This page is dedicated to Darren McGavin (real name William Lyle Richardson), from his first movie in 1945 to his recuring role on The X Files as their founder, Arthur Dales.
There were two pilot-movies for "Kolchak the Night Stalker" tv series, in 1971 and 1972. The series premiered in September 1974 on Friday the 13th. Darren McGavin narrated the movies and tv episodes while starring as an Art Bell-type reporter stuck working for a second-rate news service out of Chicago, with Simon Oakland as his short-tempered and skeptical boss. Sent out on normal assignments, he would instead run across vampires, werewolves, zombies, a mummy, a secret military android, etc.
The two pilot-movies were: The Night Stalker (1971)
Assigned to a murder spree in Las Vegas, Carl Kolchak discovers something so strange (vampires) that when the story comes out, he and his boss are fired (ends with them driving out of Las Vegas). Script by Richard Matheson of Twilight Zone fame and the Spielberg movieDuel. Matheson based the script on a 1970 story "The Kolchak Papers" by Jeff Rice, a reporter based in Las Vegas. Rice said that Las Vegas, a relatively remote, isolated desert community, seemed a perfect hunting-ground for vampires.
"There was a certain remoteness to Las Vegas, and in that period of time it was just an enclosed little world. I started thinking about writing a story about Las Vegas. And I'd always wanted to write a good vampire story, but I wanted to make it contemporary."
The Night Strangler (1972) Richard Anderson guest stars as a 150 year old man who lives in an abandoned underground city beneath Seattle (a section of old town was paved over due to flooding and is now a tourist attraction). He stays immortal so long as he drains liquid from the brain of freshly-killed victims every 24 years. Also with John Carradine, Wally Cox, Margaret Hamilton. Both movies directed by Dan Curtis, who now does documentaries for A&E on alien abductions, monsters, gangsters, government cover-ups, etc.
Dan Curtis had just finished making the gothic tv series Dark Shadows and liked the concept, though he didn't think the series would make it (indeed, it was cancelled after just 20 episodes) and only directed the pilot-movies. Curtis is now trying for a Kolchak theater movie, possibly starring Bruce Willis (Darren McGavin suffered a stroke 2 years ago and died 2-25-06). "It was the perfect story," he says, "you cared about Kolchak. A guy who was down and out. In peeling the onion, you start to understand, at the same time that he does, that this is a vampire. You are hooked into this thing ... this is believable."
Darren McGavin was the only actor Dan Curtis wanted for the role, and McGavin grabbed the part over his own agent's objections. McGavin even knew what Kolchak should wear: a straw hat, seersucker off-white suit, and white sneakers (you can't get far running after/away from monsters in hard leather shoes). When the first Kolchak movie was completed and shown to a test audience on the Fox movie lot, the reaction was so good they wondered if they should have released it to theaters instead of TV. Writers of tv episodes included a guy named Robert Zemeckis. Though the series only ran 1974/75, it was popular enough to continue in late-night reruns (CBS had no talkshow at the time opposite the Tonight Show) into the 1980s.
Watch the entire pilot movies (1972 & 1973)
4 of the episodes were made into 2 movies by adding new narration (by McGavin) in the middle to tie the stories together, see Sci-Fi Movie Listings page to see if they are on this month. They are:
"Crackle of Death" (1974) about a fiery poltergeist and an American Indian bear-monster
"Demon & the Mummy" (1974) about campus athletes found next to mummified girls who've had their youth drained away and about a young man (Eric Estrada) being prepared as a Mayan human sacrifice
Night Stalker, The Night Strangler (both movies avail on a DVD)
Night Stalker, Two Tales of Terror (1974)
Hangar 18 (1981)
According to the 11-4-00 issue of TV Guide, WB Network chairman Jamie Kellner told his creative team, "What we need is the next Night Stalker." The following week they bought tv series rights to Buffy The Vampire Slayer from the producer of the movie. X Files creator Chris Carter says, "That character of Kolchak as the hysterical outsider left an impression on me. I carried it with me, knowing I wanted to do something in that vein, ever since I was a kid. This was pure, good, speculative science fiction horror. And that's really what I think I've aspired to do." Darren McGavin was even added to the cast of The X Files as the original founder of the secret FBI office. When the first movie was about to be broadcast in 1972, the network gave it a big build-up, showing Kolchak frantically fending off an unseen vampire by holding up a cross. "I still carry shots in my head of that cross, of Kolchak holding that cross up to the vampire. I was scared, but I was excited by it (Carter was only 15 years old at the time). It was terrific and still holds up."
Freakylinks cocreator/consulting producer Gregg Hale says the series, about young Webmasters who track down urban legends and unexplainable tales spunoff from The Blair Witch Project, was "highly influenced by The Night Stalker. There's that tongue-in-cheek quality, and also the realism that always made you afraid." Unfortunately, Freakylinks only lasted 13 episodes
The first Night Stalker movie was broadcast 1-11-72, up against Hawaii 5-0 and an NBC documentary. Yet Kolchak got the highest rating of any tv-movie made up to that time, and still ranks in the top 5 (after The Day After, Little Ladies Of The Night, The Burning Bed, and a Waltons Thanksgiving special).
