What's your favorite pre-series special? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MegtheEgg86 · 03-09-2009, 10:37 AM

Just a curiousity question. The majority of my favorite segments are in either the pre-Stack specials or the first season. So what's your favorite? I've pulled info from joshypiano's sticky to refresh the memory:

Special #1
January 20, 1987
***Donald Kemp’s van was found idling in the middle of an intersection, belongings strewn on the ground but he was missing. His body was found 3 years later just a few miles from where his van had been left. Supposed sightings of him as well as phone calls he allegedly made after police thought he was dead make his family think he met with foul play.
***Roger Wheeler, Sr., President of World Jailai, was gunned down in the parking lot of his Tulsa country club. Brian Halloran was also executed soon after he claimed he turned down the contract on Wheeler. John Callahan, former President of World Jailai was also gunned down. Police think all 3 murders are connected. Update: John Martorano, 60, pleaded guilty Tuesday before state Circuit Court Judge Scott Silverman to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the 1982 slaying of John B. Callahan, a Boston accountant and former World Jai Alai president. James “Whitey” Bulger is also wanted for the murders
***Pat Mealbach found out she was adopted and learned some information that leads her to believe she is the daughter of Dodge heir, John Dodge.
***Terry Lee Conner & Joseph Daugherty escaped from prison and then robbed a bank and took the bank president, Ray Deering, and his family at gunpoint before escaping. Update – they’ve been captured.
________________________________________
Special #2
May 25, 1987
***Wanda Jean Mays disappeared a year earlier from her aunt & uncle’s home in the middle of the night. Her bloody nightgown was found on a nearby boat dock. Did she suffer from another anxiety attack and flee or meet with foul play? Update: It has been accounced that Mays' remains were actually found five years ago at the bottom of a 150 cliff in a wooded area near Cha-La-Kee Road in Guntersville. Family members said Mays, who suffered from a chemical imbalance, had a panic attack the day she vanished and ran two miles away from a relative's home and fell off the cliff.
***John Burns killed his girlfriend, Eleanor Farber, and then disappeared. Police discovered that John Burns is an alias. Who and where is he? Update John Burns real name is Wilfred Cashman and he’s an escaped convict. He’s been captured.
***Kyra Cook, 18, was found dazed and disoriented in a park. She now has total amnesia even after being reunited with her family and has no idea what caused it.
***Young attractive women are drugging their dates with animal tranquilizer in order to rob them. Several women are shown who are wanted for these crimes.
***Three women, Cynthia Debore, Carol Ann Riley and Patricia Weeks all disappeared in a span of 18 years after dining with the same man, Robert Weeks. He has disappeared and police are looking for him.-Update : he’s been captured
________________________________________
Special #3
September 24, 1987
***An unknown man (later nicknamed the Unabomber) has planted 12 bombs at various places over the last 9 years killing one and injuring several. Police are searching for him.. Update : Developments in the infamous Unabomber case, Theodore Kaczynski has been captured and convicted in this case.
***Jack Lutter is missing. Police has discovered he has several wives and girlfriends and at least 15 children. Update: His real name is John Lutter. He was arrested in Los Angeles in 2000 but released in 2001 after victms could not be found to testify against him.
***Final Appeal – Glen Consagra is serving two life sentences for killing his two friends. He claims he is innocent. Update: Consagra was released in 1990, and died roughly 5 years later.
***George Marsh, a retired laborer, died in a KC nursing home in 1982. He left an unclaimed fortune of $175,000. Searching for his heirs.
Update : George Marsh’s heirs were located soon after.
________________________________________
Special #4
November 29, 1987
***The suspicious death of Shannon Davis whose husband Dave Davis collected $325,000 in insurance before he disappeared; Update : Dave Davis arrested in connection with the murder of his wife
*** The disappearance of Dottie Caylor who suffered from agoraphobia. Update : A Concord Police detective says in court documents that he believes Dottie Caylor, a Concord woman missing almost 21 years, was killed by her husband in the home they shared. However no charges have been filed and the case remains unsolved.
***The unexplained circumstances surrounding a fatal car accident in Oklahoma where Aileen Conway was killed.
***The discovery of a human skull suspected to be that of Glenn Hyde who vanished with his wife Bessie on a Grand Canyon rafting trip in 1928.
________________________________________
Special #5
February 5, 1988
***Unexplained Death: A report on the bizarre 1984 death of 17 year-old Kurt McFall. Mcfall's father believes his son was killed as a result of his involvement with a Satanic cult.
***The FBI manhunt for Jerry Strickland and his child bride Missy Munday wanted for kidnapping, robbery and murder; Update : Jerry Strickland & Missy Munday are captured.
***Michael Martin, a man sentenced to life imprisonment, whose guilt has been challenged by five alibi witnesses.
***The search for newsstand owner Charlie Scheel's heirs. Update:
________________________________________
Special #6
May 6, 1988
***Hagerstown, Md., case in which the psychic powers of Dorothy Allison are put to the test.
***The case of an Iowa credit union employee Steve Hadley who disappeared with more than $1 million in untraceable bills. Update : capture of Steven Hadley charged with stealing from a credit union
***Also a report on a bag of undelivered letters found in an attic and addressed to World War II servicemen;.
***Wanted: The dragnet for Joe Sheppard, the alleged killer of two young women, who has been on the run since his escape from a Tennessee jail in 1978. Fugitive Joe Shepard wanted for two murders, who escaped from a Tennessee prison more than 10 years ago Update : Shepard has been apprehended in Canada
________________________________________
Special #7
May 18, 1988
***A brutal attack that left Doreen Picard dead and critically injured Susan Laferte. Update : Raymond “Beaver” Tempest was convicted of the murder of Doreen Picard several years after the crime
***A "Con Juan" named Louis Carlucci who preys on women, stealing their hearts and life savings;
***Wellsville, Pa., housewife Diane Brodbeck suspected of aiding convicted murderer John Yount in a prison escape. Update Brodbeck and Yount were eventually apprehended.
***Treasure hunters who claim to have deciphered a code that may lead to $21 million in gold and silver buried by a miner in 1821 dubbed “Beale’s Treasure”.

