The Fugitive: Season One, Volume One

The hunt for one of DVD's Most Wanted TV series is over! The Fugitive, ranked by TV Guide as among the top 40 shows of all time, is just as gripping today as it was when the falsely convicted Dr. Richard Kimble's "twisting and turning" odyssey to find his slain wife's real killer began nearly 45 years ago. David Janssen's Kimble is a TV icon (No. 22 on Bravo's list of the “100 Greatest TV Characters”), a haunted, hunted figure desperately trying to find the elusive one-armed man he witnessed fleeing his home on the night of the murder, while also trying to elude the relentless Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse). But the heart of these 15 inaugural black-and-white episodes from 1963-64 (presented on an extra-less four-disc set) lies not so much in the chase, but rather in the compelling human dramas that emerge as Kimble, who moves from town to town and takes odd jobs, reluctantly becomes involved in the lives of troubled strangers he meets. His presence is often greeted with suspicion and hostility, as in the episode "The Other Side of the Mountain," in which he no sooner enters a bar in a rundown mining town then the locals (led by a pre-Gomer Pyle Frank Sutton) rough him up. In the first episode, an upstanding citizen (guest star Brian Keith) is actually an abusive husband, whose wife (Vera Miles) Kimble is compelled to protect. In "The Witch," Kimble nearly falls prey to mob justice after false accusations from a young girl. There are several Kimble-Gerard near misses, the most memorable occurring in the two-parter "Never Wave Goodbye," in which Kimble, tired of running, puts down roots as an apprentice sail-maker in Santa Barbara. In the storm-tossed climax, Kimble must decide whether to let Gerard drown or save his life. Essential to The Fugitive mythology is "The Girl from Little Egypt," in which Kimble, recuperating after being hit by a car, flashes back to the events preceding his wife's murder and his subsequent trial, conviction, and escape from a Death Row-bound train (we also get our first, harrowing glimpse of the one-armed man, played by Bill Raisch). Another benchmark episode is "Home Is the Hunted," in which Kimble returns home following his father's heart attack and gets a less than warm welcome from his embittered brother. The change of scenery in each episode allowed for a wide range of appearances by an impressive gallery of character actors, including Sandy Dennis, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Jack Klugman, and Jack Weston. No collection of classic TV on DVD can afford to let The Fugitive get away. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)