TV and Movies

[Oznell]

2:00 a.m. Eastern-- The Fugitive "A Clean and Quiet Town"  David Janssen, Carol Rossen, Michael Strong, Bill Bramley, B. Raisch, Geo. Brenlin, Eduardo Cianelli, Peter Brocco, Susan Davis, Ted Gehring, Alan Emerson, Lloyd Haynes, Robert Karnes, Orville Sherman, Ed Deemer

Kimble arrives in town, and is immediately targeted, for reasons that quickly unfold.   Nice that he has multiple Fuge performer Carol Rossen to put the pieces back together.  But not for long.

Familiar brown jacket!  The light cleft in his chin is quite visible in that shot.

Repeat Fuger Michael Strong's also back in this one, as "Enright",  but this time around, he's definitely not a social worker.

And repeat Fuger Lloyd Haynes is back in a small role.  These small parts must have been a prelude, just before his big breakthrough in television.

Another player of note, Eduardo Cianelli, makes a big splash as "Victor Luchek".   This old pro takes a small role and makes a vivid impression.  He was a seasoned character actor and one-time opera singer, who made his mark in Hollywood, often playing ruthless characters.

And in the Forties:

Well, it *looked* like a clean and quiet town:

[twinsister]

It looks good and my DVR is set!  I like that the setting again is more urban than rural.  I remember Lloyd Hanes from Room 222.  The only role I remember of E Cianelli is when he played Sophia Loren's father in Houseboat with Cary Grant.  A good cast with the other multiple Fuge performers and the one armed man!

It will be nice to put the craziness of the past week behind us and just discuss the Fuge, instead of new forums and nicknames - HaHa!

[Oznell]

I can't agree more, @twinsister --  the last thing we need is a "stress load" from our forums!

I didn't know about that role of Cianelli's you reference--  interesting!   He's very charismatic even in a small part, and dominates the screen.

[twinsister]

@Oznell - If you get the opportunity, I think it is worth seeing. Houseboat is a cute romantic comedy from the late 1950's.  Mindless fluff!

[godi]

Another classic episode. They don't write ''em like this anymore. @Oznell  Thanks. 

[Tique]

This episode had so many directions it could have gone in and been so much better. It was okay but I wouldn't spend the time to watch it again.

[Oznell]

I agree with you, @Tique ,  in that I wouldn't watch it again.

Although, I found a certain drama in the now-familiar chilling prospect of a town that is bought and paid for, run by corrupt forces and up for grabs for whoever is ruthless enough to buy in.  

Also agree they could have done more with it.  Carol Rossen's part was lackluster, esp. given her talent.  To me, she always does best with intelligent, perceptive characters.  I like both Michael Strong and Eduardo Cianelli.

So dominating was the frail Cianelli, that in that scene with Kimble and Fred Johnson and Michael Strong, the younger men looked almost like chastened schoolboys, awaiting their punishment from the principal.  They sort of "receded"!

Funny that Enright revealed his own little code of conduct, even as someone outside the law. 

I was relieved and surprised when Kimble was just allowed to go with no reprisals.  Hubby reminded me that the syndicate didn't want any complications or further hassles-- it was a clean ending for them, sort of.

[twinsister]

I thought this episode was all over the place with so many twists and turns.  

Another helpful woman, but this one was not swayed by Kimble's looks.  A good samaritan that charges $ 10?  I think Carol Rossen's part should have been bigger.

How ironic that the one time Kimble wanted Gerard to be notified of his location, no one did anything!  I wonder what Gerard would have done if he saw Kimble and the one armed man handcuffed together?

@Oznell - I agree that E Cianelli's character was very intimidating to those guys.  It was like he came out of nowhere, scolded them and returned into the shadows.

I was surprised at the end when Enright sent the cops after Kimble when he stole his car and thought he would just let him get away with it.

Kimbe looked so defeated as he was leaving Enright's office and turned around to look at the secretary.

Some trivial things - the sign on the donut shops - 60 cents for a dozen!!  Also at the end when Kimble and the one armed man got out of the blue car - the back door opened the opposite way.  I have never seen that before.

@Tique - Agree - I would not watch this again.

[chloe4578]

Guess I'm in the minority and would watch it again. 

The mafia ran the town and Kimble knew it, which was why he just let it all hang out and let his true identy be known to the right people.  The thing that did strike me odd was how the one armed bandit (I can never remember his name) ran the cops under the guise of Enright.  I mean seriously that just doesn't happen.  

Kimble was beaten to a pulp twice in an hour with only Carol Rossen, who I think was a prostitute caught up in this web, came to his aid without  falling in love with him as @twinsister pointed out.  Wasn't that nice?  

As for Cianelli, he was the head and everything went through him and I mean everything.    I liked the scene when Enright and his cronies were called to answer to Cianelli as to why he went above his head and hired this punk.  Enright made his excuses but that didn't help much.

@Oznell  Yes, your husband was right.  The syndicate or mafia whatever you want to call it, didn't want problems and let them go.  In real life they would have been killed, but this is TV and the show must go on.

Lots of twists and the plot thickens as we go forward.  Kimble may have won the battle, but not the war.

[Oznell]

Great point, @twinsister ,  about the irony of Kimble for once desperately WANTING Gerard notified, and nobody complied!   Ha, love that.

And the plot being all over the place, yes!

@chloe4578,  good point and very true that it rang odd that Fred Johnson (the one-armed guy) was running his own little mini-operation with those two police, in such a hierarchical, tightly controlled operation.  I wondered about that too.  I guess he presumed a little too much on Enright's gratitude for saving his life, and was too big for his britches...

It was annoying to see seedy Fred Johnson (alias "Kramer") strutting around, flashily dressed, etc.!