The snarky spirits who inhabit CBS comedy “Ghosts” are appreciated not only for their silly antics and sometimes-wise observations, but also for their distinctive characterizations.
Given their diverse histories, it seemed fitting for the Library of Congress in Washington to dig into the ghosts’ backgrounds. Earlier this week, five of the eight “ghosts” – or, more precisely, their human actors – toured the historical building and were shown artifacts from the time period of their respective otherworldly alter egos.
“We saw, to a surprising degree, issues we are talking about today that are reflected in writing 100, 200, a thousand years ago,” said Asher Grodman (Trevor).
“It’s almost like you coined the phrase, ‘history repeats itself,’” responded Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty) with a laugh and comfortable arm squeeze of her co-star.
History presented itself in the form of maps, sheet music, manuscripts and audio recordings curated for Wisocky, Grodman, Richie Moriarty (Pete), Danielle Pinnock (Alberta) and Román Zaragoza (Sasappis). (Missing were Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac), Devan Chandler Long (Thorfinn) and Sheila Carrasco (the currently-MIA Flower).
Here is what they had to say about how seeing the items affected their view of the supernatural.
Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty, late-1800s)
The cast of “Ghosts” (from left) – Asher Grodman, Danielle Pinnock, Roman Zaragoza, Richie Moriarty and Rebecca Wisocky visited the Library of Congress in Washington on April 9 and were presented with items curated for each of their ghosts’ time period.
The cast of “Ghosts” (from left) – Asher Grodman, Danielle Pinnock, Roman Zaragoza, Richie Moriarty and Rebecca Wisocky visited the Library of Congress in Washington on April 9 and were presented with items curated for each of their ghosts’ time period.
Some historical artifacts: “A Repository of Fashion, Pleasure and Instruction” (Harper’s Bazaar, Feb. 21, 1874); “The Curse of Cocaine is Spreading in New York” (New York Journal, Jan. 10, 1897); “The Perils of Child Labor” (Journal of the American Economic Association, March 1890).
“What is so fun about my character is she gets it all wrong so often,” says Wisocky. “You can watch her and believe she’s a feminist and realize through Alberta (a 1920s ghost) that all right, women should have the right to vote. But then, as it was in her time, she still hates the Irish.”
Asher Grodman (Trevor, 1990s)
Cast members of the CBS comedy, “Ghosts,” including (clockwise) Asher Grodman (Trevor), Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty) and Román Zaragoza (Sasappis) were given a tour of a special collections display at the Library of Congress April 9, 2024.
Cast members of the CBS comedy, “Ghosts,” including (clockwise) Asher Grodman (Trevor), Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty) and Román Zaragoza (Sasappis) were given a tour of a special collections display at the Library of Congress April 9, 2024.
Some historical artifacts: A 1994 map of downtown Manhattan; “The Soaring ‘90s” and “Goodbye, Golden Decade. Now What Will the ‘00s Bring?” (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 13, 1999); “2000 and Counting” (USA TODAY, Dec. 31, 1999); Brokerage Firm Safety Directory (May 1995).
“I was a kid during the (Wall Street) era, so it doesn’t feel like history for me. All of the cool kids were part of it and I was watching,” Grodman says. “But we’re looking at these (ghosts) from a modern-day perspective. I don’t think any of these characters are idiots, but it’s easy to fall into the thinking of, ‘they did dumb things back then.’ But some things, like Blockbuster, they’re businesses that are gone, but they were doing really, really, really well at the time.”
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta, 1920-30s)
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta) of the CBS comedy, “Ghosts,” tours the Library of Congress, April 9, 2024.
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta) of the CBS comedy, “Ghosts,” tours the Library of Congress, April 9, 2024.
Some historical artifacts: Copyright deposit from Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha” (May 19, 1911); typescript memoir of “Happy in Hell” by Noble Lee Sissle about the formation of the 369th Infantry Band, aka “Harlem Hellfighters” (undated); lead sheet of “Blind Man’s Bluff,” the earliest known song from Edward “Duke” Ellington (1923).
“Seeing all of that sheet music today, I was like, I want to get on the piano and play it immediately,” says Pinnock. “To also learn there was a jazz singer famous during that time, Alberta Hunter, which I think is where my character comes from as well, and find out she was best friends with Langston Hughes … The 1920s was such a beautiful time for Black artistry. So vivid and brave.”
