TV and Movies

[Oznell]

2:00 a.m. Eastern, wee hours Monday morn--  "Ticket to Alaska".  David Janssen, Geraldine Brooks, Murray Matheson, John Larkin, Tim O'Connor, Gail Kobe, June Dayton, Gene Lyons

Last week I said a bunch of super-duper "Fugitives" were coming up, and this is, hands down, one of the best!  And remember, you don't have to be familiar with the series to enjoy it-- it's a self-contained little drama on its own.  And what an absorbing one.

"Kimble" has caught a small passenger freighter to Alaska, and is immediately part of a fascinating little group, almost "Ship of Fools" style.  There's genteel skeet shooting on the deck, where mild flirtations can flourish (see Janssen and Gail Kobe above, ha), the handsome crew walks around in dress uniform, and the passengers dress for dinner and enjoyably engage in a little recreational verbal fencing.  Then murder happens, and all bets are off...

The immensely talented Geraldine Brooks is fab in this, but they are all good.  Love Murray Matheson, an elegant Brit playing the patented David Niven role, and familiar Sixties' character players John Larkin, Tim O'Connor ("Peyton Place"), Gail Kobe, and David White ("Bewitched"), as Geraldine Brooks' rather cowed husband...

An on-board murder investigation threatens to unearth Kimble's identity before they reach Ketchikan, so he has an urgent interest in solving the crime himself, with the help perhaps of others innocent of the deed-- but who among them is innocent?

   

If you plan to catch any of the "Fugitive" episodes upcoming on MeTV, don't miss this one!

2022, Edited to add:    Just so no one is disappointed, may I point out that this is a thread that got bumped up from 2020, so "Ticket to Alaska" is NOT the one on the schedule this week in June 2022!

[Pearlee]

@Oznell. I wonder if the destination Ketchikan was chosen as a subliminal reference to foster even more suspense about a possible Kimble capture?

I do remember this one and it is a good episode!
Tim O'Connor was in more than one episode. He also played a deranged war veteran I think it was, with a limp in another episode.

[Oznell]

If the writers did want "Ketchikan" to have that effect on viewers, that was a clever word play, @Pearlee !

The suspense just builds and builds as it seems, with the net closing in, Kimble will never escape the authorities.  I love the extended, improvised "court room" hearing conducted by the captain and first officer on ship.  It's fascinating to see the passengers squirm, once they tie in long-ago war activities  and espionage to their current investigation....

Yeah, the other one with Tim O'Connor and always-interesting Lee Grant, was a rather downbeat one, but good acting. 

[RobertWho]

This episode, as you stated, was a Super Duper One! Never remembered seeing at the time I was in elementary school and watching the series.

But a great cast, nonetheless! From Geraldine Brooks, Murray M., John Larkin,, David White (Larry Tate, remember fro Bewitched series), Gail Kobe, Tim O' Connor, et al.

This episode reminds me of a type of "Murder on the Orient Express" movie, except not on a train setting, but on a cruise ship to Alaska.

I have fond memories of the superb actress, Geraldine Brooks...first remembered seeing her on a great Sci-Fi series "The Outer Limits", an episode entitled "Architects of Fear". I was totally moved with her great performance, playing dramatically the grieving and tortured "soon to be wife" of Robert Culp! She's caught in the middle of a group of mad scientists experiment that's gone wrong! Well- in her in that role , that's what great acting is all about!

By the way, look for her in upcoming episode of the Fug, entitled "Everybody gets hit in the mouth sometime", with co-star Jack Klugman!

[drizzellla]

Thanks for the update.

I have "lost" my TV because of a houseguest is in that bedroom. Will have to work something out with the main TV and thanks to you, Oznell, I have the time. 

Boy, ME TV doesn't make things easy on me. Went to set the timer on the TV. And what do I see Cheers starting with the first episode. Of course we aen't going to be home so I marked it to be recorded. AND THEN the last episode of the D i c k Van

D y k e Show, Not sure I ever saw it. So that has to be recorded too. And then my son has to work - SO - he wants to record soccer games. 

And it isn't even sweeps month.

[Oznell]

Wow, it's a fun walk down 'memory lane' to see this, one of my early Fugitive alerts, @RobertWho !   Agreed, Geraldine Page was always good, and the episode does have that "enclosed world" or microcosm effect that "Murder on the Orient Express" had... 

@drizzellla,  it sounds like you are working your way through the re-started series again on METV,  maybe catching a few of those you missed the first time around... good plan.

[drizzellla]

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@Oznell wrote:

@drizzellla,  it sounds like you are working your way through the re-started series again on METV,  maybe catching a few of those you missed the first time around... good plan.

---

Yes, I am. And I seem to think that many of the best episodes for any show, are at the beginning of their series. One of the reason I wanted to watch the first episode of Cheers.

My son gave me a tutorial last night. He showed me how to access all the episodes from the 11 seasons of Cheers and Frasier.  

But I am secretly hoping that I can still watch The Fugitive episode at 2:00 AM. And it doesn't become one of the many episodes of shows that I have had recorded and haven't watched yet. I think that is why my son gave me the tutorial last night.

[twinsister]

@Oznell - I was surprised to see your post, but then realized it was from two years ago.  I do not remember this episode, since I didn't join our little group at the very beginning.  Sounds very good. I would like to see it, but it isn't on at 2 AM tomorrow, instead the episode airing is titled Fatso.

I checked and this episode aired last week.

[Oznell]

You're right, @twinsister .    The thread got bumped up by a Fugitive enthusiast who loved that particular episode and wanted to discuss it.

It didn't occur to me that @drizzellla or anyone responding wouldn't notice that the original alert was from 2020-- but it's good that you mention that so anyone who reads won't be expecting "Ticket to Alaska" this week!

By the way, it's too soon for me to start re-watching the episodes this time around, but I did make an exception for "Ticket to Alaska"....

Edited to add--  I just added an explanatory postscript to the OP in case someone doesn't read any further in the thread and expects "Ticket...."  this week.      

[Pearlee]

@RobertWho   Glad as I am when someone enjoys a Fugitive episode, you should be aware that it is a board Term of Use violation to bump up old threads, which the mods have defined as being more than 1 yr old. Probably because it creates confusion, like this did.

And how interesting that you are a new poster but found an old Fugitive thread from 2 yrs ago.

@drizzellla  @twinsister   Greetings!