I bought the Kolchak: The Night Stalker DVD collection a few years ago, but it been sat in my pile of shame collecting dust. Earlier this month, I decided to finally bite the bullet and watch it during my annual January videogame detox.
I didn't know anything about the series but had heard it mentioned often when The X Files was at its peak. Apparently, Kolchak was an inspiration for Chris Carter when writing the adventures of Mulder and Scully, so if it was good enough for him it was good enough for me.
The 20 episode TV series followed Carl Kolchak (excellently played by Darren McGavin) investigating supernatural phenomena in his home city of Chicago. Each week he would have an investigation, facing off against mummies, vampires, werewolves and the like, whilst his likeable but ball-busting editor Tony Vincenzo (played by Simon Oakland) would be on his back about some more mundane mainstream story.
Typically, at the beginning of each tale we'd see Kolchak at his typewriter wistfully retelling the adventure he'd just had. Then, we'd go through the whole story as Kolchak slowly pieced together the puzzle to find out who the 'monster of the week' was. It's an effective story-telling device that offers a snapshot of a bygone age with its fashion, technology and concerns about the future. There are a few issues here and there with stereotyping, especially of the exotic 'other' like Hindus, Native Americans and Haitians, but it's not as problematic as many shows from that period, in fact the show stands up pretty well as Kolchak tried to understand these differences. It's not always subtle but I've definitely seen a lot worse from this era.
I watched all the episodes and my favourite 3 episodes were:
The Ripper- A serial killer in Chicago, who preys on women, has the same MO as Jack the Ripper, but it couldn't be him... it's been almost a hundred years, right?
Bad Medicine- When a man dressed as a Native American sorceror kills older ladies of distinction for their gems, Kolchak is on the case to see that the crime spree stops. Richard Kiel appears in an early career role and is suitably brooding as an 8ft transmitting giant who morphs into animals. Even though it is quite insensitive now, it is a great episode with lots of tension and mystery.
The Knightly Murders- When a museum showcasing medieval armour is under threat of being turned into a nightclub, the reanimated black armour of a cursed knight murders some of the Chicago folk involved in the museums closure. A crossbow, mace and lance are the murder weapons of choice but can Kolchak get to the bottom of it?
The show is highly entertaining and extremely watchable, even now. There is a gentle humour that goes with Kolchak being thrown out of places he shouldn't be and people not believing his wild sounding stories. McGavin has the confidence and charming personality to befriend some people whilst getting under the skin of others, much like Columbo. His dogged pursuit for the truth is endearing as he portrays Kolchak with warmth and good humour, rather than just a newshungry reporter.
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