How about Samuel L. Jackson as Kolchak?
MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night
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How about Samuel L. Jackson as Kolchak?
The Incredible Hulk--
"Sideshow"
Strolling through the woods, carnival psychic Nancy spots a man watching her. Running in fear, she trips, rolling down a small hill, where she is discovered by David Burns. The woman Is dazed, but recovers with David's help, until another woman--Belle--runs up, holding a gun on David, accusing him of intending to remove the woman's clothes for a reason you can guess. Nancy clears David of any wrongdoing, placing the blame on "our friend"--a man named Benedict. David accompanies the women back to the latest rest stop for their travelling show--Belle Starr's Exotic Revue (part of the larger Paradise Park carnival), where Beth & Candy--bickering members of the revue--are disturbed by the mere mention of Benedict. A grateful Belle hires David as a stage manager.
At Paradise Park, David learns more about the withdrawn Nancy, such as her interest in the works of Thomas Wolfe--
David: "Look Homeward, Angel? Thomas Wolfe's an old friend of mine, too."
Nancy: "Comforting, isn't he? Reminds you there are other lonely people in the world."
David: "Yes."
Belle and carnival boss Luther Mason discuss the recent wave of superstition-inspired departures of other carnival members...many blaming Belle's group. Mason--smitten with Belle--disregards the spooked reactions, willing to do anything to keep her around, with marriage as his desired outcome, but 4-time divorcee Belle believes she is not marriage material.
In the Revue's big top, flirtatious Candy rehearses her belly dance for an interested David--the moment interrupted by Nancy--the Revue's resident mind reader. Initially doubtful, David is a bit disturbed by her on-target reading of the mystery man--
Nancy: "I'm a mentalist. Delphia the Intuitive."
David: "Ohhh. A mind reader? Really?"
Nancy: "Yes, come on. Please?"
David: "Oh--oh"
Nancy: "Yes, let's see--"
David: "Are you serious??"
Nancy: "I'm serious!"
David: "All right."
Nancy: (pausing) "This is very interesting. You're not what you appear to be. You've been a professional man, uh...a lawyer, or businessman--no! No, somebody in medicine. And you have a problem. A serious problem which has taken you far away from home..yes...and you're afraid of people finding out."
David: "Yes, well that's very interesting."
Nancy: (observing David's less than comfortable reaction) "Sometimes I get carried away."
David: "Are you really psychic?"
Nancy: "I read people. You have no calluses on your hands, so you're not a laborer. And when I fell, you showed some knowledge of medicine. And the flicker in your eye just then told me that I'd probably made a pretty good guess. As to your problem, when someone like you signs up with a carny, chances are he's got problems."
--David stares--
Nancy: "I-I'm sorry. I hope I haven't scared you away. I tend to do that."
David: "No, you haven't. But I am disappointed."
Nancy: "Disappointed? Why?"
David: "I wanted to see you dance..."
As David and Nancy work, they are observed by Benedict--the man who stalked Nancy earlier; he is obsessed with the woman and feels threatened by David's friendly relationship with her. Moreover, Benedict explains (to Jimmy, his companion) that Nancy is cursed, is the cause of various terrible incidents around the carnival, and in his twisted view will die for her sins.
The carnival opens to the public; Nancy prepares for her show, and teases David about her reading of him, but he flirtatiously turns the tables on her. Holding her hands in mock-mentalist fashion--
David: "Let me see now...yes. yes....you have worked very hard in your life. Physical work, um...perhaps on a farm. "
Nancy: "Or perhaps a mill--"
David: "Indeed, yes. Yes, a mill. As a child, you always wanted to leave home. You also always wanted an education. and you had to get it on your own. And...you always wanted something special out of life."
Nancy: "Not bad."
David: "Thank you."
Nancy: "Do I still have calluses?"
David: "Enough and--"
Nancy: "...and my always wanting something special?
David: "Oh, that's in your eyes."
Nancy: "I left home when I was 16 chasing that something. Even got married to do it, but that didn't work out."
David: "And the carnival?"
Nancy: "Well, that's just taken me a little bit farther, that's all."
