TV and Movies

[Pearlee]

So we come to Part I of the 2-part ending of The Fugitive, which ended 55 years ago this August.  Watching this episode again brought back how I felt then when my favorite TV show was concluding. Mixed emotions: very eager to see what would happen to Kimble, yet very sad that I wouldn't see David Handsome, my teenaged crush, weekly any more.  I am excited for those of you who haven't seen it before.

It appears that the finale IS on YouTube. I can't post links from my phone but Google to check it out.

WARNING: no real spoilers below but reading the following may take away some of the epi's suspense.

The Fugitive "the Judgment-Part 1" starring David Janssen, co-starring Diane Baker, Richard Anderson, Joseph Campanella, Michael Constantine, Jacqueline Scott, Bill Raisch, Barry Morse and you'll also probably recognize Seymour Cassell and Skip Ward.

While a couple of pretty preposterous things happen in the finale, they occur in Part 2.  Part 1 is quite suspenseful and exciting (so is Part 2) and fairly believable.  It opens with Fred Johnson, the 1-armed man, being arrested in L.A. for robbing a bar. The story is picked up nationally and draws to L.A.  Lt Gerard, who knows the photo of the 1 armed man in newspapers will attract Kimble.  Kimble is working  as a trucker in Tucson and heads to L.A.

Meanwhile, a hometown woman  from Stafford (Diane Baker) who knows the Kimble family,  is working in L.A. as a court stenographer. She recognizes Gerard and overhears him talking with the L.A. police (Joseph Campanella) about luring Kimble in. She calls Donna Taft, Kimble's sister, back in Stafford, and asks her to warn Kimble about the trap in L.A. to capture him. He is on his way already and Baker ends up seeing Kimble before Gerard does and hiding him at her place.

Meanwhile, with Johnson in custody, Gerard offers, via the media,  Kimble a deal to turn himself in. Kimble, tired of running, agonizes over this decision (great acting by DJ of a man tormented by the decision). Kimble decides to turn himself in and is on his way when ...someone pays Johnson's bail to get him out of jail. Oh no!... who would have done that?  At this point, the plot really thickens...

Question... when Gerard questions Johnson about being in Stafford 

when Helen Kimble was killed, Johnson lies and Gerard knows it.

Do you think after that interview Gerard has real doubts about Kimble's guilt?  I can't tell, so what do you think?

Enjoy this exciting episode, which will leave you on the edge of your seat.

@twinsister   My family had Diane Baker's blue car, a Buick Special, in red. It was so sharp! When my father got a new car later, I could drive by then and I got that car! Oh how I loved it! It was fun to see it again, but my red one was sharper! I remember my dad paid a little over $2,000 for it new. 🙄

[Tique]

Epilog Picture

[Pearlee]

@Tique   Oh those are perfect! Thank you! I think I'm going to have a special request for you for next week but first I have to watch Part 2 again  to confirm it. 

Folks, regarding Tique's Epilog photo....they are heading back to Stafford where it all began........

[twinsister]

I didn't remember Part I at all, so I enjoyed it very much and thought it was suspenseful.

@Pearlee - I think Johnson's denial about the killing, did chip away at Gerard's absolute certainty of Kimble's guilt.   As for the person who arranged for Johnson's bail, I think it was done to help Kimble, but I could be wrong!   When Gerard left Jeannie's apartment I couldn't believe she didn't put the chain on her door!   With Kimble hiding in another room, and the possibility of Gerard coming back, I thought it was careless.  It reminded me of the Janice Rule episode when Kimble ran out of his room and didn't close the door.  Things like that annoy me.

Jeannie's light blue Buick was nice, so it must have looked better in red!  We had a Buick too, while my father was alive, but an earlier model.

I laughed at the very beginning at the sign of the nightclub advertising Watusi dancers!!

[Pearlee]

@twinsister   I missed the Watusi dancers sign! Glad I own the disk -- will look for it another time.

How do you think releasing Johnson from jail would help Kimble?  I don't see how...?  Taft was a shocker!

Yeah I thought it was odd Baker didn't replace the chain link but I thought she felt secure with Kimble there, and she thought correctly that Gerard had left. He didn't have a search warrant. Speaking of which, he went through her car without a warrant, but wasn't going to use the box of produce as evidence so no warrant made no difference. It merely gave him information that Baker had indeed been with Kimble.

Yes this epi was quite suspenseful! 😬

[twinsister]

@Pearlee - Yes - Taft was a shocker, because I thought the brother-in-law would always help Kimble. That is the reason I said it may have been done to help him and maybe Donna and her husband had a scheme to lure Johnson back.  I don't know, it was just a random thought.

[Pearlee]

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@twinsister wrote:

@Pearlee - Yes - Taft was a shocker, because I thought the brother-in-law would always help Kimble. That is the reason I said it may have been done to help him and maybe Donna and her husband had a scheme to lure Johnson back.  I don't know, it was just a random thought.

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@twinsister  Thanks! Now I see where you were coming from. 🙂

[chloe4578]

This was an engrossing episode.  We'll have to see where Taft comes into play next week.  As shocking as it may seem, I did have a funny feeling about him when he entered the room, the phone was ringing, she was vacuuming, etc., which led me to believe he was up to something.  I just had this weird feeling something was wrong.

I really didn't see many flaws in this epi but do agree with @twinsister the cars being open, when Gerard took certain liberties to do his investigation in California which was totally illegal without any kind of warrant since he was a Lt from Indiana or question Jeanne.  She didn't have to answer or let him in her apt which was private property.  This has been my sticking point since the beginning.  Gerard just can't walk into a town and take over, even in the sixties.  Johnson was right when he said to Gerard that he doesn't have to answer his questions..  Johnson was just a person of interest in the murder of Kimble's not a suspect.  The local cops should have been questioning him not Gerard.  After all, he was arrested for the bar scene not a murder that happened in Indiana 4 years ago. 

@Pearlee I kind of got the feeling that Gerard had some reservations about who actually murdered Helen and Kimble not making up the one armed bandit story, but I've watched enough Datelines and 48 Hours in my lifetime to know cops don't change their minds even with today's DNA test or any evidence shown, even if the person in jail is released.  Deep down Gerard can't stand that Kimble escaped under his watch and was able to avoid being apprehended for almost 4 years.

[drizzellla]

Oh My My My!

I don't know what to think. But I guess that is the purpose of a 2 parter finale. Keep you guessing and chattering about episode 1 until you see episode 2.

It did strike me odd the sister not only knew where David Janssen was but what name he was using. But yet again. I only saw David Janssen for one hour in one day during the week. He occupied his time with other things that I didn't see.

It has been nice to see the classic cars during the series. And they are noticable in color. 

But I must say the final screen made me think deja vu, all over again.

[twinsister]

@chloe4578 - You are right about Gerard taking over, and how Kimble escaping under his watch has made him obsessed with recapturing him.

@drizzellla - Good point about Donna knowing how to reach Kimble and his current alias.  I guess we are to assume he tried to let her know his location.