HAPPY 50TH, NIGHT STALKER

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. 

GOODBYE, ROBERT (BOB) COBERT...

You injected haunting moods into Dan Curtis' "Dark Shadows" (the classic serial, movies and remake series), plucking lush, melancholic chords that once heard, never left our collective consciousness.

Your distinct compositions gave great flavor as well to other Dan Curtis productions: "The Night Stalker"; "The Night Strangler"; "Kolchak: the Night Stalker"; "Trilogy of Terror"; "Trilogy of Terror II"; "Dead of Night '77"; "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde '68"; "Dracula '73"; "Frankenstein '73"; "The Picture of Dorian Gray '73"; "The Turn of the Screw" '74"; "The Norliss Tapes"; "Burnt Offerings"; "Scream of the Wolf"; "The Winds of War"; "War and Remembrance"; "Melvin Purvis, G-Man"; "The Kansas City Massacre"; "Me and the Kid"; and "The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang".

And let's not forget those darn, catchy tunes you wrote for "The Price is Right", "To Tell the Truth" and "The $25,000 Pyramid". 

You influenced our ears on so many levels, Mr. Cobert, and without your orchestrations, our lives would be nowhere near as expressive, let alone melodious.