David: "Are you where it is you wish to be?"
Nancy: "Oh, not just yet. I'm not unhappy with what I do here. I try to make people happy."
--finally--
Nancy: "What about you, David? Do you know where it is you're going? You know, I think that's why I'm attracted to you. Birds of a feather not quite sure where we're flying."
After sharing a kiss, Nancy takes the stage, accurately reading the problems of several audience members, until Benedict's henchman Jimmy stands--accusing Nancy of the troubles suffered at other carny shows. With that, Benedict enters the tent, his presence visibly unnerving Nancy. The zealot turns, heading into a funhouse, with Nancy on his heels--David on hers. Inside the funhouse, Benedict accosts Nancy, promising death for killing "him"; detecting David, Benedict activates the funhouse attractions, causing David to be caught in--and knocked about in the spinning tunnel...triggering a Hulk out.
The creature destroys much of what he encounters in the funhouse, while Benedict & the frightened Nancy escape.
Later, Benedict and Jimmy dive deep into their "she's evil" song, spreading the nonsensical tale of her causing death and destruction everywhere she goes. Elsewhere, Luther is talked out of kicking Belle's group out, not buying into Benedict's tall tales about Nancy.
Speaking of Nancy, she fills in David about the origin of this "evil" story. Some time ago, Nancy once befriended a troubled young man who found no sympathy from his domineering father--Benedict. The father was unrelenting, accusing Nancy of witchcraft--the cumulative effect of it all leading the young man to hang himself. From that point forward, Benedict chased Belle's show around the land, sabotaging various carnival groups' property, then blaming it all on the "evil"/jinx Nancy.
Although Banner is fond of Nancy, he warns that if the Benedict problem becomes a public matter, he cannot stay.
On a hilltop, Benedict imagines God is directing him to kill David--Nancy's "warlock"--then Nancy.
That night, Nancy "spooks" the whereabouts of David out of Jimmy, then grabs a gun...
Meanwhile: Banner meets Benedict in the hope of convincing him to end his harassing campaign--
Benedict: "Come to plead the devil's case?"
David: "I came to help someone I care for."
Benedict: "There was someone I cared for. But now I only have his memory."
David: "I'm sorry. I do know what it means to have lost a loved one."
Benedict: "She corrupted him. She led him from a path of righteousness."
David: "I know you believe that. To lose a son...is so terrible...so painful..you had to blame someone."
David & Beneidct spar over the issue of misinterpreting scripture to justify vengeance, until David turns away for a moment, and is knocked out. Benedict drags David to a corner and prepares to set him on fire when Nancy rushes in, threatening him with her gun; Benedict believes he cannot be stopped, and torches the cloth under David's body. Nancy and the man fight, while the flames rouse David....and triggers another transformation. The Hulk rises--his shirt on fire--as Belle, Luther & Jimmy enter the tent, preventing Benedict from killing Nancy. Benedict turns on the Hulk, but runs after his sledgehammer attack fails. Benedict tears through the carnival grounds, then climbs a Ferris wheel, only for the Hulk to spin the wheel with such force, Benedict is pitched into a tent and haystack.
The next day, David is packed and ready to leave.
David: "Things have happened here that would bring attention to us. To me. I can't let that happen."
Nancy: "It has to with that creature, doesn't it? David, I don't know what the problem is, but it doesn't matter to me. All right. All right. You know, I think is about time for me to be moving on. Start looking for something. Something special."
David: "I hope you find it."
Nancy: "You too. The eyes are the window of the soul. Shield yours from me, lest you wish to share your darkest secret."
David kisses the heartbroken Nancy goodbye.
NOTES:
Jack McGee does not appear in this episode.
This is not a cure related episode.
David's line: "I know you believe that. To lose a son...is so terrible...so painful...you had to blame someone." Eerily foreshadows the tragedy in Bixby's life not too far in his future at the time.
Typical of many North American TV series of the period, and certainly very common in modern TV, the series paints a religious person (almost always Christian) as a zealot who misinterprets scripture for abusive and/or deadly purposes. Although David counters Benedict's statements with scripture, in the end, the climax overtakes the time for any sort of resolution for Benedict, so--for the audience--he can be filed as a "religious loon" and roll the credits. While there are people in reality with that kind of self-manipulated belief system, its use here only adds to an exploited TV sub-genre. It almost makes one wonder if the episode title has a double meaning.
