The Politics and Psychology of The Fugitive
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- Опубликовано: 16 авг 2021
- In this video I look at both the 1963-67 TV series and the 1993 movie versions of The Fugitive. Both deal with a man alone and on the run for a crime he didn't commit and the psychological forces at play with both him and the man who pursues him. Both also deal with political and social themes of their respective times. The Fugitive was an excellently written, produced and acted TV show which deserved its awards and huge audience and the movie is a worthy, if abridged successor.
I have not tackled the recent 2020 version which retains the name and some of the premise but dispenses with the original characters. I wanted to draw comparisons with original TV show and movie.
If you haven't seen either the 1960s TV series or the movie then I thoroughly recommend them both, especially the TV series which has a high degree of writing quality maintained over a 4 year period and it's use of a story arc paved the way for more modern shows who follow that format.
The Fugitive was a Quinn Martin Production and distributed by Warner Brothers. This is an analysis and review and qualifies as fair use. 
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The intelligence with which the comments are precented here is a testament to the quality of the fans of the show.
The TV show was one of the best shows in television history with good writing and 3-dimensional chracters The movie was a second rate thriller, easily forgotten. I still watch the series today. When I get to the end of the 120 episodes, I start again with Episode 1, which features the lovely Vera Miles.
Indeed...and Brian Keith. That is one quality guest cast.
Yes, and Brian Keith as the menacing creep -- great!@@Rhubba
thanks for posting this. I thought I was strange for watching the episodes over and over.🙂
Not at all. What other show can compare? Nothing, until you get into the modern era and can watch Breaking Bad@@albertcubelli2908
I have all 120 episodes, the second season has the wrong music other than that it's fantastic!!!!!
I remember watching the first episode of “The Fugitive” and losing interest part way through and changed the channel. After a time however, I heard that it was an entertaining series and started watching it again during its original broadcast run on Tuesday nights at 10:00 pm. It became my favorite TV show during two-thirds of my years in junior and senior high school. I remember telling my mother that they would end the series and not leave it hanging. She thought otherwise, and the odds were with her. But this time the job was done right, and a popular TV series was given a capstone as was the intent of Roy Huggins who created the series and wanted it to end appropriately.
Janssen put his heart and soul into this series. His facial expressions of nervousness and apprehension were superb, filling in for the times he had no lines. The original score by Peter Rogolo was absolutely brilliant, expressing all the poignant emotions that were unique to this TV series.
Ken Wilhoit also did an excellent job of incorporating Peter Rogolo’s score into the various scenes. It is so sad that some of the background music has been changed in the release of this classic TV series. Those who never saw it in its original run are unaware of this. But the original background music was a major reason for this series appealing to me so much, along with Janssen’s and Morse’s great portrayals.
During the seventies, television shifted over into a slew of cheaply made sitcoms, some of which took delight in mocking conservative values. But the artistry of “The Fugitive” has never been equaled, and when it went off the air, I knew nothing would ever replace it.
I don't know how Tommy Lee Jones won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for such a mediocre role & performance. Especially when Ralph Fiennes performance in Schindler's List was so extraordinary. Harrison Ford pales in comparison to David Janssen as Richard Kimble.
If I remember correctly, an article inTV Guide said that Lt. Gerard was inspired by the character of Javert in Les Miserables.
That is true
Perhpas TV Guide said that because that is what the series creator Roy Huggins said, but the dozens of writers involved in the ridiculous scripts were not Victor Hugos, nor the series a "Les Miserables."
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@@adamnoman4658 I saw Les Miserable immediately. One of the best episodes was a Professor using his computer to predict Kimble's movements. The Professor programs all the info he has and finds it was 98% chance he was innocent. He tells Gerard his findings. Gerard said as long as their was 2% chance that he was guilty. he was satisfied in pursuing him.
I wish I could give a dozen "thumbs-up" to this review! I was a young teenager when the show was on the air, and remember watching it occasionally. But the concepts and impact--especially of the last episode--have always stayed with me in the years since. Your excellent and insightful analysis does a great job of distilling the key points of the series. Very well done!
