Tag: Firefall

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Firefall

November 08, 1974 Season 1 Episode 6

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This episode brought to mind the Twilight Zone episode, Mirror Image. A much more deadly version, though. The noir type of narration helps in this one because of the unusual story. Kolchak gets more involved in this one than most… he is in the center of it.

This one has a very different storyline from the others so far. By the time Kolchak: The Night Stalker aired this episode, the series had already established itself as a mix of noir and dark humor. This episode presents one of the show’s more psychologically complex stories. Instead of a vampire, werewolf, or zombie, this one focuses on a ghost-like “doppelganger,”  a mysterious double that stalks its victim until it kills him. The result is a haunting-filled hour that shows just how flexible the Kolchak format could be.

The story begins when Kolchak investigates a series of spontaneous combustions connected to a famous symphony conductor, Ryder Bond. People around Bond are dying in fiery, unexplained accidents, and Kolchak quickly suspects something supernatural. But this isn’t your standard ghost story. What sets this one apart is its odd concept: a ghostly twin, born out of a near-death experience, who appears whenever the conductor falls asleep, a sleeping phantom trying to take his place in the world. 

Director Don Weis uses shadows, flickering lights, and slow zooms to heighten the tension.  Also, he makes the Chicago nights look especially moody here. Darren McGavin’s performance is typically sharp; his Kolchak is funny yet genuinely frightened. He balances humor with desperation as he realizes he’s chasing something that can’t be photographed or fought. The episode also benefits from a solid supporting cast, including Fred Beir as Bond and Madlyn Rhue as his wife.

It stands out more than the Alien episode because it dives heavily into psychological horror rather than pure monster-of-the-week thrills. It’s about the fear of losing yourself and being replaced by something that looks like you but isn’t. For a 1970s network TV show, that’s surprisingly territory. While it doesn’t have the flashy monster effects of “The Werewolf” or “The Zombie,” it lingers in your mind long after it’s over. 

The COMPLETE EPISODE

Firefall – Cinderella

An unfortunate true-to-life song by Firefall. I was at my friend Dave’s site a few days ago and he featured one of their bigger hits. I like their big hits so I enjoyed Dave’s post but this is the song I think of when I think of Firefall. It’s a dark song that I remember well because my sister had the single.

This song peaked at #34 on the Billboard 100. Some of the band members were from other bands. Drummer Michael Clarke was from the Byrds, Jock Bartley played with Gram Parsons, and Rick Roberts was formerly with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Cinderella was released in 1977.

It was written by Firefall’s guitarist and vocalist Larry Burnett, the song stands out for its unfortunate realistic tone. This wasn’t the recipe for a hit song but was a hit. It was on their self-titled debut album released in 1976 which also included You Are The Woman.

Dave said this in his Just Remember I Love You post: They’d had one prior top 10 hit in “You Are The Woman” the year before and one more sizable hit the following year with “Strange Way.“, which was written mainly by Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd. Thanks, Dave!

Larry Burnett: “I certainly didn’t have a wife or a girlfriend who was pregnant and I was working my butt off trying to support us. None of that was going on. But it was certainly happening around me in other people’s lives.”

According to the interview below…Larry wrote it when he was 16 years old and in high school but he didn’t live it.

Cinderella

Last December I met a girl
She took a likin’ to me
Said she loved me
But she didn’t know the meaning of the word

She imagined love to be grand
Me holdin’ her hand and
Whisperin’ sweet things and
Cooin’ softly like a song bird

Then one mornin’ she came to me
With a tear in her eye and a
Sigh on her breath Lord she said
“Hon I’m heavy with child”

I said “god damn girl can’t you see
That I’m breakin’my back
Just tryin’ to keep my head above water
And it’s turnin’ me wild”

Cinderella can’t you see
Don’t want your company
You better leave this mornin’ leave today
Take your love and your child away

Rockin’ chair on the front porch
I’m thinkin’ about all the things that I did
As a young man
Now that I’m old

I remember her and the boy
Did he have all the toys and the joys
That a young man should have
Before he gets too old

Cinderella couldn’t you see
Didn’t want your company
Shoulda left that mornin’ left that day
Took your love and your child away