I know about the new version of "Unsolved Mysteries," but with the greatest respect in the world, the earlier versions (specifically, the pre-Stack specials and Stack-hosted episodes) are the best. I've watched so many of the episodes from those years so many times, I could recite the scripts for them in my sleep.
Somewhat to that end, I've put together a list of 15 things about "Unsolved Mysteries" from those years that I find, well, quirky. Some of these I've posted elsewhere and if you see one someone else has listed elsewhere, I didn't see it before posting it here (consider it proof that great minds think alike).
On with my list. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts, whether you agree with me or not. And if I made a mistake with one of my things, let me know that too.
1) The season premiere of the first five seasons with Robert Stack contained a segment about UFOs.
2) The disappearance and murder of two women who were last seen in Breckenridge, Colorado, was one of the mysteries the show would profile in its early years. Then, years later, the show profiled a woman named Tara Breckenridge who had gone missing.
3) Roger Dean was fatally shot in his Littleton Colorado home. This is the same town and same state where the Columbine High School Shooting Tragedy occurred.
4) Patsy Wright was found unconscious in her Arlington, Texas home; Tina Jefferson was found dead in an Arlington, Virginia schoolyard.
5) All the show's hosts played some sort of crime fighter on another television show before their "Unsolved Mysteries" stint. Specifically, Raymond Burr was on "Perry Mason," Karl Malden was on "Streets of San Francisco," Robert Stack was on "The Untouchables" (as he liked to remind viewers from time to time) and Dennis Farina was on "Law & Order."
6) Three of the show's most well-known interviews among diehard fans, were all done in silhouette and the names of the people interviewed all had five letters. Specifically, a woman named Patty discussed her allegations of a physician drugging and raping her, a woman named Carol talked about how she felt a man had shot her while she was driving and a man named Donny discussed the deaths of his half-sisters. (Yes, I know Donny had changed his name after a trial regarding those deaths.)
7) Segments of interviews featuring two people named James Fox were shown the show's run. The first Mr. James Fox (who, unlike the other man with the same name, also used his middle initial) was featured in the series' "Diabolical Minds" episode, while the second Mr. James Fox was featured in the segment that sought to track down one of the persons responsible for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.
8) Jerry Moss, who was profiled in a segment regarding accusations of kidnapping his son, was located in Socorro, New Mexico, which is the same town and state that is mentioned in a segment regarding a 1964 UFO sighting.
9) Two segments that discussed two different men named Tom Dixon aired. The first Tom Dixon was wanted for questioning in the disappearance and killing of Gary Simmons, while the second Tom Dixon was wanted for bank robbery.
10) Two Bill Roberts were profiled during the show's pre-Netflix run. In one instance, "Bill Roberts" was the alias of a man wanted for murder, while in the other instance, it was a nickname of a man who claimed to be the outlaw known as Billy the Kid.
11) The name "Don Smith" was a reported alias of a fraud suspect the show profiled and the real name of an apparent murder victim the show mentioned.
12) Oct. 16, in two different years, plays a distinct role in the disappearance and subsequent killing of Gary Simmons. In 1974, it was the date that a person connected to that same case, Tom Dixon, was seen. In 1991, it was the date a school bus driver finally gave into the temptation of exploring the cave behind the bus yard he worked at, which led to the discovery of Simmons' remains.
13) One of the persons interviewed for the segment regarding the murder of Jeanne Torvea mentioned how there was white carpeting throughout her house. However, in one scene from the re-enactment, the carpet of what is serving as her house appears to be blue.
14) During the segment that discusses the abduction of Geoffrey Harding's older brother, you can see the breath of one of the actors, presumably because it is cold outside. However, the kidnapping occurred in June.
15) In the show's earlier years, from time to time, the Social Security numbers of people profiled would be visible. sometimes on a wanted poster or sometimes on a driver's license.
Questions? Comments? Call the "Unsolved Mysteries" tipline at 1-800 ...
Oh wait, that is no longer in service (lol), Seriously now, I'd love to read anyone's thoughts.