The vicious spirit of a dead arsonist possesses the body of conductor Ryder Bond (well played by Fred Beir) whenever Bond falls asleep and causes Bond's closest friends to die of spontaneous combustion. Of course, it's once again up to Carl Kolchak (the always fine and engaging Darren McGavin) to save the day. Director Don Weis, working from a novel and intriguing script by Bill S. Ballinger, relates the story at a steady pace and does an ace job of creating an absorbing uncanny and mysterious mood which becomes more increasingly eerie and unnerving as the narrative unfolds (the climax in an old arcade at night is especially spooky). The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another major plus, with stand-out work by Simon Oakland as the ever-cranky Tony Vincenzo, Philip Carey as the hard-nosed Sergeant Mayer, David Doyle as helpful arson expert Cardinale, Madlyn Rhue as feisty, fetching gypsy Maria Hargrove, Jack Grinnage as fussy wimp Ron Updyke, Carol Ann Susi as eager beaver rookie Monique Marmelstein, and Virginia Vincent as ditsy widow Ms. Frankie Markoff. Jerry Fielding provides a lively and rousing score. The special effects are a tad hokey, but get the job done just the same. The shots of smoldering charred corpses are fairly gruesome for network television. A worthy show.
13 Reviews
Firefall
Scarecrow-8814 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
A celebrated music composer, Ryder Bond (Fred Beir), begins losing friends to spontaneous human combustion (when they sleep, these victims set on fire!), nothing around them burned except their bodies. Kolchak investigates, much to the chagrin of Sgt Mayer (Philip Carey) and his police officers, and soon learns to his horror that an actual "doppelganger spirit" wants to take over Ryder's body! It turns out that the evil is a former nobody arsonist who was killed in a Chicago arcade, now targeting Kolchak, nearly burning him alive in Bond's apartment. He takes the form of Ryder Bond, appearing and disappearing to trick and confuse. Kolchak learns from a gypsy (she is one of his disgruntled news sources who demands cash for the secrets of ending the doppelganger's reign of terror) that this spirit will have to reunite with his own corpse so he can find rest, so digging a grave and planting the body where it once died are on the agenda. Strange but rather neat premise is certainly original, providing a unique predicament for Kolchak to escape from. His lack of sleep only makes matters worse for him, and, as you would expect, the authorities conceive Kolchak's bizarre theory of the doppelganger as loony. Why wouldn't they? The show never had quality effects, but the premises always lent to some thoroughly engaging characters, comedy, and spooks. This episode is no different. Charlie's Angels own David Doyle shows up as an expert in pyrotechnical know-how.
A satisfying episode.
Hey_Sweden12 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Series star Darren McGavin remains fun to watch in this snappy, witty episode that also has some solid suspense going for it. Kolchak is supposed to be writing a story about fraud committed against home owners, but he finds a weird story that's much more his speed. It seems that the spirit of a murdered arsonist named Markoff just cannot rest. It's still causing human beings to burst into flame, and takes on the appearance of an orchestra conductor named Ryder Bond (Fred Beir), whose body it wants to take over. Kolchak comes to learn that he will have to reunite the spirit with its earthly remains in order to resolve things, only he will be in peril himself should he fall asleep (he learns all this from a phony gypsy), and he's starting to feel more than a little tired.
This twisty story is intriguing enough to stand out from past episodes, and still has all of the humour that we Kolchak fans desire. Kolchak and Vincenzo still have their differences, of course, and Vincenzo gets one of the biggest laughs of all when he refers to Kolchaks' employment as a swindle. It's also funny when Kolchak is informed by this gypsy (Madlyn Rhue) that her information won't come cheap, and in order to escape the wrath of her family should he not pay up, is forced to get his mitts on the petty cash in the I.N.S. office. In addition, it's highly amusing when he gets confused by Updykes' (Jack Grinnage) method of filing, and asks him if he's heard of the Dewey Decimal System.
All chuckles aside, the finale to this episode works well as it plays out without narration or music, and the tension is palpable. A fine bunch of guest stars are a treat to watch, including Philip Carey as the latest authority figure to have to deal with Kolchak, David Doyle as an expert in pyrotechnics who gives Kolchak information, Virginia Vincent as the air head wife of the dead arsonist, and Carol Ann Susi as young reporter Monique Marmelstein. The special effects aren't too special, but they're not too bad, either.
In conclusion, it's worth noting that even those of the four legged persuasion are annoyed by Kolchak, as he fails to win over the pet dog of an eyewitness.
Eight out of 10.
This twisty story is intriguing enough to stand out from past episodes, and still has all of the humour that we Kolchak fans desire. Kolchak and Vincenzo still have their differences, of course, and Vincenzo gets one of the biggest laughs of all when he refers to Kolchaks' employment as a swindle. It's also funny when Kolchak is informed by this gypsy (Madlyn Rhue) that her information won't come cheap, and in order to escape the wrath of her family should he not pay up, is forced to get his mitts on the petty cash in the I.N.S. office. In addition, it's highly amusing when he gets confused by Updykes' (Jack Grinnage) method of filing, and asks him if he's heard of the Dewey Decimal System.
All chuckles aside, the finale to this episode works well as it plays out without narration or music, and the tension is palpable. A fine bunch of guest stars are a treat to watch, including Philip Carey as the latest authority figure to have to deal with Kolchak, David Doyle as an expert in pyrotechnics who gives Kolchak information, Virginia Vincent as the air head wife of the dead arsonist, and Carol Ann Susi as young reporter Monique Marmelstein. The special effects aren't too special, but they're not too bad, either.
In conclusion, it's worth noting that even those of the four legged persuasion are annoyed by Kolchak, as he fails to win over the pet dog of an eyewitness.
Eight out of 10.
Stalking A Ghostly Firebug
a_l_i_e_n12 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Friends and associates of a famous orchestra conductor are systematically being burned to a crisp.
A charred body found on a bed without anything else in the room being singed is strange enough. But when a woman lounging next to a pool is also discovered inexplicably toasted, Kolchak suspects the cause may be something more than a leaky lighter. Also strange: each time someone dies, witnesses spot famous conductor Ryder Bond in the vicinity. Bond has witnesses to verify he was not present when these tragedies occurred, but when Kolchak spots him getting into the car of a close associate, the car is soon engulfed in flames, the driver is dead, and Ryder Bond is nowhere in sight.
Kolchak discovers that the day of the first fiery death, Bond's car had cut through the funeral procession for an arsonist shot dead at a pinball arcade by mob enforcers. He also learns from the firebug's widow that the guy happened to be a great admirer of classical music- and of Ryder Bond.
Kolchak goes to the conductor's residence, but when Bond lets him in, the conductor vanishes as the interior of the apartment bursts into flames with Kolchak barely managing to escape with his life.
Carl consults a gypsy friend about the strange events. She tells him it sounds like he's dealing with a doppelganger or ghost that is trying to take over the life of someone still living. The gypsy warns him that a doppelganger will kill all those closest to the person it is haunting, and that one is most vulnerable to a doppelganger's attack when they sleep.
Kolchak then visits Ryder Bond at the symphony hall. The distraught conductor tells Carl he's been plagued by images of his double stalking him wherever he goes. Bond agrees to go with the reporter to rest at a local church in the hope the deadly apparition cannot touch him there. Once inside however, Ryder continues to see the ghost with his face looking down on him from the church windows. Kolchak, himself barely able to keep his eyes open from lack of sleep, implores Ryder to stay in the church while he leaves to do some late night work at the cemetery.
Later, Kolchak shows up at the arcade where the gangland murder occurred. He breaks in dragging along with him a large sack. The ghost suddenly appears and begins to set the place ablaze. Kolchak opens the sack revealing the corpse of the dead arsonist inside. He then commands the ghost to accept his true identity, leave Bond alone, and to rest in peace. The doppelganger assumes his old appearance and then disappears in the flames he has created. Kolchak escapes seconds before the arcade explodes.
"Firefall" is a fairly entertaining ghost story with a neat twist: a disembodied spirit wants to "re-embody" itself in someone else's shoes, and works to attain that end by employing it's earthly trade: arson.
Sadly, the fiery deaths are only somewhat effective; the charred corpses are difficult to see through dense clouds of smoke (possibly added at the insistence of ABC censors who worried that incinerated bodies might be "too intense for younger viewers" to see).
