any old timers here that saw the finale when it initially aired, be curious what the sense of the general public in the weeks leading up to the last show was, and how you'd equate it to other famous show finalies? Cheers, MASH etc.
shareI'm not an 'Old timer' but I seem to remember that when the Harrison Ford Movie came out NBC reran the two part Finale... and they mentioned that it was one of the first 'event' Finales, most series of the era simply ended; the Fugitive actually got resolution. and that it was something of a big deal and specifically Held back until New shows were debuting in the Fall... Rather than finishing out the series in the spring like most Finales
it was the Highest rated episode of the era w/ 25.7M homes; holding the record until Dallas' "Who Shot JR?" in 1980 and which itself was surpassed by the MASH Finale... so even to this day it ranks as one of the major Ratings benchmarks
This was the first series to have a final episode (or episodes in this case) to tie up loose ends and provide closure. The airing was delayed 4 months in order to hype it up over the usually slow summer rerun period.
The M*A*S*H Finale always leaves tears in my eyes as we watched Hawkeye fly over the 4077th that said "Goodbye, Farewell, AMEN".. Sniff sniff
shareOP, if you Google it, you'll find some articles about how huge the finale (sorry, feeling lazy at the mo). All I know is that it was the biggest finale of all time until MASH came along, so yeah, it was pretty big at the time.
---
Emojis=💩 Emoticons=
I dug through newspapers.com, and found a few things.
Also, according to wikipedia, the final episode of The Fugitive still ranks as the fourth-most watched finale in U.S. TV history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts#Most_watched_U.S._TV_series_finales_-_Top_15_list). That couldn't have happened without a lot of buildup and anticipation.
*****
The (Hagerstown, Maryland) Daily Mail, 8/19/67
Finale For A Fugitive
David Janssen in in the peculiar position knowing something millions of televiewers of "The Fugitive," would like to know: Is Dr. Richard Kimble cleared? Who did it?
At the conclusion of "The Judgment," the two-part episode closing out the four-year run of "The Fugitive" (Tuesdays, Aug.22 and 29, 10-11 p.m.), the closely guarded secret will be public knowledge.
Of the series' ending, Janssen will make no comment. But of "The Fugitive" and its success, he is ready to talk.
"When it first went into production, I didn't think of it as having any social significance," Janssen confides. "I considered it merely realistic dramatic entertainment. It is amazing, but "The Fugitive" became a sort of morality play for a lot of people...Maybe in all of us there is a feeling of having been wrongly accused in some way. Viewers have a degree of personal involvement that only they can testify to."
*****
Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller Times, 8/19/67
"Around the Dial" Column with Dorothy Stanick
newspapers.com
It may be difficult to believe, but the Big News in television this week is that "The Fugitive" is about to stop running. It will take him two weeks, however; and after four years, that's understandable.
The only thing we can be sure of about the ending is that Dr. Kimble will be exonerated. But will the Mysterious One-Armed Man turn out to be the real culprit?
According to TV Guide, star David Janssen got fed up with being asked that question and devised the following ending in reply:
"Kimble, cleared of the murder, retires to a desert island to recuperate from his ordeal. At sunset he takes a swim. Just before plunging into the surf, he pauses, unscrews his wooden arm and tosses it on the sand. Fadeout."
*****
The Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer, 8/28/67
newspapers.com
Tuesday's TV Previews
BEST BETS
The Fugitive. The long-awaited finale has arrived and before it ends you will know that [blank line] is the killer. It will not keep you guessing throughout, since the actual murder scene is recreated a little more than half way through. The exciting climax following is Kimble chasing his wife's killer and the bloody battle that ensues.
I was 17 when the series ended and, obviously, the last 2 episodes were must-sees. There was speculation up to the end that Gerard was the killer. What I didn't know at the time was how popular the show was in Europe. To this day it is in my top 3 of favorite series.
shareThere was speculation up to the end that Gerard was the killer...
The Fugitive was probably my favorite series ever on TV and I was 20 when the two-part finale aired. As others have mentioned, it was truly a big deal at the time since the show had been one of the highest rated series on at the time. To my memory, it was also one of the first to provide a true ending episode as many series just stopped, often leaving viewers hanging.
It was a series which advertised in the newspaper and on other media outlets that the finale was coming. I had heard at the time that the real reason the show was ending was not ratings, but because David Janssen had worked himself almost to death. He was required to be in every episode and carried the weight of the show on his shoulders. And, remember, the seasons back then for The Fugitive were 30 hour-long episodes going from September to May, so Janssen was required to work long and hard for four seasons.
I have seen all of the other famous finales and was not disappointed with any of them, but The Fugitive, MASH and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were my favorites. The Fugitive finale was indeed a big deal at the time.
"From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California, a good evening."....Jerry Dunphy
It was a very big deal. Lots of anticipation over the summer months leading up to the finale. I recall there was a lot of speculation about the conclusion. Most of it created by viewers and spread around by word of mouth. Attempts at validation, were always that a friend of a friend, knew someone that worked on the set, and had inside information. Of course, hardly any of it was true. Anyway, it was a big part of conversation that summer.
That's the kind of Era I would enjoy without social media and SPOILERS cause you can sure bet, if the internet existed back then, the ending would've leaked somehow
shareA huge deal. I remember watching the series- probably every episode- beginning in 1963 when I was 19. It was a very popular show, and Kimble and the one-arm man were popular public figures. The ending was well promoted, and I think just about every serious television viewer watched it.
shareReportedly, in bars across the country, there was absolute silence when the final episode played. Of course, this was before the days of captioning.
shareThis was hugely popular here in the UK. My mum was a great fan, and watched every week. Because Richard Kimble had become part of our lives for such a long time, the finale was much anticipated and watched.
If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.