THE FUGITIVE. THE UNTOUCHABLES. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. LOST IN SPACE. THE AVENGERS. THE WILD, WILD WEST. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. I SPY. THE TWILIGHT ZONE. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. THE BRADY BUNCH. BEWITCHED. THE ADDAMS FAMILY. THE FLINTSTONES. MCHALE’S NAVY. DENNIS THE MENACE. GET SMART. THE HONEYMOONERS. CHARLIE’S ANGELS. STAR TREK. LAND OF THE LOST. DRAGNET.
What do all of these 1960s-’70s television series have in common? They were all made into feature films in the ’90s and 00’s. I’m probably forgetting a few, but these are the titles that immediately spring to my mind. The vast majority of these films did poor to good box office business but two of them went onto to become franchise juggernauts. The two are, of course, STAR TREK which has become a brand unto itself and the MISSION: IMPOSIBLE series starring Tom Cruise, a series that became wildly successful due in no small part to Cruise’s willingness to perform most of his own stunts.
Somewhere in the middle of not bad/not great 60s TV shows made into films is THE FUGITIVE. The early ’60s television series starred David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, a man convicted of killing his wife. He’s innocent and claims a one-armed man is the real culprit. When a train wreck frees Kimble he goes on the run, determined to find the real killer. He’s pursued by Lt. Gerard; a man obsessed with catching Kimble. Each week’s episode would find Kimble involved in the problems of the people he meets while on the run. He stops and helps but at the end of each episode, narrowly escapes being captured by Gerard. Kimble is forced to take off again, week after week until the two-hour season finale in which Kimble is finally exonerated and the real killer brought to justice.
Produced by Quinn Martin, THE FUGITVIE television series was an early example of television noir and was a top-rated series for the duration of its run.
The 1993 film THE FUGITIVE has Harrison Ford playing Kimble with Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshall Gerard. The film follows the format of the series with a surprise twist at the very end of the film. THE FUGITIVE received seven Academy Award nominations with Jones winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role.
THE FUGITVE is a well mounted thriller/chase film with solid leads and high production values (the film was shot largely in Chicago). Ford is durable and good as always, but Jones steals the show with his performance as a hunter who will not stop until he’s caught his target. Recommended.
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