Also, the addition of a "poofing" noise whenever victims burn up does not seem like the appropriate sound effect. In fact, rather than a person spontaneously combusting, it sounds more like the exhaust pipe on a moped. Some of the effects of the apparition appearing and fading away look rather dated, and a particular sequence in which a weary Kolchak eyes the spirit flitting from one church window to another is very poorly edited.
Actor Philip Carey is pretty wooden as the cop of the week who can't stand Kolchak, and the tie-up scene at the end is disappointing as it has Carl stating that the ghost is back with it's body and that Ryder Bond is safe. Well, that's nice to know, but it would have been more satisfying to have heard the conductor himself proclaiming that he was no longer plagued by the apparition.
Another item: doesn't a pinball arcade seem like an odd choice of setting for an eerie encounter with a murderous ghost?
Now, having said all that, "Firefall" does indeed have it's merits. Helmed by "Night Stalker" veteran Don Weis (director of the classic episode "The Vampire") with a script by Bill Ballinger, this one moves at a nice, consistent pace. The scenes in which an exhausted Kolchak stumbles about as he tries to do what's necessary to save himself are particularly fun to watch. The episode's best jolt occurs as Ryder admits the reporter into his apartment. As Carl enters expressing sympathy over the latest of Ryder's friends to be incinerated, the conductor vanishes into thin air. It's a startling moment when the viewer suddenly realizes before even Kolchak does that it was actually the doppelganger who let him in.
Some amusingly dry lines come out of the conflagration deaths as Kolchak says of one victim, "She is no longer a fallacious witness because she is presently inhabiting an urn!"
Kolchak counting a list of victims: "Michael Vaughn, Felicia Porter, and George Mason: three flames in an ever increasing gruesome candelabra."
Compared to other classic episodes in the series, "Firefall" may not qualify as one of the hotter entries, but it does generate enough heat to keep a viewer warm for an hour.
A charred body found on a bed without anything else in the room being singed is strange enough. But when a woman lounging next to a pool is also discovered inexplicably toasted, Kolchak suspects the cause may be something more than a leaky lighter. Also strange: each time someone dies, witnesses spot famous conductor Ryder Bond in the vicinity. Bond has witnesses to verify he was not present when these tragedies occurred, but when Kolchak spots him getting into the car of a close associate, the car is soon engulfed in flames, the driver is dead, and Ryder Bond is nowhere in sight.
Kolchak discovers that the day of the first fiery death, Bond's car had cut through the funeral procession for an arsonist shot dead at a pinball arcade by mob enforcers. He also learns from the firebug's widow that the guy happened to be a great admirer of classical music- and of Ryder Bond.
Kolchak goes to the conductor's residence, but when Bond lets him in, the conductor vanishes as the interior of the apartment bursts into flames with Kolchak barely managing to escape with his life.
Carl consults a gypsy friend about the strange events. She tells him it sounds like he's dealing with a doppelganger or ghost that is trying to take over the life of someone still living. The gypsy warns him that a doppelganger will kill all those closest to the person it is haunting, and that one is most vulnerable to a doppelganger's attack when they sleep.
Kolchak then visits Ryder Bond at the symphony hall. The distraught conductor tells Carl he's been plagued by images of his double stalking him wherever he goes. Bond agrees to go with the reporter to rest at a local church in the hope the deadly apparition cannot touch him there. Once inside however, Ryder continues to see the ghost with his face looking down on him from the church windows. Kolchak, himself barely able to keep his eyes open from lack of sleep, implores Ryder to stay in the church while he leaves to do some late night work at the cemetery.
Later, Kolchak shows up at the arcade where the gangland murder occurred. He breaks in dragging along with him a large sack. The ghost suddenly appears and begins to set the place ablaze. Kolchak opens the sack revealing the corpse of the dead arsonist inside. He then commands the ghost to accept his true identity, leave Bond alone, and to rest in peace. The doppelganger assumes his old appearance and then disappears in the flames he has created. Kolchak escapes seconds before the arcade explodes.
"Firefall" is a fairly entertaining ghost story with a neat twist: a disembodied spirit wants to "re-embody" itself in someone else's shoes, and works to attain that end by employing it's earthly trade: arson.
Sadly, the fiery deaths are only somewhat effective; the charred corpses are difficult to see through dense clouds of smoke (possibly added at the insistence of ABC censors who worried that incinerated bodies might be "too intense for younger viewers" to see).
