Paul Playdon Movies

Debuting Friday, September 13, 1974 on ABC, the weekly, hour-long sci-fi/fantasy series Kolchak: The Night Stalker was spun off from two well-received feature length entries from the same network's Movie of the Week: The Night Stalker (1971) and The Night Strangler (1973). Starring in both these made-for-TV offerings was Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, a fly-by-night newspaper reporter who'd stumbled onto proof of actual paranormal and supernatural activity (a vampire terrorizing Las Vegas in Night Stalker, a werewolf decimating Seattle in Night Strangler), only to have his stories suppressed and himself bullied into silence by nervous police officials and politicians who didn't want to scare away tourists and merchants. By the time the Kolchak series proper began, the title character (still played by McGavin) had been effectively blacklisted by every major publisher in the US, and was forced to work for the Chicago-based Independent News Service, a seat-of-the-pants operation edited by Tony Vincenzo (another carryover from the movie versions). Having likewise been exiled from the higher journalistic circles thanks to Kolchak's "unbelievable" news scoops, Vincenzo harbored a grudge against our hero, but kept him on the payroll all the same. As for Kolchak, he was determined to regain his credibility by filing a story about the Supernatural that could be proven beyond doubt--and of course, he was always foiled when the evidence "mysteriously" vanished at the end of each episode. Making matters worse, Kolchak couldn't even post a "normal" news story, since bizarre and unexplainable things kept happening around him wherever he went. Other regulars included Jack Grinnage as Ron Updike, Independent News' fledgling society reporter who yearned to break into the "big time" and was willing to stab Kolchak in the back to get what he wanted; and Ruth McDevitt as the service's advice columnist Miss Emily Cowles, the only person whom Kolchak could rely upon when things got rough. As for the series' various ghosts, monsters, vampires, mummies and lycanthropes, they were seldom seen full-face but instead lurked in the shadows, in the tradition of the classic Val Lewton "psychological horror" epics of the 1940s (Trivia note: among the series' writers was a young Robert Zemeckis). Although the series enjoyed the built-in following of viewers who'd loved The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, Kolchak: The Night Stalker languished in the ratings opposite such competition as Police Woman and The Rockford Files. Even if the series had been a hit, however, it would have been scuttled by a lawsuit instigated by Jeff Rice, author of the novel upon which the original Night Stalker was based, who insisted he had not given anyone permission to turn his property into a weekly series. Some thirty years after its cancellation on August 30, 1975, Kolchak: The Night Stalker was revived by the X-Files team under the simplified title Night Stalker, with Stuart Townsend as Carl Kolchak. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A seemingly benign nuclear arms treaty threatens to explode into another Cuban Missile Crisis. The IMF is assigned to squelch the treaty before any damage can be done. Their plan requires Paris to pose as both a fugitive and the fugitive's father--a tour de force that won an Emmy Award for makeup artist Bob Dawn. Familiar Mission:Impossible villains John Vernon and Will Kuluva make return appearances, while Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench makes his acting debut as a military guard. Written by Paul Playdon, "The Catafalque" was originally broadcast on February 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The IMF has a mere 48 hours to prevent an elusive enemy assassin from striking again. Posing as a drug-addicted defector, Phelps gains the confidence of the shadowy killer's contact man Eric Bergmann (Albert Paulsen). Also crucial to the success of the IMF is "guest" agent Valerie, played by Jessica Walter). Though the identity of the assassin has been revealed in other sources, it will remain a secret in this synopsis. Written by Paul Playdon, "Orpheus" was origianlly telecast on March 1, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of the three-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Falcon," Phelps manages to rescue Prince Stephan (Joseph Reale), who has been imprisoned to force a marriage between his fiancee Princess Francesca (Diane Baker) and royal usurper General Sabattini (John Vernon). Meanwhile, the IMF agents keep the rightful heir to the throne, King Nicolai (Noel Harrison), under wraps, while Paris poses as Nicolai in order to throw the King's potential assassins off the track. But will the agents, including the lovely Tracey (Lee Meriwether) be able to rescue themselves before Sabattini wises up? Written by Paul Playdon, Episode Three of "The Falcon" first aired on January 18, 1970, as the final chapter of the series' last multipart story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Steve Ihnat guest-stars as eponymous master spy Stefan Miklos in this psychologically complex Mission: Impossible episode. Discovered to be a double agent, Walter Townsend (Jason Evers) is fed false information by the Americans. In order to throw Miklos off the track, the IMF must convince him that Townsend's information is genuine. Once again, Rollin dons elaborate makeup and a thick accent to pose as the central villain--and once again, Barney and Willy pose as workers from the ubiquitious "Kompani die Gaz." Edward Asner also appears in this episode, as a man named Simpson. First telecast January 12, 1969, "The Mind of Stefan Miklos" was written by Paul Playdon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second multipart adventure of Mission: Impossible's third season, "The Bunker" was written by Paul Playdon. The IMF is assigned to rescue rocket scientist Erich Rojak (Milton Selzer), who is being forced to cooperate with the enemy. Not only must the agents release Rojak from an impenetrable bunker, but they must also free his wife Anna (Lee Meriwether, who is being held hostage in a maximum-security prison. Part One of "The Bunker" originally aired March 2, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Guest star Joan Collins plays the title character in this offbeat Mission: Impossible episode. While on a particularly delicate recovery mission, Phelps is shot, wounded and left for dead. Upon awakening, he finds that he has been nursed back to health by the beautiful Nicole. Despite being trained to trust no one, Phelps begins to fall in love with Nicole--while she pumps him for information on behalf of her boss, enemy intelligence officer Anton Valdas (Logan Ramsey). Written by Stuart Hagmann, "Nicole" first aired on March 30, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written by Paul Playdon, "The Interrogator" opens as enemy submarines converged off the Atlantic Coast, poised to launch a nuclear attack against the United States. Racing against time, the IMF agents must persuade captured spy Novan Kruger (Henry Silva) to reveal his country's war plans. Utilizing a new and dangerous drug, the agents subject Kruger to a maelstrom of devilishly clever mind tricks to pry loose his secrets. First telecast on April 20, 1969, "The Interrogator" was the last episode of Mission: Impossible's third season, as well as the final joint series appearance of regulars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Captured by the Germans (again!), Saunders (Vic Morrow) manages to escape from a POW train in the company of cowardly American soldier Decker (Tom Skerritt). Seriously wounded in the escape, Saunders knows that he cannot rely upon his "companion" for aid--and worse, the Germans have sent a vicious pack of dogs after both men. The situation becomes graver still when Saunders is recaptured and injected with mind-altering drugs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On furlough in London, Saunders (Vic Morrow) delivers a $300 bequest to a local orphanage. The hard-bitten sergeant ends up lending a helping hand to Ann Tinsley (Carol Lawrence), who in true stiff-upper-lip fashion is trying to keep the orphans hale and hearty during an upsurge of German bombing raids. Inevitably, Saunders and Ann fall in love, despite their fears about what the future may hold. Prominently featured as a shell-shocked orphan is child actress Chris Charney, who went on to enjoy a successful adult career under the name Christine Baranski. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Franciscus guest stars as PFC Charles Harris, a demolitions expert assigned to Saunders' squad for a mission to blow up a German communications center. As the mission progresses, Saunders can't help but wonder why Harris, a former doctor, would give up the medical profession and dedicate himself to killing rather than curing. It turns out that Harris, like so many other Combat supporting characters, is running away from himself--and the race may be over sooner than he thinks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi