Air Date: Jan 17, 1975
Directed by Robert Scheerer. Written by Bill Ballanger and David Chase
Guest Cast: John Marley, Pat Harrington Jr., Katherine Woodville, Jamie Farr, Barbara Rhoades, Jeanie Bell, Lindsay Workman, Regis Cordic, Byron Morrow, Vince Howard, Sandra Gould, Al Checco.
FROM IMDB: Ancient cells discovered in the arctic by oil men give rise to a carnivorous, evolutionary ancestor and a corporate cover-up.
Kolchak did a pretty amazing job of covering whatever was big in the 70s. In an interview at the time star Darren McGavin recognized that a big chunk of his audience were kids and by this time in the series run it had moved from 10pm Friday nights to 8pm Friday nights which meant probably more kids. The irony in this is that Kolchak would actually climb to cult status when CBS would pick up the series in syndication and show it at 11:30pm on Friday nights. Anyway, back to 70s fads, we’ve been on a cruise, we’ve seen government coverup, we’ve dealt with robots and vampires now it’s Bigfoot’s turn. Considered by many Koclhakians as a lesser episode I think they should give this one another watch. Any Kolchak episode written by David Chase (who would go on to create THE SOPRANO’S) is a good episode and this one is no exception.
The episode opens with Carl at the scene of a violent crime where the victim has been torn apart— we get right into it with the most cantankerous anti-Kolchak cop in the series in the form of John Marley whose credits include hundreds of TV and movie roles from THE GODFATHER to THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
Shown here is the antagonism;
Carl Kolchak: Well, it looks like a freezer, but it's so hot and damp and humid in here, you could steam littleneck clams.
Captain Maurice Molnar: Well, it's out of order.
Carl Kolchak: Yeah, it stinks, too. It smells of mildew. Phew!
Captain Maurice Molnar: Maybe it's your undershirt.
Carl Kolchak: Could be your jokes.
If KOLCHAK has faults it’s in the repeated elements that fit like cliche— the cop who hates Kolchak, a monster who throws people around, and a bunch of oddball characters he will meet as the investigation goes along. You either embrace these and enjoy the show or you find fault in them. It’s for this reason that I never advocate (as some blogs do) that you watch these everyday— once a week is much more natural for the way the show was intended.
Pat Harrington Jr
For oddballs we’ve got some of the best; Pat Harrington Jr who is probably best known as the handyman on ONE DAY AT A TIME but he’s got a long list of credits. Harrington plays an oil company PR man whose focus is more on when and where he’s having lunch than actually getting out the truth.
Barbara Rhoades tries to stall Carl.
Barbara Rhoades who was a buxom redhead who seemed to appear in every show in the 1970s including HAPPY DAYS, STARSKY AND HUTCH, SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and of course COLUMBO. She’s a secretary here who has to hold off Kolchak’s truth seeking.
Regis Cordic is another face you’ll recognize but won’t be able to place, he’s another COLUMBO alumni as well as dozen’s of other shows and movies. He plays a doctor in this episode who creates another stumbling block for Carl.
Sandra Gould is a landlady who saw “the gorilla” and her credits include THE GHOST AND MR CHICKEN, THE FLINTSTONES (ORIGINAL SERIES) and BOY MEETS WORLD. She’s a great little character actress who always adds fun to whatever she’s in.
Kolchak discusses Ape Men with Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr, best known for MASH, is great as a high school teacher who longs for recognition and a vacation.
More KOLCHAK Dialogue;
Ron Updyke: It seems some dangerous animals did escape, including two large apes, a pair of adult African gibbons, as well as a Malayan tiger, a civet cat, and a pie-cost.
Tony Vincenzo: What's a pie-cost?
Ron Updyke: 89 cents.
The comedy bits are the best part of the show for me.
You might have missed a few easter eggs in this episode too; Kolchak was filmed and produced by Universal Studios, the company that gave us the classic monsters and there are a couple of homages to those in here;
The truck driver’s name is William Pratt. William Henry Pratt is the real name of Boris Karloff who would become a star in the Universal Monster Universe.
One of the victims is watching a Mummy movie (I think it’s THE MUMMY’S CURSE 1944) before he’s attacked.
Our Ape Man
How’s the monster? It’s actually pretty solid, we don’t get much of a look at him, and that’s always a good idea. I guess he’s not a Bigfoot officially, but to a kid in the 70s any ape on the loose was a Sasquatch.
KOLCHAK RATING: 4.0 This one is underrated and better than I remembered.