The Kolchak Tapes

Chris and Mike wrap up The Kolchak Tapes with their special guest Richard Hatem. The three discuss the unmade Night Stalker episodes, "Eve of Terror," "Get of Belial," and "The Executioners" as well as a Marvel Comic parody of Kolchak from "ARRGH!" Thanks again to everyone for listening and coming with us on this three year journey.

We discuss the last filmed episode of Kolchak The Night Stalker, The Sentry. It's a tale of a lizard man who lives deep in the recesses of the earth that causes havoc (and death) at a massive data warehouse.

We wrap up talking about The Night Stalker (2005) with a discussion of two scripts for the show that were scrapped -- Ascendant and The M Word. However, The M Word would gain new life when it was re-adapted for the X-Files reboot as Mulder & Scully Meet the Weremonster. Mike and Chris talk about the changes between the original draft and the X-Files version.

On the penultimate episode of The Night Stalker, Carl takes on Helen of Troy (Cathy Lee Crosby) who has stayed alive all this time by stealing the vivacity of young hot single people. Carl is helped by his old friend Gordy the Ghoul (John Fiedler) and cabbie Kaz (George Savalas).

Richard Hatem joins us again to discuss The Knightly Murders (1975) in which an animated suit of armor menaces those who want to form a "historical discotheque". Could it be that Hans Conried is behind it? And how did Kolchak end up in the loony bin? (Or did he?)

Richard Hatem returns to The Kolchak Tapes to talk about the last episode of the Kolchak reboot that "aired". Written by Vince Gilligan, this is Mike's favorite episode of the Kolchak reboot as it includes some effective scares and even has Stuart Townsend showing some emotions in one scene.

Nanautzin, an Aztec god, needs to be sated every 52 years with five human sacrifices. In 1975 it was up to Carl Kolchak to end the cycle of violence by stopping the final sacrifice of Pepe (Erik Estrada).Chris Stachiw and Mike White also discuss the bizarre mash-up of "Legacy of Terror" and "Demon in Lace" called "The Demon and the Mummy" which unsuccessfully marries the two episodes.

When a series of mysterious deaths take place at a college campus, Carl uncovers the true nature of the crimes -- a Mesopotamian succubus is seeking revenge for the translation of an ancient stone tablet.

The penultimate episode of "Night Stalker" was one of a handful dumped onto iTunes in 2006. In this episode we get the return of Titus Berry (played by Stephen Tobolowsky here and Wally Cox in The Night Strangler) as Carl and the Scooby gang chase down a "vampire" who eats three pituitary glands every 35 years in order to extend her life.

In an updating of The Headless Horseman tale, Carl uncovers the past of a motorcycle gang who had a member decapitated and the consequences of his head being separated from his body. The episode includes a bevy of supporting actors including Larry Linville, Jim Backus, Jesse White, and more.

On this episode of The Kolchak Tapes, Chris and Mike discuss The Trevi Collection. Carl Kolchak gets entangled in the worlds of haute couture and hocus pocus when he discovers witchcraft behind the scenes of Madame Trevi's latest fashion line.

We return to Frank Spotnitz's Night Stalker with a "monster of the week" episode in which office workers are killed by a man (Michael Shamus Wiles) with the power to desiccate their bodies.

Reporter Carl Kolchak gets the runaround from an oil company when samples from an ice core defrost, besetting Chicago with primal beasties. Directed by Robert Scheerer and co-written by David Chase and Bill S. Ballinger, the episode is stolen by Jamie Farr as a disgruntled high school teacher.

Hailed as one of the best "Night Stalker" episodes, Mr. R.I.N.G. has Carl Kolchak writing an obituary for a scientist who happened to be working on a cutting-edge robotics experiment for the Tyrell Corporation. Under the guise of defending America's taxpayers, Carl tracks down Mr. R.I.N.G. (Craig R. Baxley), the titular Frankenstein monster.

Mike & Chris discuss the two-part story The Source and The Sea that brought the Kolchak mythology roaring back on the back of the Four Cyclists of the Apocalypse. It's the story of a DEA agent whose wife is on the run from the same forces of evil that plagued Carl and his dead wife.

