The Hitchhiker (TV series)

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The Hitchhiker
File:The Hitchhiker.png
Title screen
Genre Anthology
Horror
Mystery
Starring Page Fletcher
Nicholas Campbell
Composer(s) Paul Hoffert
Shuki Levy
Michel Rubini
Haim Saban
Country of origin United States
Canada
France
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes 85
Production
Executive producer(s) Lewis Chesler (1986–1987)
Riff Markowitz (1986–1987)
Richard Rothstein
Jeremy Lipp
Jacques Methe
David Perlmutter
Running time 30 minutes (approx)
Production company(s) Chester/Perlmutter/Markowitz Productions
Distributor Rysher Entertainment
HBO
Release
Original network HBO (1983–1987)
First Choice (1983–1987)
USA Network (1989–1991)
La Cinq (1989–1991)
Original release November 23, 1983 (1983-11-23) –
February 22, 1991 (1991-02-22)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

The Hitchhiker (also known as Deadly Nightmares in the United Kingdom and Le Voyageur in France)[1] is a mystery horror anthology television series. It aired from 1983 to 1987 on HBO, and First Choice in Canada. The series later moved to the USA Network from 1989 to 1991.

Synopsis

Each episode is introduced and concluded by a mysterious wanderer known only as "The Hitchhiker", and explores the foibles of humanity and its dark spirit. The title character was played by Nicholas Campbell from 1983-1984 (3 episodes), and Page Fletcher from 1984-1991 (82 episodes). There were a total of 85 episodes over six seasons (39 first runs on HBO and 46 first runs on USA).

Production

The series was a United States/Canada/France co-production. It was filmed in Vancouver and Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Paris, France. The show was produced by Corazon Productions (Season 1 for a total of three episodes), Quintina Productions (Seasons 2-4 for a total of 36 episodes), and La Cinq, Atlantique & Quintina Productions (Seasons 5-6 for a total of 46 episodes).

The Hitchhiker was created by Lewis Chesler and Riff Markowitz, later joined by Richard Rothstein. The pilot episode consisted of three stories. Richard Rothstein wrote two and Jeph Loeb and Matt Weissman wrote the third.

Paul Hoffert created the theme music for the show.[2]

Episodes

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired Network
First aired Last aired
1 3 November 23, 1983 (1983-11-23) December 14, 1983 (1983-12-14) HBO
2 10 November 13, 1984 (1984-11-13) April 9, 1985 (1985-04-09)
3 13 September 15, 1985 (1985-09-15) April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22)
4 13 February 17, 1987 (1987-02-17) May 12, 1987 (1987-05-12)
5 26 May 22, 1989 (1989-05-22) December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16) USA Network
6 20 September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21) February 22, 1991 (1991-02-22)

Season 1 (1983)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1 1 "Shattered Vows" Ivan Nagy Lewis Chesler November 23, 1983 (1983-11-23)
A greedy man (Bruce Greenwood) and his older rich wife's greedy stepdaughter become lovers and plan to kill the woman using cursed voodoo-like dolls.
2 2 "When Morning Comes" Ivan Nagy Lewis Chesler November 30, 1983 (1983-11-30)
A sleazy music producer finds a gorgeous, seductive female intruder hiding in his cabin in the woods during a rainstorm. Is she a dream come true or an escaped homicidal mental patient?
3 3 "Split Decision" Ivan Nagy Lewis Chesler December 14, 1983 (1983-12-14)
In this black comedy, a desperate real estate salesman tries to convince two strange, attractive twin sisters, whose father was a magician, to sell their house.