Gerard’s family situation was certainly strained more-so than usual after his son’s encounter with Kimble in the “Nemesis” episode & later Gerard’s wife’s encounter with Kimble in the 2-part “Landscape with Running Figures.”
Even though he was only 13 when he played Gerard's son, Kurt Russel is instantly recognizable.
He is shown with a Jim Brown 1964 Topps football card even though the episode was first broadcast in October, 1964.
When I was young and watched R Kimble I always wished he would stop in my town. I would have helped him. LOL Now many years later I am still watching all the episodes again. I'm realizing he was such a great actor his facial expressions, his body language, were to the point, he was so expressive. He died so young smoked 4 pks of cigarettes a day.
Tragic he died so young. He was a great actor. He had aged a lot by the time he did Harry O, and then just a few years later, died. Sad. I heard he had an intense love affair with Suzanne Pleshette. Good for them!
Yep. He was only 48 years old. But when you're a heavy drinker and smoker like he was, it's bound to catch up with you, sooner or later.
It's sad that he died so young, yet at the same time considering he deliberately chose to abuse his health so terribly, it's hard to feel sorry for him.
I think that if I were shown any random still picture of David Janssen, I could instantly tell whether or not it came from"The Fugitive". No matter what is happening in the scene, you can always tell that he's aware that he's being hunted.
Still, I feel sorry for him. A huge number of people went to his funeral, so he was well liked. @@thecowboy9698
Excellent summary. If you notice in the original series the actors and actresses were wore very serious faces most of the time. Very few times did you see light moments until the bittersweet endings. Occasionally you would see some early 1960s stereotypical hard person change their behavior near the end of the show. Both Males and Females and it gave audiences hope that not everyone who appears hard on the outside is actually that way on the inside. It was a small thing but given the times, it was memorable
❤😊David Janssen was the hardest working actor in Hollywood. He was a contributing factor for the film industry unlike those who only claim to be actors. I’m so happy to subscribe
During the PLANDEMIC, I stayed home mostly, and watched each episode in order, chronologically. SUCH a delight, and very good writing. I was always riveted by his nervousness, or rather his edgy self (always "looking" guilty).
The greatest suspense series in my opinion.
David Janssen was THE BEST, and no movie will EVER do him justice, nor the viewing public.
Dr Kimble would have seen through the lockdowns, the masks and the jabs.
@@Khayyam-vg9fw : Kimble was a moron.
Given that he was a thoroughly conventional small-town quack with a temper to begin with, he would have taken a job with the local pharmacy giving Warp Speed wonder jabs. This would have put him into contact with scores of people, some of who would realize that he was more than a nurse's aide when he began doing emergency CPR on those with sudden cardiac arrest. The pharmacist would then recognize who he was, and the Doc with a heart of gold would be forced to escape on an e-bike! (Note the updated ending.)
The truth is that the series was viciously subversive liberal trash from the usual suspects.
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@@adamnoman4658 No, Kimble was perceptive and humane. The old-school liberals of the 50s and 60s had their blind spots, and they were sometimes given to sentimentality, but they were not simultaneously deranged and ultra-authoritarian in the way that their present-day counterparts are.
Kimble’s parents aren’t conflicted over his guilt (his mother is never seen in the series & only his brother is doubtful but doesn’t want him caught). Kimble’s father (also a doctor) tells Kimble that he’s stipulated that his medical books gifted to the university be returned to Richard the day that he’s cleared.
In the final episode we learn that a neighbor witnessed the murder and remained silent, which is by no means the legal system's fault. And Girard constantly muses about the limits of his role, which is to carry out judgment rather than render his own. He may be obsessed, but ultimately this Ahab figure is more honorable and accountable than many jurists today who freely substitute their personal politics for precedent and jurisprudence.
I agree. He was a police officer, who swore to follow the law. If every policeman was allowed to decide the jury was wrong why bother with a jury trial? And I don't think viewers realized by doing the job he was paid to do meant Gerard did not have to allow any personal feelings come into play.
Because he did, you kind of knew that Girard wasn't convinced of Kimble's conviction, but he was paid to do his job. As the series went on Girard started to believe that Richard Kimble wasn't really a murderer!!!!!
