication of one novelization being more or less official than the other? GBFans makes it sound like neither are. – phantom42 Dec 11 '14 at 20:47
  • Both were licensed which means that both are considered fully legit. The Milne (1984) version is shorter and "based on the screenplay". The Mueller (1985) version is longer and "based on the motion picture". The latter contains some ad-libbed dialogue that was in the film but not the screenplay, the former contains dialogue that was cut from the film. – Valorum Dec 11 '14 at 20:50
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Okay, I found a (likely bootleg) copy of the Ghostbusters 2 script here, and it has the following conversation:

Peter: So what happened to Mr. Right? I hear he ditched you and the kid and moved to Europe.
Dana: He didn't "ditch" me. We had some problems, he got a good offer from an orchestra in England and he took it.

It's really not much of a clue, but it's enough to confirm that the father wasn't Louis.

But it's possible that Louis was actually the father, and Dana was keeping it quiet. Given how young Oscar is, and since it's been established that Ghostbusters 2 takes place about five years after the original, this is pretty much impossible.

Jason Baker
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  • +1 for the script quote, but I think the speculation of Louis has been disproven and can be removed from the answer. The timeline between the two movies is also well established as being ~5 years. – Dacio Dec 12 '14 at 17:01
  • @Dacio I kept it in since the theory was specifically mentioned in the question. I'll add the 5 years bit, though – Jason Baker Dec 12 '14 at 20:43
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No, there is no official answer for this, although the two most popular candidates among fans are her co-musician in the orchestra from GB1 and of course Peter Venkman himself. The Tully theory is amusing, but it doesn't mesh timewise, since the movies were separated by about 4-5 years.

Joe M
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