Customer Reviews

The Fugitive : Nemesis/World's End (TV Series) [VHS]

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

 

 

This tape contains two episodes of the classic 1960s drama starring David Janssen and Barry Morse. Nemesis originally aired in October of 1964 while World's End aired earlier, in September of '64.

Nemesis may be the more fascinating of the two episodes. While driving his son Phil Jr. (Kurt Russell) on a camping trip, Lt. Gerard learns that Kimble is in the area. He leaves Junior with the wife of Sheriff Deebold, but the youngster hides in their car as they close on The Fugitive. Kimble steals the car - and is shocked to find the son of his enemy in his presence.

Junior does all he can to leave clues to Kimble's whereabouts - he leaves a trail of football cards (Kimble confiscates the cards, then mails them back at the end), he lights a campfire, then leaves a sweater folded into an arrow delineating their direction (Gerard Sr. notes that "Phil never folded a sweater that neatly before in his life"). Eventually the two fugitives are caught by a local hunter named Corbin (Slim Pickens), but Kimble beats him up and escapes. Junior pursues but steps on a bear trap. Kimble frees him, and Junior's view of The Fugitive changes completely.

The earlier episode, World's End, is a more romantic story. Kimble reads a personal ad from "EB" - Eleanor Burnett, the daughter of John Burnett, his defense attorney who died soon after the trial. Eleanor Burnett and her mother Ada (Carmen Matthews) had hired a private detective to continue searching for Kimble's one-armed man and the private eye has found someone. But this one-armed man dies in a fire outside of Kansas City, news that devastates Kimble to the point where he drives to the area himself and verifies the story.

But the private eye does some more checking and finds that this one-armed man was incarcerated at the time of Helen Kimble's murder, but Eleanor Burnett has fallen in love with Kimble and withholds this information so she can have him - and hot on their trail is Lt. Gerard, who knows the Burnetts from when John was alive.

This VHS videotape contains two of my all-time favorite episodes of the always-entertaining 1963-1967 distinguished television drama, "The Fugitive". Both of these episodes ("Nemesis" and "World's End") are from Season #2 of the series, which starred David Janssen as the forever-on-the-run Dr. Richard Kimble.

The best "Fuge" episodes are the ones that feature that relentless of all police detectives, Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse). And both of these classics contain Gerard in all his chasing splendor. Two fine guest-star appearances are on tap here as well.

In "Nemesis" (originally shown on ABC-TV on October 13, 1964), a very young Kurt Russell (age 13) is featured as Phil Gerard, Jr. (Kurt also appears in another Fugitive episode later in the series, but not as Lt. Gerard's son). Kurt is very good in "Nemesis", as he accidentally stumbles upon his dad's number-one prey.

"Nemesis" is another one of the many stellar cat-and-mouse episodes in this TV series, with Gerard hot on the trail of Dr. Kimble, only to have him slip through the dragnet at the very end. It's implausible, indeed, when you stop and think about it, that Kimble could evade capture time and time again during the course of this series' four-year run (especially considering such a shrewd pursuer as Gerard is chasing him). But any fan of "The Fugitive" can easily get beyond that and accept the premise that (somehow) Kimble is able to regain his freedom at the end of each episode. And, obviously, if he's captured, the series is over. So Kimble must elude the authorities each week.

The beautiful Suzanne Pleshette co-stars as "Ellie Burnett" in this tape's second offering, "World's End" (from September 22, 1964). Suzanne, like Russell, also was featured in one other episode of the series ("All The Scared Rabbits"), but not as the same character. Suzanne, as always, is terrific in "World's End", as she arranges for Dr. Kimble (and herself) to fly out of the country to Brazil, in order for the good doctor to elude Lt. Gerard's long arm of the law once more. Does Kimble get on that airplane with Suzanne? Watch this exciting episode and see for yourself. ;)

This 2-episode volume of "Fugitive" programs is definitely my favorite among this multi-volume series of videos that was issued by Republic Pictures (Republic Entertainment, Inc.) in 1998. It'd be hard to beat these two episode selections, IMO.

There's 98 minutes of chases and thrills on this VHS cassette, and the episode previews ("teasers") that were shown before the main titles on each show are also fully intact here as well.

---------------------------

SOME DREAM-FILLED "FUGE" TALK:

I've taken the opportunity to expend a little bit of time and energy toward inventing my own personal "DREAM DVD SET" for "The Fugitive" (the entire series).

Have you ever done this? Create your own "Fantasy DVD Set" for a certain TV show or movie? It's all in good fun, and obviously many of the things I shall mention below could not possibly come to fruition, nor would the studio even begin to consider placing such extraordinary materials onto a DVD compilation. But it's fun to play around with in my own Fuge-infested mind anyway. ~wink~

So, here now is my ultimate DREAM DVD SET for David Janssen's "The Fugitive" -- a compilation so massive and spectacular it would surely bankrupt the studio producing it; but Fuge fans won't care -- because we'll have all of this great stuff at our digital fingertips! ~wide grin~......