Also, the addition of a "poofing" noise whenever victims burn up does not seem like the appropriate sound effect. In fact, rather than a person spontaneously combusting, it sounds more like the exhaust pipe on a moped. Some of the effects of the apparition appearing and fading away look rather dated, and a particular sequence in which a weary Kolchak eyes the spirit flitting from one church window to another is very poorly edited.
Actor Philip Carey is pretty wooden as the cop of the week who can't stand Kolchak, and the tie-up scene at the end is disappointing as it has Carl stating that the ghost is back with it's body and that Ryder Bond is safe. Well, that's nice to know, but it would have been more satisfying to have heard the conductor himself proclaiming that he was no longer plagued by the apparition.
Another item: doesn't a pinball arcade seem like an odd choice of setting for an eerie encounter with a murderous ghost?
Now, having said all that, "Firefall" does indeed have it's merits. Helmed by "Night Stalker" veteran Don Weis (director of the classic episode "The Vampire") with a script by Bill Ballinger, this one moves at a nice, consistent pace. The scenes in which an exhausted Kolchak stumbles about as he tries to do what's necessary to save himself are particularly fun to watch. The episode's best jolt occurs as Ryder admits the reporter into his apartment. As Carl enters expressing sympathy over the latest of Ryder's friends to be incinerated, the conductor vanishes into thin air. It's a startling moment when the viewer suddenly realizes before even Kolchak does that it was actually the doppelganger who let him in.
Some amusingly dry lines come out of the conflagration deaths as Kolchak says of one victim, "She is no longer a fallacious witness because she is presently inhabiting an urn!"
Kolchak counting a list of victims: "Michael Vaughn, Felicia Porter, and George Mason: three flames in an ever increasing gruesome candelabra."
Compared to other classic episodes in the series, "Firefall" may not qualify as one of the hotter entries, but it does generate enough heat to keep a viewer warm for an hour.
Kolchak: "Firefall"
Wuchakk18 April 2018
PLOT: Kolchak tangles with a doppelganger, a destructive ghost of an arsonist that replicates a living person (Fred Beir) to harass and, ultimately, (try to) possess. Madlyn Rhue plays a feisty gypsy who offers advice on how to tackle the curiously fire-starting spirit (she played Marla McGivers in Star Trek's "Space Seed" seven years earlier).
COMMENTARY: After several rather conventional monsters-of-the-week in the previous movies/episodes (except for maybe the one in "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be..."), the supernatural antagonist in "Firefall" is refreshing and intriguing, combining the doppelganger legend with the spontaneous combustion phenomenon. Carol Ann Susi returns for her third and final appearance as Carl's slightly aggravating co-worker, Monique. There's a pool death-scene with a notable brunette witness.
COMMENTARY: After several rather conventional monsters-of-the-week in the previous movies/episodes (except for maybe the one in "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be..."), the supernatural antagonist in "Firefall" is refreshing and intriguing, combining the doppelganger legend with the spontaneous combustion phenomenon. Carol Ann Susi returns for her third and final appearance as Carl's slightly aggravating co-worker, Monique. There's a pool death-scene with a notable brunette witness.
Rather odd--even for a Kolchak episode!
planktonrules4 December 2013
This episode of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" has a very unusual plot--even for this series. It seems that a man has died and his spirit has left his body and assumed the shape of another--sort of a doppleganger. However, this doppleganger has a nasty habit of making people and things spontaneously combust! And, in the process of investigating, Kolchak ticks off the doppleganger and it's coming to kill him as soon as he falls asleep. How Kolchak rids the world of this evil being is pretty creepy--and amazingly easy...once he digs up a body!
All in all, despite being very unusual, it's a pretty typical style episode of the series. Vincenzo thinks Kolchak is a nut, Kolchak turns out to be right and ultimately he destroys the monster. An unusual but very usual sort of show! No better or worse.
All in all, despite being very unusual, it's a pretty typical style episode of the series. Vincenzo thinks Kolchak is a nut, Kolchak turns out to be right and ultimately he destroys the monster. An unusual but very usual sort of show! No better or worse.
A Man Possessed
gavin694215 April 2015
Kolchak (Darren McGavin) discovers the murdered spirit of a gangster is incinerating his former enemies, and is trying to take over the body of a music conductor.
