Jerry Hopper Movies

An empty space capsule washes up on shore of the Island, whereupon the Castaways prepare to use the craft to fly back home--or at the very least, make contact with a pair of orbiting astronauts. Complications in this episode include the fact that the capsule can only accommodate two passengers, and a makeshift telegraph machine which fails to work when needed most. And let's not forget the Castaways' attempt to alert the in-flight astronauts with a burning "S.O.S." made of logs (too bad Gilligan [Bob Denver] can't spell!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arriving in San Pedro Harbor, Richard Kimble (David Janssen)--alias "Tony Carter"--goes to work for two-fisted salvage boss Joe Steelman (Murray Hamilton). When one of Steelman's divers perishes beneath the waves, the locals fix the blame on the dead man's girlfriend Coralee (Antoinette Bower), who is widely regarded as a jinx. But Kimble knows that the diver's death was due to faulty equipment--and Steelman knows this as well, but doesn't intend to let anyone else find out. This is the last episode of The Fugitive's third season, and the final one filmed in black and white. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Logic is not the strong suit in this episode, in which a foreign spy who has been surgically altered to look just like Gilligan (Bob Denver) washes up on the island. As part of his secret mission, the Gilligan lookalike (also played by Bob Denver, albeit with a dubbed voice) begins spreading trouble and dissension amongst the other Castaways. Naturally, the real Gilligan is blamed for all the skullduggery--but unfortunately, he can't convince anyone that there are two of him on the same island (after all, isn't one Gilligan enough?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Don Rickles guest stars as Norbert Wiley, a compulsive gambler turned compulsive thief. While hiding out on the island, Wiley manages to kidnap Mrs. Howell (Natalie Schafer), Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) and Ginger (Tina Louise)--one at a time, of course--and hold them for ransom. Eventually, Wiley is trapped by his own bungling, whereupon the Compassionate castaways try to rehabilitate him...with startling results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Model Sharon Camody (Mary Ann Mobley) has an excellent chance of being hired as the spokeswoman for White Snow Soap--so long as she is able to keep her unsavory past a secret from the public. Unfortunately, Sharon is targetted for a shakedown by blackmailer Ed Grover, who subsequently turns up murdered. Convinced that he has killed Grover with his bare hands, Sharon's ex-boxer boyfriend Duke (Paul Lukather) confesses his "crime" to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr)--who is subsequently faced with an ethical dilemma when derelict Jake Stearns (James Griffith) is arrested for the crime. In order to clear Jake, Perry may be forced to turn his own client Grover over to the authorities...a move that will not only ruin Grover's life but Sharon's as well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Series regular Tina Louise plays a dual role in this episode, as both movie star-cum-castaway Ginger Grant and a drab, dull young brunette named Eva Grubb. Having come to the island in hopes of escaping her wallflower existence, Eva is befriended by the Castaways, who treat her to a complete beauty and fashion makeover. As a result, Eva now looks and acts exactly like the glamorous Ginger--but if you're looking for a happy ending in this one, forget it! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Working as a bellboy at a desert resort hotel, Kimble (David Janssen)--or as he is now calling himself, "Fred Tate"--cannot help but notice that the manager is cancelling reservations and asking the other employees to leave. The mystery is resolved when several military officers show up at the hotel to brainstorm a secret Army project. Unfortunately, the officers suspect that Kimble is an enemy spy and place him in custody. Ultimately, the nervous fugitive is forced to demonstrate his medical skills without arousing further suspicion as to his true identity--and at the same time expose the real spy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Still on the lam from the Law, Richard Kimble takes a refuge on a farm owned by the Braydon family. Attracted to the fugitive, Mattie Braydon (Tuesday Weld), a blind sculptress, shields him from the sheriff and her parents, claiming that he has agreed to model for her latest sculpture. What Kimble doesn't realize is that the neurotic Mattie is adept at using her blindness to manipulate everyone around her--and in her own way, she may prove to be even more dangerous to him than the authorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having followed the trail of the One-Armed