The Hitchhiker (TV series)
| The Hitchhiker | |
|---|---|
|
The Hitchhiker title screen | |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Starring |
Page Fletcher Nicholas Campbell |
| Composer(s) |
Shuki Levy Michel Rubini Haim Saban |
| Country of origin |
U.S.A. 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 mins. (approx) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
HBO (1983-1987) First Choice (1983-1987) USA Network (1989-1991) La Cinq (1989-1991) |
| Original release | 1983 – 1991 |
The Hitchhiker is a mystery anthology series that aired from 1983 to 1987 on HBO and First Choice in Canada. The series later moved to the USA Network from 1989 to 1991.
The series is known as Deadly Nightmares in the UK and as Le Voyageur in France.[1]
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 & 46 first runs on USA).
Production notes
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 thirty-six episodes), and La Cinq, Atlantique & Quintina Productions (Seasons 5-6 for a total of forty-seven 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.
Michel Rubini created the theme music for the show.[2]
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):
- Kirstie Alley: Angelica in "Out of the Night" (1985), Jane L. in "The Legendary Billy B." (1987)
- Sandra Bernhard: Rat in "O.D. Feelin" (1986)
- Rachel Blanchard: Karen O'Neill in "Riding the Nightmare" (1990)
- Karen Black: Kay in "Hired Help" (1985)
- Susan Blakely: Melody in "Remembering Melody" (1984)
- Timothy Bottoms: Peter in "Joker" (1987)
- Gary Busey: Reverend Nolan Powers in "W.G.O.D." (1985)
- Robert Carradine: Frank in "Garter Belt" (1989)
- Peter Coyote: Alex in "Last Scene" (1985)
- Willem Dafoe: Jeffrey Hunt in "Ghostwriter" (1985)
- Joe Dallesandro: Julien in "Fashion Exchange" (1988)
- Michael Des Barres: The Wise Man in "O.D. Feelin;" (1986)
- Brad Dourif: Billy B. in "The Legendary Billy B." (1987)
- Louise Fletcher: Mother Birch in "Offspring" (1991)
- Zach Galligan: Dick Raskin in "Toxic Shock" (1990)
- John Glover: Miles Duchet in "Striptease" (1989)
- Elliott Gould: Augie Benson in "A Whole New You" (1990)
- Erin Gray: Leslie in "Together Forever" (1989)
- Bruce Greenwood: Jeff Boder in "Shattered Vows" (1983)
- Antony Hamilton: Jim Buckley in "Man of Her Dreams" (1986)
- Jill Hennessy: Marla Cross in "Striptease" (1989), Elisabeth in "Pawns" (1989)
- C. Thomas Howell: Gerald Brumner in "White Slaves" (1990)
- Helen Hunt: Donette in "Why are You Here?" (1987)
- Lauren Hutton: Tess O'Neill in "Riding the Nightmare" (1987)
- Claude Jade: Monique in "Windows" (1990)
- Margot Kidder: Janie in "Nightshift" (1986)
- Klaus Kinski: Kurt Hoffmann in "Love Sounds" (1985)
- Lorenzo Lamas: Tom Astor in "Trust Me" (1990)
- Kelly Lynch: Theresa/Melissa in "Joker" (1987)
- Michael Madsen: John Hampton in "The Man at the Window" (1985)
- Virginia Madsen: Christina in "Perfect Order" (1987)
- Darren McGavin: Old Man in "Nightshift" (1986)
- Belinda Montgomery: Carla Magnuson in "The Man at the Window" (1985)
- Carrie-Anne Moss: Lookalike in "My Enemy" (1989)
- Ornella Muti: Sister Teresa in "True Believer" (1987)
- Franco Nero: Dr. Peter Milne in "Murderous Feelings" (1985)
- Jerry Orbach: Cameron in "Cabin Fever" (1987)
- Geraldine Page: Lynette in "W.G.O.D." (1985)
- Joe Pantoliano: Brother Charles in "The Miracle of Alice Ames" (1988)
- Bill Paxton: Trout in "Made for Each Other" (1987)
- James Remar: Ron in "Homebodies" (1987)
- Michael Schoeffling: Lance in "Dead Man's Curve" (1986)
- Gene Simmons: Mr. Big in "O.D. Feelin" (1986)
- Tom Skerritt: Detective in "True Believer" (1985)
- Alan Thicke: Mickey Black in "Tough Guys Don't Whine" (1990)
- Shannon Tweed: Barbara in "Videodate" (1984), Dr. Rita de Roy in "Doctor's Orders" (1987)
- Robert Vaughn: Dr. Christopher Hamilton in "Face to Face" (1984)
- Fred Ward: Luther Redman in "Dead Heat" (1987)
- Alberta Watson: Jill Friedlander in "Remembering Melody" (1984)
- Bruce Weitz: Ray in "Hit and Run" (1989)
- Olivier Rabourdin: Denis LeBreaux in "A Whole New You" (1991)
Syndication and DVD releases
In 1996, The Hitchhiker entered syndication and was re-edited (to remove the violence and/or nudity/sexuality that were featured on the HBO runs). The first three episodes had some footage edited and/or re-shot to replace Nicholas Campbell with Page Fletcher, in order to preserve continuity during the syndication runs. The Hitchhiker was syndicated by Rysher Entertainment (since absorbed by CBS Television Distribution) up until 2000.
HBO Home Video released a 3 volume set on DVD between 2004–2006, featuring various episodes from the series. The 2-disc sets contain a selection episodes, most from the HBO-produced episodes but also including some that were made for the USA Network.[3][4][5] These releases were discontinued and are now out of print, but can still be found at some retailers as discounted/liquidated stock.
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] These releases were discontinued and are now out of print. Canadian Season 2 (US Season 4) was not released due to an ownership/rights situation.
Alliance Home Entertainment released The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection on DVD in Canada for the very first time on October 11, 2011.[8] The release does not contain all episodes of the series as the title indicates, it only features 30 episodes from various seasons.
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
- ↑ "Release Info" at the IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ↑ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michelrubini4
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00013D54Y
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006Z2NYA
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HEVZ94
- ↑ http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0001E7LL6
- ↑ http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0002J9T5G
- ↑ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hitchhiker-Complete-Collection/15837
External links
- Official site at HBO.com
- The Hitchhiker at the Internet Movie Database
- The Hitchhiker at TV.com
- The Hitchhiker at epguides.com
- Profile and photograph of Michel Rubini (composer of the TV series soundtrack score)