TV and Movies

[Oznell]

2:00 a.m. Eastern  The Fugitive "The End Game"  David Janssen, John McGiver, John Fiedler, Joseph Campanella, Martine Bartlett, Christopher Connelly, Barry Morse

(Thought I'd get this out early, since tomorrow a.m. I not only have my usual "online" date with church, but also have to get groceries a day early due to other commitments on Monday, gack).

Add Joseph Campanella to the list of guys who look good in a fedora...

But enough of that.  "The End Game" is fuzzy to me as to the fine details, since it's not one of my particular faves. It does have some nice aspects and of course, the humor, as brought by a pair of seasoned character players, John McGiver and John Fiedler.

A chance photo reveals Kimble to be in Chicago, and Lt. Gerard makes a beeline for the city, and starts working with his police colleagues there, notably Joseph Campanella.  Kimble is hemmed in to a tight urban area, and seeks refuge with two older gents (McGiver and Fiedler) in their house.

@Pearlee,  I hope this photo is a good candidate for what you want to show/tell us about McGiver-- let me know if you need a different one:

Yes, the squabbling McGiver and John Fiedler are funny in this one, and their differing interactions with Kimble are diverting.  I do find the whole sort of cliche of stubborn, curmudgeonly older guys a wee bit stereotypical and perhaps a little goes a long way with me. 

But there's no question that McGiver and Fiedler are highly skilled.  Oh, remember Fiedler, the hilariously timid "Mr. Peterson" in Dr. Bob Hartley's therapy group in "The Bob Newhart Show"?

His querilous, high-pitched voice was made for comedy.  He also had a supporting film career, in "12 Angry Men",  among others.

Martine Bartlett gets a small, but memorable turn as a "lady of the evening" who crosses paths with Kimble.  In her very short screen time, she etches a vivid mini-portrait.  She has the air of a Tennessee Williams character for me in this-- and she may even have been in a Williams play, but my memory might be wrong on that.

"Peyton Place" alert:  Another alumnus makes a quick appearance, cute Christopher Connelly, as a "feckless youth" I think.  Like his reedy voice.

I have a soft spot for Joseph Campanella, who was a welcome fixture on TV and theater.   Handsome, an excellent actor (who appeared in at least one other guise on "Fugitive", and perhaps more), it's fun to see him working in conjunction with the grimly determined Gerard.  Gerard, who is so very sure this is "the end game"!

[Group 5 minus 1]

Barney from Mission Impossible (the old one) is also in this episode.

[Group 5 minus 1]

Fiedler had an interesting role on an old Star Trek. He played Jack the Ripper that goes through the ages .

[Oznell]

Oh, cool, @Group 5 minus 1 ,  I'll be on the lookout for him!

[mousiegirl]

@Oznell   This was on the same disc as Homecoming, so I watched it after, quirky.

[Pearlee]

@Oznell Oh I know you started this thread a day early because you couldn't wait to hear my John McIver story. I must say that you chose the perfect photo of him for my story so I thank you for that.

So this episode is from 1964. A noteworthy year because the Beatles made their USA debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Well....as I posted earlier, McGiver appeared on numerous TV shows and in movies back in those days.

One day my younger sister and I were watching him on some TV show and she said, "he looks like he could be Paul McCartney's father!" (1n 1964 Paul was 22 yrs old). I had to agree with her! ,I've seen many photos of McCartney's real father and I have to say McGiver looks much more like he should be Paul's father than his real one does!

After my sister said that, every time we saw McGiver in anything we'd sing "woooooh" the way Paul does in a lot of Beatles songs in tribute to how much they looked like father and son. 😂

As I say, oznell, that was the perfect photo to post!

[Tique]

[Pearlee]

@Tique 😆 Perfect! Thank you.
Be still my heart ❤ . MACCA and Janssen on the same thread!

I just watched End Game on You Tube. It's definitely not a favorite but also not as bad as I remembered it. Barry Morse was great and Kimble using psychology was interesting to watch. The codgers were overly exaggerated and pretty much caricatures. As oznell put it, a little of them goes a long way.

[Pearlee]

Forgot to add the transistor radio brought back memories of mine, which I loved.

[Pearlee]

@Oznell. Another Fuge Campanella was in was Set Fire ToThe Straw Man, with Clint Howard and Diana Hyland as a psycho again (Clint's real mother. Clint was adopted by Campanella and his wife. ) Hyland would leave Clint little presents at a scarecrow.