Carl Kolchak (The Night Stalker)

Created by Jeff Rice

“I promised I’d show up with a haircut, a new hat, and a pressed suit… but I lie a lot.”
— Carl Kolchak

Poor CARL KOLCHAK. A wise-cracking, would-be hard-bitten newsman in a battered seersucker suit and straw boater hat, Kolchak would have been right at home in a 1940’s newspaper flick. There, he could have uncovered a juicy corruption scandal at city hall and gotten the goods on the local underworld boss, all while making time with the flirty, sharp-as-a-tack secretary at the editor’s desk. But it seems Kolchak took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a couple of 1970’s TV movies (and a subsequent short-lived TV show) in which he kept stumbling across increasingly outrageous news stories that not only put his life in imminent danger, but inevitably involved horrific — and unbelievable — supernatural or paranormal beings like vampires, werewolves and aliens.

In fact, Carl seems to spend most of his time either being scared out of his tennis shoes by exceedingly lethal monsters, or (because the proof of his wild stories always seems to get lost, destroyed or covered up) as being regarded as certifiably nuts by his long-suffering editor Tony Vincenzo. Still, in the tradition of the best pulp heroes, Carl Kolchak never lets his outward cynicism stop him from battling near-hopeless odds in his quest for truth — nor would he ever let the forces of supernatural evil prey on the innocent (even if in destroying said evils, the luckless Kolchak also often ends up destroying the only proof he has of their existence.) All in all, this is pretty heroic behaviour for a guy who looks as if he hasn’t bought any new clothing in at least 30 years.

Carl’s roots were in an unpublished novel by Jeff Rice called The Kolchak Papers, written around 1970. It bounced around Hollywood until someone saw some TV potential in the unpublished story about a fast-talking news hawk trying to track down a modern-day vampire, and it was adapted into the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker by horror writer Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone). Then, in two great bits of casting, Darren McGavin (Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, The Outsider) was given the plum role of crusading wisenheimer Kolchak, and Simon Oakland was assigned to play Tony Vincenzo, his short-tempered, incredulous boss (and reluctant friend).

Set in Las Vegas, the resulting TV film turned out to be a near ideal mix of B-movie horror and humour, and at the time of its original airing it became the most highly-rated TV movie of all time, with a 33.2 rating and a 54 share. Highly regarded then, The Night Stalker still holds up today as a superior example of how to do semi-low budget horror the right way; concentrate on the writing and acting, develop some genuinely interesting (and intelligent!) characters, and keep the ‘monster’ in the shadows where it belongs.

Naturally, the success of the initial TV movie inevitably led to a sequel. The Night Strangler (1973) found Kolchak in Seattle, somehow again working for Tony Vincenzo, and stumbling across another weird news story involving people being mysteriously drained of their blood. It’s not quite as good as the original, but it’s still fun, and it features a virtual parade of great character actors in terrific supporting and minor roles.

Then came the TV series, variously known as Kolchak, The Night Stalker or (most often) as Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Debuting on September 13, 1974 (Friday the 13th, natch!) the show now found Carl toiling for the Independent News Service, a low-rent wire service run out of Chicago by — oh, c’mon, guess who? — his old friend and nemesis Tony Vincenzo.

Although inconsistent, the short-lived TV show quickly become a long-time cult favourite, and has frequently been attributed — by his own admission — as the inspiration of Chris Carter’s The X-Files. The parallels are obvious: as with Carter’s show, each week our smart-mouthed, crusading hero gets hold of a seemingly-straightforward, but officially unexplained mystery, a mystery that upon further investigation somehow blossoms into a wild encounter with werewolves, killer robots, vampires, invisible aliens, or other even weirder creatures. And each week, our hero not only has to do battle with these bizarre (and lethal) supernatural entities, he also has to cross swords with skeptical colleagues, disbelieving superiors, and hostile public officials, all trying for one reason or another to stop him from getting at or revealing The Truth. Now if that doesn’t sound like a template for the X-Files’ Fox Mulder, what does? Carter even went so far as to cast McGavin in a recurring role as a retired X-Files veteran with an acerbic personality and a familiar rumpled wardrobe.