We already have a pretty good story here. Like the plot says, a gangster who possesses a music conductor and then lights his enemies on fire. Pretty cool, and an interesting mix (who would think to use a music conductor of all people).
But then add in the fortune-telling gypsy, who hopefully becomes a regular on the show. She has sass and is a good sidekick to Kolchak, something of a connection between himself and the spiritual world he likes to investigate.
We already have a pretty good story here. Like the plot says, a gangster who possesses a music conductor and then lights his enemies on fire. Pretty cool, and an interesting mix (who would think to use a music conductor of all people).
But then add in the fortune-telling gypsy, who hopefully becomes a regular on the show. She has sass and is a good sidekick to Kolchak, something of a connection between himself and the spiritual world he likes to investigate.
Dull as Dishwater
Gislef19 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
'Firefall' isn't a bad episode. I don't think the producers could produce a bad episode. But it's not a particularly good one, either. It's middle of the road, when 'Kolchak' could and did produce better episodes.
The main problem is the meandering plot. Why is the doppelganger killing Bond's associates? Why is it killing anyone? Take over Bond's body when he falls asleep, and end of story. I guess... the doppelganger is killing anyone who might realize it's not Bond. It seems like typical Bond mastermind stupidity. Give the hero plenty of time to figure out what's going on, so he can stop you.
Also, how does the doppelganger kill people? It's kind of stated that you have to be asleep for it to kill you. But then it kills its third victim when he's driving a car! And does the doppelganger have to be present in ghostly form. When it kills the third victim, it seems pretty solid getting into the victim's car. And it sets the apartment and the arcade on fire when Kolchak is there, awake. So I guess it can set fires even if the victims aren't asleep? Or does it have some kind of super incineration power that only works on sleeping victims?
It's all very vague. Can the victims identify the "real" bond from Markoff? We never find out enough about any of them to know. How does the doppelganger kill? And why? It rattles a piano lid at one point, which seems more poltergeist-ish than fire-causing.
There are some chilling moments. The doppelganger glaring in through the church windows at Bond and Kolchak is creepy, and its malicious smile as it taps on the windows. The final confrontation at the arcade between Kolchak and Markoff is good.
The guest appearances are... okay. Madlyn Rhue as Maria, and Virginia Vincent as Markoff's widow, are good. Phillip Carey as Sgt. Meyer is probably the least of the authority figures on the show. He pales in comparison to Charles Aidman, Keenan Wynn, John Dehner, and Kathie Browne. David Doyle has a brief part as Cardinale, who does who knows what. He works in a fire analysis lab, somewhere, doing something, and really wants to know if civilians have their hands on military-grade fire chemicals. Why? I don't know, and it's never stated.
So while 'Firefall' is a good episode, and nothing on 'Kolchak' is a total waste. But it's not a keeper, either It's just... average, and 'Kolchak' can and did much better.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
The main problem is the meandering plot. Why is the doppelganger killing Bond's associates? Why is it killing anyone? Take over Bond's body when he falls asleep, and end of story. I guess... the doppelganger is killing anyone who might realize it's not Bond. It seems like typical Bond mastermind stupidity. Give the hero plenty of time to figure out what's going on, so he can stop you.
Also, how does the doppelganger kill people? It's kind of stated that you have to be asleep for it to kill you. But then it kills its third victim when he's driving a car! And does the doppelganger have to be present in ghostly form. When it kills the third victim, it seems pretty solid getting into the victim's car. And it sets the apartment and the arcade on fire when Kolchak is there, awake. So I guess it can set fires even if the victims aren't asleep? Or does it have some kind of super incineration power that only works on sleeping victims?
It's all very vague. Can the victims identify the "real" bond from Markoff? We never find out enough about any of them to know. How does the doppelganger kill? And why? It rattles a piano lid at one point, which seems more poltergeist-ish than fire-causing.
There are some chilling moments. The doppelganger glaring in through the church windows at Bond and Kolchak is creepy, and its malicious smile as it taps on the windows. The final confrontation at the arcade between Kolchak and Markoff is good.