"That kind of cinema verite style, that documentary approach - you can see why nearly a third of the country was tuned in to this thing and why it became such a phenomenon," says Mark Dawidziak, author of The Night Stalker Companion
SciFi Channel listings:
Note: reruns of the new Night Stalker can now be seen on the SCIFI Channel:
01/15/2009 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
09:00 AM MALUM
10:00 AM THREE
11:00 AM BURNING MAN
12:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
01:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
02:00 PM TIMELESS
03:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
No episodes are scheduled for FebruaryNo episodes of Kolchak (1970s) scheduled for November on the SCIFI channelPrevious broadcasts:
07/28/2006 08:00 PM NIGHT STALKER (PILOT)
08/04/2006 08:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT
08/11/2006 08:00 PM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
08/25/2006 08:00 PM MALUM
09/08/2006 08:00 PM THREE
09/10/2006 11:00 PM NIGHT STALKER (PILOT)
09/15/2006 08:00 PM BURNING MAN
09/22/2006 08:00 PM TIMELESS
09/29/2006 06:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
10/01/2006 11:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT
10/06/2006 06:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
10/13/2006 06:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
No other new Night Stalker eps scheduled to be made
11/29/2006 12:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
12/13/2006 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM PILOT
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM MALUM
11:00 AM THREE
12:00 PM BURNING MAN
01:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
02:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
03:00 PM TIMELESS
01/05/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
09:00 AM MALUM
10:00 AM THREE
11:00 AM BURNING MAN
12:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
01:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
02:00 PM TIMELESS
03:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
02/06/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM PILOT episode
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
11:00 AM MALUM
12:00 PM THREE
01:00 PM BURNING MAN
02:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
03:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
03/07/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
09:00 AM MALUM
10:00 AM THREE
11:00 AM BURNING MAN
12:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
01:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
02:00 PM TIMELESS
03:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
05/02/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM PILOT
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
11:00 AM MALUM
12:00 PM THREE
01:00 PM BURNING MAN
02:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
03:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
06/13/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM TIMELESS
09:00 AM THREE
10:00 AM BURNING MAN
11:00 AM PILOT
12:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT
01:00 PM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
02:00 PM MALUM
03:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
07/13/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM THE SOURCE - PT 1
09:00 AM THE SEA - PT 2
10:00 AM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
11:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
12:00 PM MALUM
01:00 PM THREE
02:00 PM BURNING MAN
03:00 PM TIMELESS
08/07/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM THREE
09:00 AM BURNING MAN
10:00 AM THE SOURCE - PT 1
11:00 AM THE SEA - PT 2
12:00 PM TIMELESS
01:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
02:00 PM PILOT
03:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT
09/10/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM NIGHT STALKER PILOT
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
11:00 AM MALUM
12:00 PM THREE
01:00 PM BURNING MAN
02:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
03:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
10/15/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM THE SOURCE - PT 1
09:00 AM THE SEA - PT 2
10:00 AM TIMELESS
11:00 AM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
12:00 PM NIGHT STALKER PILOT
01:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT
02:00 PM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
03:00 PM MALUM
11/27/2007 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM NIGHT STALKER PILOT
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL
11:00 AM THREE
12:00 PM BURNING MAN
01:00 PM TIMELESS
02:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
05/09/2008 NIGHT STALKER Marathon -
08:00 AM PILOT
09:00 AM INTO THE NIGHT
10:00 AM MALUM
11:00 AM THREE
12:00 PM BURNING MAN
01:00 PM THE SOURCE - PT 1
02:00 PM THE SEA - PT 2
03:00 PM WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KOLCHAK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Kolchak 1970s eps scheduled in 2007/2008 so far
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Darren McGavin scif/horror & thriller movies
last year:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date Start Time/Channel# Title
Airport 77 (747 disappears in the Bermuda Triangle)
Thu Apr 26 08:00A on Action
Tue July 3 06:05A on Encore Drama Channel
Tue July 3 07:05A on Movie Plex
Billy Madison (Adam Sandler, 1995)
Wed July 4 12:00P on Cinemax
Thu Sep 20 06:00A on HBO
Blood & Concrete: A Love Story (1991, car thief & lounge singer on the run)
Fri July 13 05:10A on Starz Edge
Tue Jul 24 02:45A on Starz Comedy
By Dawn's Early Light (1990)
Fri Dec 29 01:40P on Thrillermax
A Christmas Story (as Peter Billingsley's dad, 1983)
Sun Dec 24 8pm (24-hour marathon) TBS
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Thu Dec 14 7:30/10:30P EST on Turner Classic Movies
The Delicate Delinquent (1957, as a cop trying to reform Jerry Lewis)
(not currently scheduled)
From the Hip (1987, Judd Nelson, Darren McGavin, Ray Walston)
Courtroom antics from a yuppie lawyer scheming his way to the top
Tue Aug 28 04:30P & 5:00A on Showtime #2
Tue Sep 18 09:35A on The Movie Channel
The Great Sioux Massacre (1965, Custer's last stand)
(not currently scheduled)
Hangar 18 (1980, government covers up UFO landing)
(not currently scheduled)
Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978 comedy, McGavin vs. Don Knotts)
Sat July 7 08:30A on Hallmark Channel
My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985)
Thu Jan 25 07:00A on Encore Drama Channel
The Natural (1984, starring Robert Redford)
Mon Sep 17 09:15A on American Movie Classics
Pros and Cons (2000 remake)
Fri Feb 2 03:55A on HBO
Raw Deal (1986, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with McGavin)
Sat Nov 4 08:30P on ion (Pax)
Thu Sep 6 5pm/8pm EST on WOR New York
Small Time (1998, crook blows a deal - distracted by his inept cronies
Glenn Plummer, Rae Dawn Chong, Patrick Cupo, Ernie Reyes Jr, Darren McGavin, Tracey Ross.