We list "David B." aliases, cure-related episodes mention the characters who learned the Hulk's secret and lived to not talk about it, but the reviews probably deserve a Banner Love Interest list, since Love 'em and Leave 'em David has made more than a few hearts swoon over the course of the series.
The finale includes a rare guitar instrumental version of The Lonely Man theme before transitioning to the traditional version.
This is the second episode where David connects with a female through her shared interest in literature, as seen in "Brain Child" earlier in the season.
GUEST CAST:
Judith Chapman (Nancy)--
"Sideshow"
Strolling through the woods, carnival psychic Nancy spots a man watching her. Running in fear, she trips, rolling down a small hill, where she is discovered by David Burns. The woman Is dazed, but recovers with David's help, until another woman--Belle--runs up, holding a gun on David, accusing him of intending to remove the woman's clothes for a reason you can guess. Nancy clears David of any wrongdoing, placing the blame on "our friend"--a man named Benedict. David accompanies the women back to the latest rest stop for their travelling show--Belle Starr's Exotic Revue (part of the larger Paradise Park carnival), where Beth & Candy--bickering members of the revue--are disturbed by the mere mention of Benedict. A grateful Belle hires David as a stage manager.
At Paradise Park, David learns more about the withdrawn Nancy, such as her interest in the works of Thomas Wolfe--
David: "Look Homeward, Angel? Thomas Wolfe's an old friend of mine, too."
Nancy: "Comforting, isn't he? Reminds you there are other lonely people in the world."
David: "Yes."
Belle and carnival boss Luther Mason discuss the recent wave of superstition-inspired departures of other carnival members...many blaming Belle's group. Mason--smitten with Belle--disregards the spooked reactions, willing to do anything to keep her around, with marriage as his desired outcome, but 4-time divorcee Belle believes she is not marriage material.
In the Revue's big top, flirtatious Candy rehearses her belly dance for an interested David--the moment interrupted by Nancy--the Revue's resident mind reader. Initially doubtful, David is a bit disturbed by her on-target reading of the mystery man--
Nancy: "I'm a mentalist. Delphia the Intuitive."
David: "Ohhh. A mind reader? Really?"
Nancy: "Yes, come on. Please?"
David: "Oh--oh"
Nancy: "Yes, let's see--"
David: "Are you serious??"
Nancy: "I'm serious!"
David: "All right."
Nancy: (pausing) "This is very interesting. You're not what you appear to be. You've been a professional man, uh...a lawyer, or businessman--no! No, somebody in medicine. And you have a problem. A serious problem which has taken you far away from home..yes...and you're afraid of people finding out."
David: "Yes, well that's very interesting."
Nancy: (observing David's less than comfortable reaction) "Sometimes I get carried away."
David: "Are you really psychic?"
Nancy: "I read people. You have no calluses on your hands, so you're not a laborer. And when I fell, you showed some knowledge of medicine. And the flicker in your eye just then told me that I'd probably made a pretty good guess. As to your problem, when someone like you signs up with a carny, chances are he's got problems."
--David stares--
Nancy: "I-I'm sorry. I hope I haven't scared you away. I tend to do that."
David: "No, you haven't. But I am disappointed."
Nancy: "Disappointed? Why?"
David: "I wanted to see you dance..."
As David and Nancy work, they are observed by Benedict--the man who stalked Nancy earlier; he is obsessed with the woman and feels threatened by David's friendly relationship with her. Moreover, Benedict explains (to Jimmy, his companion) that Nancy is cursed, is the cause of various terrible incidents around the carnival, and in his twisted view will die for her sins.
The carnival opens to the public; Nancy prepares for her show, and teases David about her reading of him, but he flirtatiously turns the tables on her. Holding her hands in mock-mentalist fashion--
David: "Let me see now...yes. yes....you have worked very hard in your life. Physical work, um...perhaps on a farm. "
Nancy: "Or perhaps a mill--"
David: "Indeed, yes. Yes, a mill. As a child, you always wanted to leave home. You also always wanted an education. and you had to get it on your own. And...you always wanted something special out of life."
