12.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
01.00 WKRP In Cincinnati
01.30 Rising Damp
Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 9. "The Spanish Moss Murders" A monster is killing people, but the number one suspect has been asleep for six weeks...
One of my favourite episodes. This was one of the first that I saw and the perfect mix of horror and comedy has a lot to do with why I am such a fan of the series. When regarded in the context of the whole series, it stands out as one the best episodes with many of the key Kolchak elements in place.
The Logic. All of the best Kolchak stories follow Carl step-by-step as he gradually concludes that he is facing something supernatural. This is one of those. The first half of the episode could be from a non-fantasy show. It's just Carl investigating a series of odd murders and asking questions about the details that the police are trying to leave out (or cover up). This is Kolchak at his best, and one of the main reasons for loving the show. He's a clever man, he knows when something doesn't add up and he's relentless when he knows he's being lied to (or when facts are being glossed over). As ever, his nose for news is impeccable.
The Authority Figure/Conspiracy. Keenan Wynn makes his first appearance and instantly becomes the best cop that Kolchak has gone head to head with (John Dehner is the second best, of course). The scenes between Wynn and Darren McGavin are beautiful. Perfect comedy. Captain Siska isn't a bad guy, and he's not masterminding a conspiracy in the classic sense. He's a bad-tempered cop, he doesn't much like Kolchak (but he tries) and he's willing to open his mind to the odd ideas put forward by the reporter. Ultimately, however, he wants to keep the story quiet.
The Regular Cast. For once, we get very little on the INS staff. There's a hilarious scene where Tony is trying to practice an important speech and a truly wonderful moment - later on - where Tony and Ron and some other newspapermen are returning from a riotous night on the town and we are clearly shown that Ron is out of place and - sadly - invisible. Carl notices this, but - being Carl - he has no empathy. He chuckles and sends Ron home.
The Experts. This time out, we get a plant expert. She's fairly normal when compared to many of the extreme individuals that Carl enlists during his investigations. You could almost class Severn Darden's character as 'an expert', I suppose. But he's in several scenes, and forms an integral part of the story, so I'm inclined to think of the plant lady as the only 'expert' for this story.
Scare Factor/Comedy. There's one truly fantastic scene in this episode. It occurs towards the end when Carl returns to INS and it appears that the case is over. In front of Tony and his big-wig cronies, Carl finds spanish moss at his desk and begins babbling in panic. The scene is hilarious and chilling in equal measure. We laugh because Carl comes off like a nut-job to Tony's group, and we are scared because we know that the creature was there. In INS!! At Carl's desk. Superb. Maybe my favourite scene in all of KTNS.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 70. "An Explosive Affair" The station receives a bomb threat.
Great episode. As usual. More serious than funny. As usual. This is also the one where Rosemary Forsyth appears Mr. Carlson's previous secretary. Perfect casting. It's implied that she's Jennifer Mk.1 and it's hard to imagine any actress being able to bring the sort of qualities to the role that Loni Anderson brings to Jennifer, but Forsyth manages it.
It's a moderately successful subplot. It's implied that she has a romantic/sexual interest in Carlson and - strangely - that he might be willing to reciprocate. A strange story choice, since it is well established that Carlson is devoted to his wife.
Much more successful is the main storyline. Andy gets the bomb squad in, and sends Venus and Johnny to a remote tranmitter to keep broadcasting. The scenes between then, in the tiny broadcast booth, are funny and underscored with great tension.
Rising Damp. Season 3, Episode 5. "Fawcett's Python" A snake is loose.
For the fourth time this season the story is driven by a guest character: an exotic dancer, with a pet snake. It's not a bad episode, and there are lots of laughs, but it is a silly episode. When you are dealing with a stripper and her python you cannot help but feel that the show has wandered very far from it's roots. At the height of the silliness: the snake is loose and there's a fake snake left lying around for a prank and several characters seem incapable to telling which is real and which is not. Daft.
Highlight? Kolchak (funny and scary)
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Fri, Mar 6, 09 - Kolchak, WKRP In Cincinnati, Rising Damp