Alas, the show only lasted for one season. Some say it was because of mediocre ratings; others claim that Jeff Rice (the original creator of the Kolchak character, remember?) derailed the series when he sued the production company, allegedly because the TV show was done without his permission. Whatever the reason for its demise, though, at its best Kolchak: The Night Stalker was certainly one of the top hard-boiled horror comedies ever made. Carl’s voice-over dialogue (often dictated into his tape recorder as he was making notes for his news stories) was always bluntly cynical, generally funny and occasionally even quasi-poetic; the chemistry between Carl and Tony was invariably fresh, edgy and tension-filled; and there were a plethora of great character roles for actors like Keenan Wynn (two episodes as an antagonistic police captain), John Fiedler (three eps as earnest, freewheeling mortician Gordie The Ghoul), James Gregory, Scatman Crothers, Alice Ghostley, Phil Silvers, Ruth McDevitt (unforgettable as Miss Emily in “Horror in the Heights”), and many others.

(Incidentally, for those who are wondering why this show was generally so well written and cast, maybe it had something to do with it being the first important writer/consultant credit for David Chase, later of The Rockford Files and later still of The Sopranos.)

Overall, even if Kolchak: The Night Stalker has a few really clunky episodes (and, oh my, it does, it does), and even if some people can’t get past the idea that Carl keeps coming across supernatural beings every week for no readily apparent reason (unlike, Angel or Buffy The Vampire Slayer, where the concept of the Hellmouth helped to explain why all those otherworldly beasties kept showing up in Sunnydale), the show ultimately works. It’s partly the acting, it’s partly the writing.  But it’s mostly because the fast-talking, not-entirely-honest, quite-often-a-gigantic-pain-in-the-ass Carl Kolchak — a guy who would be the first to deflect any accusations of heroism with a well-timed sarcastic comment —  really is a genuine ‘reluctant hero’ in the best pulp tradition.

* * * * *

After the show ended, all was quiet in Kolchak-land for a long time. The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler and 16 of the series’ 20 episodes were released into syndication. The remaining four episodes were (rather ineptly) edited into a couple of two-hour ersatz TV movies which are now infrequently seen, and should best be avoided in this butchered state anyway.

Rice’s original novel was eventually published in 1973 as The Night Stalker, then reissued in 1993 as The Kolchak Papers #1: The Night Stalker. The following year Mark Dawidziak published Carl’s first prose adventure in 19 years, The Kolchak Papers #2: Grave Secrets. (This one’s initially set in LA, and yes, Vincenzo turns up there, too.) However, a planned followup series of Kolchak Papers novels never materialized.

Then in 2002, Moonstone Comics began to release a series of Kolchak graphic novels, including one issue that was adapted by Moonstone editor Joe Gentile from a legendary ‘lost’ TV episode script. Eventually, after a series of stand-alone graphic novels and one-shot comic books, they launched a short-lived monthly series. Set in the present day, in these new comics Carl hasn’t aged a bit!  Hmm… maybe Carl Kolchak himself is a vampire?

Nah. No self-respecting 21st century vampire would be caught dead in a seersucker suit, a straw boater hat and tennis shoes. But Moonstone kept on swinging, and continued releasing assorted comics, graphic novels, novels and short story collections, often teaming up Kolchak with various other characters they’ve licensed over the years, including Sherlock Holmes, Honey West and Kevin Anderson’s zombie P.I.  Dan Shamble in a 2016 one-off.

In March 2005,  a revival of the series was announced, with young, hip Stuart Townsend cast as a Mustang-driving Kolchak obsessed with finding his wife’s killer (he had a wife?) and Gabrielle Union as his skeptical colleague Perri Reed. It was simply an X-Files ripoff, with any good will the original Night Stalker series had generated striped for parts. Nonetheless, it was met with a resounding meh.  Only six of its ten episodes were even aired.