THE FUGITIVE!
STARRING DAVID JANSSEN AS DR. RICHARD KIMBLE!
AN INNOCENT VICTIM OF BLIND JUSTICE!

NOW -- FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON DVD-VIDEO -- PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS........

"THE FUGITIVE: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1963-1967): THE MEGA COLLECTOR'S EDITION"........

>> A 37-Disc DVD Collection, which gathers together all 4 seasons (all 120 episodes) of "The Fugitive" in one gigantic and comprehensive set.

>> Each of the 120 programs has been digitally restored and remastered for optimal video and audio clarity. All episodes taken from the Master Film Prints.

>> All episodes are complete and uncut. No edits. All original title cards and voice-overs are intact as well. Plus: The Season-Four "In Color" tags are also intact for the last 30 episodes.


BONUS FEATURES:

>> Audio Commentary Tracks for all 120 episodes by Fugitive co-star Barry Morse ("Lt. Philip Gerard").

>> Audio Commentary Tracks by Fugitive co-star Jacqueline Scott for the 5 episodes in which she made an appearance (including Part 1 and Part 2 of the series' finale, "The Judgment").

>> Audio Commentary Tracks by Fugitive guest star Kurt Russell for the episodes "Nemesis" and "In A Plain Paper Wrapper". Barry Morse joins Russell for both of these Commentaries.

>> Audio Commentary Tracks by Fugitive guest star Suzanne Pleshette for the episodes "World's End" and "All The Scared Rabbits".

>> Audio Commentary Track by Fugitive guest stars Robert Duvall and Angie Dickinson for the episode "Brass Ring".

>> 2-hour Behind-the-Scenes Documentary -- "Running With The Fugitive: The Four-Year Chase" -- featuring new interviews with Barry Morse, Jackie Scott, Kurt Russell, Edward Asner, Robert Duvall, and Ron Howard. Plus archival interview footage with series' star David Janssen, along with Fugitive creator Roy Huggins and show executives Alan Armer, George Eckstein, Jerry Hopper, and Quinn Martin.

>> 52-minute Featurette -- "The One-Armed Man Revealed" -- Featuring candid interviews (circa 1960s) with Bill Raisch, who portrayed the notorious one-armed man, "Fred Johnson".

>> 43-minute Featurette -- "Angels Travel On Lonely Roads: A 2-Parter Re-Visited" -- Featuring behind-the-camera outtakes and bloopers from that stellar first-season two-part episode. Archival interviews with co-stars Eileen Heckart, Ruta Lee, Sandy Kenyon, and Albert Salmi also included here.

>> 47-minute Featurette -- "Landscape With Running Figures: A Classic Never Dies" -- Featuring vintage 1965 interviews with Barry Morse, David Janssen, and Barbara Rush, as they discuss making the landmark third-season "Landscape" two-parter.

>> 20-minute Featurette -- "Fear In A Desert City: How A Pilot Gets Made" -- With vintage footage and outtakes from the series' 1963 pilot episode. Includes behind-the-scenes conversations with "Desert City" guest stars Vera Miles and Brian Keith.

>> 84-minute Documentary -- "The Judgment: The Day The Running Stopped" -- All about the series' 1967 two-part finale (and the TV-viewer records that Part 2 shattered).

>> 22-minute Featurette -- "The Music Of Peter Rugolo: An Unseen Fugitive Force".

>> 18-minute Featurette -- "The Best Gerard/Kimble Chases" -- Highlights of some of the best "Gerard Chasing Kimble" moments during the series.

>> Newly-produced "Biography" video segments on Fugitive stars David Janssen and Barry Morse (Run time: 15 minutes each).

>> Gag Reel -- 21 minutes of gaffes, bloopers, goofs, and outtakes from many of the series' episodes.

>> Seven (7) original ABC-TV promos for "The Fugitive".

>> "Fugitive Trivia Game" -- With 350 fun trivia Q&As all about "The Fugitive".

>> Interactive Bonus -- "Who Is Kimble This Week?" -- An interactive game featuring all of Richard Kimble's aliases used during the series. The player must match the alias to the episode. (A good score means there will be another train wreck and you'll be free from your adversary, Lt. Gerard, once more.) :-)

>> Interactive Bonus -- "Criss-Cross America With Richard Kimble" -- An interactive "map" game. Find all the cities and towns Dr. Kimble visited during his four years on the lam.

>> Fugitive Photo Gallery -- Containing 275 remastered publicity photographs from the Q.M. archives.

>> Bonus Audio-CD -- "The Fugitive: The Original Television Series Soundtrack Album, By Peter Rugolo" (Copyright: Silva Screen Records, Inc.).

