The Man Who Immortalised ‘Kojak’

Magician David Fox explores…

The late, great Telly Savalas is most certainly not the type of personality one would associate with anything of a supernatural nature. Charismatic, straight-talking and with talent in abundance, Savalas became a household name from the 1970s onwards for his masterful portrayal of the indefatigable New York detective Kojak. Revered throughout Hollywood and beyond, the world-famous actor, singer and celebrity passed on in January 1994. However, it is a curious tale from the late 1950s which caught my attention several years ago…

A Stranded Motorist

The story involves Savalas’s bizarre experience when driving home from a social event in Long Island during the small hours. Accounts vary as to where he had been, but Savalas became stranded on a lonely stretch of highway after his car ran out of petrol. Pondering his rueful situation, he decided to leave his vehicle and seek out a service station.

A fortuitous encounter?

Eventually, after travelling on foot for some time, a passing motorist spotted the lonesome pedestrian, stopped his vehicle, and kindly offered Savalas a ride. The actor recounted how the driver of the car appeared to be rather unusual and spoke in a curiously high pitched and unnerving tone. Nonetheless he persevered with this rather eccentric nocturnal Samaritan, collected petrol at the station, and accepted a ride back to his abandoned vehicle. The mysterious driver even lent Savalas a few dollars to pay for the fuel and, feeling very embarrassed, the actor requested his name and telephone number so that he could return the funds to him in due course. Savalas also remembered the driver speaking suddenly about a relatively obscure baseball player. The sudden change in conversational topic had been rather unsettling to say the least. On arriving back at his car, Savalas duly thanked the man for all his help and bid him goodnight.

Strange news…

Savalas returned to work the next day and quickly forgot about the events of the previous evening until he happened to notice a headline on the front page of a local newspaper. The story was about the sudden death of an up-and-coming baseball star. Bizarrely it was the very sportsman who the driver had spoken of during their journey together. Savalas decided to call the telephone number he had been given in order to return the borrowed money and put closure on the event. However, on telephoning, matters took an even more mysterious and disturbing twist….

Who was the strange driver who gave Telly a ride?

The man from nowhere…

On phoning the hand-written number, Savalas was greeted by a woman’s voice. He promptly requested to speak to the gentleman who had assisted him the previous night. In no uncertain terms, the actor was informed that the man he asked for had been dead for some time. It eventually transpired that the woman at the end of the line was the ‘late’ driver’s widow and, after some deliberation, Savalas eventually managed to arrange a meeting with the lady.

Tough guy. The only type of spirit we would usually associate with Telly would be found in a bar.

Fact or fiction?

Savalas showed the woman the scrap of paper which bore the telephone number and name of the spectral driver. The handwriting appeared to match with that of the deceased. He also discovered that the gentleman had shot himself through the throat which may have explained why his ‘ghost’ spoke with such a high-pitched accent.

Watch Telly Savalas’s accont on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axdkv0_kJZQ

Want to know more about the author? Visit David Fox Magic for more details.

David Fox Magician

David Fox is a professional magician who is based in the Midlands, UK, and travels throughout the world performing his unique brand of prestidigitation. He specialises in close-up magic, parlour magic and stage magic. Magician David Fox creates many of his own incredible effects and sensational illusions.

Intersted in the performing arts? For music, art and inspiration, check out my friend’s new blog: BarbaraCalvertBenner