Nancy: "Not bad."
David: "Thank you."
Nancy: "Do I still have calluses?"
David: "Enough and--"
Nancy: "...and my always wanting something special?
David: "Oh, that's in your eyes."
Nancy: "I left home when I was 16 chasing that something. Even got married to do it, but that didn't work out."
David: "And the carnival?"
Nancy: "Well, that's just taken me a little bit farther, that's all."
David: "Are you where it is you wish to be?"
Nancy: "Oh, not just yet. I'm not unhappy with what I do here. I try to make people happy."
--finally--
Nancy: "What about you, David? Do you know where it is you're going? You know, I think that's why I'm attracted to you. Birds of a feather not quite sure where we're flying."
After sharing a kiss, Nancy takes the stage, accurately reading the problems of several audience members, until Benedict's henchman Jimmy stands--accusing Nancy of the troubles suffered at other carny shows. With that, Benedict enters the tent, his presence visibly unnerving Nancy. The zealot turns, heading into a funhouse, with Nancy on his heels--David on hers. Inside the funhouse, Benedict accosts Nancy, promising death for killing "him"; detecting David, Benedict activates the funhouse attractions, causing David to be caught in--and knocked about in the spinning tunnel...triggering a Hulk out.
The creature destroys much of what he encounters in the funhouse, while Benedict & the frightened Nancy escape.
Later, Benedict and Jimmy dive deep into their "she's evil" song, spreading the nonsensical tale of her causing death and destruction everywhere she goes. Elsewhere, Luther is talked out of kicking Belle's group out, not buying into Benedict's tall tales about Nancy.
Speaking of Nancy, she fills in David about the origin of this "evil" story. Some time ago, Nancy once befriended a troubled young man who found no sympathy from his domineering father--Benedict. The father was unrelenting, accusing Nancy of witchcraft--the cumulative effect of it all leading the young man to hang himself. From that point forward, Benedict chased Belle's show around the land, sabotaging various carnival groups' property, then blaming it all on the "evil"/jinx Nancy.
Although Banner is fond of Nancy, he warns that if the Benedict problem becomes a public matter, he cannot stay.
On a hilltop, Benedict imagines God is directing him to kill David--Nancy's "warlock"--then Nancy.
That night, Nancy "spooks" the whereabouts of David out of Jimmy, then grabs a gun...
Meanwhile: Banner meets Benedict in the hope of convincing him to end his harassing campaign--
Benedict: "Come to plead the devil's case?"
David: "I came to help someone I care for."
Benedict: "There was someone I cared for. But now I only have his memory."
David: "I'm sorry. I do know what it means to have lost a loved one."
Benedict: "She corrupted him. She led him from a path of righteousness."
David: "I know you believe that. To lose a son...is so terrible...so painful..you had to blame someone."
David & Beneidct spar over the issue of misinterpreting scripture to justify vengeance, until David turns away for a moment, and is knocked out. Benedict drags David to a corner and prepares to set him on fire when Nancy rushes in, threatening him with her gun; Benedict believes he cannot be stopped, and torches the cloth under David's body. Nancy and the man fight, while the flames rouse David....and triggers another transformation. The Hulk rises--his shirt on fire--as Belle, Luther & Jimmy enter the tent, preventing Benedict from killing Nancy. Benedict turns on the Hulk, but runs after his sledgehammer attack fails. Benedict tears through the carnival grounds, then climbs a Ferris wheel, only for the Hulk to spin the wheel with such force, Benedict is pitched into a tent and haystack.
The next day, David is packed and ready to leave.
David: "Things have happened here that would bring attention to us. To me. I can't let that happen."
Nancy: "It has to with that creature, doesn't it? David, I don't know what the problem is, but it doesn't matter to me. All right. All right. You know, I think is about time for me to be moving on. Start looking for something. Something special."
David: "I hope you find it."
