Starring David Janssen as The Fugitive

"The name: Dr. Richard Kimble. The destination: Death Row, State prison. The irony: Richard Kimble is innocent. Proved guilty, what Richard Kimble could not prove was that moments before discovering his murdered wife's body, he saw a one-armed man running from the vicinity of his home. Richard Kimble ponders his fate as he looks at the world for the last time, and sees only darkness. But in that darkness, Fate moves its huge hand...."



A thread for all things Fugitive ('63-'67!)

Roy Huggins (Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip) came up with the premise in 1960 -- wanting, he claimed, to do a contemporary equivalent of the Western "drifter" format, such as he had previously done with Cheyenne. But Huggins felt the TV audience would not accept a modern hero wandering aimlessly, so he gave his hero a reason: he took parts of Les Miserables and some details from the Dr Sam Sheppard murder case of 1954 (though for legal reasons he always denied the latter) and gave the world Dr Richard Kimble, "an innocent victim of blind justice".

Roy Huggins:



I think that last sentence is key to The Fugitive's special quality. Dr Kimble is not framed, nor is he the target of any conspiracy. Fate does indeed move its huge hand. This Kafkaesque vibe, a holdover from film noir, may have turned up in individual episodes of Alfred Hitchcock and Twilight Zone, but was and is far from common in series TV.

The Fugitive is one of my two favorite dramatic TV series, along with The Rockford Files. The programs have two things in common. One is Huggins. The other is actors who seem to have been born to play their roles. I can't think of anyone who could surpass David Janssen as Kimble: the tired, pained eyes; the hesitant half smile, symbolizing his reluctance to commit himself emotionally.

Dr Kimble tries to blend into the background. He should have worn a darker suit.



So let's talk about The Fugitive! Favorite (and least favorite) episodes and guest stars, memories (were you watching the final episode in 1967?), or anything. Maybe we could even set up a group rewatch. Hopefully we'll be on the run for a long time -- with Lt Gerard on our trail we don't dare stop...

 

This series gave me the creeps as a kid. I think it was the mysterious one-armed man that spooked me. That and the way Janssen played it - very dark and down-trodden, desperate. Classic stuff.

 

Had to be the best TV series of the sixties sorta Breaking Bad /LoSt ...of its decade. David Janssen's Harry O was a bit of a anticlimax after this.

 

David Janssen always looked so guilty!

 

The OP and I think alike.....The Fugitive and Rockford Files are two of my favorite shows as well.

At one time I had all of The Fugitive episodes on VHS tapes. I taped them off various channels over the years. Those tapes are long gone.

 

I'd forgotten how good The Fugitive was until Harrison Ford's movie came out; then I bought the first season on DVD and got hooked on it all over again. I also loved The Rockford Files, and Burke's Law too. And thanks for including The Phewgitive! Lots of laughs for a Tuesday morning!!

 

I remember watching the original 2 part final episode when it originally aired. It was big deal since my parents let me stay up to watch both parts. I was only about 10 or 11 years old then. No VCRs or DVRs back in those days.

Anyway after the one armed man was shot and died I really wondered if Kimble would have to run again since I thought he would never be able to prove his innocence.

I also liked the final scene in front of the courthouse when the police car pulls up and the two cops get out. For a few seconds it looks like Kimble may turn the other way and take off. A very powerful scene that emphasized the adjustments he will have to make going forward.

 

I am not of the generation that was old enough to watch when this was first aired, however, late one night back around 1988 I stumbled upon an early episode of the show. I was totally hooked and ended up tuning in everyday for months and became completely engrossed in The Fugitive. It was a truly great show and this thread reminds me it may be about time to watch it again. I actually really enjoyed the movie too, although it was really something entirely else.

 

Any difference in the Blu Ray box, extras ?

 

METV or Antenna TV needs to being this show back. I would definitely watch it again.

 

I used to watch it every night back in the '80s. Great show. I also loved David in Harry O. It came on every morning.

 

David Jansen was perfect as the tormented Kimble,

 

Harry O was a good show. Wish someone would bring that back in syndication...MEtv or Antenna TV.

I remember Farah Fawcett was in some of those episodes as his neighbor. Is this where she got her start in TV?

 

I didn't remember Farah was on there, but it could be where she started.

 

First season IIRC. She didn't stay on for the whole series.

 

I may have watched it off and on, but I definitely saw the last episode, which was one of those storyline-closing blockbusters that the whole world (well, North America) watched. I'm a bit hazy on the details there too but I do recall where they ended up, and the fate of the one-armed man.

 

There is no blu ray release for the TV show. There is a complete series DVD release though.

 

No blu ray?
Pity.

 

August 29, 1967: David Janssen watches the Fugitive finale from his room at the Camellia Motel in Columbus, Georgia, where he is filming The Green Berets.



On the Joey Bishop Show which is broadcast right after the episode, a split screen interview with Janssen is shown.

Taped hours before the Fugitive finale is broadcast, Janssen is disinclined to spill the beans.

Pressed for an answer by Bishop on how it all will wrap up Janssen quips, "I killed her, Joey. She talked too much"

 

As I recall, the incidental music on the DVD was replaced with a new score, which ruffled a lot of feathers with the fans of the show.
Edit: Here's an article regarding the DVD music. Apparently the trouble started with the second season:
FMS FEATURE ["The Fugitive" Music Debacle: Why It Happened – by Jon Burlingame]

 

That's a major deterrent when buying a old TV series. Maybe one day it will be corrected.

 

I find it hard to believe how young Janssen was when filming The Fugitive. I mean, he was still in his mid-30s when he finally caught up with the one-armed man, I would've guessed he was a decade older.

 

Kimble's temples/ hair was grey, but on the run he dyed his hair jet black at the start of the series. Janssen was only 48 when he left his mortal.