Run for Your Life

One of the most interesting dramatic shows that came from the mid-1960's,the series "Run For Your Life" was a grand showcase with a gimmick for the dramatic flair. The series was a showcase for actor Ben Gazzara who provided some the astounding acting that this show gave and then some. Produced by Roy Huggins(the creator of such classic TV shows as "Maverick",and "The Fugitive")under his production company Public Arts Productions and Universal Television for NBC-TV,the series produced 86 episodes,all in color when it premiered on NBC-TV from September 13,1965 until the final episode of the series on September 11,1968. The series "Run For Your Life" was one of the new shows that NBC had on its schedule on the 1965-1966 season. When it premiered it was on Monday nights where it was placed opposite ABC's "Ben Casey",and CBS' "The Steve Lawrence Show". It was placed at the 10:00 hour after "The Andy Williams Show". The series was based on an episode that aired during an episode of "The Kraft Suspense Theater" that was telecast in April of 1965 with Herschel Bernardi in the role as Paul Bryan defending a client accused of murder.

Ben Gazzara was Paul Bryan-a very successful 35-year old lawyer who had everything a man could want-intelligence,good looks,popularity,and money. He also had something that nobody wants-an incurable disease. Told by his physician that he had only two years to live,Paul closed down his successful law practice in San Francisco and started traveling the world in the hopes of cramming a lifetime of adventure and excitement with the little time he had left. With money that was no problem(he was financially secured),he went from one exotic and fascinating place to the other and along the way encounter all sorts of people and the adventures he encountered in which just about every episode assisted those in need,and just that David Janssen's character of Richard Kimble in "The Fugitive" went from place to place helping those in need while getting into tight situations and along the way including meeting interesting people and after moving onward to the next great destination. However,with Ben Gazzara's character of Paul Bryan,he had to come to terms with the disease that he had,but instead of running away from the situation,he dealt with it,even in some episodes,had several medical conditions with he had to be checked out by a physician or have someone take him to the hospital in case the unexpected happened. The show was so good that it was nominated for an Emmy in 1966 with Ben Gazzara for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series(lost to Bill Cosby for "I Spy"). However,the show ran three seasons for NBC,even though he was supposedly to had only two years to live when it when off the air in 1968. During its final season,the show was moved from Mondays to Wednesdays in September of 1967 for the 1967-1968 season,where it was placed against the short-lived western series "Dundee and the Culhane"(produced by David Victor for CBS)and "The ABC Wednesday Night Movie",which fared very well in the ratings. When it ended its run in September of 1968,NBC had a show that replaced it...the short-lived series "The Outsider".

This was a very clever concept. A lawyer, Paul Bryan, has been diagnosed with an incurable disease and has been told he has just two to three years to live. The idea put this lead character in the position of living life to the fullest and the most responsible. There is a message in that for all of us somewhere, isn't there?

While somewhat morbid straight off the top, the concept made for interesting viewing from my perspective. Ben Gazzara played the main character and each week he would resolve other people's problems, but at the end of the show he would still be facing the anguish of a limited time on this earth. One of an unnamed genre of shows like "The Fugitive" and "The Incredible Hulk", "Run for Your Life" was set in locales all over the world, but probably filmed on studio back-lots, renovated to look like the French Riviera, Hawaii and Rio. The idea was that Bryan was seeing the world with what little time and resources he had left. Each episode he would engage in new relationships, involving himself in new circumstances, resulting in high action and adventure.

This wasn't a great show, but was certainly a product of its time. Always reminded us of our own mortality, which all of us need occasional reminders of in life.

Grace Lee Whitney appeared briefly in the 1965 TV series "Run for Your Life," the story of the terminally ill Paul Bryan (Ben Gazarra). The fourth episode of the series is titled "Never Pick Up a Stranger" and begins in a small town on a Sunday morning. Whitney plays the character Millie, a fast-talking diner waitress, who serves a cup of coffee. The story revolves around Bryan's encounter with a runaway Kathy (Brenda Scott) and his decisions after returning her to that small town. Barry Sullivan portrays the hardass local sheriff, who is aggressive in his attempts to get Bryan back on the road. Grace makes another appearance in the middle of when the sheriff arrives to present Bryan with a warrant for his arrest. There are several twists until we find out why the Sheriff is after our innocent hero. Grace was on the cusp of joining the cast of "Star Trek" and would film several of the first few episodes but be written off the show before the first installment aired. This part is a perfect example of her underutilization as an actor despite a decade of dues being paid in good performances on a range of shows.

At one time, TV shows occasionally had an interesting premise. This one's a variant on the question of what you'd do if you had the means and perhaps the time. Time, though, this character doesn't have, and the threat of death is probably what gives the series its focus and urgency. "To cram thirty years of living into one or two" is the voiced-over premise at the start of an episode; we would all do well to remember it at the start of a day, and live as though it's the last one, not recklessly but deliberately.

It's obvious to me that early TV shows & movies formed much of who I am today. This TV series is one example. It taught me that each day on this earth is precious. The people you meet, the experiences you live through, the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of life. All should be consumed with passion. The good, AND the bad. As if you only had one or two years left of your life. For after all, we don't know how much time we have. But what ever length that is, it should not be wasted.

The theme of this series is provocative. And, always kept me anxious for next weeks show. The acting and production value is exceptional. I especially liked the recurring dreams (night mares really), or flashbacks that Ben Gazzarra's character would wake from, where he was being chased by Father Time (or was it he that was doing the chasing). I found these scenes to be very symbolic.

I do hope that this series becomes available on DVD soon. If you liked "The Fugitive" television series, you'll probably also like "Run For Your Life".