Season 2 (1984–85)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
4 1 "Lovesounds" David Wickes Jeph Loeb & Matthew Weisman November 13, 1984 (1984-11-13)
Audio engineer hired to install his strange top notch sound system with a mind of its own for an egotistical music conductor (Klaus Kinski) falls hard for the man's beautiful, neglected wife.
5 2 "Remembering Melody" Christopher Leitch Teleplay by: Alvin Sapinsley
Based on a short story by: George R. R. Martin		 November 27, 1984 (1984-11-27)
Ted Miller, a self-centered yuppie attorney runs into his old flame and former college roommate Melody, who still clings to her 60s values. When he allows Melody to stay in his apartment, things fall apart when she realizes he has sold out his beliefs for success.
6 3 "Face to Face" David Wickes Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Robert J. Avrech		 December 4, 1984 (1984-12-04)
Homely and desperate transsexual Nina Russell hires prominent, but sleazy and arrogant plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Hamilton (Robert Vaughn) to create a more alluring and attractive face for her.
7 4 "And If We Dream" Mai Zetterling Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Leora Barish		 January 15, 1985 (1985-01-15)
8 5 "Petty Thieves" Christopher Leitch Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: William Darrid		 January 29, 1985 (1985-01-29)
9 6 "Videodate" Richard Rothstein Richard Rothstein February 16, 1985 (1985-02-16)
10 7 "A Time for Rifles" David Wickes Written by: Stanford Whitmore
Story by: H.A. DeRose		 March 2, 1985 (1985-03-02)
11 8 "Man at the Window" Christopher Leitch Michael Janover March 12, 1985 (1985-03-12)
12 9 "Hired Help" Mai Zetterling Written by: Stanford Whitmore
Story by: Gail Glaze		 March 26, 1985 (1985-03-26)
13 10 "Murderous Feelings" Mai Zetterling Charles Israel April 9, 1985 (1985-04-09)

Season 3 (1985–86)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
14 1 "Nightshift" Phillip Noyce Story by: April Campbell Jones & Bruce Jones
Teleplay by: William Darrid		 September 15, 1985 (1985-09-15)
15 2 "Out of the Night" Brian Grant Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Marjorie David		 October 29, 1985 (1985-10-29)
16 3 "The Killer" Carl Schenkel Story by: Richard Rothstein & Christopher Leitch
Teleplay by: April Campbell Jones & Bruce Jones		 November 12, 1985 (1985-11-12)
17 4 "W.G.O.D" Mike Hodges Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Thomas Baum		 November 26, 1985 (1985-11-26)
18 5 "Man's Best Friend" Philip Noyce Story by: April Campbell Jones & Bruce Jones
Teleplay by: Nevin Schreiner		 December 10, 1985 (1985-12-10)
19 6 "Ghostwriter" Carl Schenkel Thomas Baum January 7, 1986 (1986-01-07)
20 7 "O.D. Feelin'" Richard Rothstein Richard Rothstein & Christopher Leitch January 28, 1986 (1986-01-28)
21 8 "Dead Man's Curve" Roger Vadim Story by: Christopher Leitch
Teleplay by: John Harrison		 February 11, 1986 (1986-02-11)
22 9 "The Curse" Phillip Noyce Story by: Richard Rothstein & Christopher Leitch
Teleplay by: Thomas Baum		 February 25, 1986 (1986-02-25)
23 10 "True Believer" Carl Schenkel William Kelly March 11, 1986 (1986-03-11)
24 11 "Last Scene" Paul Verhoeven Story by: Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Robert J. Avrech		 March 25, 1986 (1986-03-25)
25 12 "Man of Her Dreams" Phillip Noyce Story by: April Campbell & Bruce Jones
Teleplay by: Gary Ross		 April 8, 1986 (1986-04-08)
26 13 "One Last Prayer" Brian Grant Story by: April Campbell & Bruce Jones
Teleplay by: Leora Barish & Henry Bean		 April 22, 1986 (1986-04-22)