A Jewish neighborhood in Chicago is the new hunting ground for an Indian Rakshasa, a creature that masquerades as the person its victim trusts most. But that's the Rakshasa's problem when Carl is on the case... he doesn't trust anyone. Screenwriter Richard Hatem (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, The Mothman Prophecies, Supernatural) join Chris and Mike to discuss this solid episode of The Night Stalker.

On this episode we discuss Malum (2004) which exemplifies everything Mike & Chris felt was wrong with the re-boot series as well as The Energy Eater (1974) in which Carl battles another invisible monster, this time with the help of William Smith as Jim Elkhorn.

Richard Kiel returns as the monster-of-the-week in "The Spanish Moss Murders". This time he's a Peremalfait, a creature springing from the dreams of a man deprived of sleep in a study by Dr. Aaron Pollack (Severn Darden). Carl has to get around police-captain-of-the-week Joe 'Mad Dog' Siska (Keenan Wynn) to investigate the the Cajun busker underbelly of Chicago.

Carl pursues the malevolent Native American spirit of The Diablero (Richard Kiel), a shape-shifter who's stealing the riches of Chicago's dowagers.We're joined by guest co-host Mike Wallace. This episode features an interview with Night Stalker writer John Huff.

Carl tracks down the improbably-named "Terror Man" who seems to be back from the dead and setting fire to those who wronged him.  Hear more from The Kolchak Tapes at www.kolchaktapes.com and please give us a review on iTunes. 

Tom Skerritt (and his mustache) star as Robert W. Palmer, a politician who has made a devil's bargain to gain power...  He has the ability to turn into a Satanic rottweiler in order to defeat those who stand in his way but he can't stop Carl Kolchak from getting to the bottom of The Devil's Platform.  The last "Night Stalker" to be directed by Allen Barron, this episode was written by Donn Mullally. On this episode, Chris and Mike talk to Ron "Uptight" Updyke himself, Jack Grinnage, about his role in "The Night Stalker" as well as his early days in "Rebel without a Cause".  

Fred Beir stars as Ryder Bond, a man who is seemingly two places at once...  It's up to intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak to find out how and why people are dying."Firefall" is the sixth episode of "The Night Stalker."  Written by Bill S. Ballinger, the episode was directed by Don Weis.  This episode marks the last time we'll see Carol Ann Susi as Monique Marmelstein. 

Written by Adam Sussman  and directed by Daniel Sackheim , "Three" is the third episode of the 2005 Night Stalker reboot.  The episode introduces series semi-regular Alex Nyby who's played by Eugene Byrd.  This episode of The Kolchak Tapes features an interview with Mr. Byrd about his role in Night Stalker as well as Bones and more.   

In the fifth episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Carl squared off with a ragged werewolf (Eric Braeden).  Written by Paul Playdon and David Chase, the teleplay was cut down from 70 pages, leaving something that didn't quite hold together, despite Allen Baron's deft direction.  

In the fourth episode of The Night Stalker, Carl faces off a second time against a vampire.  This ties in nicely as a sequel to The Night Stalker TV movie as it's implied that the vampire -- a call girl from Las Vegas -- was a victim of Janos Skorzeny.Chris and Mike talk to the producer of The Night Stalker, Cy Chermak, author of  The Show Runner: An Insider's Guide to Successful TV Production.

Chris and Mike go back to the 2005 "Night Stalker" and discuss the second episode that aired in which Carl Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) goes toe-to-toe with a supernatural serial killer (Tony Curran).  Surprisingly, Chris really dug this one. .

Reporter Carl Kolchak's fifth reported encounter with the supernatural, They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be..., was broadcast the night of September 27, 1974.Chris Stachiw and Mike White discuss the third episode of The Night Stalker (AKA Kolchak: The Night Stalker). Written by Rudolph Borchert and directed by Allen Baron.Also known as "U.F.O.", this episode find Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) attempting to catch the first game of the world series (Chicago Cubs vs. The Boston Red Sox) while an alien causes mischief in the Windy City. Both Ron Updyke (Jack Grinnage) and Monique Marmelstein (Carol Ann Susi) return for this episode.Links:Buy Kolchak: The Night Stalker series on DVDRead the It Couldn't Happen Here discussion of "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be..."Visit The Kolchak Tapes Facebook pageSubscribe to The Kolchak Tapes on iTunes 

