The Return of Kolchak the Night Stalker to the new X-Files series?

by Darrin Vindiola


This is Kolchak the Night Stalker..


Kolchak the Night Stalker was a television series that aired from 1974 to 1975. The show focused on a Chicago newspaper reporter (Carl Kolchak) played by Darren McGavin from "A Christmas Story" fame.

Kolchak investigated strange and unsolved crimes.  Particularly those that law enforcement would not follow up on.  In many cases, the crimes had to do with supernatural elements that involved the occult, werewolves, witches, etc.  It was a great show, and scared the living crap out of me as an eight year old boy watching it in syndication.  The series is now a cult classic, spawned a new series in 2005, and has inspired several comic books and novels.


Fast forward to 2016, and the special six episode revival of the X-Files.  Myself along with many other eagle eyed fans observed the following in the upcoming preview for next week's X-Files episode..



I mean come on.. this has got to be Kolchak right?  Taking to social media, I found a legion of Kolchak and X-Files enthusiasts that have the same thoughts.  I've even learned that the creator of the X-Files Chris Carter originally wanted to feature Kolchak on a few episodes in the original series, but McGavin had no desire to reprise his role.  

In retrospect, I can see how Kolchak the Night Stalker was a big inspiration for the X-Files, and Chris Carter has indeed acknowledged that it greatly influenced its creation.  I guess I'll have to wait until Monday, February 1st to see for sure, but I am already expecting to see good old Carl Kolchak to be getting himself into trouble once again.

Now.. if Carter would only bring back "The Lone Gunmen"  Myself and countless other X-Files fans will be some happy campers!!



!!UPDATE!!

2-10-2016

Well, It's been a week now, so I think this is spoiler safe.  Sadly, the character in this episode was not the beloved Kolchak.  The character was a creature that could transform from a reptilian creature to human. The clothes he sported were ones he took from a serial killers victim at the scene of a crime. The reptilian was innocent, and was a very loveable and funny character. The episode had a great comedic element to it, and was very fun to watch.

It does make one wonder however, was Kolchak snooping around the crime scene when he in turn met an untimely demise? One thing is for sure, I along with other Kolchak fans will always have a sneaking suspicion that this whole thing was at the very least, a nod to Kolchak the Night Stalker.



Crap that's stuck in my head. File # 121.. "Chicka Boom Chicka Boom, Don't you just love it?"

I remember uttering the phrase "Chicka Boom Chicka Boom, Don't you just love it" in the early 70's when I was a very young boy.  In fact, I remember folks singing that tune for the entire decade of the 70's!  I remember my old man singing it whenever he was in a really good mood.  My brother, cousins, aunts, uncle's, friends, heck.. everyone I knew would sing that chorus!

I think it's safe to say that after 1980, I never heard the phrase mentioned ever again until a couple of months ago.  I was out with my golfing buddies one afternoon, and when one of them sunk a twelve foot putt on the green, he enthusiastically exclaimed "Chicka Boom Chicka Boom.. Don'tcha just love it?"  Immediately the dusty file in my memory banks was opened, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since.

Now.. thanks to the wonders of the internet, I've not only learned the history of the song, but have found the single on You Tube!  The song was released in 1971 and was sung by Dick Monga who went by the name of  Daddy Dewdrop.  He originally recorded the song for the cartoon "Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies", but it somehow became a hit, and peaked at #9 on the charts that year.  Monga is a lifetime musician, and while Chicka Boom may have been his biggest success that he sung, he has also written hit songs for Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Sammy Davis Jr, Ringo Starr, and many others.  Apparently he still goes by the moniker of Daddy Dewdrop, and.. last time I heard, he was still releasing albums, with his most recent entitled "This Time".

Below is a recording of his hit single, as well as the original Groovie Goolies version.  Please be aware that once you listen to this song, the chorus may be permanently burned into your brain if it hasn't been already.


 




Hee Haw Valley in Vista California


While converting some of my folks old slides to digital format recently, I stumbled upon these gems.  My brother and I were huge western enthusiasts as kids, so my old man got a kick out of taking us to anything western themed in California.  These were taken, at Hee Haw Valley in Vista California when I was about three years old.





My brother and I excited for our train ride (I'm the one in the cowboy hat)  Dig the cat with the way cool beard!  Are the Amish allowed to drive trains?



Look close and you'll see the cowboy engineer with his hand over his forehead, possibly nursing his headache from the screaming three year old sitting right behind him. Yes.. the darkness and noise was a little bit too much for me to handle at the age of three. Below you can see my loving brother comforting me as we exit the tunnel.



Hee Haw Valley was great.  It was a nice little attraction that featured all kinds of animals you could pet and feed, and they even had a talking crow!  If you want to learn more about this long lost place of fun, or simply reminisce, make sure to visit the Hee Haw Valley web-site.   There you will find wonderful history, memories, and background info that you can't find anywhere else on the internet!



The Dodge Demon

I saw this cap in the store the the other day and I realized I haven't seen a Dodge Demon on the road since I was a kid.


