tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post2534182738161427137..comments2023-11-25T09:34:32.294-08:00Comments on It Couldn't Happen Here...: Episode 5: The WerewolfJohn Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-19268055179837957702021-07-01T12:26:39.003-07:002021-07-01T12:26:39.003-07:00Yep. I really liked this one too. I like Nita Talb...Yep. I really liked this one too. I like Nita Talbot in anything she played on. And I firmly believe that Kolchak could throw that lil' old werewolf over a rail. He's the man! lolRita68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00286233141758451421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-47640943730795972242017-06-27T19:59:52.900-07:002017-06-27T19:59:52.900-07:00...just thinkin' here; WHAT IF Tony hadn't......just thinkin' here; WHAT IF Tony hadn't had to deal with the accountants, and made his vacation cruise? <br />thinkaboutit - Tony room-mating with Mel. Tony getting hooked up with Nina? (I don't think Tony's married..?) suddenly, MURDERS!! i'm sure that, before he became an editor, Tony was a fine reporter. would Tony figure out it was a werewolf? would Tony consult Carl? would he make a tasty hors d'oeuvres (or not, since Wuffie din't actually EAT anybody..)? would Cap'n Wells attempt to return to port, but Tony prevent it, to keep whatever was going on quarantined? <br /><br />I watched original K:TNS back when I was 12. I liked how, not only traditional monsters, but things I had never heard of, were encountered. 1st exposure to doppelgangers, succubi, diableros, pere malfeys, etc. this series is one of two that got me through 7th grade, and Darrin, despite all the other actors I've seen, is still my #1 fave ACTOR (btw, i'm a gal - Ross Martin is another fave, but still only second to our Lyle Richardson!) I've enjoyed the 'pre-Kolchak' Mike Hammer, and (as a cold-war kid)'By Dawn's Early Light', and though his appearance in 'From the Hip' was short, he TOTALLY STOLE A SCENE w/o saying a single word!! just his reaction standing between two other people communicating. (anyone else catch that one?? EXCELLENT WORK!) <br />sorry for the gushing, guys, but I think the ONE thing we all love about K:TNS is Darrin's work, and i'm not going to apologize for going all fan-girl about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-66296244121760429472017-03-30T02:12:07.397-07:002017-03-30T02:12:07.397-07:00I watched this episode again with the new DVD set,...I watched this episode again with the new DVD set, I liked it much better and am giving it 3 typewriters. Eric Bearden makes a sympathetic hero, Gautier is funny, I can forgive the lake werewolf attacks. By the way, this episode is quite similar to a Colombo episode with Robert Vaughn, Troubled Waters.Cmacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-16493033550367232802012-03-28T09:07:04.815-07:002012-03-28T09:07:04.815-07:00This show was so great that they could have taken ...This show was so great that they could have taken THE GHOST and made that work too. This is a great episode too, even after everyone here takes it apart.Nicholas Sheffonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-77418301012331251372012-02-21T18:54:21.167-08:002012-02-21T18:54:21.167-08:00Weak episode- #17 of 20, 2 typewriters.
Most of th...Weak episode- #17 of 20, 2 typewriters.<br />Most of the time the werewolf doesn't try to eat his victims, he just tosses them up in the air, the werewolf makes it a weak episode, although its always nice to see a Thriller alum, in this case Henry Jones.<br />One thing I like about this show is that it makes sense for Kolchak in his job as a reporter intvestigating suspicious murders to discover all these supernatural beings (within the context of the show) as opposed to something like Murder She Wrote or Monk, to name a couple shows, where everywhere Jessica Fletcher or Adrian Monk goes- on a plane, on vacation, at a resort, etc. they just happen upon a murder, so this is my longwinded attempt to say I didn't like Carl going on a cruise in place of Tony where a werewolf happens to<br />be. Just sayin'.Cmacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-48294334413672001392012-01-11T15:47:31.972-08:002012-01-11T15:47:31.972-08:00Hey, do you know why they call it the bikini? Beca...Hey, do you know why they call it the bikini? Because that's where they set off the atom bomb! Hey, ALRIGHT!!!!Doug Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796333627043218622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-5365867823309412212012-01-11T15:32:46.127-08:002012-01-11T15:32:46.127-08:00@ grgstv338 ~ Good call on the NATO mission. I for...