NIGHT STRANGLER, THE (TV)
Summary
In this made-for-television sequel to "The Night Stalker," investigative journalist Carl Kolchak narrates the "true" story of his hunt for a supernatural serial strangler in Seattle. The tale begins with Kolchak's assignment to write the story of a murdered belly dancer named Merissa. His investigative trail leads him to Merissa's two colleagues, Charisma Beauty and Louise Harper, but he cannot find anything substantial until the killer strikes again. The medical examiner's report on the second victim, which includes information about strange blood loss, leaves Kolchak with some unanswered questions, so he bribes an attendant at the morgue for a few more details, discovering that the killer had superhuman strength and left a residue of rotting flesh on the throats of his victims. With help from the newspaper's archivist, Mr. Berry, Kolchak goes on to unearth a pattern of similar murder sprees occurring every twenty-one years, beginning in 1889. Kolchak's editor, Tony Vincenzo, is incredulous when presented with this information and warns Kolchak to "stick to the facts." Feeling friendless, Kolchak turns to Louise Harper for help with the case and tells her about his vampire-hunting past in Las Vegas. After listening to his theories about the undead strangler, she directs him to Professor Crabwell, who tells him about alchemy and ticks off a list of ingredients for an elixir of immortality, including human blood. This information, along with Berry's discovery of an article about Dr. Richard Malcolm, a Civil-War surgeon who believed in the possibility of physical immortality, leads Kolchak to a local clinic. There he discovers a portrait of Dr. Malcolm Richards, the founder of the clinic, who bears a striking resemblance to the similarly named Civil War doctor. Kolchak is arrested for defacing the portrait and taken off the story, but he stays on the killer's trail. He heads back to the clinic, desperate to stop Richards from drinking the final dose of the elixir. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: January 16, 1973 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:30:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:60297
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy /science fiction; Immortality - Drama
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1973
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Dan Curtis … Producer
- Robert Singer … Associate Producer
- Richard Matheson … Writer
- Robert Cobert … Music by
- Len Engel … Music (Misc. Credits), Music Editor
- Darren McGavin … Cast, Carl Kolchak
- Jo Ann Pflug … Cast, Louise Harper
- Simon Oakland … Cast, Tony Vincenzo
- Scott Brady … Cast, Captain Schubert
- Wally Cox … Cast, Mr. Berry
- Margaret Hamilton … Cast, Professor Crabwell
- John Carradine … Cast, Llewellyn Crossbinder
- Nina Wayne … Cast, Charisma
- Al Lewis … Cast, the Tramp
- Ivor Francis … Cast, Dr. Webb
- Richard Anderson … Cast, Dr. Richard Malcolm
- Virginia Peters … Cast, Wilma Krankheimer
- Kate Murtagh … Cast, Janie Watkins
- Diane Shalet … Cast, Joyce Gabriel
- Anne Randall … Cast, Policewoman Sheila
- Francoise Birnheim … Cast, the Restaurant Woman
- Regina Parton … Cast, Merissa (Ethel Parker)