The Devil's Platform (15 Nov. 1974)

Kolchak discovers a young rising politician, has made a deal with the Devil to murder off his competition through incidents made to look like accidents.

Director:

Allen Baron

Writers:

Jeffrey Grant Rice (creator), Donn Mullally (teleplay),

Stars:

Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Tom Skerritt

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Darren McGavin	...	Carl Kolchak
Simon Oakland	...	Tony Vincenzo
Tom Skerritt	...	Robert W. Palmer
Julie Gregg	...	Susan Driscoll
Ellen Weston	...	Lorraine Palmer
Jack Grinnage	...	Ron Updyke
Ruth McDevitt	...	Emily Cowles
John Myhers	...	James Talbot
Jeanne Cooper	...	Dr. Kline
William Mims	...	Officer Hale (as Bill Mims)
Robert DoQui	...	Park Policeman (as Robert Do Qui)
Dick Patterson	...	Stephan Wald
Stanley Adams	...	Bartender
Bill Welsh	...	T.V. Announcer

Storyline

An aspiring politician is surrounded by a series of deadly "accidents" that obliterate any opposition to his career, and Kolchak discovers a bizarre supernatural element to his campaign: a deal with the devil that affords him protection and allows him to change form into that of an ominous dog. Soon it's up to Kolchak to get him off the campaign trail once and for all.

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Plot Keywords:

ford mustang

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1974 (USA)

Filming Locations:

N Franklin St and W Chicago Ave, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Francy Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kolchak asks if he will be required to sign his name in blood, and Palmer ('Tom Skerrit') says yes. This is in keeping with the short story, 'The Devil & Daniel Webster', and the opera, Faust, where contractees with the Devil sign in blood when agreeing to sell their souls.

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Goofs

When Kolchak is viewing the two cars involved in the wreck, there is old rust visible on the damaged areas. The cars were obviously damaged longer than actually implied.

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Quotes

Ron Updyke: [Kolchak's looking through a book of dog pictures] The Kolchak family album?

User Reviews

A fairly enjoyable episode.

'The Devil's Platform' is a typically fun episode with a pretty straightforward story. It does come up a little short on chills and suspense, but at least the laughs are there. Kolchak gets wind of nefarious goings-on when a corrupt senatorial candidate, Robert Palmer (Tom Skerritt) is revealed to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for career success. Whenever anything blocks the politician's path, it's dealt with violently and permanently. And in all of these "accidents", an intimidating Rottweiler figures prominently. As we come to expect, some of the most entertaining moments take place when Kolchak and editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) are butting heads. They both take some pretty big jabs at each other, with Kolchak coming up with a real knee slapper when Vincenzo reveals a past intent to enter into the priesthood. It's also a hoot when Miss Emily (Ruth McDevitt) returns from an Italian vacation and gives Kolchak the gift of a hat. Before too long, he's returned to the tacky straw hat we know and love so much. A conversation between Kolchak and Mrs. Palmer is hilarious the way that he just can't melt his way through her cold personality. There just isn't a whole lot of atmosphere to 'The Devil's Platform', and the accident scenes are staged in such a way that they come off as unintentionally funny. Still, the director, Allen Baron, who'd directed three of the previous episodes, is in fine form and the story is very snappy and energetic. The climax is particularly effective when Kolchak is faced with a dilemma: should he give in to temptation? It seems that Palmer has very much got his number and seen into his soul. The top notch cast of regulars and guest stars do their best with the material: Jack Grinnage as nerdy colleague Ron Updyke, McDevitt as Miss Emily, Jeanne Cooper as a frustrated doctor, Julie Gregg as a secretary who makes a big mistake in attempting to blackmail Palmer, Ellen Weston as Palmer's icy wife, John Myhers as Palmer's political opponent, Robert DoQui as a uniformed Cop, and Stanley Adams as a bartender. Skerritt is great as the low key antagonist, and he and Darren McGavin are at their best in the aforementioned final confrontation. Not a top-drawer episode but certainly a pretty good one. Seven out of 10.