The Fugitive

The Fugitive

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Document Type

Book

Description

A social, cultural, historical, and institutional analysis of the classic original series The Fugitive. Television's longest-running chase story, The Fugitive was a dramatically charged show that followed Dr. Richard Kimble on his quest to prove his innocence and find his wife's one-armed killer. A product of veteran television producer-writer Roy Huggins (Maverick, The Rockford Files) and Quinn Martin, a newcomer producer, the series aired for four seasons between 1963 and 1967 on the ABC network. In The Fugitive, author David P. Pierson examines the creation of the series and its dominant social discourses and themes, along with the industry producers, writers, and actors who made it one of the most memorable and influential shows in 1960s American television. In The Fugitive, Pierson discusses the context of the series' creation at a time when federal regulators were forcing the three major television networks to broadcast adult programs with less physical violence. Pierson also offers a unique analysis of the major themes represented in The Fugitive's episodes, such as individualism, love and marriage, the culture of professionalism, modern science and technology, and social justice and authority, along with how these themes connected to ongoing social and cultural struggles taking place in American society in the 1960s. The book explores the reasons why The Fugitive was so popular with audiences of the 1960s, and suggests that one of the strongest appeals of the series is the memorable, poignant performance by David Janssen as Richard Kimble.

ISBN

9780814334294

Publication Date

11-15-2011

Publisher

Wayne State University Press

City

Detroit

Keywords

Fugitive (Television program), History & Criticism, Television

The Fugitive

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