It was revealed his neighbor froze upon seeing the one armed man killing Helen Kimble. He had won a Silver Star for combat bravery in what is assumed WW 2. He admits he didn’t even remember the combat engagement he got the medal for. He said Something to the effect you things when your young.. Then he admits he was a coward when he saw Fred Johnson killing Helen Kimball
Watched as a kid in the early 90s when it was already 30 years old. Just finished for at least the 3rd time. Unlike most shows that I don't enjoy as much, this series is still excellent. Such a well done show. The episodes with Girard are some of the best. He drove you crazy but still respected him. David Janssen did amazing with the character.
I can't think of a truly bad episode.
@@Rhubba agreed. funny, I almost wrote that in my post. Definitely some weaker episodes but none truly bad. Some great guest stars too throughout the series
I have watched David Jansen in several movies and tv episodes of the many series and he seems incapable of a bad performance.
Yes, a very good actor. I liked him in Harry O, too, but I was sorry to see him age. @@michaelcanty4940
@@RhubbaThe second episode of the first season is not good it's called The Witch!!!!!
In the early days of the series, the FBI tried to get the show cancelled as it was deemed 'subversive propaganda' by none other than the (in)famous long-time FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover, and others in law enforcement, viewed Kimble's weekly escapes from the law as a slap in the face to the American legal system. Thankfully, the show went on anyway.
I bet a lot of fans of the series never knew that Barry Morse--Girard--is English and when not on screen talked badically like the narrator here.
They should watch Morse in Space 1999, the Zoo Gang and The Adventurer to hear his real accent. Barry Morse was a British actor who had lived and worked in Canada before being cast as Gerard, so he learned how to do the American accent. The crew were incredibly impressed by his professionalism and hard work on the show...those years in English theatre paying off.
Having remembered catching the odd episode on bbc2 [90's or early 2000's] and enjoying it, I searched out the whole series and watched it during the lockdown. It was great and a well needed escape, I actually preferred the black and white episodes so turned down the colour on the later ones, worked better for some reason.
Yes! The black and white was much better than the color.
@@dicksanders8206I disagree the color episodes were great and the series showed that Gerard believed him and it got really good with several episodes with Bill Raisch!!!!!
There is nothing wrong wtih the color, but the black and white had that certain feeling and mood that you can only get from black and white. But glad you liked the color@@scottmiller6495
The greatest drama series of all time Ever! It made A B C a powerful network like CBS and N B C !!!!!
The Fugitive and The Outer Limits debuted in 1963 and made A B C a powerful major Network!!!!!
Loved that show. One thing always troubled me - how did Kimble (in the TV series) acquire so many different identity papers/driving licenses under all his assumed names? He had no connection with the underworld who could've supplied them and since he changed his name every other week I can't see how he always had one when a policeman asked him.
You have to suspend your disbelief on that one. Also, why did Dr. Kimble have a fresh haircut for every new episode? Frequently, too, he lost his suitcase, but always got another one.
He never had a driver's license while on the run. That's one reason why he only had menial jobs.
He always took buses and taxis.
Na, he took innumerable driving jobs - employers would have needed to see his license.@@paulzammataro7185
He was a chauffer in one episode. And he frequently drove cars and trucks for employers. Once he used the driver's license of another person. He frequently had an ID card.@@paulzammataro7185
It's part of his heroism that he's impossibly resourceful and adaptable.
It's not OHMSS, but it's always welcomed hearing you talk film.
I like your commentary.
I'm an original viewer, being a teen what it was on.
I've been watching some of them again and still enjoy the show. David Jansson is really good always underplayed.
I saw the movie when it came out but have zero memory of it, other than I didn't think it was as good, plus series cast is better.
I think the film tried to give some level of service to Kimble trying to help out. He does so with the shanked guard and the football kid in the hospital whose chart he changes. They just didn't have the time to really probe that much in the span of a film.