@ grgstv338 ~ Good call on the NATO mission. I forgot the news story photos were of Montana AFTER that. I stand corrected on my comments earlier.<br /><br />Also, I never noticed that, upon discovering Mel's body, Kolchak was briefly handing the bottle opener that Mel had used earlier in the show. Well spotted, John Stell! I'll have to go back and watch for that now...Doug Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796333627043218622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-27604984746994266022012-01-11T15:04:20.433-08:002012-01-11T15:04:20.433-08:00I think it's important to keep in mind from ep...I think it's important to keep in mind from episode to episode the pleasures of what IS there as opposed to what's NOT there, taking into account the exigencies of TV production, the hectoring from the home office about budgets when a series is not delivering ratings, sub-par scripts still wet from Mimeo, no time, less money, and so on. You either go with what you've got (as a viewer) or don't. It's too highfaluting to say the people who created KTNS "depended" on the viewer's imagination to fill in a few blanks, but in this case -- and in consideration of the pleasures the series DID have to offer in a sea of compromise -- it was not just an option, it was necessary.<br /><br />Format becomes formula through repetition, and formula at its worst undermines a series quickly, although nobody complains as much about all those post-ALL IN THE FAMILY comedies being confined, essentially, to a single set.<br /><br />One of the things distinguishing KTNS is that many of its most dramatic moments are of this fill-in-the-blank nature, that is, they are AURAL rather than visual. Such as the images conjured by Kolchak speaking alone to his tape recorder, late at night:<br /><br />"Francois Edmonds was buried a third time at state expense -- a THIRD time. City officials will deny this, but you can see for yourself if -- IF -- you go out to St. Lucy's cemetery, and exhume the corpse. Be my guest."<br /><br />That's really creepy, even now. It resonates.<br /><br />Even "The Werewolf" provides one of these chilling little frissons, when Capt. Wells says, "Ask Royer how much time we'd buy if we changed course now ... and tried to outrun the rising moon." Jeebus, what a great idea, what a cool thing, summed up in a line of dialogue.<br /><br />Flinging: I am reminded of all the absurd "rules" CBS imposed on WILD WILD WEST for their fight scenes once Robert Conrad got injured. As Leslie Stevens said, "the network way is to push the accelerator to the floor and keep your other foot on the brake." Shows trade in violence, sell violence, and become prim about actually depicting violence. After being told the werewolf eviscerated people, "The Werewolf" had to get prim about showing that, hence (1) the freeze-frames, not entirely successful but a nice try, and (2) the flinging.<br /><br />After all, didn't Janos Skorzeny essentially just "toss guys around"? The only real difference was the TV movie included a great one-two-three hero shot -- the toss through the upper story window -- that was repeated in all the commercials, and remains a core memory of viewing that show.<br /><br />For the modern bloodthirsty, that will have to make up for the lack of actual carnage, although KTNS did push the limits occasionally, such as when the shots of the victim in the electric bed in "The Energy Eater" got truncated for repeats.<br /><br />What "The Vampire" and "There Wolf" provided was some much needed VENTILATION ... that is to say, a brief escape from the Uni backlot sets.<br /><br />And yeah, the dead guy is Mel Tartar ... we're supposed to ID him by the big disco churchkey thing he wears on a chain around his neck. Too bad it wasn't silver.DJSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-75517037312055894022012-01-11T15:04:00.288-08:002012-01-11T15:04:00.288-08:00Re the newsclipping and photos of the Yellowstone ...Re the newsclipping and photos of the Yellowstone County, Montana killings - <br /><br />I don't think Stiglitz is in these photos; as we learn, he was bitten while in Greenland with a NATO team & the killings in Montana came 1 month later (next full moon, natch), but there'd be no reason he'd be hanging around after the killings and he'd returned to human form. Actually, it would have been a little less random if our werewolf & dead Montanans shared the SAME last name - you're injured while on duty, you're discharged from hospital, so you'd go home to see your family, right? Then that full moon comes out and... end of happy homecoming. As it is, we've no idea why Stiglitz decided to wander through Montana.grgstv338https://www.blogger.com/profile/03532739459643834686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-17292516389774116092012-01-11T14:56:22.960-08:002012-01-11T14:56:22.960-08:00You can also tell it's Mel because Kolchak bri...You can also tell it's Mel because Kolchak briefly handles the bottle opener that Mel was wearing around his neck when they first meet.John Stellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16279150646112249639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-24075386944976091352012-01-11T14:49:13.642-08:002012-01-11T14:49:13.642-08:00No problem, Gary - like I've said, I'll fi...No problem, Gary - like I've said, I'll firmly defend your right to be wrong ;-) ... bwah-hah-hah...