THE EVIDENCE

• “Son, I’ve seen more dead bodies than you’ve had TV dinners.”
  — Carl‘s probably in need of a vacation

TELEVISION

• THE NIGHT STALKER | Buy the DVD | Buy the Blu-Ray
  (1972, ABC)
  Made-for-television movie
  Premiere: January 11, 1972
  Based on characters created by Jeff Rice
  Teleplay by Richard Matheson and Jeff Rice
  Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
  Starring Darren McGavin as CARL KOLCHAK
  and Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo
  Also starring Carol Lynley, Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins, Kent Smith, Larry Linville
• THE NIGHT STRANGLER | Buy this video| Buy the DVD | Buy the Blu-Ray
  (1973, ABC)
  Made-for-television movie
  Premiere: January 16, 1973
  Based on characters created by Jeff Rice
  Teleplay by Richard Matheson
  Directed by Dan Curtis
  Starring Darren McGavin as CARL KOLCHAK
  and Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo
  Also starring Jo Ann Pflug, Scott Brady, Wally Cox, Margaret Hamilton, John Carradine, Richard Anderson
• KOLCHAK: THE NIGHTSTALKER
  (1974-75, ABC)
  Television series
  20 60-minute episodes
  Premiere: January 11, 1973
  Based on characters created by Jeff Rice
  Writers: Bill S. Ballinger, Rudolph Borchert, David Chase, Steve Fisher, Alvin R. Friedman, Bob Gale, Michael Kozoll, Stephen Lord, Zekial Marko, Paul Playdon, Arthur Rowe, Jimmy Sangster, Dirk Wayne Summers, Robert Zemeckis
  Directors: Allen Baron, Michael Caffey, Alexander Grasshoff, Gordon Hessler, Bruce Kessler, Gene Levitt, Don McDougall, Vincent McEveety, Seymour Robbie, Robert Scheerer,Don Weis
  Starring Darren McGavin as CARL KOLCHAK
  and Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo.
  Also starring Jack Grinnage as Ron Updyke (episodes 1, 3-19)
  Ruth McDevitt as Emily Cowles
  John Fiedler as Gordy Spangler (episodes 2-3, 19)
  Carol Ann Susi as Monique Marmelstein (episodes 2-3, 5)
  and James Gregory as The Police Captain Quill
  Guest stars: Mickey Gilbert, Ruth McDevitt, Charles Aidman, Scatman Crothers, O. William Faison, Antonio Fargas, Dick Van Patten, Suzanne Charney , Richard Gautier, Nita Talbot, Tom Skerritt, Alice Ghostley, Virginia Gregg, Keenan Wynn, Shelly Novack, Paul Sorenson, Jamie Farr, Pat Harrington Jr., Nina Foch , Keenan Wynn, Erik Estrada, Cathy Lee Crosby, George Savalas, Tom Bosley
  • SEASON ONE | Buy the complete series on DVD
  • “The Ripper” (September 13, 1974)
  • “The Zombie” (September 20, 1974)
  • “They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be…” (September 27, 1974; AKA “UFO”)
  • “The Vampire” (October 4, 1974)
  • “The Werewolf” (November 1, 1974)
  • “Firefall” (November 8, 1974)
  • “The Devil’s Platform” (November 15, 1974)
  • “Bad Medicine” (November 29, 1974)
  • “The Spanish Moss Murders” (December 6, 1974)
  • “The Energy Eater” (December 13, 1974)
  • “Horror in the Heights” (December 20, 1974)
  • “Mr. R.I.N.G.” (January 10, 1975)
  • “Primal Scream” (January 17, 1975)
  • “The Trevi Collection” (January 24, 1975)
  • “Chopper” (January 31, 1975)
  • “Demon in Lace” February 7, 1975)
  • “Legacy of Terror” February 14, 1975)
  • “The Knightly Murders” March 7, 1975)
  • “The Youth Killer” March 14, 1975)
  • “The Sentry” March 28, 1975)
  • PLUS
  • CRACKLE OF DEATH
    TV movie compiled from episodes “Firefall” and “The Energy Eater”
  • DEMON AND THE MUMMY
    TV movies compiled from episodes “Demon in Lace” and “Legacy of Terror”
  • THE NIGHTSTALKLER: TWO TALES OF TERROR | Buy this video
    Video featuring the episodes “The Ripper” and “The Vampire”
• NIGHT STALKER | Buy the complete series on DVD
  (2005)
  10 episodes
  Based on characters created by Jeff Rice
  Writers: Jeff Rice, Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan, Tony Wharmby
  Directors: Tony Wharmby, Daniel Sackheim
  Executive producer/showrunner: Frank Spotnitz
  Starring Stuart Townsend as CARL KOLCHAK
  and Gabrielle Union as Perri Reed
  Also starring Eric Jungmann, Cotter Smith, Eugene Byrd

• NOVELS

  • The Night Stalker (1973, by Jeff Rice; aka “The Kolchak Papers #1: The Night Stalker”)
  • The Kolchak Papers #2: Grave Secrets (1994; by Mark Dawidziak)
  • The Kolchak Papers #3: A Black & Evil Truth (2007; by C.J. Henderson) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Lovecraftian Horror (2007; by C.J. Henderson)
    An illustrated novel, with two-page spreads featuring text above and below the artwork.
  • Kolchak & the Night Stalkers: Partners in Crime (2009) | Buy this book 
    Kolchak teams up with Johnny Dollar, Boston Blackie, Candy Matson, Pat Novak, Blackshirt, Lai Wan, Jack Hagee, and Mr. Keen. Illustrated.
  • Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker: Cry for Thunder (2010: by Joe Gentile) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
    Novelization of the comic book series.
  • Strangled by Death (2021; by Will McDermott)
  • Double Shot (2021; by Nancy Holder; also featuring The Green Hornet)  | Buy this book

  COLLECTIONS (PROSE)

  • Kolchak: The Nightstalker Chronicles (2005) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
    Collection of original stories by assorted mystery, horror and comic weriters such as Max Allan Collins, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Ed Gorman, Elaine Bergstrom, P.N. Elrod, Robert Weinberg, Brett Matthews, C. J. Henderson, Mark Dawidziak, Peter David, Chuck Dixon, Steven Grant, Mike W. Barr and Gary Phillips.
  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker Casebook (2007) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
    More tales of things that go bump in the night, with contributions from Christopher Golden, John Ostrander, Robert J. Randisi, Tom DeFalco, John Everson, Gary Phillips and James Reasoner, among others.
  • Kolchak The Night Stalker Compendium (2011) | Buy this book
    Possibly combines the previous two collections.
  • Kolchak: Penny Dreadful Double Feature (2016; by Chuck Miller)| Buy this book | Kindle it!
    Includes two short novels, “Penny Dreadful” and “Time Stalker.”

  SCRIPTS

  • Richard Matheson’s Kolchak Scripts (2004; by Richard Matheson) | Buy this book
    Contains scripts for the TV movies”The Night Stalker” and “The Night Strangler,” plus “The Night Killers,” an unproduced script written by Matheson and William F. Nolan.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER | Buy this book
  (2002, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Story by Jeff Rice
  Adaptation of the novel by Jeff Rice, based on his original teleplay/novel.
• LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER | Buy this book
  (2002, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Story by Joe Gentile
  Art by Trevor Von Eeden and Ken Wolak
  Cover by Doug Klauba
• FEVER PITCH | Buy this book
  (2003, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Story by Stuart M. Kaminsky
  Art by Christopher Jones and Barbara Schulz
  Cover by Doug Klauba
• THE GET OF BELIAL | Buy this book
  (2003, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Adapted by Joe Gentile, from an unproduced TV script
  Art by Art Nichols
  Cover by Doug Klauba
• DEVIL IN THE DETAILS | Buy this book
  (2003, Moonstone Comics)
  44-page graphic novel
  Story by Stefan Petrucha
  Art by Trevor Von Eeden and Ken Wolak
  Cover by Doug Klauba
• PAIN MOST HUMAN
  (2003, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Story by C.J. Henderson
  Art by Greg Scott, Andre Maitland, Doug Klauba
• PAIN WITHOUT TEARS
  (2004, Moonstone Comics)
  Graphic novel
  Story by C.J. Henderson
  Art by Dennis Calero
• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER: VOLUME ONE | Buy this book
  (2004, Moonstone)
  Graphic novel
  Collection reprints four comic stories by Jeff Rice, Joe Gentile, Stuart Kaminsky and Stefan Petrucha.
• EVE OF TERROR
  (2005, Moonstone)
  Graphic novel
  Story by Joe Gentile
  Art by Walter Figueroa, Chad Hunt
• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER: SOUND OF FEAR| Buy this book
  (2008, Moonstone)
  Graphic novel
  Writers: Joe Gentile, Mark Dawidziak
  Art: Trevor Von Eeden, Walter Figueroa
  Reprints “Eve of Terror” and “Lambs to the Slaughter”
  

