All those who stand in the way of a politician's rise to power meet violent ends.
While covering the senatorial campaign of David Palmer, Kolchak watches as an elevator carrying Palmer plummets to the bottom floor of a high rise. However, when the elevator doors are opened by rescuers, Palmer is not found inside and stranger still, a black dog leaps out of the elevator and runs off- but not before Kolchak grabs an amulet hanging around it's neck.
Palmer is scheduled to attend a televised debate, but is a no-show. As Carl watches on a bar room TV set, the moderator declares the debate canceled. When the reporter exits the bar, the dog from the elevator appears again ripping the amulet from Carl's pocket. Later, Palmer makes an appearance to explain that his absence at the debate was due to the trauma caused by the death of his campaign manager who had been in the elevator.
An ex-lover meets Palmer in a park to announce she's going to the authorities with evidence of corruption in his campaign. She turns from Palmer for a moment, but when she looks back she discovers the dog is now standing before her. When it attacks the woman, police officers who happen upon the scene are able to repel it with gunfire. The girl sustains serious injuries and is taken in for treatment. Later, as she lies in her hospital bed, Palmer suddenly appears at her bedside and, placing a hand on her inter-venous bottle, sends the girl into a fatal convulsive shock.
Kolchak's investigations indicate a pattern of violent deaths surrounding Palmer's campaign. He also discovers that the amulet he took off the mysterious dog's neck bears a symbol familiar to occult worship.
That night, Kolchak sneaks into Palmer's mansion and spies him performing rites of black magic. But Palmer is aware the reporter is watching, and makes Kolchak a deal: if Kolchak becomes Palmer's friend in the press he will receive anything he ever wanted. When he asks what will happen if he refuses, Palmer tells the reporter that he would then be tonight's human sacrifice.
Carl makes a break for it but discovers that the door he came in now leads into a brick wall. Palmer changes himself into the hound, but as it attacks, the reporter manages to again remove the amulet from around it's neck and soaks it in Holy water. This causes the necklace to dissolve and as it does, the malevolent dog suddenly becomes meek and docile. Kolchak later explains in his summation that after the incident in Palmer's mansion, the budding senator was never seen again.
This yarn gets off to a good start with the surprising discovery of the evil rottweiler in the elevator. Unfortunately, as man-turning-into-animal tales go, it's second rate compared to the far superior episode, "Bad Medicine". Despite fang-bearing close ups to try and make it seem more frightening, this dog is no Hound Of The Baskervilles.
In a pre-"Alien" role, Tom Skerrit is reasonably well cast as the ruthless Palmer. His almost trademark understated style of acting seems well-suited to the character. Especially when, with cold detachment, he dispatches those who oppose him.
For thrills, there's of course the elevator sequence and also a quick montage of cars and boats exploding to represent Palmer's enemies being eliminated. Beyond this however, there really isn't that much action, and frankly, a little more eerie phenomena to underscore the supernatural underpinnings of the story might have made things more compelling.
There are some memorable lines here and there as in one scene where Miss Emily returns from a vacation and gives Carl a gift: a large white hat like something Marcello Mostrianni might have worn in a Fellini film. Vincenzo smiles at Kolchak's obvious reluctance to accept it and clucks, "well, Carl, now you can get rid of that bird feeder you've been wearing." Kolchak scowls and asks "what's your problem with my hat?" to which Vincenzo replies, "it's not the hat, it's what's underneath it."
Later, Kolchak tries to get Palmer's wife to talk to him but has a hard time thawing her icy demeanor.
Kolchak: (smiling) "My name's Carl Kolchak but you can call me Carl. Your name's Loraine isn't it?
Loraine: "Hello, Carl. Yes, it is but you can call me Mrs. Palmer."
Loriane: "My husband is perfect."
Kolchak: "Wish I was."
Loraine: "So do I."
The music (credited at the end solely to Jerry Fielding) is very good, and the extended electronic theme that plays during the opening sequence is especially memorable.
There is a particularly intriguing scene in which viewers get more of an interior view of Kolchak's personality.
Palmer (as he tries to coax Carl into making a bargain):
"Despite publicly saying you have no interest in the whole notion, deep down you'd like nothing more than to win a Pulitzer Prize. You'd love to work at a high end newspaper in New York, and a have not a leather chair, but a suede one. And despite your blaming your editor for your problems, you know deep down that you are the reason that you are not a greater success."
A well-written and very rare look into the private thoughts of the wily reporter. Just a shame the rest of this shaggy dog story fails to rise to it's level.
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