HISTORY OF "MEET THE SPIRITS OF ST. LOUIS" TOURS
The "Meet The Spirits of St. Louis" Tours were developed over 20 years ago by Phyllis Schaltenbrand and Tony Brockmeyer who are publisher and editor respectfully of the First Capitol News and Gordon J. Hoener, one of the original 'who ya gonna call' guys.
Gordon J. Hoener, retired from Haunt Hunters, believes he and partner Phil Goodwilling (deceased) started the company that became the prototype for the "Ghostbusters" movie.
In 1965 Hoener and his partner started "Haunt Hunters" an organization designed as a central clearing house for spirit information from around the world.
Hoener doesn't believe in the supernatural. "I don't think I've seen anything supernatural," he told us. "I think I've seen things that are preternatural, which is something in the natural world that we just don't understand yet.
As with all these things I think it's a mental pheonomenon we don't understand that comes from the people that are there, like some sort of psychokinesis.
My partner did believe in spirits and angels and all that, but I don't"
In 1978 Hoener and Goodwilling collaborated on a book called, "The Haunt Hunters Handbook for Psychic Investigators." Honor believes it served as the inspiration for the movie "Ghostbusters". He believes it is more than a coincidence that Harold Ramis, one of the film's stars and co-writers is an alumnus of Washington University. According to Hoener, "one of the headlines in the newspaper story about the characters in the movie reads, 'You can be a Ghost Cop.." That's exactly how a headline read on a real article done about us."
Ten years before the Ghostbusters movie, which came out in 1984, Hoener went to Hollywood with a movie treatment about two zany guys who start a company to investigate ghosts and help people with haunted houses.
"We talked to someone at Wolper Productions and they laughed us out of town," he said. They told us that this had been done over and over again and it would never make any money."
Hoener and Goodwilling offered to go on tour to promote the "Ghostbusters" movie but were turned down. At the time the "Ghostbuster" movie principals were being sued for $50 million by the Casper the friendly Ghost people.
After "Ghostbusters" came out, someone from New York called Hoener one day claiming to be a lawyer from Columbia Pictures, the company that produced "Ghostbusters." He told Hoener, "Because several stories had appeared in the national media referring to the "Haunt Hunters" as the original; "Ghostbusters," he felt his client deserved 50 percent of everything Hor and Goodwilling earned.
"I told him I agreed with him," Hoener said, "As long as we got 50 percent of everything Columbia earned! We never heard from him again."
Before becoming a full time Haunt Hunter, Honor was an investment broker at A.G. Edwards, and later at Stix and Company. From investment broker he went to being an entertainer at the Playboy Club. He also wrote a column for the now defunct St. Louis Globe Democrat as the great "Von Hoenir." Hoener also traveled the country on the lecture circuit educating the masses about the world of the paranormal and participated with Schaltenbrand and Brockmeyer on their famous (infamous) Meet the spirits of St. Louis Haunted House tours.
When leading the "Meet The Spirits of St. Louis" Haunted House Tour, Hoener often performed a classical seance after a sumptuous gourmet meat at St. Louis' host famous haunted house, the Lemp Mansion.
"A classical seance is exactly what people expect. We had organ music, candles and all the other paraphernalia," he said. "That builds atmosphere because it's the people participating who are going to cause whatever may happen, to happen - I was just the medium.
Sometimes it's quite extraordinary. Sometimes it's not all that great. It just depends on the group." Hoener says even though he doesn't believe in ghosts, he isn't ruling anything out; "I try to be open-minded. I could be wrong about ghosts," Honor said.
Although retired, Gordon Hoener is still available on a limited basis to help in the investigation of the paranormal. "I don't claim to be psychic. I only do things psychics claim to do."
Gordon J. Hoener, retired from Haunt Hunters, believes he and partner Phil Goodwilling (deceased) started the company that became the prototype for the "Ghostbusters" movie.
In 1965 Hoener and his partner started "Haunt Hunters" an organization designed as a central clearing house for spirit information from around the world.
Hoener doesn't believe in the supernatural. "I don't think I've seen anything supernatural," he told us. "I think I've seen things that are preternatural, which is something in the natural world that we just don't understand yet.
As with all these things I think it's a mental pheonomenon we don't understand that comes from the people that are there, like some sort of psychokinesis.
My partner did believe in spirits and angels and all that, but I don't"
In 1978 Hoener and Goodwilling collaborated on a book called, "The Haunt Hunters Handbook for Psychic Investigators." Honor believes it served as the inspiration for the movie "Ghostbusters". He believes it is more than a coincidence that Harold Ramis, one of the film's stars and co-writers is an alumnus of Washington University. According to Hoener, "one of the headlines in the newspaper story about the characters in the movie reads, 'You can be a Ghost Cop.." That's exactly how a headline read on a real article done about us."
Ten years before the Ghostbusters movie, which came out in 1984, Hoener went to Hollywood with a movie treatment about two zany guys who start a company to investigate ghosts and help people with haunted houses.
"We talked to someone at Wolper Productions and they laughed us out of town," he said. They told us that this had been done over and over again and it would never make any money."
Hoener and Goodwilling offered to go on tour to promote the "Ghostbusters" movie but were turned down. At the time the "Ghostbuster" movie principals were being sued for $50 million by the Casper the friendly Ghost people.
After "Ghostbusters" came out, someone from New York called Hoener one day claiming to be a lawyer from Columbia Pictures, the company that produced "Ghostbusters." He told Hoener, "Because several stories had appeared in the national media referring to the "Haunt Hunters" as the original; "Ghostbusters," he felt his client deserved 50 percent of everything Hor and Goodwilling earned.
"I told him I agreed with him," Hoener said, "As long as we got 50 percent of everything Columbia earned! We never heard from him again."
Before becoming a full time Haunt Hunter, Honor was an investment broker at A.G. Edwards, and later at Stix and Company. From investment broker he went to being an entertainer at the Playboy Club. He also wrote a column for the now defunct St. Louis Globe Democrat as the great "Von Hoenir." Hoener also traveled the country on the lecture circuit educating the masses about the world of the paranormal and participated with Schaltenbrand and Brockmeyer on their famous (infamous) Meet the spirits of St. Louis Haunted House tours.
When leading the "Meet The Spirits of St. Louis" Haunted House Tour, Hoener often performed a classical seance after a sumptuous gourmet meat at St. Louis' host famous haunted house, the Lemp Mansion.
"A classical seance is exactly what people expect. We had organ music, candles and all the other paraphernalia," he said. "That builds atmosphere because it's the people participating who are going to cause whatever may happen, to happen - I was just the medium.
Sometimes it's quite extraordinary. Sometimes it's not all that great. It just depends on the group." Hoener says even though he doesn't believe in ghosts, he isn't ruling anything out; "I try to be open-minded. I could be wrong about ghosts," Honor said.
Although retired, Gordon Hoener is still available on a limited basis to help in the investigation of the paranormal. "I don't claim to be psychic. I only do things psychics claim to do."
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