Chopper 

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 (created by) (as Jeff Rice), Steve Fisher (teleplay)

Stars:

Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Larry Linville

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Darren McGavin	...	Carl Kolchak
Simon Oakland	...	Tony Vincenzo
Larry Linville	...	Captain Jonas
Art Metrano	...	Henry 'Studs' Spake (as Arthur Metrano)
Sharon Farrell	...	Lila Morton
Frank Aletter	...	Norman Kahill
Jay Robinson	...	Prof. Eli Strig
Jesse White	...	Security Guard
Jim Backus	...	Herb Bresson
Jack Grinnage	...	Ron Updyke
Ruth McDevitt	...	Emily Cowles
Steve Franken	...	Neil
Joey Aresco	...	Electric Larry
Jimmy Murphy	...	Beaner
Jack Bernardi	...	Otto

Storyline

Former members of a biker gang from the 50s are being decapitated, and a key witness claims that the murders are being committed by a headless figure on a motorcycle wielding a sword. Kolchak pieces the story together and finds that the specter is out to avenge his death due to some rather unusual circumstances surrounding his burial.

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Plot Keywords:

headless horseman | decapitated head | investigation | revenge | supernatural horror | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

The headless motorcyclist appears to have stood close to nine feet tall before being decapitated.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carl Kolchak: The teenage years - sixteen candles, fervent passions, aimless joyrides, and the forbidden taste of beer - a time the world allows for sowing one's wild oats; but, for some individuals I came to know in the summer of their discontent, it had been a time when they had sown the seeds of their own destruction.

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Connections

Referenced in Headless Horseman (2007)

User Reviews

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."

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1975 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Old Colony Building, 37 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60605, United States

Company Credits

Production Co:

Francy Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1