Talk:Kolchak: The Night Stalker

message: I'm slowly going through and mapping out Kolchak's personal life through the two movies and the television series. I thought that this would provide an intersting insight into the character. What do you guys think? -- BBlackmoor (talk),  2005-10-31 T 02:06:05 Z
:I think this is an excellent idea.  Before someone complains that you're creating a Carl Kolchak article that will be too long and should be spun into its own article, there really isn't a lot of detail about these characters' pasts.  Most of the characterization was in the performances, not in the writing, and a lot of character history that was introduced in the scripts tended to be ignored or discarded later at the writers' convenience (e.g., Gail Foster was the love of his life and he wanted to marry her, yet she's never mentioned again after the initial film).  But it would be useful to gather whatever there is and present it in one place. Canonblack 17:25, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: The 1974 show

message: In light of McGavin's recent passing, I was perusing this page and was struck by the phrase "unwilling to reprise his Kolchak character."  Does this mean he was asked to actually REPRODUCE THIS SPECIFIC CHARACTER in the X-Files?  This phrasing suggests that he was, and that the copyright was cool with it, but that McGavin, personally, felt sorta iffy about this and didn't want to go that far (for whatever reason).  If this is so, I think it should be rewritten as such, and if not, some clarity is in order.  Wencer 06:36, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed.  I don't recall Carter actually trying to shoehorn Kolchak into The X-Files, but McGavin was recorded as stating he had no interest in revisiting Kolchak.  I think this is two separate ideas that were confused by the writer, or perhaps Carter pitched the idea to McGavin as a Kolchak-like character, and McGavin insisted that the character not be like Kolchak.  This needs not just clarification but also source citations. Canonblack 17:38, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

text: Okay, but we need a source for verification.  Can you link a website that has that information?  Not to sound insulting or distrustful, but your say-so isn't proof.  We need something like a news story or a quote by someone involved with the programme. Canonblack 04:34, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Unwilling to reprise" 

message: I have a source that makes the following claim: When the CBS Late Movie reruns were a huge hit, ABC wanted to revive the third TV movie that had been previously jettisoned in favor of the weekly series; McGavin said no because of the way the network had treated the series (his view). How are we to reconcile this with his having already (according to our article; I did not encounter the film [singular deliberate; just wait] until much later, and I do not recall the CBS repeat run missing four episodes) provided in-character voice-overs for a pair of ersatz movies cut from the series? Besides, I am aware of only one such film, Crackle of Doom. Can the other be documented? Ted Watson (talk) 21:04, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: "Unwilling to reprise" earlier

message: According to the article, the Jimmy Stacks scenes were restored to The Night Strangler prior to the DVD release. However, I have the Universal DVD and there are no such scenes, nor do I see any options to view such scenes. Is this just factually inaccurate, or am I missing something?
: Yes, I also feel that this is an error.  I own both the individual Night Stalker/Night Strangler dvd as well as the series compilation, and neither contain the Jimmy Stacks character.  Is there a chance that a UK release is in existence?  Otherwise I would suggest dropping the claim. Pjg1066 (talk) 17:51, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Missing Scenes? 

message: I've removed all of the following from the article, for reasons outlined below:
None of these is sourced, and most rely on similarities and the same name; sorry, but that's just not good enough. We need reliable sources to draw these conclusions for us as we cannot do that for ourselves. Some (Martin Mystery and Sylvester McCoy, for example) are particularly limp. Please feel free to adequately source these references before replacing them. --Rodhullandemu 23:23, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unsourced [[WP:OR|original research]] 

message: I commented out The characterization of Carl Kolchak for two reasons. First, there was far too much detail given. A simple description of the character should be sufficient. Including specific incidents and numerous quotations goes too far and starts to approach copyright infringement. Second, all the material listed is from the TV movies and not the actual series. The article is about the series and so the description of the character should be about the character as he appears in the series. There is no guarantee of continuity between the movies and the series. I'm leaving the material in but commented out because some of it may be incorporated into articles about the movies or perhaps a separate article about the character Carl Kolchak if one is created. I will continue to review the material, move what seems appropriate to other sections or articles and delete what seems to be too detailed.--RDBury (talk) 12:34, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Finished this review, merged about half of the material into other sections or articles. Removed all quoted lines and alternate endings from novelizations. The Night Strangler should probably be split into it's own article but not by me.--RDBury (talk) 14:33, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: The new article has been created by Floggolozzo (thanks). See The Night Strangler (telemovie).--RDBury (talk) 21:11, 7 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  The characterization of Carl Kolchak removed 

message: Hello, I'm here copyediting the article as part of my duties with the Guild of Copyeditors.  I have a question.  This section states:
The Kolchak character originated in an unpublished novel, The Kolchak Papers, written by Jeff Rice. In the novel, Las Vegas newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak tracks down and defeats a serial killer who turns out to be a vampire named Janos Skorzeny. Although the main protagonist in the novel uses the name "Carl," the book reveals that his birth name is "Karel". 
The novel was finally published by Pocket Books as a mass-market paperback original under the title The Night Stalker with a Darren McGavin photo cover to tie in with the movie. The book, as well as the novelization of the second television movie, was republished by Moonstone in 2007 as an omnibus edition called The Kolchak Papers.
We start off stating that it was unpublished, then in the next paragraph say it was published not once but twice.  I'm assuming the original author meant that the novel was unpublished at the time the movies first aired, but that's unclear.  Can someone shed some light?  Also, when was the Pocket Books edition put out exactly?  — e. ripley\talk 19:35, 25 June 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: I've basically finished copyediting the article, beyond the contradiction that needs to be cleared up as I mentioned above (and also the references need some work).  Once that's done, then I'll change the GOCE review tag above to a completed tag. — e. ripley\talk 21:05, 25 June 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Cleared up the contradiction myself, though the references still need some work. Marking this as done. — e. ripley\talk 14:56, 28 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Question on origins 

