KOLCHAK PAPERS: Episode #5- THE WEREWOLF

Bob Hastings with Henry Jones

KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER
EPISODE 05- Aired Nov 1, 1974
Directed by Allen Baron

Written by David Chase and Paul Playdon

From IMDB: When a tax audit interrupts Vincenzo's plans to take a cruise ship vacation, he sends Kolchak in his place to follow up on a story about swinging singles. Kolchak becomes more interested in a series of mutilations that begin taking place on the ship, perpetrated by a creature that seems to be half man, half wolf.

I think it was a requirement in the 1970s for TV Shows to have a cruise ship episode. There are a lot of similarities between KOLCHAK and COLUMBO and this episode is one of them. Only when Carl is sent on a cruise ship there happens to be a Werewolf on board. It’s a missed opportunity that WHO the Werewolf is wasn’t handled as a mystery, but then that’s not what the show was about.

Speaking of missed opportunities, the Werewolf’s impact is marred substantially by a somewhat sub-par makeup (although we never get a clear shot) but far worse are the moans and groans he makes which sound like the actor’s own voice which should have been dubbed in as ferocious Werewolf type growls. The idea of a group of people trapped on a ship with a monster on board is suitably creepy and would have had more chills if the character had been better thought out. It makes me wonder if there was a plan to up the growls post but somehow it just didn’t happen.

The Full INS staff in a rare moment of unity— all due to a party thrown by Miss Emily for Xmas.

It’s a great episode despite its flaws which opens up with the INS staff having a Christmas Party to wish a fond farewell to bureau chief Tony Vincenzo who has wrangled an assignment to write about a cruise ships last voyage as a way of taking a vacation— before fate steps in and he has to send Carl instead.

THE MONSTER:

Bernard Steiglitz is our Werewolf.

The actor playing the monster— which requires a bit more depth than the average Kolchak monster, is Eric Braeden who is one of those actors who you see in everything and can’t quite figure out from where. A few years earlier he was the evil government agent hunting down Zira and Cornelius in ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, and he had a long career in soap operas.

SEASONED COP WHO HATES KOLCHAK:

There’s no policeman this time, but we have Henry Jones as ship Captain Julian Wells who wants to throw Kolchak into the brig. Jones was a prominent character actor who had made hundreds of TV and Movie appearances by the time he appeared here.

OTHER ODDBALL GUEST STARS:

Carl meets his room-mate Mel Tarter (Dick Gautier)

Dick Gautier is great as Carl’s hip swinger room-mate who is taking the cruise with his ex-wife Wendy. Gautier had a long career but most notably was Hymie the Robot in Mel Brooks GET SMART TV series starring Don Adams. He later appeared as Batman when Adam West refused to put on the cowl for a public service announcement about equal pay which featured the original Batgirl and Robin returning from the ‘66 show. Gautier did such a good job as West many people thought it was him. He later starred in Mel Brooks Robin Hood comedy WHEN THINGS WERE ROTTEN. He was also an accomplished cartoonist and I had the pleasure of getting to know him before he passed away.

Nita Talbot is possibly the best girl friday of the series as fellow passenger Paula Griffin who is a big movie buff. Talbot is another actor who is in hundreds of things and you’ll recognize her even if you don’t know her name. She has a real charisma and charm that makes her a standout.

Paula Griffin meets Carl and tells him about her love of old movies.

Lewis Charles plays a sleazy ship’s purser who can get you anything you want, even if it’s not legal. Charles had a long career including a role as one of the Penguin’s henchmen in an early episode of BATMAN. He was also in BARNEY MILLER, DUKES OF HAZZARD and ELLERY QUEEN among hundreds of other roles.

Bob Hastings is one of the ship’s officers and he’s instantly recognizable from MCHALE’S NAVY— he later went on to be the voice of Commissioner Gordon in BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES.

Dort Clark is another ship’s officer and his career went back to the 1940s often playing a weathered cop or mobster.

THE WEREWOLF PROWLS — is Kolchak the Hunter or the Hunted?

If we can overlook the bad makeup and lousy Werewolf growls this is a really good episode.. This would have been a nice day after Halloween episode to watch in 1974.

KOLCHAK TRIVIA:

Gal Friday Paula tries to remember the title of the movie about a Werewolf starring John Wayne, only to realize she was thinking of Charlie Chan, not Wayne. However, she might have been thinking of Warner Oland, an actor famous for portraying Chan, who starred in the 1935 movie WEREWOLF OF LONDON as the Werewolf who bit the film’s star Henry Hull. Ironically, in 1987, a low budget indie horror comedy called Curse of the Queerwolf came out and in it the protagonist has to wear a medallion with Wayne's manly photograph to ward off the curse.

Rare occurrence of Kolchak using a gun in this episode, as he fills a shotgun with home made silver bullets to stop the Werewolf.

The Werewolf appears

First appearance of INS Advice Columnist/Puzzle Maker Miss Emily— played by Ruth McDevitt who had previously played a woman who wrote in to Miss Emily in the series premiere episode.

Mel Tarter’s ex wife is played by actress Jackie Russell— Russell also had a long guest star career— but the irony is that Marvel Comics WEREWOLF BY NIGHT series lead character was named Jack Russell— a play on the idea of a Werewolf alter ego being named after a dog.

Kolchak Rating: 4.5 Many fans dislike this one because of the cruise ship and the bad monster but I really like this one. If they’d only substituted some scary growl in post this might have been a five.

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