Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Fugitive Bookends -- The 1st Episode ... & The Last!, December 5, 2004
You can re-live all the excitement and tension-filled atmosphere of the very first episode and the very last episode of "THE FUGITIVE" when you purchase this handy 2-Pack VHS video set.
These two tapes actually contain three full-length episodes of the famed 1960s drama, "The Fugitive" -- and not just two programs, with the final episode ("The Judgment") being a continuing "2-Parter", which represented series' installments #119 and #120 to wrap up the popular four-year series. Both Part 1 and Part 2 of "The Judgment" are included in this video set.
The debut Fugitive broadcast, "Fear In A Desert City" (premiere date: September 17, 1963), is a brilliant series-opening program, co-starring Brian Keith and Vera Miles, as a jealous and very abusive husband and a fearful wife, respectively.
"Desert City" gives us our first look at David Janssen's perfectly-controlled portrayal of the falsely-accused doctor, "Richard Kimble", who was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering his wife, Helen. A train wreck freed Kimble on his way to the "death house". Thus, Kimble's four-year flight from the law began with this first excellent episode.
Right from this very first show, "The Fugitive" had just the right "feel" to it, if you know what I mean. Many TV series fail to reach full stride or their full potential in their first season. I'd say that "The Fugitive", thanks to a great cast and top-notch writing and direction, was a series that didn't suffer from this common problem. Janssen's performance, right from the get-go in "Desert City", seemed ALREADY refined and tuned to just the right pitch. Really quite remarkable that David was able to accomplish such a "veteran" feel to his character after just one episode.
Adding to the greatness of "The Fugitive" was (in no small part) the fine acting of Barry Morse, as Indiana Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard, who was handcuffed to Kimble on that train that derailed and set Kimble free. Morse's portrayal of Gerard counters Janssen's (as Kimble) to a tee. Morse/Gerard is relentless in his pursuit of the prisoner who slipped through his grasp when fate intervened. But, too, Gerard isn't overly ruthless or blood-thirsty. He still maintains some level of compassion and kindness, even though his #1 priority in every episode in which he appears is to do his duty as "an instrument of the law" and re-capture Dr. Kimble.
The black-and-white "Fear In A Desert City", in addition to starring Keith and Miles, also co-stars Dabbs Greer, Barney Phillips, and Harry Townes. Kimble uses the alias of "James Lincoln" in the first episode. This pilot show, which is set in the city of Tucson, Arizona, was filmed in February and early March of 1963, six months prior to its airing on ABC-TV in September.
The stylishly-presented debut ep. was directed by Walter Grauman and written by Stanford Whitmore. Kimble's occupation is that of bartender at "The Branding Iron Saloon", where he meets Miles' character (who is the piano player there). Soon, Kimble becomes entangled in the marital difficulties between the Miles' and Brian Keith characters. Keith is sensational here as "Ed Welles". Keith's characterization of Welles teems with a savage fury that practically burns through the TV screen. It's truly a fabulous performance by Brian Keith, in my opinion.
In the final two-part episode ("The Judgment"), Kimble "teams up" with Gerard to try and capture the real killer of Kimble's wife. Although very dubious about the results, Gerard agrees to delay Kimble's official arrest for 24 hours, so that Dr. Kimble can follow up some leads regarding the whereabouts of the elusive "one-armed man" (played by hardened-looking actor Bill Raisch), whom Kimble is certain murdered his wife several years earlier.
While I feel this "teaming" of these two long-time adversaries weakened the last show of the series to a degree, "The Judgment" is still a very good concluding episode, which capped off a successful 4-year stint for Janssen, Morse, and "The Fugitive" series. The final scene with Kimble and Gerard shaking hands after Kimble's release from custody is truly a great moment in television history. And this scene is carried out without a word of dialogue being spoken, which provides (IMO) even a more powerful impact -- rather than having a gushy, overly-sentimental final act. This simple, understated handshake said it all.
"The Judgment" multi-parter, which was filmed in color, features a large guest cast, including: Jacqueline Scott, Richard Anderson, Michael Constantine, Diane Baker, J.D. Cannon, Diane Brewster, and Joseph Campanella. Plus, of course, Barry Morse and Bill Raisch in their recurring parts as Lt. Gerard and the one-armed man ("Fred Johnson").