message: Ruth McDevitt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_McDevitt), "Elderly Woman" in first episode, Emily Cowles (Miss Emily) in later episodes.
Is it worth noting that the elderly lady in the first episode (The Ripper) who's letter to the "Miss Emily" advice column proves instrumental in Kolchak tracking down the Ripper is the same lady that actually plays Emily Cowles aka "Miss Emily" in later episodes? Swampy 1.144.96.51 (talk) 03:42, 21 November 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Miss Emily" 

message: I've placed a contradiction template because the paragraph immediately following the template appears to contradict itself.  The offending passage:
In addition to a number problem ("neither" compares negatively two objects or groups, yet you are talking about four episodes), you've just said that the missing episodes were released on VHS by Columbia House, then you unequivocally state that they've never been released on home video. That is an absolute, fist-in-the-face contradiction.  Either the missing episodes were released on home video, or they were not.  One of these statements has got to go. 12.233.147.42 (talk) 01:38, 10 December 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: I've removed offending sentences - I have no idea which parts of it were right. ツStacey (talk) 14:02, 31 December 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: The topic of the "two" was the two KtNS CBS Late Night Movies they made by clobbering together 4 original episodes so that they could get 2 tv-movie 90-minute length items to run on Friday nights on CBS at 11:30 pm EST back in the Eighties.  And (rightfully so) neither of those hack-jobs was issued on home video. 68.19.6.187 (talk) 13:55, 28 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Contradiction 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: I think a sentence should be added re. Kolchak's standard outfit, especially if a Wiki page/entry is made for Kolchak himself. His outfit is distinctive and immediately recognizable as that of the character. IMO, at minimum it consists of: (1) a hat (I do not know the type/style); (2) a blue & white Seersucker suit; (3) a light blue, long sleeve button down Oxford shirt; (4) a plain black knit tie; (5) black leather belt; (6) black socks and (7) Adidas Stan Smith tennis shoes/sneakers. Since, in the series, Kolchak is "the *night* stalker," he also usually has a flashlight or at minimum, a penlight (penlight used in The Devil's Platform, Bad Medicine, Primal Scream, The Knightly Murders). (The character description currently mentions his "Everyday carry" camera and handheld cassette recorder.) 
If anyone knows the type/style of hat he wears, please post it here.Phantom in ca (talk) 18:42, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Add a description of Kolchak's standard outfit? 

message: Currently, under "The Sentry" in the Episodes section, it says "This episode is noted for being very similar to the Star Trek episode "Devil in the Dark."" I've noticed in other episodes similarities to other TV shows or films. The way the murderous monster is the involuntary creation of a subconscious mind in "The Spanish Moss Murders" is similar to "the monsters of the Id" in Forbidden Planet (1956) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Planet
The way the monster in "Horror In The Heights" can take an image of a trusted friend from the victim's memory and implant that into their mind in place of the monster's image is similar to what the salt vampire does in the original series Star Trek episode "The Man Trap" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Trap Phantom in ca (talk) 20:39, 13 October 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  themes/elements incorporated into stories from other shows/movies 

message: In the original TV movie, The Night Stalker, about 3.5 minutes in, Carl is driving down a main road in Las Vegas during the day and there's a close up of his car's front. If you compare that to 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Camaro#/media/File:'67_Chevrolet_Camaro_(Cruisin'_At_The_Boardwalk_'12).JPG and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Camaro_(first_generation) you will see it is a blue convertible, first generation Camaro. If and when a Wiki page is made dedicated to the Kolchak character, this should be noted and an attempt to identify more about his car (exact year, 6 or 8 cylinders, etc). I don't recall Carl driving his own car -- or any car -- in the 2nd movie, The Night Strangler. 
In the TV series Carl drives a yellow, convertible Mustang. I think it looks like a first generation Mustang, specifically a 1964 1/2 to 1966 base car. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)#/media/File:'66_Ford_Mustang_Convertible_(Centropolis_Laval_'10).jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)
About 10 min in on "Bad Medicine" there's a close up at night of the front end of the Mustang as Carl pulls up and parks. You can see the small "gill slit" like design impressions in the metal between the single headlight and grill. About 14 min in on the same episode there's a close up during the day. In neither of those do you see a large, chrome horizontal bar going across the grill. ETA: I just saw that at about 14 min in to "The Knightly Murders" there is an excellent shot of the front of his Mustang. Therefore, I believe his Mustang was a 1966 base model. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)#/media/File:1964-1966_styles.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)#/media/File:1967-1968_styles.jpg Phantom in ca (talk) 18:49, 14 October 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Kolchak's car: a blue 1st Gen convertible Camaro in the 1st movie, none in the 2nd movie, and a yellow 1966 base model convertible Mustang in the series