On the second episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Carl Kolchak squared off against the Italian and African-American mob of Chicago as well as the titular zombie.Written by Zekial Marko and David Chase, the episode was directed by Alexander Grasshoff (The Jailbreakers).The episode introduces us to Carol Ann Susi as Monique Marmelstein, the niece of INS's publisher.Links:Buy Kolchak: The Night Stalker series on DVDBuy Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone: A Fifth-Dimension Guide to Life by Mark DawidziakRead the It Couldn't Happen Here discussion of "The Zombie"Visit The Kolchak Tapes Facebook pageSubscribe to The Kolchak Tapes on iTunes

Chris Stachiw and Mike White jump ahead in the timeline to discuss the pilot episode of Night Stalker which stars Stuart Townsend as Carl Kolchak, a reporter in Los Angeles who lost his wife in an attack by werewolves. He joins Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union) and Jain McManus (Eric Jungmann) on the hunt for creatures of the night who have stolen a little girl.Chris and Mike talk with series creator and X-Files veteran Frank Spotnitz about the original intentions for the series and how it changed before even going in front of the cameras. 

Reporter Carl Kolchak's third reported encounter with the supernatural, the Ripper, was broadcast the night of September 13, 1974.Chris Stachiw and Mike White discuss the first episode of The Night Stalker (AKA Kolchak: The Night Stalker). Written by Rudolph Borchert and directed by Allen Baron (Blast of Silence).The episode pits Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) against Jack the Ripper who has come to Chicago to slaughter sex workers (and Carl's fellow reporter Jane Plumm (Beatrice Colen). The episode introduces us to Carl's co-worker Ron Updyke (Jack Grinnage) and the actress Ruth McDevitt who will return in later episodes.Special Guest:Mark Dawidziak, author of The Night Stalker: A 25th Anniversary Tribute.Links:Buy Kolchak: The Night Stalker series on DVDBuy Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone: A Fifth-Dimension Guide to Life by Mark DawidziakRead the It Couldn't Happen Here discussion of "The Ripper"Visit The Kolchak Tapes Facebook pageSubscribe to The Kolchak Tapes on iTunes

On the third episode of The Kolchak Tapes, Chris and Mike are joined by guest co-host Amanda Reyes to talk about The Norliss Tapes (1973). Aired on NBC on February 21, 1973, the film stars Roy Thinnes as David Norliss, a writer trying to solve a supernatural mystery.Written by William F. Nolan, the film was directed by Dan Curtis who had helmed The Night Strangler and produced The Night Stalker. We discuss the similarities and differences between Norliss and Kolchak. We also look at The Night Killers, the third (unfilmed) Kolchak TV movie. Co-written by Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan, the script would have had Kolchak going to Hawaii to investigate the sudden death of the state's Lieutenant Governor.Special Guests:Jeff Thompson, author of The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker and Other Productions, 1966-2006 and author William F. Nolan discuses his work on The Norliss Tapes, The Night Killers, The Intruder and more.

Reporter Carl Kolchak's second reported encounter with the supernatural, The Night Strangler, was broadcast on the night of January 16, 1972.Chris Stachiw and Mike White discuss The Night Stalker and the character of Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Written by Richard Matheson (and later adapted for a novel by Kolchak creator Jeff Rice), the made-for-TV movie was directed by Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows).Special Guest: Amanda Reyes, editor of Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999.Links:Buy The Night Strangler on DVDListen to the Made for TV Mayhem podcastVisit The Kolchak Tapes Facebook pageSubscribe to The Kolchak Tapes on iTunesMusic:Music by John Walker, Robert Cobert, Gil Milles

Reporter Carl Kolchak's first reported encounter with the supernatural, The Night Stalker, was broadcast on January 11, 1972 to jaw-dropping ratings. Chris Stachiw and Mike White discuss The Night Stalker and the character of Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Based on a book by Jeff Rice and adapted by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), the made-for-TV movie was produced by Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows) and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. Special Guest:  Professor Mark Dawidziak, author of The Night Stalker: A 25th Anniversary Tribute.Visit Mark Dawidziak's blogBuy Mark Dawidziak's Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone: A Fifth-Dimension Guide to LifeVisit The Kolchak Tapes Facebook pageVisit Kulture Shocked for more Chris StachiwVisit The Projection Booth for more Mike WhiteSubscribe to The Kolchak Tapes on iTunesMusic by John Walker, Robert Cobert, Gil Milles