In
“The Werewolf,” Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is asked, at the last second, to
replace Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) on an assignment aboard a cruise ship, the
Hanover. The Hanover is an old ship
about to undertake its final voyage, and it is now housing a swinging singles
cruise.
Kolchak
boards the ship and befriends some swinging singles, including the movie-loving
Paula Griffin (Nita Talbot). As he
gathers stories about the ship and its passengers, a new threat emerges. A NATO
officer named Bernhardt Stieglitz (Eric Braeden) is grappling with
lycanthropy. As the full moon rises, he
transforms into a murderous werewolf, just as he did in Montana, when he
murdered an unsuspecting family.
With
werewolf murders proliferating on the Hanover, Kolchak consults Paula about the
only way to kill a werewolf. He soon realizes he must melt the buttons on the
captain’s (Henry Jones) dress uniform to fashion silver bullets.
Once
the bullets are fashion, Kolchak must stalk the decks of the Hanover to find
his supernatural quarry.
“The
Werewolf” is a fun episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975),
though by this point the episode formula has “hardened” so that there are few
surprises. Similarly, the monster costume for the titular werewolf is terrible,
and does not bear close scrutiny.
The
format or formula for stories on this series is well-established at this point.
Kolchak ends up in some setting while reporting a story where he discovers that
a supernatural or paranormal monster is involved, but runs smack up against the
stonewalling forces of authority, who attempt to cover-up the truth, and keep
it hidden from the public. Kolchak clashes with these forces of the
Establishment, and then must take matters into his own hands, eliminating the
monster himself. Throw in some witty repartee and sparring between Kolchak and
Vincenzo, and you’ve got a recipe that repeats throughout the program.
The
“swinging singles” context gives “The Werewolf” a sense of fun, as Kolchak must
room with a ‘70s swinger played by Dick Gautier who persistently refers to him
as part of the “fifth column,” rather than “the fourth estate.” Paula is also a
fun character, and proves a worthy and resourceful ally for Kolchak. But like
Faye in last week’s episode, she doesn’t recur in the series, despite the fact
that there is strong chemistry between Paula and Kolchak.
Our
stone-walling figure of the week is Henry Jones’ ship’s captain, who uses
Maritime Laws to foil and block Kolchak at every turn. The episode’s best
moment involves Kolchak’s decision to make silver bullets from the captain’s
dress uniform, an act which doesn’t endear him to the officer.
Intriguingly,
Stieglitz is a tragic character. He suffers from claustrophobia, dizziness, and
nightmares. He is a sick man, not an intentional murderer, and yet the episode
treats him with literally no sympathy, or empathy. So far, we have met
homicidal murderers (“The Ripper,”) aliens who kill to return home (“They Have
Been, They Are, They Will Be”) and blood-suckers (“The Vampire.”) The werewolf here seems to be the most
innocent, or at least not directly culpable of this rogue’s gallery.
The
confrontations between the ship’s crew and the werewolf in the episode are
laughable by today’s standards. There are a lot of acrobatics as people get
thrown around, but not much in terms of scratches, bruises or bites. It’s very “G”
rated, and very cartoonish.
And the
monster looks terribly fake.
Also, there
are some focus problems in the photography this week, with Carl being out of focus in the
foreground of a shot for several seconds. The poor quality of the make-up and
camera-work contribute to the idea that this is a series
flying-by-the-seat-of-its-pants.
Next
week: “Firefall.”
The best of the KOLCHAK episodes! So what if the werewolf makeup is pathetic. Were it more defined, the comedic tone of much of the show wouldn't have worked as well as it does. McGavin is great, as always, but the guest stars & the luxury ocean liner setting are what make this episode so special. Eric Braeden deserves the highest praise for making his character empathetic, Dick Gautier is a riot as Kolchak's swinging shipboard roommate, and Nita Talbot steals the show as our hero's female accomplice. My only complaint is that Ms. Talbot should have joined the series as a regular. Her chemistry with McGavin is fantastic and, with them as a team, THE NIGHT STALKERS should have been renewed for several more sensational seasons!
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