<br /><br />PETER: "Get the hell out of here! That skin looks a little too silky smooth and caressable to be Mel"<br /><br />In that shot, it indeed looks like a woman, but in the reverse angle shot that follows you see the arm is definitely that of a man's - and you get an even better shot of Mel's distinctive shirt. Were they sparing us a Dead Dick (Gautier, that is) by not showing his face? Or, more likely, maybe the guest star's shooting time was up and they simply substituted a stunt double clad in Mel lounge-lizard-wear.<br /><br />***deleted prior comment because for some reason Peter's quote disappeared.grgstv338https://www.blogger.com/profile/03532739459643834686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-694709133718960022012-01-11T14:46:32.944-08:002012-01-11T14:46:32.944-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.grgstv338https://www.blogger.com/profile/03532739459643834686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-36153945422043191812012-01-11T13:55:02.325-08:002012-01-11T13:55:02.325-08:00Wow, I can't get away with a little playful no...Wow, I can't get away with a little playful nose-tweaking, can I? "The Ripper," in my (ahem) humble opinion, is a better-balanced episode than "The Vampire" and a fine way to introduce TV viewers to Carl Kolchak's new life and family at INS -- even Miss Emily's motherly presence is felt in roundabout fashion. It made perfect sense to run this strong episode first, which is probably why ABC chose to do so, even with full-page ads for "The Zombie" already printed in TV Guide. "Vampire" has lots of cool stuff in it, but the prevailing view of the day (which I still subscribe to) is that "It's okay but somewhat disappointing, certainly not in the same league as the TV film it's a sequel to, and the first real indication that this show better have some fresh monster ideas up its sleeve if it's going to survive the season." As mentioned, "Werewolf" simply reinforced the "sure we love the formula, but we're STILL getting into a rut" feeling. Fortunately, KOLCHAK's producers began to realize this problem themselves, and corrected the situation quite nicely without betraying their premise. I really don't know what else to say at this point, grgstv338! After all, everything comes down to personal taste and supposition... We're simply gonna have to agree to disagree on this one, my friend. And I'm sure some of our fellow bloggers are saying "Amen to that!"Gary Geraninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-61548724854182742422012-01-11T13:47:10.470-08:002012-01-11T13:47:10.470-08:00Kolchak saw it as a way to get the hell out of win...Kolchak saw it as a way to get the hell out of winter in Chicago. That's it. Next question! (;Doug Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796333627043218622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-10034845517946785682012-01-11T13:24:35.427-08:002012-01-11T13:24:35.427-08:00The most important question this episode raises - ...The most important question this episode raises - and one that no one has been able to answer for me is not how a werewolf can rip people to shreds without popping a button on his nice trousers or how a man can be torn limb from limb without actually bleeding but why Kolchak would want to go on this sea voyage so badly. Was this ship heading for the Bermuda Triangle? Were there reports of sirens or sea serpents? Kolchak strikes me as a no-vacation kind of guy. Why would he leave the hustle and bustle of Monster Central for a boat full of old ladies and a Bingo game or two?Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-34380479554788597462012-01-11T13:20:24.131-08:002012-01-11T13:20:24.131-08:00I'm sure glad the screenshot I grabbed of Mel ...I'm sure glad the screenshot I grabbed of Mel had him wearing said shirt, because I would have otherwise had to go back and re-watch parts of this dog - no pun intended - to believe it myself.