Nancy: "You too. The eyes are the window of the soul. Shield yours from me, lest you wish to share your darkest secret."
David kisses the heartbroken Nancy goodbye.
NOTES:
Jack McGee does not appear in this episode.
This is not a cure related episode.
David's line: "I know you believe that. To lose a son...is so terrible...so painful...you had to blame someone." Eerily foreshadows the tragedy in Bixby's life not too far in his future at the time.
Typical of many North American TV series of the period, and certainly very common in modern TV, the series paints a religious person (almost always Christian) as a zealot who misinterprets scripture for abusive and/or deadly purposes. Although David counters Benedict's statements with scripture, in the end, the climax overtakes the time for any sort of resolution for Benedict, so--for the audience--he can be filed as a "religious loon" and roll the credits. While there are people in reality with that kind of self-manipulated belief system, its use here only adds to an exploited TV sub-genre. It almost makes one wonder if the episode title has a double meaning.
We list "David B." aliases, cure-related episodes mention the characters who learned the Hulk's secret and lived to not talk about it, but the reviews probably deserve a Banner Love Interest list, since Love 'em and Leave 'em David has made more than a few hearts swoon over the course of the series.
The finale includes a rare guitar instrumental version of The Lonely Man theme before transitioning to the traditional version.
This is the second episode where David connects with a female through her shared interest in literature, as seen in "Brain Child" earlier in the season.
GUEST CAST:
Judith Chapman (Nancy)--
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (NBC, 1980) - "Olympiad"
- Beyond Westworld (CBS, 1980) - "Beyond Destroyed"
- Galactica 1980 (ABC, 1980) - "The Return of Starbuck"
- Darkroom (ABC, 1982) - "The Rarest of Wines"
- The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E." The Fifteen Years Later Affair (CBS, 1983)
- Outlaws (NBC, 1987) - "Independents"
- Dead Space (Concorde, 1991)
- Scorpio One (Cabin Fever Entertainment, 1998)
- The Day Mars Invaded Earth (API, 1963)
- Chamber of Horrors (Warner Brothers, 1966)
- Batman (ABC, 1966) - "Deep Freeze" & "Green Ice"
- Project U.F.O. (NBC, 1978) - "Sighting 4019: The Believe it or Not Incident"
- Salem's Lot (CBS, 1979) - as Eva Miller
- The Perfect Woman (Sandler Institutional Films, 1981)
- Tales from the Darkside (Syndicated, 1986) - "A New Lease on Life"
- The Spirit is Willing (William Castle Productions, 1967)
- Circle of Fear (NBC, 1972) - "Creatures of the Canyon"
- The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1974 / '75) -"Stranger in Broken Fort" & "The White Lightning War"
- Damnation Alley (20th Century Fox, 1977)
- The Incredible Hulk (CBS, 1981) - "The Phenom"
- Voyagers! (NBC, 1983) - "Buffalo Bill and Annie Play the Palace"
- Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (Cannon Films, 1987)
- The Rocket Boy (1989)
- Alien Nation: Dark Horizon (FOX, 1994)
(David takes mental note of a potential future alias.)
Too late, feel free to do the heavy lifting there.
Ah, okay. I've obviously put that mercifully out of my mind then.
Been meaning to follow up...does anyone have an opinion one way or another about counting the first sighting of the Hulk in last week's episode ("Proof Positive") as a FHO time? (I know, first-world problem.)
Land of the Giants: "The Return of Inidu": This one was kind of slow getting started, and as someone who dabbled in amateur magic as a youth, I'm always annoyed when fiction portrays stage illusionists doing things that are physically impossible and would require genuine magical power, like the teleportation tricks here. But I eventually reminded myself that this was written for small children and tried to approach it more as a fable than anything else, and it worked a bit better that way. Really, the writing style did seem more simplified than usual. But the back half did get somewhat more interesting when the apprentice showed up with designs on murdering Inidu to steal his secrets.
Partway through the episode, I realized that Inidu's name was a near-reversal of a certain famous magician's stage name. To express my revelation palindromically: "Inidu? Oh! Houdini!" But Enog's name is just "gone" backwards. Either the writers' imagination failed them, or they didn't want to link their villain to any real performer.