The guest appearances are... okay. Madlyn Rhue as Maria, and Virginia Vincent as Markoff's widow, are good. Phillip Carey as Sgt. Meyer is probably the least of the authority figures on the show. He pales in comparison to Charles Aidman, Keenan Wynn, John Dehner, and Kathie Browne. David Doyle has a brief part as Cardinale, who does who knows what. He works in a fire analysis lab, somewhere, doing something, and really wants to know if civilians have their hands on military-grade fire chemicals. Why? I don't know, and it's never stated.
So while 'Firefall' is a good episode, and nothing on 'Kolchak' is a total waste. But it's not a keeper, either It's just... average, and 'Kolchak' can and did much better.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
Hostile takeover literally
bkoganbing14 September 2017
We never really get a good explanation as to why the spirit of a gangster recently rubbed out is trying to take over the body of a prominent symphony conductor. Still that is what Darren McGavin is dealing with in this episode.
We don't even get one from Madelyn Rhue playing a gypsy fortune teller and we do know gypsies are the experts here. We do know they do it in your sleep and like on the Highlander can't do their thing on sacred grounds.
I had a lot of trouble following this one, it's not as good as other Kolchak episodes.
We don't even get one from Madelyn Rhue playing a gypsy fortune teller and we do know gypsies are the experts here. We do know they do it in your sleep and like on the Highlander can't do their thing on sacred grounds.
I had a lot of trouble following this one, it's not as good as other Kolchak episodes.
solid episode
stones7814 May 2010
This is one of the better and more memorable segments from this great, but too short series. There is an interesting plot about a music conductor possessed by a low life murdered arsonist. Some advice for those in a hurry, never cut in front of a driving funeral procession; you may have an angry ghost following you and burning those close to you. Credit to the original idea for this innovative episode, and major credit for the chemistry between Kolchak and Tony Vincenzo, who are at each other's throats once again. The actual killings aren't particularly memorable, but everything else about this segment is quite innovative and fun, especially the scene in the church. I wonder how Kolchak dug up the victim's body without getting dirty? That's television, I guess.
Doppleganger
AaronCapenBanner10 November 2014
Carl Kolchak(Darren McGavin) investigates mysterious deaths where the victim's bodies seem to have spontaneously combusted, which is self-incineration. He traces the deaths to the recent killing of an arsonist, whose spirit had crossed paths with a renowned symphony conductor, and as a consequence, is now determined to take over his body, and to do that, the man will have to go to sleep, making it seem inevitable before the ghost wins, though Carl is determined to expel the ghost by beating him at his own game...Unusual episode is quite interesting if contrived, though does make effective use of its premise, leading to a fiery climax.
Fire, doubles, opera
BandSAboutMovies15 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A doppelgänger is a spirit that seeks to take over the body of whomever it is duplicating. In this episode, that would be musical conductor Ryder Bond (Fred Beir). Bond has been seen at multiple crime scenes where victims died as a result of spontaneous combustion. All of these victims just so happened to be colleagues and friends of Bond, which gets Carl Kolchak interested in the story.
Once he meets and gets to know Bond, Carl decides to help him. The only problem is that he could be a target the next time Bond falls asleep and his doppelgänger emerges to kill. Carl discovers that an organizer crime figure named Markoff dreamed of being a conductor and now that his spirit can't rest, he has decided to target Bond and take over his life.
To stop him, Carl must work with fortune teller Marie (Madlyn Rhue) to learn how to stop the evil ghost. That means digging up his grave - using footage recycled from "The Zombie" episode - and taking it to the arcade where he died the first time, then setting it on fire. What a loss - that place was filled with some amazing pre-video game machines and so much old pinball.
This is one of four episodes of the series that Don Weis would direct. It was written by Bill S. Ballinger, who also wrote "The Ghost of Potter's Field" episode of Circle of Fear as well as the movie The Strangler.
It all ends with Carl finally able to sleep, except it's in the back of a police car as he's hauled off to jail. He closes the story by saying, "Well, at least I won't have to worry about the doppelganger any longer. He's back in his own body and will probably be cremated, which is really rather sweet poetic justice for Frankie Markoff. My only worry now is to find Tony Vincenzo to try to raise bail. They've got me hooked on some stupid arson charge. But it's Tony's night to play cards and I don't know where he is. So I think I'll just spend a nice good night's sleep in the slammer."
