The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic [Paperback]

Ed Robertson (Author), Stephen King (Introduction), Barry Morse (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 1993

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pomegranate Press, Ltd.; Tradepaper ed edition (July 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938817345
• ISBN-13: 978-0938817345
• Product Dimensions: 16.6 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Robertson writes and speaks extensively about pop culture, entertainment, and media. He has written or co-written five books, including two on the career of legendary actor James Garner: MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST, a history of Garner's classic Western from the 1950s, and THIRTY YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, a behind-the-scenes look at Garner's other landmark series, The Rockford Files. In addition, Robertson has consulted and appeared as an onscreen commentator on several television documentaries, including 'Hollywood Maverick,' an hour-long look at the career of James Garner that airs regularly on the Biography Channel; 'Time's Up,' a segment on ageism in Hollywood produced by E! Entertainment Television for The High Price of Fame; and 'Who Shot J.R.: The Dallas Phenomenon,' a 30-minute feature also with Larry Hagman, produced by Warner Bros. exclusively for Dallas: The Complete Third Season DVD Collection.

Ed Robertson is also a contributing editor to MediaLifeMagazine.com, the No. 1 publication among media planners and media buyers in the U.S. In addition, his articles his articles on film and television appear in such publications as Bell TV Magazine, TV Party.com, Television Chronicles, Reel Talk, San Francisco Giants Magazine, and the British magazine Calafia, as well as media venues like Columbia House, the world's largest direct marketer of music, DVDs and videos. He has also collaborated on a number of books, including VOICE OF REASON by award-winning, National Radio Hall of Fame nominee Ronn Owens, and THE ETHICS OF STAR TREK, an offbeat look at the Star Trek phenomenon that Robertson co-authored with Indiana State University professor Judith Barad.

A recognized expert in television, Ed Robertson is frequently interviewed by journalists across the country for news stories related to pop culture, entertainment, and media. He has been quoted in such publications as TV Guide, Television Week, FoxNews.com, ABCNews.com, USA Today, The London Observer, The Toronto Star, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hartford Courant, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Los Angeles Times.

Ed Robertson is also a regular guest on such major-market talk shows as The Ronn Owens Program, the No. 1 show on KGO-AM/San Francisco (Northern California's most listened-to station); Hot Talk with Tony Gill, Pioneer Valley's No. 1 drive time talk show; and Talking Television with Dave White (Share-a-Vision Radio, San Francisco Bay Area), where he appears as an occasional fill-in host. In addition, he has appeared on over 200 radio and TV programs, including Showbiz Today, CNN Headline News, First Light (Westwood One), Up All Night (BBC Radio), Talk to America (Voice of America Radio), The Todd Mundt Show (National Public Radio), The Tony Trupiano Show (TalkAmerica Radio Network), E! News Daily, A&E's Biography and Entertainment Tonight.

Ed Robertson is a member of the Authors Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He lives in Northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Book -- Filled With Fun "Fuge" Facts, November 5, 2004

By 

David Von Pein (Mooresville, Indiana; USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic (Paperback)

"The Fugitive Recaptured" was published in 1993, thirty years after the TV series, "The Fugitive", premiered on network television in 1963.

This volume, by Ed Robertson, is just about all a "Fuge" fan could want in order to find out everything you'd need (or want) to know about this excellent TV drama, which was on the air for 4 complete seasons (120 episodes from 1963 to 1967).

The book features an "Introduction" by horror author Stephen King, plus a "Foreword" by Fugitive co-star Barry Morse, who portrayed police Lieutenant "Philip Gerard", star David Janssen's chief rival and nemesis during the course of the series. A chapter detailing the origins and conception of the series is also, of course, included here. Interesting stuff too.

Within these 208 pages, each and every episode of "The Fugitive" is dissected and examined in detail -- including cast lists, writing and directing credits, episode numbers, original air dates, episode descriptions, and verbatim "Prologue" and "Epilogue" text (the exact words spoken by series' narrator William Conrad at the beginning and end of each episode).

Many fun "Fuge Facts" are also revealed for many of the 120 episodes. These "Facts" are bits of little-known trivia that make this volume an even more enjoyable read.

In addition -- This book includes extended chapters on the series' Pilot episode ("Fear In A Desert City") and the two-part final episode ("The Judgment"), which remains to this day one of the highest-rated TV programs in the history of the medium.

There is also an "Appendix" area of the publication, with "Appendix 2" consisting of some very interesting trivial facts and data concerning every Fugitive episode -- including every single "alias" that was used by "Dr. Richard Kimble" during the whole run of the series. This appendix is useful to mega-fans of the series, as it also contains information about the "Location" (City/State) of each episode, as well as Kimble's "Occupation" on each show. Example --- Episode 31 had Kimble pretending to be "Frank Borden"; Occupation: "Dishwasher"; Location: "Harrisburg, Pennsylvania".

Many top-notch black-and-white photos are also scattered throughout this paperback publication, mainly publicity stills.

"The Fugitive" (1963-1967) is one of the best TV dramas ever put on the boob-tube. The long-running cat-and-mouse game between Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) and the police officer who let him get away, Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), provided some of the finest tension-filled moments ever aired on television.

"The Fugitive Recaptured" does, indeed, "recapture" the magic that surrounded this first-class piece of television entertainment.

Very Highly Recommended.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fugitive Revisited, April 12, 2000

By 

R.J. Groner (Northern Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic (Paperback)

I can certainly add my kudos to Ed Robertson for his labor of love in this book commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the famous television program. This work brings to life the entire four years that the series ran on network television, and gives the reader the feeling that he was actually "on location" with the cast and crew as they produced this first-rate series. Each episode is fully documented with full credits for the director and all principal actors in the series. The episode synopsis give the reader a feeling of being on the run with the Fugitive. The opening and closing narration for each episode certainly sets the tone for each nights program.

If you are a fan of this great television series, then this book is certainly for you. I highly recommend it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book written by a true fan and author, December 24, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic (Paperback)

Mr. Robertson has written a book that was done with an obvious love of the subject matter. Though he admits he discovered David Janssen via his post-Fugitive "Harry-O" series, his thorough research makes this a "must read" for Fugophiles. I was truly impressed by the celebrity interviews. Barry Morse and Stephen King were excellent frontline introductions that certainly legitimized this meticulous account of this classic Television series. Insights from the guest cast ranging from Richard Anderson to Carol Rosser as well as show creator Mr. Huggins were truly informative. However, it is Mr. Robertson who has set the tone of this labor of love by concentrating on what fans of "The Fugitive" want and should remember. This is not a tell all scandal written anthology, rather it is a reminder that this was and is a classic that will endure.