>> Collector's Bonus -- A vintage, full-sized Fugitive "Richard Kimble Wanted Poster".


DVD SPECIFICATIONS & PACKAGING:

>> All discs single-sided, dual-layered (DVD-9).

>> Video: Original TV ratio of 1.33:1 (Full Frame format).

>> Audio: Original English Mono (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtracks). .... All Audio Commentaries recorded in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.

>> Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Hebrew, Swedish, Polish, and Yiddish. (I'm a believer in "Equal Opportunity" subtitle options.) :-)

>> Menus: Sub-Menus for each episode. ... 10 Chapter Stops per program. ... A "Play All Episodes" option also available for those frequent marathon Fuge-watching sessions.

>> Collectible 54-page souvenir booklet included -- with photos, episode descriptions, and anecdotes, plus original ABC-TV airdates for each program.

>> Each disc packaged in separate "slim" plastic case, with unique artwork.

>> All 37 discs fit comfortably inside a rugged and handsomely-designed "Richard Kimble Suitcase" (with appropriately-located "suitcase handle" for easy carrying of your Fugitive DVDs).

>> MSRP for this Mega-Set: $18.99.*

* = Think that might be a tad too low for this much material? Heck, everyone has their fantasies, don't they? ~grin~

I had seen this episode years ago when I was a kid. I remember everyone was so anxious for the conclusion the following week. I had looked for this episode for years, I was finally able to find it on Amazon.com. Anyone who ever enjoyed "The Fugitive", absolutly must have this. I only wish it was available on DVD.

In WORLD'S END and NEMESIS, both from the start of season two, directors Robert Butler and Jerry Hopper continue the high quality of scripting and plotting that came to characterize the first season. Since the audience was both large and loyal, the scripters thankfully did not feel the need to jazz up their scripts with ideas that abandoned strong character development and frequent use of Kimble's past. Suzanne Pleshette, who plays Ellie Burnett in WORLD'S END, is one of Kimble's most memorable leading romantic interests. Off screen, they were carrying on a real life relation and that chemistry showed. Miss Pleshette was also used successfully in another episode, ALL THE SCARED RABBITS. The booming voice of narrator William Conrad, besides being used to repeat the most famous example of a run on sentence in literary history that began each episode, also narrated prepared introductions that provided useful information. Conrad tells the viewer that Kimble is reading from his hometown newspaper and sees in the classifieds: 'Personal to R. K. Have information, regarding September 17th. Phone me at home. Urgent. E. B.' Unfortunately for Kimble, Lieutenant Gerard reads the Stafford Sentinel too and guesses correctly who 'RK' and 'EB' are. Burnette has long loved Kimble and will do anything to be with him. She has information about the one-armed man that disheartens Kimble--the one-armed man is dead, thus opening the way for Kimble to cease looking for him and perhaps settle down permanently somewhere with her. At the last moment, she receives word that her information was in error. The one-armed man yet lives. The dramatic focus is on Gerard's tailing Burnett to catch Kimble and on whether she will hide the error and keep Kimble or tell the truth and lose him to further searches. This episode is a fine one in that it explores the ethical limits that a woman will go to keep a man. Plus the aura of Gerard in the background generates further suspense.
NEMESIS is another superb episode because it contains a number of themes that enrich the complexity of the relation between pursued and pursuer. The focus is mostly on Gerard and his son. The audience has seen Gerard mostly as a monomaniacal hunter of Kimble. He seems to live and breathe his job to catch the fugitive. But this total involvement comes with a price. Every day that he is on the road chasing Kimble is one day less that he has for himself and his family. NEMESIS shows Gerard in one of his rare days of relaxation with his son as they go on a camping trip. The boy, well-played by Kurt Russell, likes his dad and looks forward to spending time with him. By coincidence, Kimble is working near where Gerard plans to camp. When a local cop notifies Gerard that Kimble is in the area, Gerard is seen as having to make a choice that he must make often in future episodes. He must sacrifice his family for his duty. He does so here, and asks the cop's wife to mind the boy for the duration of the hunt. A plot complication is the boy's decision to hide out in the sheriff's car which Kimble steals to escape. Thus Gerard's son, Phil Jr., is an unwitting hostage. When his father finds out where his boy is, he reveals a side of his personality that he tries hard to suppress, that Kimble may not be guilty of murder after all. Gerard does not show concern that Kimble might harm his son. He tells the sheriff: 'He'll feed the boy.' Phil Jr. tries to help his father by leaving clues as to his whereabouts. Kimble again shows his inner goodness by helping Phil Jr recover from an injury even at the risk of recapture.
This episode and its companion are well-written and show aspects of the universe of Kimble and Gerard that immeasurably enhance the pleasure of their watching.