Fri Aug 10 03:50A on Flix Movie Channel
Wed Aug 29 01:50A on Showtime Extreme
Turk 182! (starring Timothy Hutton, 1985)
Mon Jul 23 12:30P on Encore Drama Channel
TV series: The X-Files (as previous head of the X-Files) "Travelers"
Bizarre deaths involve Mulder's father and Senate counsel Roy Cohn
Fri Jan 26 02:00A on SciFi Channel
The X-Files "Agua Mala"
Tentacles reportedly grab a man in his bathroom in Florida during a hurricane
Wed May 16 05:00P on SciFi Channel
Tales From the Darkside: Distant Signals (as star of cancelled 1950s TV-series revived by aliens)
Fri Sept 7 12:00P on SciFi Channel
Barnabus Collins will bring Dark Shadows to Turner Classic Movies sometime in August
The SCIFI channel has bought the rights to the recent Kolchak remake, including the unaired episodes (the network didn't even show part 2 of a 2-part episode), but it is not on the regular schedule except in marathons
Previous broadcasts on the SciFi Channel
No other Sci-Fi or USA channel broadcasts of "Kolchak, the Night Stalker" are scheduled. So far, none of the "new" episodes have aired, though SciFi Channel bought the rerun rights after the network cancelled it.
In the 1990 movie "By Dawn's Early Light," Darren plays a villain - he takes over the United States as acting President when Washington D.C. is accidentally nuked by the Soviet Union even though the President (Martin Landau) is apparently still alive. James Earl Jones, as the General in charge of the flying Pentagon, has to decide which orders to follow (McGavin wants to start WW3, Landau doesn't).
And he guest-starred in the Tales from the Darkside episode "Distant Signals," in which mysterious people hire an actor to complete a tv series that was cancelled after just one season because they like it so much (based on a short story in Twilight Zone Magazine) even though it's been off the air for decades. Ending: maybe they live 20 lightyears away and got hooked on the tv series when it abruptly ended :-(
Tales From The Darkside is occasionally showing on WGN and other tv stations in syndicated reruns
He was introduced on The X-Files in the episode "Travelers"
Mulder (David Duchovny) questions a former agent (guest star Darren McGavin) about one of the first cases from the 1950s that may have involved his father. McGavin was also seen in a few more episodes as the same former agent
In the 1957 Jerry Lewis movie The Delicate Delinquent he co-starred as a cop who adopts teenage (!) Jerry to keep him out of trouble on the street. When he later did comedies like The Apple Dumpling Gang for Disney, he played strait man and let the comic duo of Don Knotts & Tim Conway do the comedy
From Dusk Till Dawn is just one of many movies and series that have come out following the basic premise of vampires on the loose in our modern world. The Mummy was remade recently and now a sequel is coming (you can't stop him), there have been a number of modern Werewolves and Wolfmen, all looking more modern than any 1930s version. And while modern monsters that "explained" old myths have turned up on the Stargate SG-1 tv series, one can safely assume that...
What was that noise in the other room? Well anyway, I was about to say that...There it is again. I'll continue this thought after I check out that odd scratching sound. Be right back...
The Night Stalker (1971)
The Night Strangler (1972)
Night Stalker, The Night Strangler
Hangar 18 (1981)
According to the 11-4-00 issue of TV Guide, WB Network chairman Jamie Kellner told his creative team, "What we need is the next Night Stalker." The following week they bought tv series rights to Buffy The Vampire Slayer from the producer of the movie. X Files creator Chris Carter says, "That character of Kolchak as the hysterical outsider left an impression on me. I carried it with me, knowing I wanted to do something in that vein, ever since I was a kid. This was pure, good, speculative science fiction horror. And that's really what I think I've aspired to do." Darren McGavin was even added to the cast of The X Files as the original founder of the secret FBI office. When the first movie was about to be broadcast in 1972, the network gave it a big build-up, showing Kolchak frantically fending off an unseen vampire by holding up a cross. "I still carry shots in my head of that cross, of Kolchak holding that cross up to the vampire. I was scared, but I was excited by it (Carter was only 15 years old at the time). It was terrific and still holds up."
