Run the Man Down

Desperate Dick is a step ahead of local and state cops as this one opens. He jumps out of a truck he's driving and runs through the woods. He happens upon a wounded man who wants Dick to take him to a cabin, and Dick agrees when the guy pulls out a gun. The cabin is occupied by a woman who went there for some solitude, but the place is soon to host a full house. The wounded guy's three cohorts show up. Seems the guy got shot during a robbery, and the loot got lost along with a lot of the guy's blood. Head baddie Ed Asner is not pleased to hear that, and soon there is more company as the sheriff, who happens to be the woman's boyfriend, comes by to check on her. So the bad guys get the drop on the sheriff, and doc is charged with treating the critically wounded guy, who is so bad off that not even super doc can save him. So Dick and the sheriff are in big trouble, but the sheriff says that Dick knows where the missing money is. They take the crooks on a tour of the woods and say the money is under a tree at the top of a huge pile of big rocks. The sheriff scrambles up the pile to his jeep where he grabs his rifle and kills the three baddies with just three shots. Kimble is especially glad to see Asner bite the dust since old Ed has made disparaging remarks about David Janssen's acting chops. The sheriff has Dick in his sights but his girlfriend stops him from pulling the trigger, because she knows Kimble is a good guy and the show isn't supposed to end yet.

During the four year run of "The Fugitive", Richard Kimble sure found himself stuck in a TON of situations where he and a group of other folks are held captive by brutal crooks...perhaps too many. Despite the familiarity of "Run the Man Down", however, it is enjoyable and worth seeing.

The show begins with Kimble being chased through the forest by the police. He stumbles upon a man who has been shot and is bleeding...and Kimble helps him because he is, at heart, a decent man and doctor. But his kindness, of course, ends up biting him in the butt as the injured man's gang soon show up and take him and the lady who owns the cabin prisoner. Later, they also take one of the local cops captive and it looks as if sooner or later the captors will tire of keeping them alive.

Overall, this is tense and interesting. Not a great episode but worth seeing and quite enjoyable despite the familiarity.

Kimble, running from police in a western mountain range, comes upon Kenny, a wounded man who insists on being helped, at the point of a gun. He has Kimble take him to a remote cabin that is supposed to be deserted, but which in fact is occupied by the owner, Laura Craig (actress Georgann Johnson).

Kenny was wounded by a bullet during an armored car robbery. The other robbers, led by Joe Bantam (strongly played by actor Ed Asner) make it to the cabin and cause problems for Kimble, Laura, and Kenny. Further complications ensue when Laura's friend, a policeman, shows up looking for Kimble.

It's interesting that Dr. Kimble is often nervous around police but never around criminals. Here he's faced with four bad guys. He helps the one with the bullet wound. And then three others show up to meet up with their friend, with Ed Asner and Robert Doyle being rather menacing. The great character actor Val Avery is always good. He's solid and steady, delivering his lines with such ease and believability as the third bad guy who shows up unexpectedly.

David Janssen was really one of the greatest, most underrated actors ever. Every time I see him, I marvel at his strength. Four years into his run, he is, of course, tired. While the action centers around him, this episode gave him a number of good supporting actors and Janssen always allowed his guest stars to shine.

As portrayed by Janssen, Dr. Kimble is a noble man though he is accused of a heinous crime. It's a good hour of television.

Kimble gets caught amongst robbers held up in a cabin. This is a great episode full of tension with a great cast, James Broderick, Georgann Johnson, Ed Asner and many others. Plus the location filming is quite beautiful.