Kolchak: The Night Stalker

I was just looking over the new series made for ABC TV. Good god. I was just contemplating what a new series would be like, and then I find it...and I guessed right; watered down, fancy boy crud.

The old series of Night Stalker was a zeitgeist, about being a regular guy, trying to find the truth, which was always hidden by authorities. Much like the times, it had a soul that went to the heart of public feelings, while working in the frame genre of horror/suspense. But, instead of writing to connect the public to their inner feelings about society wrapped in entertainment, the new series is about black and white working together, hot and fancy, to find less then archetypal mysteries. Kolchak brought a pulpy sense of reality to light, and portrayed the seedy side of life without being moralistic. It was Columbo of the supernatural. It didn't create fanciful immorality, like the goth culture today, and it didn't put searing political statements all over. It tried to entertain. And it did. Hence the popularity through the years. Anyone, like myself, who saw this in their childhood remembers it today.

The new series is destined to be another watered down bastardization of brilliant TV.

Kolchak was vastly under-appreciated in its day. In fact, I don't think I knew anyone else that watched the show in its first run - or at least would admit to watching it. Canceled after only twenty episodes in a Friday night time slot, it was pretty much forgotten until twenty years later when its basic format became the inspiration for the X-Files. Kolchak was a reporter on the trail of the supernatural. Like murders following Jessica Fletcher in "Murder She Wrote", the stories would sometimes find Kolchak rather than Kolchak always chasing the story. What made this series different from TV shows prior to it was that the government was shown to be suppressing attempts by Kolchak to get at the truth in just about every instance. This was a first in TV shows, and is possibly attributable to the fact that this show premiered about a month after Watergate blew wide open and the president was forced to resign. Although there are many similarities between this show and The X-Files, Carl Kolchak was no Fox Mulder in appearance or style. Like Peter Falk's Columbo, Kolchak wore crumpled attire and had an annoying way about him, but he did get results. Also, each episode of Kolchak was pretty much self-contained. There was no long-running story arc, such as Mulder's search for the truth in what he believed to be the alien abduction of his sister driving him to look for proof of alien existence. If you like shows about the supernatural and you can handle a little 1970's nostalgia and some cheesy special effects, I advise you give this series a try if you ever run across it.

I was in junior high when this show premiered and I remember how funny and creepy it was. Darren McGavin, no matter what role he was in, was and still is, an excellent actor. He absolutely made the world weary Carl Kolchak believable. I loved the scenes with him and Simon Oakland as boss Tony Vincenzo. Kolchak always had a great comeback line when Vincenzo was outraged and appalled by Kolchak's supernatural interests. This show was cancelled way too soon, it was just hitting it's stride. Granted, some of the episodes were silly and the costumes (especially the Werewolf costume) were goofy, but some of the episodes were really scary and extremely well written. I wish they had made more of the episodes. My personal favorite is "Horror in the Heights", this one combined horror with social commentary about antisemitism and the plight of poor senior citizens. Ahead of it's time. If you are young and have never seen any of these wonderful shows, go to Ebay or Amazon and you can buy them. Well worth the money.

Almost 30 years after its debut, "The Night Stalker" is warmly remembered by folks who likely saw the show as youngsters, during its original run on CBS, and who are willing to overlook its faults to simply swim in the experience.

Also key to that loyalty is the undeniable charm of Darren McGavin – one of this generation's most interesting character actors – and Simon Oakland, as Kolchak's long-suffering managing editor, Tony Vincenzo.

The majority of the series' 20 episodes owe more to comedy and camp than the matter-of-fact style of its two highly regarded made-for-TV movie predecessors. In my opinion, there are six episodes that truly stand out – weaving suspense, horror, a bit of gore and a healthy dose of comedy to create taut stories that are a helluva lot of fun.

No. 6 is "The Ripper" (original air date: 9-13-74). Penned by veteran television writer Rudolph Borchert, the series' debut is built around the premise the *real* Jack the Ripper – super-human in ways that go completely unexplained – is wreaking havoc in modern-day Chicago. There are some delicious moments and terrific performances by McGavin, Oakland, Ken Lynch, (as gruff police chief L.M. Warren) and Beatrice Colen (as reporter Jane Plumm). The conclusion is one of the few in the series that takes the necessary time to play out and creates remarkable tension as it draws to a spectacular finish.

No. 5 is "The Vampire" (10-4-74). Although it's never actually stated, the antagonist from this installment seems to have been a victim of Janos Skorzeny, the vampire from the 1972 "Night Stalker" TV movie. "The Vampire" is also one of only two Kolchaks that take place away from Carl's home base of Chicago, and the trip he finagles to Los Angeles, to surreptitiously follow a tip from an old Vegas friend, Jim "Swede" Brytowski (Larry Storch), is fraught with lively encounters, including with prickly L.A. police lieutenant, Jack Matteo (played by William Daniels). As with "The Ripper," the closing sequence is spectacular and visually satisfying. It's interesting to note that "Sopranos" executive producer David Chase wrote this and seven other "Stalker" episodes.

