"The Fugitive" gets almost halfway through its first season before showing us the events that set the series in motion - Helen Kimble's murder and Dr. Kimble's trial. The framing device for the flashback isn't the greatest, and as a result we're saddled with a pretty poor regular story, but "Girl from Little Egypt" is a classic because it fills in so much of the backstory, and it offers us the first glimpse of the elusive One-Armed Man.
I was surprised that the writers don't give us a rosy picture of a couple so much in love with Richard and Helen Kimble (a major difference between the TV show and the movie). Helen is bitter and angry over the loss of their child and her ability to have more children - their regular fights do a lot to point the finger at Dr. Kimble when her body is found. David Janssen has some of his finest moments in the series in this episode - watch him try one last time to declare his innocence before his sentence is handed down.
The problem with the episode is the set-up: Kimble is hit by a car driven by a stewardess who has just discovered her boyfriend is a married man. The rest of the episode deals with Kimble helping her boost her self-esteem while dodging the questions of the boyfriend. We do get to see Jerry Paris of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as a homicide cop (!) but beyond that, this set-up is one of the worst from Season 1. Ruth, Kimble's benefactor, is so spineless and whiney that you almost wish Kimble would leave her alone. The final showdown at the party lacks any kind of drama, because we don't really care about what happens to Ruth - she's just holding Kimble up until he can get on the road again.moreless
AIRED:
In San Francisco, Kimble is nearly run over by a car driven by Ruth Norton, a young flight attendant distraught over discovering that the man she has been dating for the past four months is married with two children. While recuperating in the hospital, a delirious Kimble flashes back to the months leading upto the night of Helen Kimble's murder and Kimble first seeing the one-armed man fleeing from his house. Followed by Kimble's trial, sentence, and escape from the train wreck. Ruth, who has been keeping a vigil at Kimble's bedside, hears him mutter Helen's name. Thinking that he's in some kind of trouble, Ruth takes Kimble (now going by the alias George Browning) to her apartment to recover. Kimble then gives Ruth advice on her relationship with her boyfriend, Paul, and to put her life problems in perspective.moreless
 David Janssen |
Dr. Richard Kimble |
 William Conrad |
Narrator |
Barry Morse |
Lt. Philip Gerard |
Ed Nelson |
Paul Clements |
Guest Star |
Diane Brewster |
Helen Kimble |
Guest Star |
Pamela Tiffin |
Ruth Norton |
Guest Star |
Bing Russell |
Officer Westphal |
Recurring Role |
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (1)
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Closing Narration: The outbound bus for from San Francisco -- destination: known. George Browning -- destination: unknown. His only companion: hope. Hope for the day when he can once again become Richard Kimble.
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NOTES (3)
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This is the only episode with no prologe narration.
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This is the only episode in the series where Kimble is not threatened in any way. He is never forced to flee town, nor he is ever discovered by the police, nor is his real idenity ever revealed. Although Paul becomes suspicious of Kimble when they first meet in Act III, and there is a slight moment of tension at a party in Act IV were Kimble discovers that Prestwick is a cop. However, in neither instance Kimble is threatened because, as Paul states to him in Act III; he holds all the advantages. Kimble knows more about Paul and Prestwick then they do about him. At the end, unlike all other episode, Kimble is not "chased" out of town by the police or a third party, but he actually leaves of his own volition.
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Location: San Francisco, California
Kimble's Alias: George Browning/George Norton
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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Season 4 Coming To DVD?
12/11/103
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The Fugitive on DVD
02/19/095
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Interesting Richard Kimble Occupations
07/17/082
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THE FUGITIVE - Series vs. Movie
07/02/082
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RIP Barry Morse
02/04/082
Season 1 Episodes
See AllEp 30
The End Game
Ep 29
Storm Center
Ep 28
The Homecoming
Ep 27
Never Stop Running
Ep 26
Somebody to Remember
Ep 25
Taps for a Dead War
Ep 24
Flight from the Final D...
Ep 23
Angels Travel on Lonely...
Ep 22
Angels Travel on Lonely...
Ep 21
Rat in a Corner
Ep 20
Bloodline
Ep 19
Search in a Windy City
Ep 18
Where the Action Is
Ep 17
Come Watch Me Die
Ep 16
The Garden House
Ep 15
Home Is the Hunted
Ep 14
The Girl from Little Egypt
Ep 13
Terror at High Point
Ep 12
Glass Tightrope
Ep 11
Nightmare at Northoak
Ep 10
Fatso
Ep 9
Ticket to Alaska
Ep 8
See Hollywood and Die
Ep 7
Smoke Screen
Ep 6
Decision in the Ring
Ep 5
Never Wave Goodbye (2)
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