ididn'tdoit · 03-09-2009, 04:19 PM

Kyra Cook and Donald Kemp are two of my favorites (but I could easily name most of them ^^)

Another one would be Dottie Caylor but I had no idea it was originally aired as a PSS! :O

MegtheEgg86 · 03-09-2009, 04:32 PM

Well, I have to correct myself a little: rather, these are pre-SERIES specials, as some of them were hosted by RS. I'll have to fix that.

synthisislab · 03-09-2009, 05:36 PM

The 1st one easily. I like all 4 of those cases. I think the only segment from the specials that I haven't seen is the Glen Consagra case.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-09-2009, 07:44 PM

I'm in between #4 and #5 myself.

justins5256 · 03-09-2009, 08:38 PM

Wow, that's a tough question. They are all really good. The only weak one, IMO, was special six. I'm just not a fan of psychics and about half that special focused on Dorothy Allison. The other two segments were kind of lame ducks too. Hadley was caught before the special even aired, so there wasn't much of a mystery there. The other segment about the WWII letters was okay but bordering on depressing and not that intriguing of a mystery.

As far as favorites, it's a toss up between 3 and 4 for me. Special 3 had some very compelling and haunting stories such as Jack Lutter and Glen Consagra. Neither of which were satisfactorily resolved. Lutter was caught years later but the charges were dropped. Consagra was paroled a few years after the special aired and died a few years after that without receiving any kind of official exoneration.

Special 4 had some haunting and still unresolved mysteries such as Ayleen Conway and Dottie Caylor. The stories themselves were presented masterfully. The Dave Davis story was very interesting also, even though we know the outcome of that. However, I can't help but watch now and wonder about his guilt, as there is some evidence that suggests he may be innocent of Shannon Mohr's death.

Special 4 also had the unique honor of being Stack's first. He looked much younger and more vibrant there. The choice of settings for his narration was unique as well, as he was in locations that pertained to the stories.

I have yet to find the NBC version of special 4. I would really like to know if Stack said anything about Burr or Malden, or if there were updates on previous stories.

