Forty years later, both Kolchak: The Night Stalker and its unforgettable intro have lost little of their “cool factor.” One of the most criminally cut-short series in TV history, the show lives on as a cult favorite… especially during October cable scare-a-thons.
There were so many aspects about that show that made a lasting impression, but in the end, it boils down to the late Darren McGavin. In a later-career role that defined him until A Christmas Story came along, McGavin’s Carl Kolchak was a work of genius. Some of the monsters and aliens may have gotten a bit corny with age, but rumple-suited, quick-witted, tireless reporter Kolchak remains a classic character. Aided by an abundance of sharp dialogue, McGavin’s Kolchak was simultaneously a vampire hunter and counter-culture figure whose luck, in any given episode, ran from terrible to terrific – and back again.
McGavin had become famous, two decades earlier, for playing TV’s first Mike Hammer; ironic, then, that his wiry, muscular build had to be cloaked – as Kolchak was invariably battered by monsters and The Man in his pursuit of the truth.
In 2005, another crime was committed when ABC remade The Night Stalker. Remember that? Most don’t, as the show’s godawfulness prompted a quick plug-pulling. Some things… heck, many things should just be remembered as they were.
Carl Kolchak, a tip of the cap to you this Halloween season. You influenced not only The X-Files and a number of aspiring journalists, but a whole generation of people who peer more closely at things that hide in the shadows.
