With three great guest stars, future Best Actor Oscar Nominee, a female member of the Rat Pack, and soon-to-be right hand man of Honey West's , this episode is an example of how much fun viewing old TV series can be. Robert Duvall was great as the crippled but hopeful brother. Angie Dickinson played a femme fatal worthy of the films noir of yore. John Erickson was certainly the type of guy you would run off with. The stairway leading to the living quarters above the gift shop was lit as the symbol it was. The camera angles on Angie as she looked out the window watching the Doctor leave, waiting for her lover to arrive show her duplicity, a true film noir conundrum. I hope to catch this episode again. I know you will enjoy it.
8 Reviews
Plot summary
ynot-1619 December 2006
Kimble, using the name Ben Horton, comes to a pier in southern California looking for work. Lars (actor John Ericson) directs him to Sessions' Gift Shop, run by Norma Sessions (actress Angie Dickinson). Kimble feels something for Norma, and she starts flirting with him from the start.
The job involves caring for Norma's brother Leslie (actor Robert Duvall) who was crippled in an accident. Leslie is unpleasant and suspicious of everyone, but Kimble eventually wins him over. Part of Kimble's charm to Leslie is that he gives Leslie physical therapy that gives Leslie some extra ability to move and for the first time makes him hopeful for his future.
Kimble is unaware that Norma and Lars have a plan to lure Kimble into killing Leslie so Norma and Lars can run away with his insurance money. Kimble faces enormous danger from the plotting of Norma and Lars, and from the involvement of the police.
The job involves caring for Norma's brother Leslie (actor Robert Duvall) who was crippled in an accident. Leslie is unpleasant and suspicious of everyone, but Kimble eventually wins him over. Part of Kimble's charm to Leslie is that he gives Leslie physical therapy that gives Leslie some extra ability to move and for the first time makes him hopeful for his future.
Kimble is unaware that Norma and Lars have a plan to lure Kimble into killing Leslie so Norma and Lars can run away with his insurance money. Kimble faces enormous danger from the plotting of Norma and Lars, and from the involvement of the police.
The Fugitive on the Santa Monica Pier
wallerworld16 November 2020
Nice use of the carousel on the Santa Monica Pier. The same locale was used in "The Sting" (1973). If you go there today, the carousel has hardly changed. This episode has great film noir-type visuals and a fine cast. Angie is smokin' and Bobby Duvall has his usual intensity. One problem: when they made the DVD, some of the music was replaced, due to clearance issues. Now, when it's shown on TV, they're too lazy to put the music back the way it was. The original music is cleared for broadcast! It was only home video rights that messed things up...
1/12/65 "Brass Ring"
schappe124 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Robert DuVal was on "The Fugitive" twice. In the first one, "Never Wave Goodbye", (a two-parter), the action takes place on the Santa Barbara Pier. Bob plays the brother of the beautiful Susan Oliver, who falls for Richard Kimble. There's a character named 'Lars'. In this on they are on the Santa Monica Pier. Bob plays the brother of the beautiful Angie Dickinson, who falls for Richard Kimble, (sort of). There's a character named 'Lars'. Are there a lot of 'Lars' in California?
In this one DuVal has been crippled in an auto accident. The good news is that he got a large settlement. The bad news is that Angie and her boyfriend, Lars, (John Erickson), value the money more than they do Bob. Kimble comes looking for a job and they give him one, taking care of Bob, (whose name is Leslie here). Duval in his younger days, was really good at looking sickly. He looks healthier now, even though he's in his 80's. Angie and Lars want him to die but Kimble gives him therapy that keeps getting him healthier, physically and mentally. They plan to kill him and frame Kimble for it. But Kimble looks awfully good to Angie and that spoils the plan.
In this one DuVal has been crippled in an auto accident. The good news is that he got a large settlement. The bad news is that Angie and her boyfriend, Lars, (John Erickson), value the money more than they do Bob. Kimble comes looking for a job and they give him one, taking care of Bob, (whose name is Leslie here). Duval in his younger days, was really good at looking sickly. He looks healthier now, even though he's in his 80's. Angie and Lars want him to die but Kimble gives him therapy that keeps getting him healthier, physically and mentally. They plan to kill him and frame Kimble for it. But Kimble looks awfully good to Angie and that spoils the plan.
Kimble falls prey to a femme fatale.
mamalv2023 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Kimble has found a job caring for an accident victim (Robert Duvall) in a Santa Monica pier shop. Duvall's sister is the gorgeous Angie Dickenson (Norma) who wants her brother dead so she can run away from the day to day boredom of the pier. Her enabler in the plot to kill her brother is John Ericson, as Lars.
Along comes a truly decent man, Kimble, who wants to help Leslie get back to a normal life thru therapy. Norma seduces Kimble and thinks she can manipulate him into murder. However even though he feels something for her there is no way he will be complacent in murder.
This is one of the best noirs of the Fugitive. The ending scenes with Kimble hiding on the running merry go round is reminiscent of the final scene in Hitchcock's Stranger on a Train. As the music plays and it reels around and around he jumps off and goes to Norma's apartment to hide.
She tells him she loves him but turns him in to the police anyway saying she will lose him one way or the other. A change of heart on her part, she tells the police it was her and Lars who murdered her brother.
