FUGITIVE, THE {ORIGINAL SERIES}: THE JUDGMENT, PART 2 {SERIES FINALE} (TV)

Summary

Part two of the final episode of this series of dramas about Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man convicted of his wife's murder. Unable to prove his innocence, Kimble escapes en route to prison and searches for the man he believes to be the murderer.

Johnson hops a train to Stafford, and Lt. Gerard continues to keep Kimble in custody on their way there. Kimble reflects on the evidence he found in Howe's office and concludes that someone used Leonard's name to hide their true identity, and asks Lt. Gerard for 24 hours to clear his name before he is brought in to be executed. In Stafford, Donna talks to Lloyd Chandler, her neighbor and the city planning commissioner, about the recent news about her brother, and about a call she received from Johnson claiming that he saw Leonard in the same room as Helen on the night she was killed. She tells him she dismissed it as a prank call and as a diversionary tactic asked him to meet her that night at an abandoned stable, without any intention of actually going. Kimble and Lt. Gerard arrive at the house soon thereafter and confront Leonard over posting bail for Johnson, although Leonard denies having done this. He informs them about the call Donna received earlier.

That night, Chandler goes out the stables and is attacked by Johnson, who steals his pistol and empties out the bullet shells. Believing him to be Leonard, he holds him up for $50,000, although Chandler protests that he cannot get that kind of money. He tells Johnson to meet him the following day at an abandoned amusement park. Later, Lt. Gerard and Kimble arrive, only to find Chandler's discarded matchbook and a shell from his gun. However, such evidence is not substantial enough for Lt. Gerard. Kimble believes that Donna might have some of Helen's old phone records, which might tell them if she placed a call before she was murdered. Chandler scrambles to get the money for Johnson and grows increasingly frustrated and neurotic. His wife Betsy tries to comfort him; it is revealed that Chandler is considered a war hero who earned the Silver Star in World War II. He reveals the truth to her: on the night that Helen was murdered, she asked him to come over while Kimble was out. She was highly upset over their argument about adopting children, and Chandler attempted to calm her down. However, they were interrupted by the arrival of Johnson attempting to rob the place. Chandler found himself too frightened to help Helen as she struggled against Johnson, even when he smashed her head in with a lamp, killing her. He gives excuses as to why he did not come forward with the truth, but Betsy deduces that his real reason was that he wanted to protect his reputation as a war hero and didn't want people thinking of him as a coward. She pleads with him to turn himself in to the police, but he does not listen.

Meanwhile, Jean arrives in Stafford looking for Kimble. She arrives at Donna's house; Donna figures out that Jean has fallen in love with Kimble and brings her in to see him. However, soon Lt. Gerard's deadline expires, and they prepare to bring Kimble in to the police. As Donna tries to straighten out her son's room to distract herself from her grief, she discovers a bullet shell in his sock drawer, which Lt. Gerard identifies as being the same kind as from Chandler's gun. She explains that Chandler has been teaching her children marksmanship at the local police range. Lt. Gerard gets suspicious and brings Kimble with him to the Chandler house, where they find Betsy. She is concerned for her husband and tells them that he has gone to the amusement park to kill Johnson.

Chandler gets the drop on Johnson and they engage in a gun battle, each one trying to maneuver through the abandoned fairgrounds. Kimble and Lt. Gerard arrive, but Johnson shoots Lt. Gerard in the leg and gets away. Lt. Gerard gets Chandler to lay down his rifle and sends Kimble after Johnson. Kimble chases Johnson through the amusement park, and eventually the two of them end up on top of a carnival tower, where they have one final confrontation. Lt. Gerard and Chandler eventually catch up and watch their struggle. During the melee, Kimble gets Johnson to admit to killing his wife. When Johnson gets a hold of Kimble's pistol and prepares to shoot him, Lt. Gerard saves his life by shooting Johnson with Chandler's rifle, causing him to plummet to his death. Lt. Gerard urges Chandler to reveal the truth about Helen's death, and as Kimble descends from the tower Chandler admits that he was a witness to the murder. Not long thereafter, Kimble is acquitted of all charges. The episode ends as Lt. Gerard bids him farewell with a silent handshake, and Kimble walks off with Jean on "the day the running stopped" to his new life. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: August 29, 1967 Tuesday 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:49:02
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:63295
• GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense; Crime and criminals
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1963-1967
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Quinn Martin … Executive Producer
• Wilton Schiller … Producer
• George Eckstein … Co-Producer, Writer
• Don Medford … Director
• Roy Huggins … Created by
• Michael Zagor … Writer
• William Conrad … Narrator
• David Janssen … Cast, Dr. Richard Kimble
• Richard Anderson … Cast, Leonard Taft
• J.D. Cannon … Cast, Lloyd Chandler
• Jacqueline Scott … Cast, Donna Taft
• Diane Baker … Cast, Jean Carlisle
• Louise Latham … Cast, Betsy Chandler
• Bill Raisch … Cast, Fred Johnson
• Johnny Jensen … Cast, Bobby Taft
• Barry Morse … Cast, Lt. Phillip Gerard