Season 4 (1987)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
27 1 "Perfect Order" Daniel Vigne Marjorie David February 17, 1987 (1987-02-17)
28 2 "Minuteman" Chris Thomson Thomas Baum February 24, 1987 (1987-02-24)
29 3 "Dead Heat" Kees Van Oostrum Story by: William Rontog
Teleplay by: Maurice Noel		 March 3, 1987 (1987-03-03)
30 4 "Why Are You Here?" Chris Thomson Story by: Christopher Leitch
Teleplay by: Christopher Leitch & L. M. Kit Carson		 March 10, 1987 (1987-03-10)
31 5 "Homebodies" Carl Schenkel Story by: Christopher Leitch & Richard Rothstein
Teleplay by: Christopher Leitch		 March 17, 1987 (1987-03-17)
32 6 "Doctor's Orders" Reynaldo Villalobos Thomas Baum March 24, 1987 (1987-03-24)
33 7 "The Legendary Billy B." Chris Thomson Story by: Marjorie David
Teleplay by: L. M. Kit Carson		 March 31, 1987 (1987-03-31)
34 8 "In the Name of Love" John Laing Story by: Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch & Jeremy Lipp
Teleplay by: Jeremy Lipp		 April 7, 1987 (1987-04-07)
35 9 "Made for Each Other" Thomas Baum Thomas Baum April 14, 1987 (1987-04-14)
36 10 "Joker" Colin Bucksey Story by: James Padrino
Teleplay by: William Gray & Robert Reneau		 April 21, 1987 (1987-04-21)
37 11 "Best Shot" John Kent Harrison John Kent Harrison April 28, 1987 (1987-04-28)
38 12 "Secret Ingredient" Colin Bucksey Gail Glaze May 5, 1987 (1987-05-05)
39 13 "Cabin Fever" Clyde Monroe Story by: April Campbell, Bruce Jones & David Latt
Teleplay by: April Campbell, Bruce Jones & Jon Boorstin		 May 12, 1987 (1987-05-12)

Season 5 (1989)

  1. "The Martyr" (1989-04-22)
  2. "In Living Color" (1989-04-29)
  3. "Dark Wishes" (1989-07-01)
  4. "Garter Belt" (1989-07-7)
  5. "Shadow Puppets" (1989-07-08)
  6. "Renaissance" (1989-07-14)
  7. "The Miracle of Alice Ames" (1989-07-15)
  8. "Code Liz" (1989-07-21)
  9. "Her Finest Hour" (1989-07-22)
  10. "Together Forever" (1989-07-28)
  11. "Phantom Zone" (1989-08-04)
  12. "Spinning Wheel" (1989-08-05)
  13. "Square Deal" (1989-08-11)
  14. "Part of Me" (1989-08-12)
  15. "Fashion Exchange" (1989-08-18)
  16. "Hootch" (1989-09-16)
  17. "Coach" (1989-09-30)
  18. "The Verdict" (1989-11-04)
  19. "Hit and Run" (1989-11-10)
  20. "Studio 3X" (1989-11-11)
  21. "Striptease" (1989-11-17)
  22. "The Cruelest Cut" (1989-11-18)
  23. "The Dying Generation" (1989-11-24)
  24. "My Enemy" (1989-11-25)
  25. "Power Play" (1989-12-09)
  26. "Pawns" (1989-12-16)

Season 6 (1990–91)

  1. "Fading Away" (1990-09-21)
  2. "Tough Guys Don't Whine" (1990-09-28)
  3. "Riding the Nightmare" (1990-10-05)
  4. "Strate Shooter" (1990-10-12)
  5. "Hard Rhyme" (1990-10-19)
  6. "Toxic Shock" (1990-10-26)
  7. "New Dawn" (1990-11-02)
  8. "A Function of Control" (1990-11-09)
  9. "Trust Me" (1990-11-16)
  10. "Windows" (1990-11-23)
  11. "Working Girl" (1990-11-30)
  12. "White Slaves" (1990-12-07)
  13. "Tourist Trap" (1990-12-14)
  14. "Homecoming" (1991-01-11)
  15. "Living a Lie" (1991-01-18)
  16. "Made in Paris" (1991-01-25)
  17. "A Whole New You" (1991-02-01)
  18. "Offspring" (1991-02-08)
  19. "Secrets" (1991-02-15)
  20. "New Blood" (1991-02-22)