At first, I was rather annoyed by how badly the episode was treating Valerie -- she was scared out of her wits and the men kept grabbing her and dragging her around. But as it turned out, Valerie got increasingly annoyed with that handling herself, and finally she stood up to the men's condescension and got in on the action. So yay.
The Time Tunnel: "Idol of Death": One of those '60s episodes that tries to be respectful toward Native Americans and condemn their exploitation while still portraying them in a somewhat condescending and stereotyped way. I guess it's a good try, though I suppose it was easier for an American TV show to condemn the Spaniards' behavior in the New World than that of the English, say. But it's weird that Doug and Tony talk about trying to stop Cortez, when they know that history is immutable.
It also goes to a weird place in the Project Tic-Toc plot, with the expert being a treasure hunter who wants the Tunnel crew to steal the mask for him in exchange for his help with Doug and Tony. First off, why did Kirk keep his word at all? Once the guy gave them the coordinates, Kirk should've just had the MPs arrest him. Was his personal honor really worth more than two men's lives? Second, since when did locking on the Time Tunnel cause geological instability on the destination, or any environmental effect at all? And third, why did the guy just throw the mask back into the Tunnel at the last second? I was expecting that Kirk would send him and the mask back while they were inside the Tunnel, stranding him to be caught in the cave-in. I guess they didn't want one of their heroes to be that ruthless, though it seems the sort of choice a military man would make if the objective warranted it. Either that, or bringing the mask to the present would explain why the guy could never find it before. The fact that the young chief took the mask before the cave-in leaves it unexplained why it was never found.
And as long as I'm here...
Kolchak: The Night Stalker -- “The Vampire”: I’m surprised -- the descriptions of this episode suggest it was an overt sequel to the original movie, but in fact the connections are only implicit. You can put the pieces together and conclude that Catherine was an overlooked victim of Janos Skorzeny’s Las Vegas killing spree (though that was only two years before this, not three as they said), but it’s never actually stated that Kolchak had encountered a previous vampire in Vegas, even though it would’ve made sense for Kolchak to ask William Daniels’s police captain to talk to the Vegas authorities about the Skorzeny incident. (They wouldn’t admit it to the public, but presumably they’d be willing to talk in confidence to another city’s officials.)
Two weeks ago, Kolchak beat the monster via lynching, this week he uses a burning cross??? I know his birth name was supposed to be Karel Kolchak; now I’m wondering if his middle initial is also K. Even aside from the unfortunate (and hopefully unintentional) parallels to racist symbolism, since when did burning crosses have anything to do with vampire lore? If he was able to hold the vampire at bay just by holding two fireplace implements together at a right angle, shouldn’t a tree-sized cross be more than powerful enough to whammy Catherine by itself, without needing to be ignited? How exactly did the fire make it cross-ier than it already was? If it’s the holiness of a cross that makes it potent against the spawn of Satan, then surely desecrating a cross by burning it would weaken its effect, not strengthen it.
This episode has two cast members in common with The Incredible Hulk’s fifth-season episode “Two Godmothers,” Suzanne Charny and Kathleen Nolan.
Partway through the episode, I realized that Inidu's name was a near-reversal of a certain famous magician's stage name. To express my revelation palindromically: "Inidu? Oh! Houdini!" But Enog's name is just "gone" backwards. Either the writers' imagination failed them, or they didn't want to link their villain to any real performer.
At first, I was rather annoyed by how badly the episode was treating Valerie -- she was scared out of her wits and the men kept grabbing her and dragging her around. But as it turned out, Valerie got increasingly annoyed with that handling herself, and finally she stood up to the men's condescension and got in on the action. So yay.
The Time Tunnel: "Idol of Death": One of those '60s episodes that tries to be respectful toward Native Americans and condemn their exploitation while still portraying them in a somewhat condescending and stereotyped way. I guess it's a good try, though I suppose it was easier for an American TV show to condemn the Spaniards' behavior in the New World than that of the English, say. But it's weird that Doug and Tony talk about trying to stop Cortez, when they know that history is immutable.
