Darren McGavin(1922-2006)

He was indeed "curiously" uncredited in The Natural (1984). During the filming of the movie, Robert Redford was so pleased with McGavin's portrayal of his character that they began to expand the role. However, after a certain point, union rules dictated that the actor's contract needed to be renegotiated for salary and billing. After haggling on salary, and holding up production of the movie because of it, the billing had to be decided. Apparently, McGavin became somewhat fed up with the proceedings and instructed his agent to waive his billing entirely so they could get back to filming.

[on the character of Carl Kolchak] Kolchak is the seeker of truth who will break that veil of secrecy. That's the initial springboard for the character and that's what I always want to play. All the network saw were these cockamamie monsters. There are more bloodsuckers in Beverly Hills than you can ever put on television. Who knows what's going on in the White house or big business or the halls of Congress or the oil companies. Kolchak really wants to get in there and expose all of the true monsters that are affecting our lives. He's a kind of folk hero who's battling the forces of evil that we can't pin down ourselves and deal with. That's what Kolchak told us at the end of every show. "It's true. Don't you understand? It's true."