And to be honest, I always found the corporate angle of the film to be really unfulfilling. It feels like such a departure from the spirit of the film to just kind of have that "oh, big pharma sent in a hit man." It doesn't really feel like the rest of the film is building up to it,
It is a great show if you can overlook two problems with logic. The one-armed man killed Helen Kimble with a lamp . A routine dusting of fingerprints when compared to Kimble's would not have revealed a match. This would have exonerated Kimble. At the trial Kimble said he was at a lake and saw a boy at about the time the murder was commited . The boy said he didn't see Kimble but that is irrelevant because the boy admitted to being at the lake at that time Kimble claimed that he,Kimble, was there. This should have resulted in an acquittal.
I'm going to be charitable and say that due to information revealed in later episodes it appears the DA and police suffered from confirmation bias and were determined to railroad Kimble. But well spotted.
In the season 3 episode "Wife Killer", Fred Johnson (the one-armed man) is caught up in a police dragnet and sitting in the yard of the local lock-up when he's spotted by Kimble. Instead of turning Kimble in, Johnson escapes jail by hopping a fence and stealing a car. If that doesn't scream "I'm guilty!", then I don't know what would.
I remember watching the TV series with my mum, it (seemingly) went on forever.
I don’t remember ever seeing the ending ☹️
It's a satisfying ending and the first time an American TV drama had a concluding episode. The networks thought the audience didn't care for Kimble or a resolution to the show: They believed that audiences just treated TV as moving wallpaper and didn't pay attention...they were wrong: The concluding 2 part story broke viewing records.
Get the DVD set and watch the whole show. Well worth it.
It's disappointing to hear this, the ending two part episodes called The Judgment is absolutely fantastic!!!!!
It's really well done, but for me it was oddly disappointing: his adventure is over and now he's just an ordinary respectable citizen. It's kind of like Goodfellas, but in reverse😂
I felt the same way. @@nicholasschroeder3678
S4 (the final season of The Fugitive) was in color.
Love how it begins : Next The Fugitive in Color "! Wow!!!!!
I loved the last episode, but hated the specific plot device that proved his innocence.
The neighbor secretly witnessed the murder, but didn't come forward because it'd look bad.
He went there to talk about how he adopted a kid, but he thought people would get the wrong idea because he visited his female neighbor alone in the evening.
"Yeah, I watched my friend get murdered, let my other friend go on trial, get sentenced to death, and go on-the-run for four years, while letting the actual killer go free. BUT... gossipy neighbors!" WHAT!? It's so goofy.
There was another witness who saw the one armed man but he had become addict from pain killers he was given. He was out there to get a fix and was afraid he was too impeachable as a witness to help Kimble.
There are quite a few people out there who have that "I don't want to get involved" mindset. I personally know some people who would happily sit back and let an innocent person go to prison/death row rather than be inconvenienced by standing up and doing what is right.
Interesting spin.
Showing my millenialness but had no idea there was a tv series
I can really recommend it.
The television series is 10 times better than the 1993 movie, you can bet on it!!!!!
I'm too young to have watched it when new, but I watched them in syndication and really fell on love with it. I had a crap job and identified with the character: it really is TV at its best, and like the Twilight Zone, it aged really well.
@@scottmiller6495The movie sucked.
@@nicholasschroeder3678 David Jannsen was quite talented and his role in the Fugitive was sensational!!!!!
I disagree!! It was a very happy ending!!
The TV series was magnificent and full of pathos in the noble sense. The movie was PC pabulum with no purpose but to preach a left-wing agenda*; therefore, it made no effort to explore depth and intricacy of character. Having viewed each when freshly released, I witnessed the deterioration. Pharmaceutical companies may engage in some questionable practices, but hiring hit men?
Be that as it may, Rhubba did a fine job of explication.
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*It even threw in an image of a nurse wearing a pink AIDS twisty ribbon, a completely irrelevant and superfluous bit of virtue-signaling.
The TV Series has no peer. Great writing, good stories, 3-dimensional characters, excellent music. And I loved the 4 acts, plus epilogue.
The movie stinks, Harrison Ford is a great actor but when the guy playing Girard in the movie says I don't care, that killed it for me !!!!!
Agreed. I found the movie mildly entertaining, and both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones did a good job. However, when they started trotting-out that ridiculous "pharmaceutical company conspiracy" stuff as the motive, is when I lost it.