The mayor of a town named "Tombstone" in Arizona is giving a speech in front of the cemetery. He introduces a couple named Dewey and Dorothy Lamort, the former of whom reveals he is building a cowboy-themed amusement park. The Mayor then gives Dewey a pair of boots that once belonged to Wyatt Earpnote , but when he goes to try them on, ectoplasm oozes out and Earp comes back as a ghost and shoots spectral bullets at the crowd.
At the firehouse, Egon tests a new kind of ghost trap that's more powerful, but then it sucks up itself and disappears. Janine gets a call from Dewey Lamort, and on the way to Arizona, Peter explains that he knows who Dewey Lamort is and he's a Western author who Peter was very big on as a kid. Slimer, meanwhile, stows away without the guys noticing. They then rent a car, but the radiator overheats, so they're given a ride from a photographer named Boris Mealey.
When the Ghostbusters start working, Ray notices Slimer but tells him not to let Peter know he's there. They follow Earp's footprints, then find three other sets of footprints, which Peter decides must belong to Earp's brothers and Doc Holliday. They split up, and Boris goes off with Winston, who finds Virgil Earp. Ray and Slimer search in a dentist's office, and find Doc Holliday, and Egon finds Morgan Earp in a general store.
The ghostly cowboys unite in a saloon, which Peter enters. The ghosts invite him to play poker with him, but then accuse him of cheating and shoot at them. Slimer distracts them by throwing a sign at them, while Peter escapes. The Ghostbusters reunite, and Egon realises that the ghost cowboys want to reenact the OK Corral battle with the Ghostbusters in place of the Clanton Gang.
The Ghostbusters rise to the challenge, but initially have trouble. Peter sees sixteen ghostly horseshoes, realises they'll be riding ghost horses, and traps them. Then, they pose for a photo taken by Boris, and as they leave, Slimer naps on the back of the car.
This episode provides examples of
- Cowboy Episode: This episode focuses on the ghosts of some real-life cowboys squaring against the Ghostbusters in an Arizonian town.
- Cowboys and Indians: Discussed when Peter, surprised that his friends don't know who Dewey Lamort is, says, "Didn't any of you play Cowboys and Indians when you were ten?!".
- Dramatic Irony: Peter, Egon, and Winston never find out that Slimer followed them.
- Ectoplasm: Wyatt Earp's ghost leaves green gunk in the boots.
- Evil Wears Black: The ghostly cowboys wear black hats and gloves.
- Getting the Boot: Peter is thrown out of the saloon literally at one point.
- Go-to-Sleep Ending: Slimer takes a nap at the end.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The haunted town is named "Tombstone".
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Ray says that they left Slimer behind, moments before Slimer appears.
- Lab Pet: Egon tests his device on Slimer. Justified, since Slimer is a ghost and thus can't be killed by it.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: When meeting the ghost cowboys, Boris and Winston go one way, Ray and Slimer go another way, Peter goes another way, and Egon goes another way.
- Loud Gulp: Slimer gulps when he sees Doc Holliday.
- Mistaken Identity: At one point, Ray thinks Slimer is one of the ghost cowboys.
- Nightmare Fetishist: When Earp's ghost first arrives, Boris happily takes photos.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Dewey Lamort is a parody of a real-life author Louis L'Amour.
- Not So Stoic: Egon actually laughs at one of Peter's cowboy jokes.
- Oh, Crap!: Slimer cries fearfully and says, "More tests?!", when Egon mentions testing the new trap on him again.
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Only Peter knows who Dewey Lamort is.
- Shout-Out: Ray says, "What's up, doc?" (a catchphrase from Looney Tunes) when meeting Doc Holliday.
- Slapstick: Slimer coughs when the car he's behind stirs up dust.
- Speak in Unison: At the end, the Ghostbusters say, "You're a dude!" in unison to Boris.
- Tears of Fear: Slimer nervously cries when Egon mentions doing more tests on him.
- Theme Music Power-Up: The theme tune plays during the big fight.
- Wild Take: Slimer's eyes bulge out when he sees the Ghostbusters fighting.
