Kolchak: The Night Stalker/The Devil's Platform

The Devil's Platform
Season 1, Episode 7
Airdate	November 15, 1974
Teleplay by	David Chase, Donn Mullally, Rudolph Borchert, Larry Markes, Norm Liebmann
Story by	Tim Maschler
Directed by	Allen Baron
Stream
← 1x06 Fire Fall	1x08 → Bad Medicine
Kolchak: The Night Stalker — Season One

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The Devil's Platform is the seventh episode of the first season of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Starring:

Guest Starring: Jack Grinnage (Ron Updyke), Tom Skerritt (Sen. Robert W. Palmer), Ellen Weston (Lorraine Palmer), Stanley Adams (Louis the Bartender), Jeanne Cooper (Dr. Kline), Julie Gregg (Susan Driscoll), John Myhers (Senator James Talbot), Keith Walker (TV Reporter), John Dennis (Second Maintenance Engineer), Robert DoQui (Park Policeman), Sam Edwards (Mailman), Ike Jones (First Maintenance Engineer), William Mims (Officer Hale), Bruce Powers (First Policeman), Ross Sherman (Second Policeman), Bill Welsh (TV Announcer), Ruth McDevitt (Emily Cowels)

Co-Starring:

Plot Overview

Bob Palmer, a candidate for Illinois state senator, listens to his campaign manager, Stephan Wald, as they walk down an office corridor. Wald threatens to blow the whistle on Palmer. He has evidence. Palmer and Wald both get on the elevator. The doors close and shortly thereafter there is an accident: the elevator car plummets down the shaft, killing Wald. Palmer is nowhere to be found.

Kolchak -- always the one to photograph such things -- takes a photo of Wald in the wreckage. He also photographs an out-of-place Rottweiler dog. He also picks up a small pentagram pendant. He begins to follow the Rottweiler, and for a while the dog seems to be following him as well.

Later that night Bob Palmer is a no-show for his debate with Senator Talbot. Kolchak attributes it to a conspiracy. Meanwhile Miss Emily has just returned from Italy. She brought Kolchak a hat. She got some holy water for herself.

When Kolchak has the pictures of the Rottweiler developed, there is no sign of the dog -- it has disappeared from the pictures. When he tries to interview Mrs. Palmer, he is attacked by the Rottweiler. It knocks him down, takes the pentagram pendant, and runs away.

Later Palmer's secretary, Susan Driscoll, blackmails him, threatening to reveal damaging facts if he doesn't do as she asks. She saw him and Wald get on the elevator together. Later, when Susan is taking a walk in the park, Palmer turns into the Rottweiler and viciously attacks her, very nearly killing her. Police officers quickly arrive on the scene and shoot the Rottweiler repeatedly, but the bullets have no effect as the dog simply runs off. Later as she lies helpless in the hospital, Palmer turns up in her room and finishes the job, causing Susan to suffer fatal convulsions when he cuts off the liquid in her IV bottle.

Shortly after another of Palmer's rivals, Senator Talbot, is killed in a head-on crash, Kolchak gets a packet of incriminating Palmer photos in the mail. In a darkroom blowup of one of the photos, Kolchak sees that Palmer is wearing the very same pentagram pendant that the Rottweiler took from him when he was attacked. Kolchak puts two and two together and researches Satanism and how to combat it. He also takes along Emily's holy water for his confrontation with Palmer.

Kolchak breaks into Palmer's house through the wine cellar. Palmer is waiting for him. His powers come from a deal with the devil. He tries to tempt Kolchak into working with him, saying he could have a Pulitzer Prize, if that's what he wants. Of course Kolchak refuses the offer, and then very wisely turns and runs. He doesn't get far though before encountering the Rottweiler. In desperation he throws the bottle of holy water at it, but misses, smashing the bottle on the floor.

Thinking quickly, he takes the pentagram pendant and throws it into the puddle of holy water, destroying the Rottweiler and Palmer.

Trivia

Allusions and References

• Kolchak compares the Plamer estate to a house in Gone with the Wind.

Memorable Moments

When Kolchak breaks into Palmer's wine cellar, Palmer chooses that moment to come down and get wine. Kolchak waits in the shadows until he leaves. When Kolchak attempts to follow him, the very same door that Palmer used seconds earlier, leads only to an empty closet!