The Fugitive (The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One) – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

For three seasons Dr. Richard Kimble (David Jannsen) had hid in the shadows of a black and white world. He snuck around a world of extreme contrasts where people thought he was either guilty or innocent of murdering his wife. His was a lonely journey for justice as he hunted down the One-Armed Man that was the real killer. In the final season, Kimble’s world exploded in color. The network needed to make sure its shows dazzled with hues. Thus the formerly noir world of Kimble was gone. Since a majority of viewers still had black and white TVs, they didn’t notice the difference until years later in reruns. The Fugitive: The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One gives us a deadly chase in living color.

“The Last Oasis” picks a Navaho reservation to introduce the hues. Kimble gets shot by a cop and takes refuge at an orphanage. The head teacher hides him, but the local cops sniff hard. “Death Is the Door Prize” gets him mistaken for someone else who is also wanted by the cops. That’s never a good thing. The nasty One-Armed Man makes his season debut in “A Clean and Quiet Town.” Clark City is a nasty place run by gangsters protecting their gambling racket. When Kimble gets too close to the real killer, the crooked cops pull him back and beat him down. He won’t give up, but is there any hope of justice if he nabs the guy? “The Sharp Edge of Chivalry” gets him nailed on another murder charge while he’s working as a janitor. This guy can’t get a break. “Ten Thousand Pieces of Silver” faces Kimble off with a real homicidal freak that escaped from prison. It’s good fugitive versus bad fugitive. James B. Sikking (Hill Street Blues) is a cop.

“Joshua’s Kingdom” puts medicine against religion. Kimble wants to help a sick baby, but the family is Christian Scientist. They don’t want any of his medicine when prayer will do. A young Tom Skerritt (Alien) is part of the conflict. “Second Sight” allows Tim Considine (My Three Sons and The Adventures of Spin and Marty) to grow up a bit. He’s photographing locals at bars for cash when he snaps the One-Armed Man. Kimble works at the photo developers and sees his suspect. Ted Knight (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) plays the doctor. Considine goes beyond his Disney persona. “Wine Is a Traitor” turns ugly when the son of a winery owner (Roy Thinnes) busts a strike with homicide. He uses goons to cover his tracks including taking out Kimble. Roy Thinnes would soon be a man being chased in a Quinn Martin production as the star of The Invaders.

“Nobody Loses All the Time” gives us more time with the One-Armed Man. Kimble gets close to nabbing him, but stops to help a hurt woman. Turns out she’s the One-Armed Man’s girlfriend and she’s eager to fink him out to Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse). “The Devil’s Disciples” lets Bruce Dern play an outlaw biker before Wild Angels hit the screen. Kimble falls in with the bikers after they rescue him from the cops. “The Evil Men Do” places Kimble in the strange position of helping an ex-mobster. As a favor, the guy plans on having Gerard snuffed. Can Kimble live with a target on Gerard’s head? “Run the Man Down” involves trains, hobos and loot.

The producers went into this season knowing it would be the last. David Janssen was getting worn out by the production which did a lot of location work. The stories for the first 15 episodes hint that the end of the run is near. The encounters with the One-Armed Man are getting closer to a resolution. The end is in sight although there’s no scheduled date for the final volume.

The Episodes
“The Last Oasis,” “Death Is the Door Prize,” “A Clean and Quiet Town,” “The Sharp Edge of Chivalry,” “Ten Thousand Pieces of Silver,” “Joshua’s Kingdom,” “Second Sight,” “Wine Is a Traitor,” “Approach with Care,” “Nobody Loses All the Time,” “Right in the Middle of the Season,” “The Devil’s Disciples,” “The Blessings of Liberty,” “The Evil Men Do” and “Run the Man Down.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The color transfers are much better than the prints that were sourced for the run on RTN a few years back. There’s a richness to the hues. The use of non-studio locations allows the show to shine. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The mix of music, dialogue and scared silence works brilliantly. The episodes have English subtitles.

Composer Dominic Frontiere: Season of Change (10:37) lets him talk about the music for the final go around. He didn’t have too much contact with Quinn Martin.

The Fugitive (The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One) brings us the first 15 episodes of the ending to what had been TV’s most exciting manhunt. Dr. Kimble gets teasingly close to nabbing the One-Armed Man in quite a few episodes. The added color brings a strange new texture to the pursuit. There’s even an introduction to each episode letting us know that the Fugitive is now in color. The good part is knowing that this all pays off instead of merely being a big tease.


CBS DVD presents The Fugitive: The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One. Starring: David Janssen and Barry Morse. Boxset Contents: 15 episodes on 4 DVDs. Released on DVD: November 2, 2010.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.