Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
S1.E15
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Chopper

  • Episode aired Jan 31, 1975
  • 51m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
436
YOUR RATING
Larry Linville in Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
HorrorMysteryThriller

Land development disturbs the final resting place of a headless, sword-wielding cyclist who hunts down and beheads the rival gang bikers who killed him.Land development disturbs the final resting place of a headless, sword-wielding cyclist who hunts down and beheads the rival gang bikers who killed him.Land development disturbs the final resting place of a headless, sword-wielding cyclist who hunts down and beheads the rival gang bikers who killed him.

  • Director
    • Bruce Kessler
  • Writers
    • Jeffrey Grant Rice
    • Steve Fisher
    • David Chase
  • Stars
    • Darren McGavin
    • Simon Oakland
    • Larry Linville
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    436
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bruce Kessler
    • Writers
      • Jeffrey Grant Rice
      • Steve Fisher
      • David Chase
    • Stars
      • Darren McGavin
      • Simon Oakland
      • Larry Linville
    • 10User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Darren McGavin in Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
    Larry Linville and Darren McGavin in Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
    Larry Linville and Darren McGavin in Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
    Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Darren McGavin
    Darren McGavin
    • Carl Kolchak
    Simon Oakland
    Simon Oakland
    • Tony Vincenzo
    Larry Linville
    Larry Linville
    • Captain Jonas
    Art Metrano
    Art Metrano
    • Henry 'Studs' Spake
    • (as Arthur Metrano)
    Sharon Farrell
    Sharon Farrell
    • Lila Morton
    Frank Aletter
    Frank Aletter
    • Norman Kahill
    Jay Robinson
    Jay Robinson
    • Prof. Eli Strig
    Jesse White
    Jesse White
    • Security Guard
    Jim Backus
    Jim Backus
    • Herb Bresson
    Jack Grinnage
    Jack Grinnage
    • Ron Updyke
    Ruth McDevitt
    Ruth McDevitt
    • Emily Cowles
    Steve Franken
    Steve Franken
    • Neil
    Joey Aresco
    Joey Aresco
    • Electric Larry
    Jimmy Murphy
    Jimmy Murphy
    • Beaner
    Jack Bernardi
    • Otto
    Jim Malinda
    • Snow White
    Brunetta Barnett
    • Nurse
    Fern Barry
    • Mrs. Rita Baker
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Bruce Kessler
    • Writers
      • Jeffrey Grant Rice
      • Steve Fisher
      • David Chase
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As Kolchak searches the Cook County warehouse for Baker's body, he finds the name on a tarp that also includes the name "Backus." Jim Backus was a guest star.
    • Goofs
      The headless motorcyclist appears to have stood close to nine feet tall before being decapitated.
    • Quotes

      Carl Kolchak: There's an old simple axiom about the dead: Don't disturb them, not for any reason at all. Well, I decided to ignore that, and, so, I was almost beheaded by a phantom sword.

    • Connections
      Referenced in The Real Ghostbusters: The Headless Motorcyclist (1987)

    User reviews10

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Kolchak: "Chopper"
    PLOT: Kolchak investigates deadly attacks by a resurrected headless biker who preys on the rival gang who killed him in the mid-50s. The attractive Sharon Farrell plays a grieving widow while Jim Backus (Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island) is on hand as a motorcycle dealer.

    COMMENTARY: Critics understandably complain about the look of the headless motorcyclist, which is just a stuntman with a leather jacket pulled up over his head, but what do you expect for pre-CGI early-70s television? While the plot is interesting, "Chopper" is unfortunately hindered by a talky, campy execution. This is only one episode so I can handle the change in tone, but it's decidedly cartoonish compared to the serious horror of the pilot movie and episodes like "The Vampire," "Horror in the Heights" and "The Trevi Collection."
    helpful•6
    0
    • Wuchakk
    • Apr 22, 2018

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 31, 1975 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Old Colony Building, 37 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60605, United States(INS office exterior in Chicago where elevated train passes by)
    • Production companies
      • Francy Productions
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.