KOLCHAK PAPERS: IN SUMMARY- Episode Ratings, Character Profiles
There will always be only one Carl Kolchak
Well, that wraps up our in-depth look at KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, the ABC-TV Series which ran from Sept 1974- March 1975 before becoming a cult hit and inspiring shows like THE X-FILES and SUPERNATURAL. Here’s how the individual episodes did on our rating scale;
RATING EPISODE # TITLE AIRDATE
5.0 02 THE ZOMBIE Sep 20, 1974
5.0 11 HORROR IN THE HEIGHTS Dec 20, 1974
5.0 04 THE VAMPIRE Oct 4, 1974
5.0 09 SPANISH MOSS MURDERS Dec 6, 1974
4.5 15 THE CHOPPER Jan 31, 1975
4.5 01 THE RIPPER Sep 13, 1974
4.5 16 DEMON IN LACE Feb 7, 1975
4.5 18 THE KNIGHTLY MURDERS Mar 7, 1975
4.5 05 THE WEREWOLF Nov 1, 1974
4.0 10 THE ENERGY EATER Dec 13, 1974
4.0 13 PRIMAL SCREAM Jan 17, 1975
4.0 06 FIREFALL Nov 8, 1974
4.0 08 BAD MEDICINE Nov 29, 1974
4.0 14 THE TREVI COLLECTION Jan 24, 1975
3.5 17 LEGACY OF TERROR Feb 14, 1975
3.5 03 UFO Sep 27, 1974
3.5 20 THE SENTRY Mar 28, 1975
3.5 TV1 THE NIGHT STALKER Jan 11, 1972
3.5 12 MR R.I.N.G. Jan 10, 1975
3.5 07 THE DEVIL’S PLATFORM Nov 15, 1974
3.0 19 THE YOUTH KILLER Mar 14, 1975
2.5 TV2 THE NIGHT STRANGLER Jan 16, 1973
A closer look at some of the cast:
Darren McGavin - McGavin’s Carl Kolchak was (obviously) in all 20 episodes and the two TV Movies. McGavin brought some of his Mike Hammer portrayal to his Kolchak as a sort of everyman character if every man was a tough guy. McGavin’s Kolchak is driven by the truth but he’s not above pulling some shenanigans to get the bottom of a story. McGavin also worked as a sort of uncredited producer of the series which often put him at odds with the producers assigned by Universal. It was this stress that caused him to ask to be let out of his contract and a second season was abandoned. Could the show have supported a second season? I think it certainly could have, and it found it’s audience shortly after cancellation.
Simon Oakland- Oakland’s Tony Vincenzo was also in all 22 appearances of the Kolchak series and the series charm owes a lot to his participation, his chemistry with McGavin was on-par with the best screen pairings and it’s a shame they never went on to work on another series. Oakland had a long career and was in such notable films as Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, WEST SIDE STORY and Steve McQueen’s BULLIT.
Jack Grinnage - Ron Updyke, rival reporter at INS, appeared in 18 of 20 episodes and was always an added bonus when he did. He offered a comic foil for Kolchak without ever crossing over into the grating style that many comedic characters degraded into in similar shows.
After viewing all 20 episodes (and the two TV Movies) does it hold up? It certainly does. It remains possibly my all time favorite series. Veronica summed up what makes Carl great while we were watching it one Saturday night on MeTV; “He’s an adventurer like Indiana Jones, but he’s an everyman, he’s brave but he gets scared, he’s charging in but he’s falling down.”
They revamped Kolchak about 10-15 years ago and I saw enough of the promos and the stills to make me pass. Carl only works as a slightly grisled 50 year old, and if you make him a thirty something who looks like he had a stylist you’re missing the whole point.
Kolchak currently airs on MeTV Saturday nights at Midnight.
