Kolchak: The Night Stalker …coming soon

I guess this is like a trailer or a commercial for coming attractions. I’m going to tackle this series in a few weeks, with each episode getting a post. There are only 20 episodes plus two movies, so this won’t be a year and a half of The Twilight Zone or Star Trek like I did a few years back. I hope some of you readers are fans. It was totally different for its time and really for now. We will follow Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) as he chases monsters in the seventies. 

Music posts will not be interrupted…this will be on Thursday, and I may sneak one in earlier in the week if possible. I hope you will enjoy it. I’m going to write up a few before I start posting. Also, Thanks to Lisa, who brought up this series when I told her I was watching The Night Gallery. I have watched this series over the years, but I don’t know the episodes as well as I do The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, so this will be a fun learning experience for me. I had watched The Twilight Zone and Star Trek so much that I didn’t need to research many of them when I covered their episodes. 

I hope you will enjoy them. I will start them sometime in September. Also, I think most of the episodes are on YouTube. 

Here is a fan-made trailer of the TV movie that spawned the show. 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

49 thoughts on “Kolchak: The Night Stalker …coming soon”

  1. In the trailer, from 30-35 seconds in, a close-up of Larry Linville (Major Frank Burns from M.A.S.H.) caught my eye. I see he was just a guest star in one episode, but you still piqued my curiosity. Also Simon Oakland. I didn’t realize how many shows I recognized him from until I looked him up. He was on several of may favorites.

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    1. I noticed Simon Oakland as well…I’m trying to think what other stuff I saw him in.
      Did you ever watch this show? It was totally different for prime time back then.

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      1. Gunsmoke and Bonanza is where I remember him…thank you. Possibly some police movie from that time as well.

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    1. Yea it was different for the time obbverse. It was either this one or the Night Gallery…and this one will be much easier and less time consuming…but I’ll probably get it next.

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  2. Max, I’m geeked about this. I do remember watching the movie after seeing that trailer. It’s pretty scary. Kolchak is a great template for what quality journalism used to me. He didn’t let any one or any THING stop him from getting to the truth.

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    1. I am as well. I would also like to tackle the NIght Gallery next…now that I’m watching it again…this will get my feet wet again and I can get it done in two months. I haven’t watched it in a while….so this will be fun! Thank you for bringing it up…yes that time is done with journalists.

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  3. there were so many cool series around at that time, I remember McLoud with Dennis Weaver and something with George Pappard….the col thing about night Stalker is there was a connection to the Files…

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    1. I’m a huge Dennis Weaver fan…loved him in Gunsmoke. I also liked his unusual house he built in Colorado with old tires as a base. It’s on YouTube…really cool energy saving house.
      Yea the X-Files was like an updated version of it.

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  4. We love watching old TV. We rewatched this series last year. Kolchak is a hoot. We are in the process of rewatching Twilight Zone and then plan to go to Night Gallery. It’s fun to see how many episodes we actually remember. We are almost done with Ironside. If anyone wants to get a taste of early 70s culture, Ironside covers it all-social concerns, clothes, lingo, music, and decor. Look forward to reading your takes on The Night Stalker, Max!

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    1. I have watch all of those you have said…every night in our house it IS 1975. I’m still going through Barney Miller…
      I’m SO Glad you know this show…I have found more than I thought!

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    1. Cool…it was only 20 of them unfortunatley…but I like them a lot. I didn’t know there were 2 movies before the show began…it should be fun going over them.

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      1. Yes he was…I’ve watched most of them but I’m having to rewatch them again….they really hold up well!

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    1. Thank you! I’ll be looking forward to your comments. I was worried that there would only be two people who knew it…including me but more and more have seen this.

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  5. I remember the show being on, but I never watched it. I think my best friend’s family used to watch it, I seem to remember her mentioning it. As for McGavin, there is an episode of Gunsmoke he’s in where he falls in love with an Asian woman, and it’s my sister’s favorite episode. She is a hopeless romantic. She checks the reruns every day to see if it’s on. I’m ready to buy her the DVD of that season.

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    1. I missed it originally because I was a bit young…although I’ve watched them in the past decade or so…they hold up! McGavin WAS Carl Kolchak… I mean he made that character come alive.
      I love Gunsmoke…although I like the first 6 seasons the best…with Chester, 30 minutes, and black and white…but I do like the others as well…that episode is Season 12 episode 6…I saw it a couple of years ago!

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