Any word on the Kolchak: Night Stalker series on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Norm]

I would love to see a box set of this series. Has anyone heard anything on this?
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[John Fieldstadt]

I second the motion! I would love to have this as part of my collection!
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[David Lambert]

Y'all are aware, of course, that there is A disc out. Not a season or anything...just a disc.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305095450/ref=ase_imdb-adbox/107-5096752-0501301
Looks like 2 TV movies and that's it. I've thought about getting it and checking it out, since it's reportedly the inspiration for X-Files...apparently Chris Carter dug this TV show when he was a pre-surfer.

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[Norm]

Yes, I own a copy. Thanx
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[MattHR]

Does anyone else want to see KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER complete TV series in a DVD box set? I believe the series ran for only 20 episodes back in 1974-1975. Anchor Bay already released the two TV-movie/pilots THE NIGHT STALKER and THE NIGHT STRANGLER. Those were ABC Film productions, while the series was produced by Universal Studios.

I'd also like to see other Universal TV series released on DVD: THE ROCKFORD FILES, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, THE BIONIC WOMAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, KOJAK, to name just a few.

Of all the major studios, Univeral is probably the biggest offender when it comes to ignoring their TV library, and Universal has one of the largest.

Universal has released dozens of TV DVDs in the U.K. on their Universal Playback label. Hopefully, they will start to release them in the U.S. (and in full-season box sets, of course!)

Here's hoping...

 

[David Lambert]

I will join with you in that hope.

Does Universal ever participate in any chats here? Ron, could we look into that? This would be a terrific question to ask them!

 

[Thomas T]

The two television series that Universal holds the rights to that I would kill for are the Thriller anthology series hosted by Boris Karloff and I would love boxed sets, season by season, of all the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes, not just the ones directed by him.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I would definately buy a Box set of Kolchak. How many eps were there? I remember maybe 22 or so...

 

[David Williams]

I'd like to see Universal's first (and only?) TV Animation project, Exosquad, on DVD. It was a very mature, epic B5-esque story for TV set in the not-so-distant future about the uprising of humanity's genetically engineered slaves, the Neo sapiens. Before the show was canceled at the beginning of it's third season, it was set to merge with the Robotech universe.

 

[Brett C]

I'd like to see the Norliss Tapes(1973) on DVD also.....

 

[Mike Witt]

Agreed, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER would make a nice set...

 

[todd s]

David, I couldn't agree more. Exosquad was very good. It had a great story arc and it was one of the first cartoons I had seen that when ships blew up, people died. It was written very well.

On the Kolchak topic. I always thought it would have been cool. That when the actor who played Kolchak appeared on the X-Files. He would play Kolchak, not the former FBI agent. I guess their was a problem obtaining the rights to the Kolchak character.

 

[TomF]

I would by the Kolchak series on DVD in a heartbeat.

There were a total of 20 episodes plus the two TV movies. If you can't wait for DVD, Columbia House has all the episodes on VHS, two per tape:

The Ripper/The Zombie

The Vampire/The Werewolf

The Spanish Moss Murders/Demon In Lace

Bad Medicine/The Energy Eater

The Devil's Platform/Horror In The Heights

Fire Fall/Legacy Of Terror

They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be.../Mr. R.I.N.G.

The Trevi Connection/The Youth Killer

Chopper/The Knightly Murders

Primal Scream/The Sentry

There are some clunkers, but some great ones too. My personal favorite is The Spanish Moss Murders, although Horror In The Heights is widely considered the best of the series.

 

[David Biggs]

Wow, the Night Stalker would be great. I loved that show. As a matter of fact, it's the first show I remember my parents allowing me to stay up late for when I was a kid.

Ahh, the memories...

 

[David Lambert]

What kills me about the lack of putting this series - in its entirety - out on DVD at a reasonable price is this:

The character "Senator Richard Matheson" is named after Richard Matheson, whose writing inspired "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974), the show that inspired Chris Carter to create "The X-Files."

Yep, the grandfather of the show that is TV-on-DVD done right, The X-Files, was originally inspired by Kolchak: The Night Stalker! Any good X-Phile (fan of the show) knows this bit of trivia.
Doesn't Universal feel that they could make some significant tie-in profits to the X-Files?
I am a fan of Kolchak, and was long before Mulder & Sculley appeared on the scene. Unfortunately, I don't own the existing DVD yet. It's been hard to justify buying it at the $22.99 price (I've been hoping to see a markdown). Also, I've only ever seen it at Best Buy (and, as much as I like the local branch of the chain, it's for just the two short telefilms that led up to the 20-episode weekly series).
I suppose I ought to snag it the next time I have a coupon or a gift card or something; I'd hate to miss owning it. Since those two telefilms are not officially part of the TV series, I doubt they would be included in any box set of the show. :frowning: But I'm sure Anchor Bay did a decent job with the disc; they're Anchor Bay, of course!
Hmm. Doesn't Sci-Fi Channel air reruns of Kolchak? I dunno, I don't have cable/satellite, but I've heard this. If true, and licensed-out rights are any sort of hold-up, then perhaps Vivendi/Universal's buy-out of Sci-Fi's parent USA Networks will cinch the deal...

 

[Kevin M]

I have quite a few of the columbia house Night Gallery tapes & I would love to see them on DVD with (not likely) four episodes per DVD.
The VHS tapes look pretty good I have to say (I believe they did some new transfers from the original film elements for the tapes so they would look GREAT on DVD).

 

[Seth Paxton]

I'd guess this would be better off in Feedback.

But while we are here, I would LOVE the Night Stalker series. I only buy a few TV shows, but this would be one of them.

 

[Kevin M]

By the way I did mean Rod Serling's Night Gallery and not Night Stalker although I would love to see those as well.

 

[John Kwong]

I remember watching this TV show back in the late 70's/early 80's. Ultra cool pre-X Files show!
Any news on this being released on DVD? Who owns it? Does anyone have any info?

 

[TomF]

John,
According to this thread, Universal owns it. I would love to see it too, but have not seen any more updates.
Tom
NOTE: Linked thread has been combined with this one.