<br /><br />As to the Vampire debate, call me crazy, but after watching that last episode, I could imagine a viable series growing out of Kolchak having to chase down Skorzeny's undead victims. Kolchak: The Night Stalker, indeed. And isn't that what they had in mind when they initially planned to turn Stephen King's Salem's Lot into a weekly TV series? I always thought it would have been cool to see Ben Mears and Mark Petrie doing the nomadic, town-to-town Fugitive/Kung Fu/Incredible Hulk-thing, with the added twist of them hunting down and staking vampires each week.John Scolerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-50886497142877159402012-01-11T13:16:47.437-08:002012-01-11T13:16:47.437-08:00>>“The Werewolf,” like “The Vampire,” reinfo...>>“The Werewolf,” like “The Vampire,” reinforced the notion that KOLCHAK was digging itself into an early grave<br /><br />Uh-oh, I'm getting a distinct feeling of Deja Vu.<br />Look on the bright side, Gary. I got a mountain of pigeon shit in the driveway. What's the most they'll do to you? A burning cross?Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-32656604563200568992012-01-11T13:10:13.773-08:002012-01-11T13:10:13.773-08:00>>That screengrab above of the bare-shoulder...>>That screengrab above of the bare-shouldered victim lying on the ground is actually supposed to be Gautier's dead body - I'm thinking lots of viewers missed it unless they recognized Mel's very distinctive shirt.<br /><br />Get the hell out of here! That skin looks a little too silky smooth and caressable to be Mel! I never caught that Tarter was tartar until you pointed it out!Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-24525118989819731852012-01-11T12:50:12.048-08:002012-01-11T12:50:12.048-08:00I don't want to turn a Werewolf comments secti...I don't want to turn a Werewolf comments section into a Ripper debate, but...<br /><br />... obviously it was good to see Kolchak back, but, in retropect, how really "fresh" was it? What really new elements did it give us? Yes, it had an exciting climax, but you're also left with soooo many things unexplained. How does Jack the Ripper stay alive for years by killing 5 girls? Why is he only susceptible to electricity? What does he do all those years in between the killings - shop for more sword-canes?<br /><br />My point is that if you jumble the story order a bit, say move Vampire up and push Ripper further down the line, people may very well have looked back upon Ripper as a good but pretty formula Kolchak episode and given the "charmingly overrated" Vampire the higher marks.grgstv338https://www.blogger.com/profile/03532739459643834686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-44495619398028787962012-01-11T12:08:48.570-08:002012-01-11T12:08:48.570-08:00My point is that "The Vampire" and "...My point is that "The Vampire" and "The Werewolf" made it very clear that business-as-usual with iconic monsters wasn't going to sustain the series, so a subtle expansion of the basic premise was required to maintain viewership... or else. "The Ripper" was fresh and well-received because it showed how the NS telefilm formula could work within the new weekly hour format, and it did so with a well-paced story and an exciting, legitimately suspenseful climax. Both "V" and "W" have their pleasures, I never damned them completely (for the record, I'd give your charmingly overrated "Vampire" two and a half typewriters, and the somewhat underrated "Werewolf" two). But for whatever it's worth, I can tell you for a fact that most of my fanboy friends were getting a little bored with "business as usual, just throw in another Famous Monster," and if you lose the fanboys with a show like this, that's pretty much that. But hey -- KOLCHAK is an amazing, one-of-a-kind series, that's why we're chatting about it here! It knew damn well what it had to do to keep itself interesting, and it did. Sure, the monsters would always be relatively silent sentinels, but some would have relatable human ambition ("The Devil's Platform") and a few would even be semi-sympathetic ("Mr. R.I.N.G.", "The Sentry"). Subtle adjustments, perhaps, but enough to move past the one-dimensional blueprint that was gradually getting KOLCHAK into a rut with its own core audience. In my opinion, we should celebrate the fact that this remarkable series was sharp enough to acknowledge its own built-in limitations, and made sly, barely perceptible changes to keep itself vital and fresh without betraying the original premise. That's why "Horror in the Heights" and "The Spanish Moss Murders" are such good episodes -- they have a little more meat on their bones at a time when the series required it, and we fans appreciated that difference. I know I certainly did...Gary Geraninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-11938327988306441592012-01-11T11:27:45.195-08:002012-01-11T11:27:45.195-08:00@ grgstv338 ~ That made me laugh!