Once he meets and gets to know Bond, Carl decides to help him. The only problem is that he could be a target the next time Bond falls asleep and his doppelgänger emerges to kill. Carl discovers that an organizer crime figure named Markoff dreamed of being a conductor and now that his spirit can't rest, he has decided to target Bond and take over his life.
To stop him, Carl must work with fortune teller Marie (Madlyn Rhue) to learn how to stop the evil ghost. That means digging up his grave - using footage recycled from "The Zombie" episode - and taking it to the arcade where he died the first time, then setting it on fire. What a loss - that place was filled with some amazing pre-video game machines and so much old pinball.
This is one of four episodes of the series that Don Weis would direct. It was written by Bill S. Ballinger, who also wrote "The Ghost of Potter's Field" episode of Circle of Fear as well as the movie The Strangler.
It all ends with Carl finally able to sleep, except it's in the back of a police car as he's hauled off to jail. He closes the story by saying, "Well, at least I won't have to worry about the doppelganger any longer. He's back in his own body and will probably be cremated, which is really rather sweet poetic justice for Frankie Markoff. My only worry now is to find Tony Vincenzo to try to raise bail. They've got me hooked on some stupid arson charge. But it's Tony's night to play cards and I don't know where he is. So I think I'll just spend a nice good night's sleep in the slammer."
Warm In Here, Or Is It Just Me?
rmax30482328 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It has its moments. Kolchak is his usual ambitious and conniving self. A gangster is murdered. An innocent musician's body explodes while he's lying in bed.
The only witness to the spontaneous combustion is an elderly lady and her cute little dog, Randolph. The room where the body is, or was, is of course off limits to the press but Kolchak insinuates himself into the crowd of cops, kneels down, and begins discussing the dog's health with the old lady. It seems Randolph is constipated and requires unusually long walks outside. Kolchak, glancing around the crime scene, chats up the witness with patently phony advice about the best ways to keep a dog regular -- "Have you tried mineral oil?" "A couple of aspirin and a bowl of warm milk?" McGavin pulls it off perfectly but I sometimes find myself wondering who dreams up these incidents.
I didn't particularly mind that the first violinist of the Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra blew up in his bed. It's not my favorite instrument. I had to listen to my kid practice on it all day. But then this miscreant, ghostly figure, who looks like the orchestra's conductor -- don't ask me; I was confused -- goes ahead and blows up a gorgeous graduate of the Sorbonne at a swimming pool. That was a dirty trick, unjustified, and a violation of all known moral parameters.
The notion of a double has a longish history in folklore and especially in Russian literature. The problem with the Doppelgänger as a spook is that the concept itself is nebulous. We know who Frankenstein's monster is, how he came about, what he's capable of. And we know Dracula's habits and Jack the Ripper's. But what does a double do? He can set people on fire? Says who? The characters in this episode are clearly enough drawn but the ghostly presence is tentative and the story is full of logical holes.
Not one of the stronger entries in the series.
The only witness to the spontaneous combustion is an elderly lady and her cute little dog, Randolph. The room where the body is, or was, is of course off limits to the press but Kolchak insinuates himself into the crowd of cops, kneels down, and begins discussing the dog's health with the old lady. It seems Randolph is constipated and requires unusually long walks outside. Kolchak, glancing around the crime scene, chats up the witness with patently phony advice about the best ways to keep a dog regular -- "Have you tried mineral oil?" "A couple of aspirin and a bowl of warm milk?" McGavin pulls it off perfectly but I sometimes find myself wondering who dreams up these incidents.
I didn't particularly mind that the first violinist of the Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra blew up in his bed. It's not my favorite instrument. I had to listen to my kid practice on it all day. But then this miscreant, ghostly figure, who looks like the orchestra's conductor -- don't ask me; I was confused -- goes ahead and blows up a gorgeous graduate of the Sorbonne at a swimming pool. That was a dirty trick, unjustified, and a violation of all known moral parameters.
The notion of a double has a longish history in folklore and especially in Russian literature. The problem with the Doppelgänger as a spook is that the concept itself is nebulous. We know who Frankenstein's monster is, how he came about, what he's capable of. And we know Dracula's habits and Jack the Ripper's. But what does a double do? He can set people on fire? Says who? The characters in this episode are clearly enough drawn but the ghostly presence is tentative and the story is full of logical holes.
Not one of the stronger entries in the series.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