It also goes to a weird place in the Project Tic-Toc plot, with the expert being a treasure hunter who wants the Tunnel crew to steal the mask for him in exchange for his help with Doug and Tony. First off, why did Kirk keep his word at all? Once the guy gave them the coordinates, Kirk should've just had the MPs arrest him. Was his personal honor really worth more than two men's lives? Second, since when did locking on the Time Tunnel cause geological instability on the destination, or any environmental effect at all? And third, why did the guy just throw the mask back into the Tunnel at the last second? I was expecting that Kirk would send him and the mask back while they were inside the Tunnel, stranding him to be caught in the cave-in. I guess they didn't want one of their heroes to be that ruthless, though it seems the sort of choice a military man would make if the objective warranted it. Either that, or bringing the mask to the present would explain why the guy could never find it before. The fact that the young chief took the mask before the cave-in leaves it unexplained why it was never found.
And as long as I'm here...
Kolchak: The Night Stalker -- “The Vampire”: I’m surprised -- the descriptions of this episode suggest it was an overt sequel to the original movie, but in fact the connections are only implicit. You can put the pieces together and conclude that Catherine was an overlooked victim of Janos Skorzeny’s Las Vegas killing spree (though that was only two years before this, not three as they said), but it’s never actually stated that Kolchak had encountered a previous vampire in Vegas, even though it would’ve made sense for Kolchak to ask William Daniels’s police captain to talk to the Vegas authorities about the Skorzeny incident. (They wouldn’t admit it to the public, but presumably they’d be willing to talk in confidence to another city’s officials.)
Two weeks ago, Kolchak beat the monster via lynching, this week he uses a burning cross??? I know his birth name was supposed to be Karel Kolchak; now I’m wondering if his middle initial is also K. Even aside from the unfortunate (and hopefully unintentional) parallels to racist symbolism, since when did burning crosses have anything to do with vampire lore? If he was able to hold the vampire at bay just by holding two fireplace implements together at a right angle, shouldn’t a tree-sized cross be more than powerful enough to whammy Catherine by itself, without needing to be ignited? How exactly did the fire make it cross-ier than it already was? If it’s the holiness of a cross that makes it potent against the spawn of Satan, then surely desecrating a cross by burning it would weaken its effect, not strengthen it.
This episode has two cast members in common with The Incredible Hulk’s fifth-season episode “Two Godmothers,” Suzanne Charny and Kathleen Nolan.
Only with lots of coffee. He's good for the slow burn...
From the wiki:
Sylvia Browne said to the mother of kidnapping victim Amanda Berry "She's not alive, honey." Berry's mother died two years later believing her daughter had been killed.
Robert Donner was best known as Exidor on Mork and Mindy
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I don't think she was presenting herself as anything more than a performer, like a stage magician. She didn't want people to believe she was really psychic; she wanted them to be impressed by the show and wonder how she pulled off the trick. After all, she was working as a carnival performer, not a police consultant or a financial advisor or something. People would've had to be pretty gullible to take a carnival act literally. Even Benedict was just using her as a scapegoat to avoid facing his own complicity in his son's suicide.
^ That's pretty much my take on it as well.
_______
Normally I'd post this a bit later in the week, but I've had one of the songs stuck in my head all day, so here's a Special (I Don't Like) Monday Edition.
This week, on The Incredible Hulk:
"Long Run Home"
Originally aired February 1, 1980
Events in the news that week:
New on the U.S. charts:
"I Don't Like Mondays," The Boomtown Rats
(#73 US; #1 UK; That would remain their biggest U.S. hit, but we'd be hearing a lot more from Bob Geldof mid-decade in relation to his high-profile charity projects)
"Rockin' into the Night," 38 Special
(#43 US)
"Come Back," The J. Geils Band
(#32 US; #69 Dance)
"How Do I Make You," Linda Ronstadt
(#10 US)
_______
_______
Normally I'd post this a bit later in the week, but I've had one of the songs stuck in my head all day, so here's a Special (I Don't Like) Monday Edition.
