One of the best television movies of all time premiered on ABC fifty years ago today (Jan 11, '72): The Night Stalker.
The entry is a who's-who of creative talent, with a teleplay by Richard (I Am Legend) Matheson, based on a novel by Jeffery Guest Rice, and directed by John Llewellyn (Horror Hotel) Moxey. In addition, Dark Shadows alumni Dan Curtis (acting as executive producer) and Ron Cobert (acting as composer) injected their special, atmospheric know-how to the suspense-rousing exploit.
The movie drew a record-breaking viewership based on its is-he-a-mere-madman-or-veritable-vampire concept; and made instant icons out of Darren McGavin's Carl Kolchak, investigative report extraordinaire, and Barry Atwater's Janos Skorzeny, a murderous gent in search of young women's blood in lurid Las Vegas.
The production also elevated Simon Ward's Tony Vincenzo, Kolchak's editor in chief, to a popular perch, which extended (along with McGavin) into the sequel, The Night Strangler, and the weekly series, Kolchak: the Night Stalker.
The Night Stalker is a scary, sentimental favorite that never fails to engage those who watch it: an irrefutable classic that, like fine wine (or perhaps more so, fine blood) gets ever tastier with the passing of time.
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