One of the coolest car model logos of all time

1972 Dodge Demon GSS
340 cubic-inch supercharged V-8, with 360 horsepower



Dodge Demon's were special edition variants of the Dodge Dart made from 1971 to 1972.  Their future was doomed however, as gas guzzling high output Muscle cars became a thing of the past in 1973 with the advent of factory smog controls.

I remember only occasionally seeing Dodge Demon's as a kid, and knew they were kind of rare, and I personally haven't seen one on the road since the mid eighties.  The last I heard, due to shoddy record keeping, no one knew exactly how many of these Demon's were produced or sold.

The original price of these cars was about $3500.00.  Today you can count on spending anywhere from 21,000.00 to 41,000 depending on its condition.





The Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" Lady


In 1984 Wendy's ran with their "Where's the Beef?" advertising campaign that took the country by storm. The premise is as follows..  Three elderly gals are standing at a fast food counter examining a hamburger with a gigantic bun and tiny hamburger patty. The first two ladies discuss its appearance by saying.. "It certainly is a big bun.. It's a very big bun.. It's a big fluffy bun. It's a very big fluffy.. bun."  It's at that point when the third woman angrily shouts "WHERE'S THE BEEF?"


The catchphrase was instantly embedded into American pop culture, and is still widely recognized to this day.  I personally remember seeing Where's the Beef? buttons, mugs, bumper stickers, shirts, hats, and posters. Due to this advertising campaign alone, Wendy's sales jumped 31% worldwide in 1985.






The "Where's the Beef?" lady's name was Clara Peller, and for awhile in the 80s, she seemed to be everywhere. I remember Peller starring in a slew of sequel commercials for Wendy's, all of which were subsequent hits as well.  But the ride didn't stop there. Peller became a hot commodity due to her Wendy's fame.

Peller was on all manner of talk and news shows, commercials, a few movies, a Saturday Night Live bit, and even served as a guest ring announcer at WrestleMania-2. My friends and I knew her by name, and if any of us experienced a "Clara sighting" on the TV or movies, we'd spread the word. Below are some videos of Peller at her best..



Clara Peller scene in the movie "Moving Violations"





There was also a "Where's the Beef?" song that was sung by the late radio DJ Coyote McCloud. Clara Pellers voice was simply edited into the song, with McCloud doing the lions share of work in regards to vocals. I remember this song got quite a bit of airplay on radio stations for awhile, especially on morning shows.





Below is an NBC Interview with Clara Peller. If you don't crack a smile while watching this.. there's something seriously wrong with you. She's so loveable in this video, I can't stand it!







Clara with Dick Butkus!





Compilation of Clara Peller Media clips



It was a good run.  Sorta..

So in the end, this whole Where's the Beef? phenomenon lasted for about one year. Peller got fired from Wendy's because she did a Prego commercial where she exclaimed "I found it" (in reference to the Beef of course). I don't think it's a coincidence that Wendy's sales started dropping after the Where's the Beef? campaign ended. Sales floundered for a couple years until founder Dave Thomas started starring in commercials for the chain.

But she didn't let the loss of her sweet Wendy's deal slow her down. Check out some other products dear Clara lent her charm to..



Where's the Ben's?







No Meat? Praise Dog Food commercial



 Where's the News?



It's amazing how a catchphrase can grab hold and (go viral) as the kids today call it. Heck.. who hasn't used "Who shot J.R.?"...  "I'll be back"... or "Whatchu Talkin' Bout Willis?"  I've got to admit that I've certainly worked all three phrases into daily conversation (a couple of them quite recently).

After her star burned bright for a very short time, Clara Pellers passed away in 1987 at the age of 85. One thing is for sure however, she left an everlasting impression on pop culture, and is still making folks laugh to this very day.



Chock Full O'Nuts Coffee - Yet another product I didn't know still existed




I remember my folks talking about a coffee called 'Chock full o'Nuts' when I was a kid.   On these walks down memory lane, I'd proceed to torture dear old Mom with a barrage of questions about the coffee like.. "Mom.. why do they call it Chock full o'Nuts?  Is the coffee made out of nuts?!?  The short answer of  "No" of course wouldn't satisfy any seven year old, so it was always immediately followed up with the question.. "Then WHY do they say it's Chock full of nuts?"  This inquisitive assault would usually continue until I was told to go away and do something like play with my Star Wars action figures, or watch 'Happy Days'.





Make no mistake.. there are no nuts in this coffee!

This coffee's name is a nod to the company founder William Black's New York based nut shops called 'Chock full o'Nuts' that were a smashing success in the late 1920s.  In 1932, his nut shops were converted to coffee shops, because of suffering sales due to the depression.  The 18 coffee shops kept the same name, and were known for selling a cup of coffee and a sandwich for a nickel.

In 1953 William Black started selling his own brand of coffee in stores, named after his original street-side nut shop located on Broadway and 43rd street.  By 1955, Chock full o'Nuts became the number one coffee in  New York city.  While bumpy roads set the company back in the 70s, the company has went through a revitalization in recent years, and is still immensely popular with New Yorkers and Americans nationwide.  

Next time I need to make a coffee run, I'm definitely going to give Chock full o'Nuts a try.  Then it will be my turn to suffer the endless questioning from my kids about the name of this coffee!