Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Continuing with our Darren McGavin marathon, watching the episodes of the TV series The Night Stalker.

The Devil’s Platform
     You know, if I was going to sell my soul, politics would NOT be the area I’d go into. But then, Bill Gates wasn’t a billionaire when this show was on TV. A politician was the most powerful kind of person back then, I guess. Now, I think industry leader has a lot more power, but without all the public scrutiny. Oh, and I figured out that he needs the amulet to transform LONG before Kolchak did.

Bad Medicine
     Richard Kiel! As a bad Indian medicine man who can transform into a crow and a coyote. Pretty handy. Those two are good choices. If you thru in bear, you’d be pretty damn powerful. Another novel idea and good plot and episode.

The Spanish Moss Murders
     The credits list Richard Kiel again, but you’d never notice him if you didn’t look in IMDB. He’s the Moss Monster. And our first episode with the great character actor Keenan Wynn. I love this guy. I just saw him a few weeks ago in Parts, The Clonus Horror & The Dark. And his character is another great sparing partner for Carl Kolchak.
And in the end, it’s a creature of the ID. Shades of Forbidden Planet (the most influential movie that is often ignored). Asleep, he creates a monster. Hmmmm, where have I heard THAT plot before?

The Energy Eater
     I guess we weren’t sue-happy back then. I mean, if a hospital was to open with these kinds of problems, the contractor and builder would be in court before the end of the first day. They’d move everyone out, blaming the builder, and suing for the costs. <sigh> Not sure that we have really moved forward here. I love the simple, incorrect science in this episode. “Protein is pure energy”  Huhh?????  “No energy is purer than electricity” Well, not really. I don’t think you can talk about one energy-type being more pure than another. But I’d imagine that the higher up the frequency ladder you go, the more “pure” the energy becomes. Which makes Gamma Radiation MUCH purer than electricity? Anywho, the writers back then didn’t need to know about a lot of hard science.

Horror in the Heights
     Phil Silvers (legendary Vaudeville comedian)  and Abe Sofaer (from the legendarily bad Journey to the Center of Time). A shape shifting Yeti? Well, not quite. We also have the first theater marquee for “The Fever” rated R. Okay, now here’s the weird thing. I do a search in IMDB for “The Fever”, wondering if it’s a real movie, or a fake. Interestingly enough, IMDB pops up “The Exorcist” when you search for “The Fever”. I wonder why that is. Anybody got any ideas? It’s not listed as an “aka” for The Exorcist.