Jacqueline Scott plays Richard Kimble's sister, Donna. Scott had a recurring role as Donna throughout the "Fugitive" series, appearing in 5 total episodes. She does a fine job in the role too.
Diane Brewster appears uncredited in the final episode, as murder victim Helen Kimble (via flashback sequences). You might better remember Brewster in another TV series, "Leave It To Beaver", as Beaver Cleaver's schoolteacher, "Miss Canfield".
The final two-parter takes place in three different cities -- Tucson, Los Angeles, and Kimble's hometown of Stafford, Indiana. ... Kimble's last alias he will ever need is that of "Frank Davis". ... "The Judgment" was co-written by George Eckstein and Michael Zagor, with both parts being directed by Don Medford.
"The Judgment" originally aired over the course of two consecutive Tuesdays in August 1967. Part 1 was shown on August 22nd; with Part 2 wrapping up the series on "Tuesday, August 29th -- The day the running stopped" (per William Conrad's closing narration). Part 2 was seen by an amazing 72% of the United States TV-viewing audience on 08/29/1967, with ABC estimating that 26-Million U.S. homes were tuned in to the series' finale! Those figures are still, to this day, some of the highest ratings ever garnered for a single-episode television broadcast.
These two videotapes were produced and marketed by "Worldvision Home Video" in 1993. Video is Full Frame (1.33:1 ratio). Audio is in Hi-Fi Mono. Tape Speed for both videos is SP (Standard Play) mode.
More "Fuge" on Home Video ..... Republic Pictures, in 1998, released a set of 8 tapes of "The Fugitive" for the home video market, all of which had almost identical cover art to these Worldvision products. A few years earlier, Nu Ventures Home Video distributed an even larger series of "Fuge" volumes on VHS video (20 total tapes with 40 episodes), which includes some of my favorites that are not repeated in the "Republic" video series. Such as: "Ill Wind", "Man In A Chariot", "The End Game", "The 2130", "Search In A Windy City", and the two-parter "Landscape With Running Figures". The Nu Ventures series of tapes is unique in that each episode features a special introduction by Fugitive cast member Barry Morse.
"FAST FUGITIVE FUN FACTS" .....................
David Janssen (brief bio):
Born: March 27, 1931, in Naponee, Nebraska.
Died: At just age 48, on February 13, 1980 (heart attack).
Name at birth: David Harold Meyer.
Janssen was nominated for an Emmy Award three times (out of four years) for his work on "The Fugitive".
David's roster of acting appearances totalled 105 TV and movie roles, beginning (at age 14) in the 1945 film "It's A Pleasure". Janssen's other big TV role, after "The Fugitive", was when he played private-eye Harry Orwell in the 1974-1976 series "Harry O".
---------
Barry Morse (brief bio):
Born: June 10, 1918, in London, England.
Name at birth: Herbert Morse.
Barry moved to Canada in the 1950s, where he has worked extensively in live theater, radio, and CBC television.
Barry has been seen in better than 130 motion pictures and television programs, starting with a 1942 appearance in the film "The Goose Steps Out".
Many people probably remember Morse best from his role as Professor Victor Bergman in the TV series "Space: 1999", which was on the air from 1975 to 1977.
Mr. Morse has also written and directed within the TV industry, including one episode as Director of "The Fugitive" in 1967.
The long list of TV shows in which Barry Morse has put in an appearance includes these programs --- "The Untouchables", "The Defenders", "Judd, For The Defense", "The F.B.I.", "Wagon Train", "The Outer Limits", "Naked City", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Twilight Zone", and "The United States Steel Hour".
--------------------------------
A Final Fugitive Word............
If you're looking for a good representative sampling of the 1963-1967 TV series, "The Fugitive", then these two tapes containing the first and last programs in the series are most certainly worth hunting down.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better Expectations, November 1, 2005
Ok, one great episode here and another random great episode there, all on outdated VHS tapes - enough already. WHEN WILL THIS GREAT TV SERIES BE RELEASED BY EACH SEASON ON DVD? There are probably millions of us Fugitive fans awaiting this great day.
|
|
|
|
