"The Hitchhiker" (1983) TV series 1983-1991

Creators:

Lewis Chesler
Riff Markowitz
Richard Rothstein

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | unknown

Release Date:

23 November 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Fictional stories are told in this television series by The Hitchhiker. Each story is usually a mysterious thriller.

Plot Keywords:

Hitchhiker | Twist | Violence | Nudity | Anthology

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Page Fletcher

...

The Hitchhiker (16 episodes, 1983-1990)

Also Known As:

Deadly Nightmares (UK) (video compilation title)
Le voyageur (France)

Runtime:

France:26 min | USA:30 min (85 episodes)

Country:

France | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) (video release) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (video release) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) (video release) | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M

Company:

Corazon Productions

Trivia:

Nicholas Campbell appeared as the Hitchhiker in the initial trilogy of "tryout" episodes, which originally aired in late 1983. After HBO picked the show up for a full second season, Campbell was unavailable to reprise his role, so Page Fletcher took over the role. For reruns, all of Campbell's scenes were replaced with re-shot footage of Fletcher. Even on the Canadian Season 1 DVD release, a "Fletcher" version of an original Campbell episode got released by mistake.

Pleasant dreams this did NOT guarantee.

When I was living in Barbados, CBC used to carry this anthology series in its late night (and by late, I mean around 10:30) Tuesday slot - they definitely didn't show all the episodes of this, or "Tales From The Darkside" (which replaced it). Not a patch on "The Twilight Zone," this anthology of tales about people who either got what they deserved or met their doom - and the two weren't always the same - was still effectively creepy, if a bit morbid, viewing.

Some of the most notable tales topped and tailed by Page Fletcher's wandering man: a story with Michael O'Keefe's dog getting revenge on his enemies, and driving him to his death when his girlfriend told him he was his own worst enemy; a tale with a man who thought his girlfriend was an escaped mental patient, and ended up getting killed by the real loony; "One Last Prayer," with Lisa Blount as a singer who invented an image for herself that was guaranteed to succeed, but worked TOO well and ended up replacing the singer in real life; and an episode with Harry Hamlin as a developer under a curse, which stood out as one of the few stories with a happy ending.

And yes, that music is very memorable. But Home Box Office's reputation was not built on this show.