Kimble wants to think he can find a decent person for a brief rendezvous, but this is an example of his loneliness taking over his common sense.
The heat between him and Angie Dickenson makes a very believable trap for the always hopeful fugitive.
I have always wondered if that surprise kiss in the last act was scripted. It certainly does seem that it.
Along comes a truly decent man, Kimble, who wants to help Leslie get back to a normal life thru therapy. Norma seduces Kimble and thinks she can manipulate him into murder. However even though he feels something for her there is no way he will be complacent in murder.
This is one of the best noirs of the Fugitive. The ending scenes with Kimble hiding on the running merry go round is reminiscent of the final scene in Hitchcock's Stranger on a Train. As the music plays and it reels around and around he jumps off and goes to Norma's apartment to hide.
She tells him she loves him but turns him in to the police anyway saying she will lose him one way or the other. A change of heart on her part, she tells the police it was her and Lars who murdered her brother.
Kimble wants to think he can find a decent person for a brief rendezvous, but this is an example of his loneliness taking over his common sense.
The heat between him and Angie Dickenson makes a very believable trap for the always hopeful fugitive.
I have always wondered if that surprise kiss in the last act was scripted. It certainly does seem that it.
When Dick met Angie
jsinger-589693 February 2023
Doc is looking for a job at a Cali pier when a devious looking guy named Lars directs him to a gift shop. Dick sees Angie Dickinson and looks like he's been hit by the thunderbolt. She has the usual beautiful woman reaction to him, and eventually she gets around to the job opening. She needs someone to care for her disabled brother, Leslie. Les, played by Robert Duval, is a nasty sort, but agrees to let Kimble change his diapers. Things are really going good. Angie tells Dick about how her mother had a bit part in a movie, and Dick tells her his Clark Gable story.. Dick starts making remarkable progress with both Les and Angie. Dick and Angie even have a Here to Eternity moment in the surf. But all is not as it seems, as Angie is really involved with Lars and they plan to do away with poor Les and take his 100k settlement from the accident that left him paralyzed. Lars strangles Les and frames Dick. When Angie provides an alibi for Lars, Dick knows he's been set up. Angie tries to con Dick into running away with her, but he tells her that he's already been convicted of one murder he didn't do, so that ain't happening. As the cops are taking Dick into custody, Angie comes clean about the whole thing. Except the part about Dick being a convicted murderer. Angie gets a ride in the back of a cop car, and Dick gets advice from the cops about not running away if he didn't really commit a crime. Little do they know.
Not the best episode but good acting
Guad4216 November 2020
The plot summary has been covered so a few observations. Robert Duvall is a great actor and early in his career he seemed to standout in roles like this. (See to Kill a Mockingbird). Angie Dickinson is beautiful as always and does a fine job here. I have got to get Kimble's aftershave or whatever it is he does to make beautiful women fall in love with him each week. Usually takes about three days for this to happen. The man works fast.
I like the police lieutenant's advice to Kimble at the end. "If you're not guilty, don't run away, no matter how bad it looks." You got to love the irony.
The downgrade in stars is the ending is contrived and it would be nice to see Kimble interact with a woman who doesn't fall in love with him or try to kill him (or both). The acting is strong but there are better episode in this series.
Huh???!!!
planktonrules4 April 2017
I usually love "The Fugitive". However, this particular episode is hard to love and really was written very poorly. The ending, in particular, makes no sense. Oh well,...I guess you can't win 'em all!
Richard Kimble is traveling as Ben Horton. He looks around an amusement pier for a job and finds an unusual one...by becoming a personal aid to a disabled man. It seems that Leslie (Robert Duvall) is paralyzed and lives with his sister, Norma (Angie Dickenson). However, Ben starts to realize that Leslie ISN'T as hopeless and disabled as he thinks and his sister seems to do her best to keep him immobile. Ben starts doing exercises with him and eventually Leslie is able to regain the use of his arms and life looks great. But Leslie also is afraid of his sister and her boyfriend...and has good reason to be.
Up until Leslie became mobile, it was a very good episode. Then, it completely fell apart and the ending is one of the most baffling and stupid I can recall seeing in a very long time. I would say more but I don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say that one of the characters behaves so against type that it is just confusing and impossible to believe...sort of like Bette Davis' change that occurred at the end of the movie "Jezebel".
Richard Kimble is traveling as Ben Horton. He looks around an amusement pier for a job and finds an unusual one...by becoming a personal aid to a disabled man. It seems that Leslie (Robert Duvall) is paralyzed and lives with his sister, Norma (Angie Dickenson). However, Ben starts to realize that Leslie ISN'T as hopeless and disabled as he thinks and his sister seems to do her best to keep him immobile. Ben starts doing exercises with him and eventually Leslie is able to regain the use of his arms and life looks great. But Leslie also is afraid of his sister and her boyfriend...and has good reason to be.
Up until Leslie became mobile, it was a very good episode. Then, it completely fell apart and the ending is one of the most baffling and stupid I can recall seeing in a very long time. I would say more but I don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say that one of the characters behaves so against type that it is just confusing and impossible to believe...sort of like Bette Davis' change that occurred at the end of the movie "Jezebel".
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