No. 4 is "Chopper" (1-31-75). In some of their earliest work in Hollywood, Robert Zemeckis (Oscar-winning director of "Forrest Gump") and Bob Gale (who penned the "Back to the Future" trilogy) combined to write "Chopper," and it flourishes despite some painfully weak visual effects. The story is just plain fun: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" meets "The Wild One." After the grave of 1950s biker "Swordman" Baker is unwittingly disturbed, he returns – riding a vintage motorcycle – to seek vengeance on those who separated him from his noggin 19 years before. Following a creepy build-up, the pay-off is a bit of a letdown - but, overall, "Chopper" is spooky and entertaining. Jim Backus chips in with a marvelous stand-alone scene as WW II Navy pilot-turned motorcycle salesman, still dealing with the emotional complexities of hawking Japanese bikes. (Watch closely during the final scene, in which Kolchak weaves through stacks of tarpaulin-covered caskets stored in a warehouse, searching for the canister containing Baker's severed head. As Carl raises his flashlight to read the list of names on a tarp – to identify the remains in each group of coffins – "BACKUS" is clearly visible. An apparent wicked nod toward the great comedic actor.)

No. 3 is "Horror In The Heights" (12-20-74), a compelling story by veteran horror writer Jimmy Sangster of a flesh-eating Hindu demon – the Rakshasa – able to search the minds of its victims to disguise itself as the person he or she trusts most. It's one of the few shows that give McGavin a chance to get on the IL' soapbox, since the murders occur in neighborhood inhabited by poor and elderly. In a refreshingly understated performance, Phil Silvers plays Harry Starman, who Kolchak – usually a creature of necessity when it comes to cultivating relationships – befriends. Although the cops are stumped about a series of grisly murders (natch!), Kolchak eventually determines the swastikas seen everywhere in the neighborhood and an ancient Pakistani restaurateur play crucial roles. McGavin is marvelous in the final scene, in which he's confronted by who *he* trusts most.

No. 2 is "The Spanish Moss Murders." What sets this one apart is the originality of the story, created by Chase and Alvin Friedman: the dreams of a young, vagabond Southerner, taking part in a sleep research program, unintentionally summon a horrifying monster from his childhood. Add to it a series of priceless moments – including Keenan Wynn's hilarious performance as captain "Mad Dog" Siska; Carl's growing paranoia and some very eerie scenes in the sewers of Chicago – and this one is almost guaranteed to be a universal fan favorite. One of my favorite moments has almost nothing to do with the story: when Bruno, a janitor at the newspaper offices, asks Carl if he's "gettin' any." How'd that make it by the censors?

My best of the best is "The Zombie" (9-20-74). It could be I'm partial to it beyond the story itself, which involves a simmering race war between rival underworld organizations, incited by someone who – or something that – won't stay buried. I remember watching it the night it aired, scared out of my wits by the menacing zombie, Francois Edmonds (played by former San Diego Charger all-Pro, Earl Faison). I've only recently come to appreciate the performance of Charles Aidman, as the only "crooked" cop (the rest being either anal retentive or incompetent) Kolchak encountered, Leo Winwood. Written by Chase and Zekial Marko, "The Zombie" features a slew of familiar character actors: Antonio Fargas, Joseph Sirola, Scatman Crothers, Val Bisoglio, J. Pat O'Malley and John Fiedler, in the first of three memorable appearances as Gordy "The Ghoul" Spangler. The final scene is tremendous: Carl, in a "place of the dead," perched uncomfortably next to the zombie he believes is dormant, readying a needle to sew its mouth shut. The tension is absolutely exhilarating.

I grew up being mesmerized by Kolchak and his witty, interesting, sometimes bumbling reporting style that dug up the goods on the city's night time other-world bad guys (and gals). I haven't seen but one or two episodes since I watched the originals in the 70s and would love to see them again. I might have to break down and actually buy the videos of the shows. Also, I hear ABC is going to remake the series and show it in the fall (2005). Not sure how it's going to go over and if they're going to capture that 70s atmosphere. If they don't have Darren McGavin in there or someone as superb and funny as he was/is, I'm not sure if the show will go over like it did when I was a youngster. That, and they'll be competing with all the latest gizmo-loaded, hi-tech, sci-fi shows and movies that have sprung up over the past few years. I won't go into detail about any of the episodes since other commenters have done so very eloquently. Just suffice it to say that you'll either love this series or not, but I'm betting that you'll love it.