The Fugitive
1 9 6 3 - 1 9 6 7 (USA)
120 x 60 minute episodes
"Name: Richard Kimble. Profession: Doctor of Medicine.
Destination: Death Row, State Prison. Richard Kimble has been
tried and convicted for the murder of his wife. But Richard Kimble
is innocent..."
Produced by the prolific Quinn Martin, The Fugitive
Starred David Janssen as Doctor Richard Kimble, a man wrongly
tried and convicted for the murder of his wife.
The series concerned his escape from custody (after the prison
train taking him to his execution derailed) and his quest to clear
his name and bring to justice the real killer- the shadowy, ever
elusive, one armed man.
Kimble's single-minded quest enthralled audiences world-wide as
he crossed the USA in pursuit of his wife’s killer, whilst
trying to escape the clutches of the law himself, and in
particular the man responsible for his capture, his police escort
Lieutenant Gerard.
Prisoners in the USA regularly wrote to Janssen saying that
they had been framed too; convicts on a chain gang in the deep
south threatened to riot when a warden said he's stop them
watching The Fugitive, and old ladies reported sightings of
suspicious one-armed men.
In Britain, when Granada TV suddenly stopped showing the series
halfway through, 600 Liverpool factory girls formed an action
committee to persuade the company to change its mind. Shortly
afterwards it returned to English TV.
The quest was actually resolved in a two part special in 1967
which saw Kimble finally bring his wife's elusive murderer to
ultimate justice, and clear his own name. The finale had a 72%
viewing share of the audience in the USA - At that time the
largest recorded for a single episode of an on-going series.
To keep the outcome secret, the second and final segment was
televised all over the world on the same day and everyone was able
to see Kimble shoot the one-armed bandit as he wrestled with
Kimble in a life-and-death struggle.
Janssen went on to play Harry O before his well
publicised alcoholism brought about his premature death.
In 1993 Harrison Ford portrayed Richard Kimble in a new and
highly successful movie version of The Fugitive which also
inspired a sequel, US Marshals.
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