"The Fugitive" Fear in a Desert City (1963)

Director:

Walter Grauman

Writers:

Stanford Whitmore (written by) and
Roy Huggins (creator)

TV Series:

"The Fugitive" (1963)

Original Air Date:

17 September 1963 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

After being on the run for 6 months, Richard Kimble falls in love with a beautiful woman who has a young son. She also has a physically abusive, estranged husband, that wants Kimble out of town, or dead. |

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Escape | Fugitive | Chase | Falsely Convicted

Cast

David Janssen	...	Dr. Richard Kimble
Vera Miles	...	Monica Welles
Brian Keith	...	Edward Welles
Harry Townes	...	Sergeant Burden
Barry Morse	...	Lt. Philip Gerard

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM)

Trivia:

This series was loosely based on Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables. The writer of this episode, Stanford Whitmore has said that he chose the surname "Gerard" for Kimble's pursuer because it sounded similar to "Javert," who pursues Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

Plot summary

This, the first episode, is a very fitting beginning to the saga of Dr. Richard Kimble, fugitive. Kimble (using the name Jim Lincoln) takes a job at a bar in Tucson, Arizona, and meets the piano player, Monica Welles, played by actress Vera Miles. Monica is bothered by a male patron of the bar. Kimble repeatedly protects her, thereby acquiring an enemy. He later learns the man bothering her is Ed Welles, her husband. Actor Brian Keith does an outstanding job as Ed.

Ed Welles is a major landowner in the state, with enormous influence over the police. He is also paranoid, jealous, controlling and violent where his wife is concerned. She fled Phoenix to Tucson a month earlier to get away from Ed, but he found her and followed her.

Kimble takes the opportunity to explain his story to Monica, thereby informing viewers about why he is on the run. Due to his impeccable, protective behavior, she of course believes in his innocence. Meanwhile, we see Lieutenant Gerard back in Stafford discussing the case with Captain Carpenter. Carpenter suggests that maybe Kimble is innocent, but Gerard declares it does not matter to him whether Kimble is factually innocent or guilty. The law declared him guilty, and it is not up to Gerard to decide on guilt or innocence, but merely to obey the law and bring in the fugitive.

Child actor Donald Losby (who later plays Sean in "Cry Uncle") plays Monica's son, who at first is cold to Kimble, but later comes to like and trust him more than his own dad.

Actors Harry Townes and Dabbs Greer are very credible as the two police officers whom Ed employs to chase Kimble out of town. Kimble faces severe danger from the police, and from the violent behavior and desire for revenge of Ed Welles.