| "Chopper" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | January 31st, 1975 |
| Writers | Steve Fisher; David Chase; Robert Zemeckis; Bob Gale |
| Director | Bruce Kessler |
| Producers | Cy Chermak |
| Starring | Darren McGavin; Simon Oakland |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Trevi Collection" |
Next "Demon in Lace" |
"Chopper" is the fifteenth episode of the supernatural mystery series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It was directed by Bruce Kessler with a teleplay written by Steve Fisher and David Chase, based on a story concept developed by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It first aired on ABC on Friday, January 31st, 1975.
Plot[]
After the caskets of an old Chicago cemetery are being put in storage, an old can drops out of a casket. Soon afterward strange things start happening: a 20 year old motorcycle comes back to "life"; a cab driver is beheaded by a sword swinging headless motorcyclist; a telephone lineman is also almost beheaded. Despite stonewalling by Police Captain Jonas, Kolchak pieces the story together-nearly twenty years before - the body of a headless motorcyclist had been found -- members of a rival gang had accidentally killed him. When one of the gang decided to carry the head of the victim in a can, the ghost of the victim had beheaded him in revenge. To keep the ghost from killing them, the remaining members of the gang had put the can in the grave of the murdered man -- who only rested in peace until his coffin was moved! The ghost takes revenge on two of the three gang members still alive by beheading them as well. At the cost of nearly being killed himself; Kolchak reunites the skull with the rest of the bones -- which are finally buried together.
Cast[]
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Darren McGavin | Carl Kolchak |
| Simon Oakland | Tony Vincenzo |
Guest Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Larry Linville | Captain Jonas |
| Art Metrano | Henry "Studs" Spake |
| Sharon Farrell | Lila Morton |
| Frank Aletter | Norman Kahill |
| Jay Robinson | Professor Eli Strig |
| Jesse White | Security guard |
| Jim Backus | Herb Bresson |
| Jack Grinnage | Ron Updyke |
| Ruth McDevitt | Emily Cowles |
| Steve Franken | Neil |
| Joey Aresco | Electric Larry |
| Jimmy Murphy | Beaner |
| Jack Bernardi | Otto |
| Jim Malinda | Snow White |
| Brunetta Barnett | Nurse |
Uncredited cast[]
Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Fern Barry | Mrs. Rita Baker |
| Steve Boyum | Harold "Swordsman" Baker |
| Jimmy Joyce | George, Second watchman |
| Ralph Montgomery | Claude |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker was created by Jeffrey Grant Rice.
- This episode is production code number 1x15.
- This episode has been made available on Netflix instant streaming video. [1]
- This episode was released in VHS format along with "The Knightly Murders" as part of the Kolchak: The Night Stalker Collector's Edition series. [2]
- This episode is included on disc four of the Classic Television: Kolchak: The Night Stalker DVD collection. [3]
- This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker directed by Bruce Kessler.
- This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker co-written by Steve Fisher.
- This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker co-written by Robert Zemeckis. This is Zemeckis' first work in the horror genre. He will go on to become an executive producer on the horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt.
- This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker co-written by Bob Gale. He too will go on to work on Tales from the Crypt.
- Dirk Wayne Summers is uncredited as a story contributor to this episode.
- Actor Art Metrano is credited as Arthur Metrano in this episode.
- This is the fifth episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Rudolph Borchert as an editor.
- This is the fourteenth episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Paul Baxley as a stunt coordinator.
- Steve Boyum is an actor and a stunt coordinator. This is his only work on Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He is also known for his work as a director, and has directed at least eight episodes of the CW Network television series Supernatural.
- The Devil's Rejects actor, Kelvin Brown, was born on the same day that this episode first aired.
- Actress Sharon Farrell is also known for her work in films such as It's Alive in 1974, The Premonition in 1976, and Sweet Sixteen in 1983. She also played a Mrs. Wax in the "Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?" episode of Freddy's Nightmares.
- The victiums are never actually seen being beheaded-the moment of the ghost swinging the sword at the doomed victium is "Freeze framed" stopped-and the sound of metal ringing is heard!
Allusions[]
- A chopper is a style of custom made motorcycle, so-named because it is usually constructed from the "chopped" pieces of other bikes. In modern contexts, choppers are usually characterized by their monkey bar handlebars and extended forks.
- The concept of a headless motorcycle rider is drawn from the idea of the Headless Horseman, who was the supernatural entity known to plague Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving's 1820 short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
- Neil compares Carl Kolchak to Spike Jones in this episode. Spike Jones was an American band leader specializing in performing satirical arrangements of popular songs.
- Carl Kolchak makes a reference to the Rockettes while admonishing Captain Jonas. The Rockettes are a New York City dance troupe notable for their kickline and eye-high kicks.
Bloopers[]
- Due to prop and costuming (as well as budget) restrictions, the headless motorcycle rider is ridiculously tall in this episode. With all of his body parts intact, his full height would be close to eight or nine feet.
- In the scene where Kolchak is visiting the hospital, the shadow of a boom mike can be seen in the upper right-hand corner.
- At the end , Kolchak remarks how three members of the Jokers had been killed; in fact there were four-the first being killed by Baker's ghost after Baker's accidental death years before!
- Kolchak also remarks on how Captain Jonas was demoted to Sgt....but never explains how this happens! {The implication is that victim Morton was in fact an member of the rich Morton family}
Quotes[]
- Carl Kolchak: The teenage years: sixteen candles, fervent passions, aimless joyrides and the forbidden taste of beer. A time the world allows for sowing one's wild oats. But for some individuals I came to know in this summer of their discontent, it had been a time when they had sown the seeds of their own destruction.
....
- Carl Kolchak: If you saw what you say you saw, you won’t find anybody more interested in it than I am.
....
- Tony Vincenzo: Boy, you people got a lot of gall, let me tell you. You sit around here collecting your salaries and gassing about guillotines and corpses on motor scooters and stuffing your faces.
- Carl Kolchak: Ahh-ha.
- Tony Vincenzo: This isn't a functioning newsroom. This is occupational therapy!
'
- Carl Kolchak:There’s an old simple axiom about the dead: don't disturb them, not for any reason at all. Well, I decided to overlook that and so I was almost beheaded by a Phantom Sword. Vincenzo refused to even discuss publishing my story. He didn’t even look at the pictures, but the headless rider is at rest now. All the bones are together in one place, in one coffin. As for those members of the Jokers' motorcycle club, I mean those that are left of course, well, maybe they’ve suffered enough. Three of them died violently and the others will carry the nightmare of the headless rider with them to their silent graves. And incidentally, so will Captain Jonas, formerly of Homicide, now Sgt. Jonas of Traffic Control. You see, he’s in charge of towing away parked cars.
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
Gallery[]
