Interesting facts about 'The Fugitive'

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That morning, Kimble, wary of questions by police about the incident, rides out from the site on to his next adventure.

This episode of one of the first where Kimble, as a pediatrician, helped others who were stigmatized for being mentally retarded, "slow", or having related special needs. However, an episode in the final season touched on the issue in a way that could best be described as unhelpful, as we will see.

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'The Fugitive' has been claimed as having two sources by many for its inspiration: One has been the real life case of Dr. Sam Shepard, who in the 1950's was accused of killing his wife. The creators of the series denied the case had anything to do with the storyline of Dr. Richard Kimble.
The other is a literary source: Lieutenant Gerard appears to have his name derived from the story of 'Les Miserables', the classic French novel by Victor Hugo, whose antagonist Inspector Javaert relentlessly pursues the story's hero Jean Valjean.

Episode 14 in the series, "The Girl From Little Egypt", depicts the back story of the incidents which led to Richard Kimble's flight from the law.

The episode begins in a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, where Ruth Norton (interestingly a common name in the series, as with the previous episode), a young stewardess played by Pamela Tiffin, is devastated to learn that her romantic interest Paul Clements, played by Ed Nelson, is married.


Pamela Tiffin was a kind of "It Girl" in the 1960's where she first appeared in beach movies and other motion pictures and television shows. She was a beautiful, alluring actress who even made a pictorial in 'Playboy' in those years.

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In turmoil and in tears over this revelation, Ruth blasts the radio and drives recklessly at a high rate of speed on the highway. At the last second she spots Kimble as he hitchhikes at night,

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Ruth spots Kimble at the last second and her car swerves before hitting him. She makes a statement to the police at the scene about the accident.

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Kimble is alive but delirious as he is taken on a stretcher into the ambulance. He falls into a dream of the past--a grim memory of a conversation with a fellow doctor about a birth gone wrong.

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Kimble's wife Helen, played by Diane Brewster, awakens after giving birth and awaits news of the child's gender. Kimble, in his previous salt-and-pepper hair color, informs her that they had a son. He attempts to comfort her while relaying very disturbing news: the child had died, stillborn. But he vows that they will have children later.

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This is not news Helen looked forward to receiving. She asks why she was put under for so long. He explains that because the doctors nearly lost her, an operation was performed that prevented her from having children. Helen becomes upset, unable to accept that her only child has died. She cries out, "Dead?!" over and over. The dream ends with Kimble tosses uneasily in the hospital bed, feebly calling out Helen's name. A police officer asks if he should notify this Helen. Kimble gives his name as George Browning.

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As "George Browning" becomes more delirious and struggles to retell what happened on the highway, Ruth listens along with the officer. When both leave Kimble's bedside, he falls back into the dream while staring at a light fixture.

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The vision of the light on the ceiling fades into the light of the train speeding along carrying Kimble to his date with execution. The crash is reenacted, as seen in the opening credits. Kimble finds himself thrown from the train, and as he crawls toward safety, he realizes he is free. The other half of the cuffs remains twisted, gnarled, and empty.

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Going back in the dream to a more tranquil moment, Kimble revisits a pleasant conversation with Helen over plans to go out to dinner.

Diane Brewster, who played Helen Kimble in these flashbacks, was the teacher, Mrs. Canfield, on 'Leave It To Beaver' prior to Miss Landers.

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The quiet conversation then turns into an argument while namedropping an associate who advocated adoption, to which Helen is adamantly opposed. Believing adoption is a "lie" because the child "would not be hers", she turns off on her husband's protestations that the child they lost was just as much his as it was hers. Do his feelings not matter as well? She says she just wants another drink. Helen drinks copiously to deal with her problems, a major point of friction in their relationship. When he attempts to snatch a glass out of her hand, it drops and shatters. She replies that they have more glasses than children.

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Finally exasperated by his wife's obstinate inability to see reason, he storms out of the house. He decides to take a drive away from all of this and relax.

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Taking a drive into the country, Kimble stops by the river where he watches a boy fishing in a rowboat. He relaxes and enjoys the pleasant scene for a while.

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As Kimble drives home that night, he sees a one-armed-man fleeing from his home. He stops, nearly hitting this figure, but getting a good look at this swarthy, glowering figure in the headlights.

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Kimble parks the car, rushes through the ajar door. Looks, and discovers his wife's lifeless body sprawled on the floor. Was the one-armed intruder fleeing this?