Dossiers brûlants

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.

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.

Absolutely at the top of the TV horror tree. Up there with THE TWILIGHT ZONE and THE OUTER LIMITS. Whats happenening these days? "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch", "Buffy?" "Charmed?"...Jeez, give me a break!

Darren McGavin absolutely made this his own - one of the most under-rated actors in history. His verbals with boss Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) were legendary. You KNEW Vincenzo loved him like a brother! Each week a new monster/creature of the night and each week, crucifix, silver bullet or just plain insult, Kolchak had the "beast of the week" under wraps before you could say "Bela Lugosi". You just KNEW it was safe to go outside again.

OK, so it tended towards the "campy" sometimes? sheesh, this was 1974 for God's sakes! This show ruled and if you are unfortunate enough to be less than 40, then bad luck!

After the immense success of the made for t.v. movies "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler", A.B.C. decided to finally make the adventures of everyones' favorite monster hunter Carl Kolchak into a weekly series. Unfortunately, it only lasted one season. Too bad though. This had to be one of the smartest series ever written for television. It was definitely a perfect mix of both horror and comedy as it placed the a regular guy like Kolchak in several unbelievable situations. Kolchak would begin by writing on stories on what he would think would be an ordinary murder and wind up finding the killer is either a werewolf or a vampire. Darrin McGavin was perfect in the role and Simon Oakland was great as his editor Vincenzo. Too bad that this show was up against the juggernaut that was the Friday night line up that was over on N.B.C.. In fact the night that it premiered, Friday September 13, 1974, was also the same night that another smartly written show premiered, "The Rockford Files".

A brilliantly entertaining series that ran for a single shining season in the 1970's, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" concerned a Chicago reporter whose investigations invariably lead him into dangerous encounters with the paranormal.

Starring the incomparable (and irreplaceable) Darren McGavin, this smartly written show has been described by some as being "campy", and while a couple of episodes ("The Youth Killer" and the much more amusing "The Trevi Collection") may have strayed far enough into that territory to qualify as camp, this was actually a series with two distinct parts. Half of the show was a situation comedy (the scenes taking place in the INS office between Kolchak and Vincenzo were particularly amusing), and the other half was a straight-faced thriller that featured some genuinely frightening scenes of horror.

Quite a maverick among television shows of the day, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" noticeably parted company with established convention regarding what qualifies a character to fill the role of a hero. Common practice dictates that your basic TV good guy will be conventionally handsome, good with his fists and fearless in the sight of danger. Some are rich and reside in fabulously appointed surroundings and often find themselves the focus of unflagging admiration from a cheering section of supporting characters.

Then there's Carl Kolchak. A far sight from the usual male model-type lead, this average-looking guy doesn't work for a big league paper, but instead pounds away at his typewriter in a somewhat rundown news bureau office. He has no family and the only people who seem even remotely close to him are a gray-haired advice columnist and a short-tempered managing editor who's usually bellowing at him to drop his latest crazy story.

Also rare for a TV hero: he doesn't even carry a gun. In fact, when faced with danger, Carl sometimes runs away in stark raving terror.

Furthermore, he's generally reviled by public officials, and after vanquishing something evil from our midst, he never even gets any credit for having risked his neck.

Armed only with a camera, a tape recorder and his wits, Carl Kolchak certainly doesn't sound very formidable. And yet, somehow, this cynical, middle-aged news hound in a seersucker suit and beat-up straw hat is the greatest foe any vampire or blood-thirsty creature of the night ever came up against. Sure, he may not get that Pulitzer prize, but for his uncanny abilities at ridding the world of one monster after another, this unlikely hero surely ranks as one of the most unique and marvelously ironic characters in the history of television.

If you're interested, have reviewed of all 20 episodes, too.