'They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...' (a.k.a. 'U.F.O.') by Rudolph Borchert

When Kolchak’s interest is piqued by reports of the death of several animals at Chicago’s Lincoln Zoo, he puts off attending a Cubs game in order to investigate. While en route to the zoo, Karl intercepts a police report concerning strange events at the Raydyne Electronics warehouse; he arrives there just as an unseen force bursts out through the building's wall, knocking everyone to the ground; picking themselves up, the police and Kolchak witness a large quantity of lead ingots vanish right before their eyes. Perplexed, Kolchak carries on to the zoo and finds some strange, black goo on the floor of the destroyed cages; having taken a sample for examination, he then visits the home of Alfred Bindle, a man who recently appeared on a radio talk show with a story about finding large amounts of black glop on his lawn; Bindle tells Kolchak that this strange phenomenon occurred at the same time his neighbour had some electronics equipment stolen. Elsewhere, a petty thief is killed when his stockpile of stolen electrical goods is taken by a mysterious, invisible force. Kolchak takes a sample of Bindle’s goo to Doctor Weinstock at the zoo, and learn that it is comprised of digestive acids and bone marrow - it seems that something ate the animals and then threw up. Despite the government’s attempts to hush matters up, because Raydyne Electronics is a defence contractor, Kolchak is able to learn from morgue attendant Gordy the Ghoul that one of the warehouse security guards also had his bone marrow removed. However, the reporter soon finds himself warned off the story by several Men in Black, who tell him to “kill the UFO story”. Undaunted, Kolchak doggedly continues to pursue his story - and winds up coming face to face with an extraterrestrial force at the planetarium, with only his camera for protection…

Darren McGavin (Carl Kolchak), Simon Oakland (Tony Vincenzo), Jack Grinnage (Ron Updyke), Ruth Mc Devitt (Emily Cowles), James Gregory (Captain Quill), John Fiedler ( ‘Gordy The Ghoul’ Spangler), Mary Wickes (Doctor Bess Winestock), Dick Van Patten (Alfred Bindle), Tony Rizzo (Leon Van Heusen), Carol Ann Susi (Monique Marmelstein), Rudy Challenger (Stanley Wedemyer), Phil Leeds (Howard Gough), Len Lasser (Crowley), Fritz Feld (Waiter), Dennis McCarthy (Guard), Maureen Artheur (Woman Speaker)
Directed by Allen Baron

TX (US): 27th September, 1974

Notes:
*Featuring Carl Kolchak and Tony Vincenzo