03-09-2009, 10:37 AM	#1
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	What's your favorite pre-series special? Just a curiousity question. The majority of my favorite segments are in either the pre-Stack specials or the first season. So what's your favorite? I've pulled info from joshypiano's sticky to refresh the memory: Special #1 January 20, 1987 *Donald Kemp’s van was found idling in the middle of an intersection, belongings strewn on the ground but he was missing. His body was found 3 years later just a few miles from where his van had been left. Supposed sightings of him as well as phone calls he allegedly made after police thought he was dead make his family think he met with foul play. Roger Wheeler, Sr., President of World Jailai, was gunned down in the parking lot of his Tulsa country club. Brian Halloran was also executed soon after he claimed he turned down the contract on Wheeler. John Callahan, former President of World Jailai was also gunned down. Police think all 3 murders are connected. Update: John Martorano, 60, pleaded guilty Tuesday before state Circuit Court Judge Scott Silverman to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the 1982 slaying of John B. Callahan, a Boston accountant and former World Jai Alai president. James “Whitey” Bulger is also wanted for the murders Pat Mealbach found out she was adopted and learned some information that leads her to believe she is the daughter of Dodge heir, John Dodge. Terry Lee Conner & Joseph Daugherty escaped from prison and then robbed a bank and took the bank president, Ray Deering, and his family at gunpoint before escaping. Update – they’ve been captured. ________________________________________ Special #2 May 25, 1987 Wanda Jean Mays disappeared a year earlier from her aunt & uncle’s home in the middle of the night. Her bloody nightgown was found on a nearby boat dock. Did she suffer from another anxiety attack and flee or meet with foul play? Update: It has been accounced that Mays' remains were actually found five years ago at the bottom of a 150 cliff in a wooded area near Cha-La-Kee Road in Guntersville. Family members said Mays, who suffered from a chemical imbalance, had a panic attack the day she vanished and ran two miles away from a relative's home and fell off the cliff. John Burns killed his girlfriend, Eleanor Farber, and then disappeared. Police discovered that John Burns is an alias. Who and where is he? Update John Burns real name is Wilfred Cashman and he’s an escaped convict. He’s been captured. Kyra Cook, 18, was found dazed and disoriented in a park. She now has total amnesia even after being reunited with her family and has no idea what caused it. Young attractive women are drugging their dates with animal tranquilizer in order to rob them. Several women are shown who are wanted for these crimes. Three women, Cynthia Debore, Carol Ann Riley and Patricia Weeks all disappeared in a span of 18 years after dining with the same man, Robert Weeks. He has disappeared and police are looking for him.-Update : he’s been captured ________________________________________ Special #3 September 24, 1987 An unknown man (later nicknamed the Unabomber) has planted 12 bombs at various places over the last 9 years killing one and injuring several. Police are searching for him.. Update : Developments in the infamous Unabomber case, Theodore Kaczynski has been captured and convicted in this case. Jack Lutter is missing. Police has discovered he has several wives and girlfriends and at least 15 children. Update: His real name is John Lutter. He was arrested in Los Angeles in 2000 but released in 2001 after victms could not be found to testify against him. Final Appeal – Glen Consagra is serving two life sentences for killing his two friends. He claims he is innocent. Update: Consagra was released in 1990, and died roughly 5 years later. George Marsh, a retired laborer, died in a KC nursing home in 1982. He left an unclaimed fortune of $175,000. Searching for his heirs. Update : George Marsh’s heirs were located soon after. ________________________________________ Special #4 November 29, 1987 The suspicious death of Shannon Davis whose husband Dave Davis collected $325,000 in insurance before he disappeared; Update : Dave Davis arrested in connection with the murder of his wife The disappearance of Dottie Caylor who suffered from agoraphobia. Update : A Concord Police detective says in court documents that he believes Dottie Caylor, a Concord woman missing almost 21 years, was killed by her husband in the home they shared. However no charges have been filed and the case remains unsolved. The unexplained circumstances surrounding a fatal car accident in Oklahoma where Aileen Conway was killed. The discovery of a human skull suspected to be that of Glenn Hyde who vanished with his wife Bessie on a Grand Canyon rafting trip in 1928. ________________________________________ Special #5 February 5, 1988 Unexplained Death: A report on the bizarre 1984 death of 17 year-old Kurt McFall. Mcfall's father believes his son was killed as a result of his involvement with a Satanic cult. The FBI manhunt for Jerry Strickland and his child bride Missy Munday wanted for kidnapping, robbery and murder; Update : Jerry Strickland & Missy Munday are captured. Michael Martin, a man sentenced to life imprisonment, whose guilt has been challenged by five alibi witnesses. The search for newsstand owner Charlie Scheel's heirs. Update: ________________________________________ Special #6 May 6, 1988 Hagerstown, Md., case in which the psychic powers of Dorothy Allison are put to the test. The case of an Iowa credit union employee Steve Hadley who disappeared with more than $1 million in untraceable bills. Update : capture of Steven Hadley charged with stealing from a credit union Also a report on a bag of undelivered letters found in an attic and addressed to World War II servicemen;. Wanted: The dragnet for Joe Sheppard, the alleged killer of two young women, who has been on the run since his escape from a Tennessee jail in 1978. Fugitive Joe Shepard wanted for two murders, who escaped from a Tennessee prison more than 10 years ago Update : Shepard has been apprehended in Canada ________________________________________ Special #7 May 18, 1988 A brutal attack that left Doreen Picard dead and critically injured Susan Laferte. Update : Raymond “Beaver” Tempest was convicted of the murder of Doreen Picard several years after the crime A "Con Juan" named Louis Carlucci who preys on women, stealing their hearts and life savings; Wellsville, Pa., housewife Diane Brodbeck suspected of aiding convicted murderer John Yount in a prison escape. Update Brodbeck and Yount were eventually apprehended. **Treasure hunters who claim to have deciphered a code that may lead to $21 million in gold and silver buried by a miner in 1821 dubbed “Beale’s Treasure”.
	__________________ "Why is she lying?, it makes me wonder. What is she hiding?, it makes me wonder." Go Vols! Last edited by MegtheEgg86; 03-09-2009 at 04:33 PM.

