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(More customer reviews)The first episode of THE FUGITIVE, FEAR IN A DESERT CITY, established what was to be a successful formula for the next four seasons. Doctor Richard Kimble is accused of his wife's murder. He knows that a one-armed man is the culprit, but can't prove it. He is tried, found guilty, and sentenced to die in the electric chair. On route to the death house, he escapes from Lieutenant Philip Gerard, who then spends much of the next four years chasing a doctor who is similarly chasing his quarry. At the start of this initial episode, the sonorous narration of William Conrad informs the audience of this background information. Kimble, who now calls himself Jim Lincoln, rides a bus into Tucson, Arizona, and finds work as a bartender. He strikes up a relation with Monica Welles, played by Vera Miles, only to find that his anonymity is threatened when her rich but crazy ex-husband stalks her and wonders at the temerity of a drifter to dare date the ex-wife of a local powerful and influential citizen. The plot revolves around Kimble's helping Monica to escape from her ex.
This episode established the basic persona of pursuer and pursued. Kimble is the good doctor yanked out of his comfortable life, with the audience wondering whether he can regain that life. Barry Morse as Lt.Gerard is the policeman who trails him with a monomania that does not become clearer until future episodes. It is David Janssen's tremendous acting that made this show a monster hit. His interpretation of Richard Kimble suggests a controlled fear that is never absent. Kimble simply cannot permit himself the luxury of a relationship. When he does, the result is often to expose him to danger. Every time, I saw Kimble impacting on others, I knew that I was seeing how one bright but faceless man kept his hopes up to reclaim a life that I knew one day would return. This was a terrific first episode that hooked an audience for four more years.
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