Cast

Like the much earlier Twilight Zone series, with which it had a lot of other commonalities, The Hitchhiker served as starting point for many actors, some of whom would go on to gain greater recognition elsewhere. Notable cast members (in alphabetical order):

Syndication

In 1995, The Hitchhiker entered syndication. To make the HBO episodes suitable for US broadcast television, edits were made, both for content (to remove nudity/gore/adult language) and for running time, to get them down to the standard 22-minute length needed to insert commercials. Reruns in foreign markets, such as Canada and Europe, often still contained the nudity/language/gore.

After 1983 (but prior to the 1995 syndication), the first three episodes had footage edited and/or re-shot to replace Nicholas Campbell with Page Fletcher, in order to preserve continuity during reruns. The Hitchhiker was syndicated by Rysher Entertainment (since absorbed by CBS Television Distribution) up until 2000.

Home media

Lorimar Home Video released four VHS volumes of HBO episodes to the rental market in 1987 (a trade ad for the first two volumes confirms those were also released on Beta format). Volume 1 contained "W.G.O.D", "The Curse" and "Hired Help". Volume 2 consisted of "Nightshift", "Dead Man's Curve" and "Perfect Order". The third volume had "Ghostwriter", "And If We Dream" and "True Believer". The final Lorimar tape had "Videodate", "Man's Best Friend" and "Face to Face". These four volumes were also issued on laserdisc the following year.

Budget label Goodtimes Home Video also released a single VHS volume containing three of the USA Network episodes in 1989. That tape contained "Her Finest Hour", "In Living Color" and "My Enemy".

HBO Home Video released a three-volume set on DVD between 2004–2006, featuring various episodes from the series. The two-disc, three-volume sets contain a selection of 30 episodes, most from the HBO-produced episodes but also including some that were made for the USA Network.[3][4][5]

In Australia, Volumes 1 and 2 were issued together in a single set, but instead of 20 episodes, the Australian set consists of only 17, leaving out "The Legendary Billy B.", "A Whole New You" and "Dead Heat".

In the United Kingdom, only the first HBO volume was released. This particular release contained nine episodes instead of 10. As with the Australian set, "The Legendary Billy B." is omitted from this release.

In Canada, Koch Entertainment (now known as Entertainment One) released Canadian seasons 1 and 3 (which correspond to US Seasons 1-3 and 5, respectively) on DVD in 2004.[6][7] On October 18, 2005, Koch released The Complete Fourth Season (which corresponds to US Season 6).[8] According to Koch, the reason Canadian Season 2 (US Season 4) was not released was due to them not being able to find out who owned the Canadian distribution rights to those particular episodes.

Alliance Home Entertainment released The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection on DVD in Canada for the very first time on October 11, 2011.[9] "The Complete Collection" is a bit misleading in that this does not contain all episodes (or even all of the HBO episodes). What is "complete" is that this release combines the three previously-released HBO Home Video volumes into one set.

Between the three HBO volumes and the Canadian season sets, all episodes of the show were released on home video except for "Minuteman" and "Doctor's Orders" (both of which came from US Season 4).

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Recipient
1987 CableACE Awards Nominated Actress in a Dramatic Series Jenny Seagrove (For episode "Killer")
Actress in a Dramatic Series Kirstie Alley (For episode "Out of the Night")
Actor in a Dramatic Series Michael O'Keefe (For episode "Man's Best Friend")
Won Actor in a Dramatic Series Gary Busey (For episode "WGOD")
1999 Gemini Award Nominated Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series Tim Archer, W. Michael Beard, Rick Ellis, Thomas Hidderley, and Anthony Lancett

References

  1. ↑ "Release Info" at the IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.paulhoffert.com/
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External links

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