03-09-2009, 04:19 PM	#2
ididn'tdoit Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 03, 2006 Posts: 405	Kyra Cook and Donald Kemp are two of my favorites (but I could easily name most of them ^^) Another one would be Dottie Caylor but I had no idea it was originally aired as a PSS! :O
	Last edited by ididn'tdoit; 03-09-2009 at 05:45 PM.

03-09-2009, 04:32 PM	#3
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	Well, I have to correct myself a little: rather, these are pre-SERIES specials, as some of them were hosted by RS. I'll have to fix that.

03-09-2009, 05:36 PM	#4
synthisislab Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 552	The 1st one easily. I like all 4 of those cases. I think the only segment from the specials that I haven't seen is the Glen Consagra case.

03-09-2009, 07:44 PM	#5
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	I'm in between #4 and #5 myself.

03-09-2009, 08:38 PM	#6
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	Wow, that's a tough question. They are all really good. The only weak one, IMO, was special six. I'm just not a fan of psychics and about half that special focused on Dorothy Allison. The other two segments were kind of lame ducks too. Hadley was caught before the special even aired, so there wasn't much of a mystery there. The other segment about the WWII letters was okay but bordering on depressing and not that intriguing of a mystery. As far as favorites, it's a toss up between 3 and 4 for me. Special 3 had some very compelling and haunting stories such as Jack Lutter and Glen Consagra. Neither of which were satisfactorily resolved. Lutter was caught years later but the charges were dropped. Consagra was paroled a few years after the special aired and died a few years after that without receiving any kind of official exoneration. Special 4 had some haunting and still unresolved mysteries such as Ayleen Conway and Dottie Caylor. The stories themselves were presented masterfully. The Dave Davis story was very interesting also, even though we know the outcome of that. However, I can't help but watch now and wonder about his guilt, as there is some evidence that suggests he may be innocent of Shannon Mohr's death. Special 4 also had the unique honor of being Stack's first. He looked much younger and more vibrant there. The choice of settings for his narration was unique as well, as he was in locations that pertained to the stories. I have yet to find the NBC version of special 4. I would really like to know if Stack said anything about Burr or Malden, or if there were updates on previous stories.