This week, on The Incredible Hulk:
"Long Run Home"
Originally aired February 1, 1980
MeTV said:
Events in the news that week:
New on the U.S. charts:
"I Don't Like Mondays," The Boomtown Rats
(#73 US; #1 UK; That would remain their biggest U.S. hit, but we'd be hearing a lot more from Bob Geldof mid-decade in relation to his high-profile charity projects)
"Rockin' into the Night," 38 Special
(#43 US)
"Come Back," The J. Geils Band
(#32 US; #69 Dance)
"How Do I Make You," Linda Ronstadt
(#10 US)
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I can agree to a point; as a performer, she's not issuing any warnings that her readings are "For entertainment purposes only" (the very thing psychic hotlines were forced to add to their scripts and advertising). Even if one assumes the audience should know that, the nature of her performance only works if the audience buys her routine as real. She's convincing enough that few did not doubt the various calamities (caused by Benedict) were anything other than Nancy's "evil" at work, thanks to the power of her performances.
Now there's an 80s classic, although it seems largely forgotten these days.
I don't remember this at all.
I kind of remember this when I listen to it.
I love this one. It really sounds like the 80s to me. As soon as I hear it, I see myself in the video arcade in the back room of a head shop in Hartford.
Their lower-charting stuff was probably more of a thing on hard/classic rock stations.
Another surprise...one that I don't remember, and I put that in after initially skipping it because I thought everyone would think it was lame. (My turn to say, "Eh, not her best.")I love this one. It really sounds like the 80s to me. As soon as I hear it, I see myself in the video arcade in the back room of a head shop in Hartford.
(Was that Hartford, CT?)
Good time to ask everyone paying attention...any requests? On the act level, not the song level...somebody from the era yet to be covered by that show that you want to see included when they come up?
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Maybe. I was listening to BCN at the time, which was kind of Hard Rock, kind of New Wave.
Linda Rondstadt gets a bad rap because she mostly did covers (although I'm not even sure if this is a cover or not). But if you look at her as an entertainer rather than an innovator, she did some pretty good stuff.
Indeed. My best friend from high school moved down there senior year, so I used to spend a lot of weekends and vacations down there. He was always in a band or managing a band or something, so I got caught up in that (I even got to be a DJ at a college radio station). We would also head out to other interesting places like New Haven and Greenwich Village and weird places in New Jersey. Good times.
Well, "Turing Japanese" is one of those songs, like "Video Killed The Radio Star" that to me is quintessentially early 80s. Then there's REO Speedwagon, Adam Ant, Gary Numan, Peter Gabriel, plus old favorites still doing good stuff like Queen and Elton John.
She didn't write it, but it's not a cover of a song that somebody else did. One of the first things that the Wiki article on the song says is that it was inspired by "My Sharona," which fits my unflattering impression of the song...an attempt by an established artist to fit in with a changing musical landscape. Her next major single was a cover, and more in her wheelhouse, IMO.
Hmmm...have to look into those. Some of those we're going to be seeing some of...others I'm not sure offhand what's available that actually charted. And some may fall within long hiatuses...of which we have at least three coming up in the future of the show...during which the competition for attention is going to be very fierce.
ETA: One thing I can report for the immediate future--Gary Numan's one major hit was already scheduled and is just a couple weeks around the corner.
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Am I right that Weird Al Yankovic did a parody of "My Sharona" called "My Bologna?" That's the one thing that pops into my head upon seeing that song title.
Yes.
See also for comparison:
Interesting. I never would have drawn a connection to "My Sharona." At the time we were saying that she wanted to be Debbie Harry. But it certainly wasn't the first time she had done Rock-oriented material, and she even covered Warren Zevon in the 70s.
That one's pretty good, but not my favorite.
Bottom line, she was trying to be New Wave.
Well, these are pretty chart-oriented selections, so don't expect me to dig up obscure album tracks that I've never heard before in my life. His only other charting single in the U.S. was "I Die: You Die" at #102.That one's pretty good, but not my favorite.
Oh, yeah.
The one I'm talking about is called "Praying To The Aliens," so it's possible that you never heard of it. It never charted, but it did get a little airplay on FM stations back in the day when FM was still "undergroundish." Great song, though.
