I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about television shows, made-for-TV movies, or miniseries they remember from years or even decades past. I try to answer each question as best I can. Every now and then I like to pull out a few e-mails to answer here at Television Obscurities for everyone to enjoy. Keep reading for today’s questions and answers.
Movie was about a teacher misdiagnosed with leukemia, who went to NYC and learned she was misdiagnosed. Had detective trying to help her stop hit man hired to kill her. I think male lead as James Franciscus. Movie may have been called Ellen or that was name of lead female character. I think I saw it around late 1960-1970s. Trying to find name of movie and copy if possible.
Mary Ann
This sounds like a 1974 made-for-TV movie called Aloha Means Goodbye starring Sally Struthers. The cast also included James Franciscus, Joanna Mills, Russell Johnson, and Henry Darrow. Struthers plays a young woman named Sara who suffers from a rare blood disorder. James Franciscus is a doctor who wants Sara dead so he can transplant her heart.
The telefilm aired as an installment of The CBS Friday Night Movies on October 11th, 1974. An excerpt can be viewed on YouTube:
Like most made-for-TV movies, Aloha Means Goodbye is not officially available on DVD.
Television program about an over the top newspaper man who regularly uncovers vampires and the like. Loud Editor. Please help! What was it called?
Jeanne
The top newspaper man (actually a reporter for the fictional Independent News Service) is Carl Kolchak. The loud editor is Tony Vincenzo. Both are characters from ABC’s Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which ran for 20 episodes during the 1974-1975 season. A pair of made-for-TV movies (The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler preceeded the weekly TV series in 1972 and 1973.
Darren McGavin starred as Kolchak, with Simon Oakland co-starring as his editor. Here are the opening credits:
A short-lived remake, titled simply The Night Stalker and starring Stuart Townsend, aired on ABC during the 2005-2006 season.
Do you remember watching Aloha Means Goodbye in 1974? Were you a fan of Kolchak: The Night Stalker? Hit the comments with your memories and recollections.
Can’t believe Kolchak is considered an obscurity because it has appeared on MeTV and Decades. I watched it faithfully when it was first-run and it still holds up after 40 years!
It may not be an obscurity, but it’s definitely a one season wonder.
“Kolchak” is my favorite TV series of all time!