European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                _ Page 2the ghost in the video or How i spent my summer Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau persian Gulf crisis or no persian Gulf crisis we must turn briefly to the kinds of concerns that traditionally preoccupy Large portions of America in the summertime like Are ghosts haunting Hollywood according to reports that began in los Angeles and Are now sweeping the nation vide philes Are convinced an apparition lurks in the background of a scene in 3 men and a baby. Being the resident movie critic As Well As having had recent experience with the great beyond through my Pursuit of the Augsburg six my editors Felt i was the perfect Choice to get to the Bottom of this latest Story from the void. The Augsburg six in Case you had t heard were military intelligence soldiers who deserted their unit for a crusade to Florida to destroy the Antichrist reveal a ufos coverup and prepare for the second coming not necessarily in that order. The popular 1987 film stars Tom Selleck Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg As upscale new York rookies who become Bambino whipped bachelors when they find a baby on their Doorstep one Day. The video ghost has a Cameo in a scene in which Danson and actress Celeste Holm walk by a window of the apartment the three men share. In that window partially obscured by a curtain is what some claim to be the spirit of a Young boy. And in what May be a sign that More folks need to find meaningful hobbies tape rentals reportedly Are skyrocketing As viewers Rush to see the ethereal visitor for themselves the video Arm of Disney studios Buena Vista Home video in Burbank calif., has received queries from across the United states and Canada says spokesman Steve Feldstein. Quot i be gotten Calls from almost every major Media Market Quot he says. Quot i look at the phone log when i need a  Many callers seem convinced that the figure is the ghost of a boy who was murdered or committed suicide in the House where the film was supposedly shot says Feldstein who sounds like a logical sort of fellow. On the Telephone anyway. The controversy seems to be spreading around the Globe. The stars and stripes ran a photo of the scene with the figure visible in the background in its aug. 26 editions. The newspaper has since had a wave of Calls of a handful from anxious readers wondering what it All Means and from one who managed to figure it out by himself. Could movie videos be the ouija boards of the 90s, a Way for the living to Contact those on the other Side and vice versa and if so Are there rental fees in the afterlife too Quot i got chills when i watched it Quot says Jon roup of Plum network videos in Pittsburgh one of Many cities where the Story is out of control. Quot i have chills now just talking about  roup has never had much Faith in ghosts but the video spirit has changed his mind. Quot in a a believer Quot he says. The craze has even reached the nation s capital usually the last place to hear about anything happening out in the heartland. A a we be had about a dozen Calls and we get More every Day Quot says manager Janis Bania at West coast video in Alexandria a. Quot we have six copies of that movie and there Isnit a single one in Stock Quot she says. Quot As soon As they come in they go right out again. I Haven t even had the Chance to watch one myself to see what this is All  and if you re about ready to turn to the sports Section consider this a the film s director was Leonard Nimoy who not Only explored strange new worlds As or. Spock on Star trek but also hosted in search of a to show on weird Phenomena. Makes your hair stand on end does t it to me although that could have been due to the Beers. But something undoubtedly was there. The situation required a personal screening. I plucked the tape from my Library settled in with a few Beers and watched the antics of Tom Ted and Steve until there it was. The scene comes about two thirds of the Way into the movie when Holm As Danson s Mother arrives at the apartment to help her baby befuddled son and his buddies. She picks up the baby and they walk toward the viewers left. The alleged ghost enters the screen from the viewers left and is visible for about two seconds of Normal running time. Despite repeated Stop action and slow to viewings the figure remained maddeningly fuzzy if this was television i d be cuing up the theme from the Twilight zone now. Hum it yourself for effect As i segue into the depressingly mundane explanation offered by Buena Vista s Feldstein the ghost is a cardboard cutout of Danson one of numerous displays used in theater lobbies to plug the film when it was first released. Quot they had one of the cutouts on the sound stage in Toronto where much of the film was shot Quot he says a adding that the Interior scenes were filmed on that stage not in anyone s House. The filmmakers decided to place the cutout in the background of the one scene As a prop sort of an inside joke on Dansons character who is a would be actor Feldstein says. But some Don t buy this explanation. Plum video s roup says he and other employees used the store s High tech equipment to scan the scene with Stop action and image enlargement techniques. Quot it does no to look like a cutout Quot he says. Quot Danson is tall and the figure is too Short to be a life size cutout of  Quot the cutouts were smaller than life size Quot Feldstein says. Quot it s a piece of cardboard. What do you want me to say Quot so How does a coast to coast Rumor like this get started a i have no idea Quot he says hastily a Little too hastily if you ask me. It May be True that Disney had no part in launching the Rumor. But if i was cynical i d note that the movie has been out for three years and no one seemed to notice the ghost before. Then comes this publicity Windfall a just a few months before Disney plans to release a sequel titled 3 men and a lady. And so another potential free Lance Story Sale to the National enquirer bites the dust. Has anybody sighted Elvis lately Sarah Bottorff whose Quot on to Quot column regularly appears in this space is on vacation. The mystery figure far left lurks behind Ted Danson and Celeste Holm in this  to plus the Nielsen ratings to listings video reviews top 10 videos cafes movie schedules movie reviews top 10 movies 4 5-8 9 9 10 11 11 staff editor Art director production editorial assistance Sarah Bottorff Sharon Kilday Lisa Williams Denise Adams Marian Hamilton Louis Pierce on the cover Steve Martin is in Quot my Blue heaven a starting on cafes first run circuit this weekend staff writer Chuck Vinch reviews the film on Page 11. A stars and stripes Publica Tion c to plus sunday september 9,1990