COMICS

• KOLCHAK: TALES OF THE NIGHT STALKER
  (2003, Moonstone)
  Monthly series
  Seven issues
  Writer: Dave Ulanski
  Art: Chris Marrinan, Keith Williams, Ken Wolak, Monte Moore, Dave Ulanski, Pat Olliffe, Ron Frenz, Chris Burnham
  • “Shady Places” (#1)
  • “Kyrie” (#2)
  • “The Creatures of Habit” “More Creatures of Habit” (#3)
  • “Scratch” (#4)
  • “Proximity: Part l” (#5)
  • “Proximity: Part ll” (#6)
  • “The Saggath” (#7)
• KOLCHAK TALES: BLACK & WHITE & READ ALL OVER
  (2005, Moonstone)
  Black & white
  Writers: Peter Allen David, Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith, Stefan Petrucha
  Art: Kirk Jarvinen, George Broderick, Robert Hack
  This special black & white edition includes three stories: “Stoned,” “The Spike” and “The Stuff I Leave Out.”
• MOONSTONE’S HOLIDAY SUPER SPECTACULAR
  (2007, Moonstone)
  Holiday-themed stories featuring Moonstone regulars The Phantom, The Spider, Sherlock Holmes, Buckaroo Banzai and Kolchak, who appears in “A Christmas Story,” written by Dave Ulanski, with art by Kirk Jarvinen and Keith Williams.
• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER ANNUAL #1
  (2009, Moonstone)
  Writers: Mark Dawidziak, Rafael Nieves, Joe Gentile, Dave Ulanski
  Art: Amin Amat, Stefano Martino
  Contains two stories, “Interview with a Vampire?” and “One Foot in the Grave,” one of which also features Dark Shadows’ Barnabas Collins.
• SHERLOCK HOLMES & KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER: CRY OF THUNDER
  (2009, Moonstone)
  3 issues
  Writer: Joe Gentile
  Art: Andy Bennett, Carlos Magno
  Kolchak teams up with Sherlock Holmes. Sure, why not?
• THE PHANTOM DOUBLE SHOT: KGB NOIR

  (2010, Moonstone)

  • “ Dichotomy” (February 2010, #2)
    Writers: Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith
    Art: David Niehaus
    A standalone story.

• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STRANGLER
  (2010, Moonstone)
  Writer: Richard Matheson
  Art: Amin Amat, Stefano Martino
  Adaptation of the second TV film.

• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER FILES
  (2010, Moonstone)
  Writers: Christopher Mills
  Art: Jaime Martinez
  3 issues

  • “Title Unknown” (#1)
  • “Swamp Things (Part One)” (#2)
  • “Swamp Things (Part Two)” (#3)
• PHASES OF THE MOON
  (2011, Moonstone)
  Six issues
  Writers: Steven L Frank, Paul D. Storrie, C.J. Henderson, Earl Mac RauchArt: Nathan Stockman, Glen Fernandez
  An all-in adventure spread out over six issues, featuring several of Moonstone’s licensed characters. Kolchak appears alongside Honey West in “You Oughtta Be in Pictures” in issue #4.
• KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER & DR. MOREAU
  (2013, Moonstone)
  Black & white
  Writer: Mike Kelly
  Art: Mark Grammel, Eric Stanway
• HONEY WEST & KOLCHAK: HIGH HEELS & HEDONISM
  (2013, Moonstone)
  3 issues
  Based on characters created by G.G. Fickling & Jeff Rice
  Written by Janet L. Hetherington
  Art by Ronn Sutton
  Kolchak and G.G. Fickling’s Honey West team up.
• KOLCHAK: THE PHOENIX RISING
  (2016, Moonstone)
  Writer: Paul Kupperberg
  Art: Dave Bryant
• DAN SHAMBLE, ZOMBIE P.I. & KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER: UNNATURALLY NORMAL
  (2016, Moonstone Comics)
  Single issue
  Written by Kevin J. Anderson & Richard Dean Starr
  Art by Sergio Ibañez
  A natural team-up with Kevin Anderson’s Dan Shamble.

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts
  Things That Go Bump in the Night, and the Eyes Who Go After Them

Respectfully submitted by Rudyard Kennedy, with additional information Kevin Burton Smith. Kolchak illustration by Doug Klauba, from the Moonstone graphic novel, The Get of Belial.