It should be s...@ grgstv338 ~ That made me laugh! <br /><br />It should be said that "The Werewolf" is the closet thing we ever got to a Kolchak Holiday Special, what with the office all decorated, the snow falling, Tony wearing the Santa beard, and the gang singing Christmas carols. I don't know that they ever got so specific about a holiday in any other episode. <br /><br />Favorite line, by the way, is by Dick Gautier in reference to his date's bikini - "Look what's IN it...and look what's OUT of it!"Doug Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796333627043218622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-72625748143245364442012-01-11T11:03:29.700-08:002012-01-11T11:03:29.700-08:00I missed you Doug (Rak) - but next time I'll u...I missed you Doug (Rak) - but next time I'll use a scope, so watch out.<br /><br />I don't know, Gary - so The Ripper gets a thumbs up from you but The Vampire & The Werewolf come up short in your eyes? Is it all because The Ripper episode came first and the others a couple more down the line? Jack was a silent, stalking menace with little to no personality as well - we only get to see his face briefly before the end, and he's just a guy in black clothing who favors old footwear.grgstv338https://www.blogger.com/profile/03532739459643834686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-26524411145679284832012-01-11T10:42:39.455-08:002012-01-11T10:42:39.455-08:00I must say, it is very interesting/eye-opening to ...I must say, it is very interesting/eye-opening to read the different perceptions we had/have of the show based upon what age we were when we first watched it.Doug Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796333627043218622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-18139095334484507792012-01-11T10:24:35.548-08:002012-01-11T10:24:35.548-08:00“The Werewolf,” like “The Vampire,” reinforced the...“The Werewolf,” like “The Vampire,” reinforced the notion that KOLCHAK was digging itself into an early grave, even allowing for its persona as a formula-driven fantasy series with metaphorical flavoring. When this sort of thing happens after only five episodes, some extremely careful adjusting is required. <br /><br />Part of the problem was the obligatory nature of the iconic monsters Kolchak was forced to tangle with. Although a key part of the K formula, this swiftly created an aura of ho-hum inevitability that wound up lessening whatever legitimate pleasures these last two episodes may have had. What was going to be next, my friends and I laughed back in ‘74… “The Ghost,” with some guy in a sheet tossing stuntmen around?<br /><br />The other major problem (also key to the formula) was the grim, relentlessly one-dimensional personality of the monster guest stars. This gets really dicey when the bogeyman of the week happens to be a lycanthrope, since the very best werewolf stories are the ones where we’re allowed to feel globs of sympathy for the tragic anti-hero, and that’s usually after we get to know (and like) the poor bastard and live through the monstrous event that triggered his plight. That couldn’t possibly be the case with Eric Braeden’s tortured ‘thrope, because the KOLCHAK formula insists that we spend our time with the funny reporter and eccentric comic relief -- shades of Lee Tracy in DOCTOR X! -- rather than with the ordinarily more compelling Jekyll/Hyde-like “monster.” Indeed, the seemingly intractable K formula gives energetic voice to this show’s hero at every opportunity, but never his hellish adversaries.<br /><br />That would change somewhat over the course of the next couple of episodes. Committed to Carl’s survival, Chase and company devised a subtle expansion of the K formula to include obscure and offbeat monster threats, allowing storylines to go in more unexpected directions, and gave the monsters themselves a little more character development and dimension. This was not enough to shatter the cherished template, but just enough to keep a nerd like me home on a Friday night when sensible guys my age were out trying to get lucky!<br /><br />Tomorrow: KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER trading cards from Topps?!Gary Geraninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3061398142362448372.post-69672735703432602642012-01-11T08:04:23.325-08:002012-01-11T08:04:23.325-08:00I agree with defending Nita Talbot, but not just f...I agree with defending Nita Talbot, but not just for the reasons mentioned. For a character actress who's often played comical neurotics and the best friends of the female leads and so on, eveything about her has always shouted the word "hot," especially her voice.Grantnoreply@blogger.com