Customer Reviews

David Janssen: My Fugitive

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Growing up watching the weekly show, THE FUGITVE, was a night most women would actually put their ironing down, and set down and watch TV. It wasn't only the action and suspense of the show, but for most of us it was we all were secretly in love with, David Janssen. He gave most of us, the excitment we needed in our lives at one moment or a other. Janssen took us into his world as the Fugitive, and Michael Phelps took us there again, with his truthfulness about David.
Author, J.D.MIchael Phelps, in his magnificiant writing, brought all this back so we could read his book and re-live it, in another time in our lives, and by taking us into the most personal parts of Davids life, we never knew about. After reading this book, I had to read it the second time, to make sure I didn't miss one part of Davids life, that Phelps delivered in this book.
Even the most negative things that came out in his life became exciting, showing me that a man I watched on TV, was not only a handsome man, a great actor, who took our breath away, in each episode, but Michael Phelps showed us he was also in his life in Hollywood, a very passionate man, who lived life to its fullest.
With each chapter about David and his wife, his affairs, his drinking, Phelps brought it all to life, but leaving us still, with so much respect for Janssen.
Phelps did a outstanding job of showing us another side a a man, but making us all still remember him as the wonderful actor he was. Phelps did a OUTSTANDING JOB,in this journey through Janseen life. I applaud Phelps for giving me the chance to read and enjoy this book. I will look forward to reading Author Phelps other books.

The book title tells it all: Ellie Janssen, the author, tells the story of how former husband David became successful as TV's Dr. Kimble during the 1960s. She highlights the factors contributing to the downfall of their marriage, particularly David's drinking and extramarital affairs. If you are a David Janssen or Fugitive fan, this book lends an interesting perspective, along with several rare photos. However, it is understandably subjective, as Ms. Janssen struggles to explain the tumultuous nature of her relationship with David. The book raises some suspicion as to the circumstances surrounding David's untimely death in 1980.

All 120 episodes of the tv series "The Fugitive" out shine the movie version, although Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones were excellent. This book proves to be an insightful and significant look into the life of David Janssen. He died too young. I would like to hear more about how he REALLY died.

I'm surprised more hasn't been written about Janssen by others. This seems to be the only in depth look at his life and it would be interesting to hear from others who would be less subjective.

She tells about their rough times together but only alludes to many years of good times. I would have liked to have read a few ancedotes about the good ones as well.

Maybe its the cynic in me but some of the book relates more about a woman who couldn't let go of a man who no longer loved her than a biography of Janssen. She also implies that his second wife duped him into signing a will leaving everything to wife number two and may have even failed to come to his aid when he suffered his heart attack. I'd love to hear the opposing views on all of this. The "will" is in the book but all the claims against it are conspicously missing.

I have been waiting along time for this book and i really enjoyed it....I feel that Ellie and David made a lovely couple and it really touched my heart to read all the ups and downs that they went thur during their marriage. I hope that Ellie finds some peace in her life..........Sincerely, a true fan....Roxiann D. Hill, Indpls, IN

"David Janssen, My Fugitive" has been re-released by Michael Phelps (not the Olympic swimmer) and was co-written with Mr. Janssen's first wife Ellie. I remember the television show "The Fugitive" from my childhood and enjoyed catching a glimpse of what his life was life before and during that show. I knew that he had died young, but this book doesn't explain much as Ellie was no longer married to David at the time of his death. When reading this book, I can sense that Ellie still loved her ex-husband and it must have been hard to chronicle her relationship with him. It was a nice short trip down memory lane.

Hi all:

This book was an easy and great read. It was riveting from front page to back. It was just sad for me to read about how another celebrity who started out became popular in a very short time and how celebrity status became all consuming for David Janssen.

What was great was to read how Ellie Janssen tolerated everything that occurred when David started changing and became caught in the Hollywood glitz and how that fast life didn't effect her.

I was and always will be a fan of Davids Janssen; my father and I always stayed riveted to the TV on Tuesday nights at 10:00 and really loved the stories where Dr. Kimble just evaded the close knit eye of Lt. Phillip Gerard. Despite the books revelation I will continually revel in the series adventures. I especially like the idea that out of all television series this is the only series that had a successful ending.

It was great to see Harrison Ford re-enact the role of Dr. Kimble. In one scene of the action packed adventure film, there was a scene where the detectives were discussing the background of Dr. Kimble and referred to his full name as Dr. Richard "David" Kimble, which to me was an intentonal thank-you to the original Dr. Richard Kimble played so professionally by David Janssen.

Thank-you Ellie for the insight. Both of you are gone now, but I am sure the 2 of you have reconnected and worked through whatever problems the 2 of you encountered in life on the Spiritual Plane.

David Janssen, to anyone who loves Sixties television, was one of the most charismatic actors of his time. He was best known for role as Dr. Richard Kimble, aka "The Fugitive", a series which captivated a nation from 1963 to its ratings-record finale in 1967.

In this first authorized biography of the esteemed actor, who died suddenly in 1980 at the age of 48, writer Michael Phelps manages to weave (along with co-writer Ellie Janssen, the actor's wife of twelve years) a compelling and enjoyable true story that covers the life of the actor, with an emphasis on the period in which he rocketed to stardom until his untimely, mysterious death. The book is also the story of Ellie Janssen and the highs and lows of her time with David. (And, as a bonus, there are 16 pages of celebrity photos relating to Janssen's career.)

The combination of the show business and relationship stories make for a book that you won't be able to put down. The book is an insight into the lives of "the beautiful people" that we see everyday on the screen; but sometimes their lives aren't so beautiful. And Michael Phelps manages to do an outstanding job in capturing it all in his narrative. Ultimately, it is a story about how Ellie, despite the challenges of being married to a huge star with human flaws, fell in love and never stopped loving David, right up to the time of his death and beyond.

"David Janssen--My Fugitive" is an interesting, informative, and enjoyable read. I recommend it highly.

Ellie Janssen's bio of her ex-husband, David, is a must-read for any avid fan. I found the reading very easy and Ellie was quite revealing.

I'm not good with remembering names, if you know what I mean. Ellie names LOTS of names. So as I was reading the book, I quickly had to adapt. Instead of trying to "digest" all the names of the many people in Ellie's and David's lives, I just tried to remember the various roles they played in their daily living.

Other than the many different people mentioned, I thought the book was easy to read, quite informative, and sometimes even dramatic. You'll soon know all that the Janssen's went through ... the things that happened to them, as well as all the things they did to one another. Let's just say I could feel David and Ellie's pain.

I've read the negative reviews that some others wrote here on Amazon. Some of the criticisms are valid, I readily admit. If you're looking for a Pulitzer-Prize-winning work of art, this book won't meet with your approval. But that's not what I was looking for, so for me, the book was worth its modest cost and I'm very happy to have purchased it.

David Janssen was always one of my favorite actors. From his early TV appearences in Richard Diamond, The Fugitive, O'Hara U.S. Treasury, and as the Bohemian detective with a sailboat in need of repair, Harry O, to one of the more timely films in my life, The Green Berets, where he portrayed journalist George Beckwith, Janssen personified the Hollywood leading man.
In My Fugitive, Michael Phelps portrays Janssen with honesty and compassion. We see the Hollywood problems prevalent in so many lives and marriages and a side of David from Ellie Janssen's eyes.
Phelps writes from the heart and his friend, David Janssen, would thank him for his efforts.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who remembers David or enjoys a fine story of vintage Hollywood.

Wayne Zurl
Author of Scrap Metal & Murder,
six other Sam Jenkins crime novelettes
and A NEW PROSPECT a full length Novel
due for release in Jan. 2011