Man to Northern Wisconsin, Kimble (David Janssen) runs afoul of a mean-spirited sheriff named Deebold (John Doucette). In his efforts to elude the vindictive lawman, Kimble steals a car--which by a cruel twist of fate belongs to his perennial pursuer Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse. Worse still, Kimble has inadvertently kidnapped Gerard's son Phil Jr. (played by a young Kurt Russell), who is every bit as determined to bring the Fugitive to "justice" as his father. Featured in the cast are Slim Pickens as colorful mountain man Corbin, and guest star Kurt Russell's real-life father Bing Russell as Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the most popular and best-remembered adventure series of the 1960s, the weekly, hour-long The Fugitive made its ABC network premiere on September 17, 1963. David Janssen starred as Dr. Richard Kimble, a prominent physician who had been tried, convicted and condemned to death for the murder of his wife. In truth, Kimble was innocent, but he had never been able to convince the jury that he'd seen a "one-armed man" running from his home on the night of the murder. While Kimble was being escorted to prison by police lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), the train on which the two men were riding was involved in a spectacular crash. Wriggling loose from the handcuffs that bound him to the unconscious Gerard, Kimble managed to escape. For the rest of the series, Kimble assumed a variety of new identities and took on innumerable odd jobs as he traveled throughout the country in search of the One-Armed Man who could prove his innocence. Meanwhile, the relentless Lt. Gerard dogged Kimble's trail, determined to recapture him. In the tradition of such previous quasi-anthology series as Wagon Train, Richard Kimble would wander into a small town and profoundly change the lives of several local citizens (as well as convince them that he wasn't a wife killer) before hastily departing for his next destination as Lt. Gerard closed in. Other than Kimble and Gerard, there were no other regulars, though Kimble's sister Donna Taft (Jacqueline Scott) made sporadic appearances, while the late Mrs. Helen Kimble (played by Diane Brewster) would show up in flashback sequences. Also, each episode was narrated by an uncredited William Conrad. As the series rolled onward, the One-Armed Man would pop in and out of the action with increasing frequency, always frustratingly just beyond Kimble's reach, and never long enough to be proven guilty in the eyes of Lt. Gerard. The elusive murderer was eventually identified as Fred Johnson, played by genuine amputee Bill Raisch, a veteran movie stuntman best remembered for his barroom brawl in Kirk Douglas in the 1961 theatrical feature Lonely are the Brave. During its fourth and last season on the air, The Fugitive entered the annals of pop-culture history with its final episode, telecast on August 29, 1967, in which Kimble finally caught up with Fred Johnson, just as new evidence surfaced establishing that there had been another witness to the murder. This episode, "The Judgement", was seen by more viewers than any single dramatic TV series episode in history, a record that would remain unbroken until the "Who Shot J.R." installment of Dallas in the fall of 1980. (Reruns of The Fugitive aired on ABC's daytime schedule from April 1967 to March 1968; while the series was highly rated during its original run, it fared less successfully in rerun form, possibly because viewers already knew the outcome of the story). Although neither confirmed nor denied by its executive producer Quinn Martin nor its creator Roy Huggins, The Fugitive was clearly inspired by the real-life case of Ohio physician Sam Sheppard, who in 1954 had been sentenced to death for his wife's murder despite his protestations that he'd seen a "curly-haired man" fleeing from his house on the fatal night. Ultimately, Dr. Sheppard was released from prison when it was determined that he had been a victim of judicial prejudice and "guilt by headlines", though at the time of his death in 1970 he had never been officially exonerated of the crime. In addition to inspiring a sub-genre of "hero on the run" TV series (notably Branded, Run for Your Life and The Invaders), The Fugitive served as the basis for a highly successful 1993 theatrical film, starring Harrison Ford as Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard. And during the 2000-2001 season, an updated series version of The Fugitive, starring Tim Daly in the title role and Mykelti Williamson as his pursuer, was briefly telecast on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pat Hingle guest stars as Mike Decker, a Chicago newspaper columnist who has always believed in the innocence of accused murderer Richard Kimble (David Janssen). Managing to make contact with the fugitive Kimble, Decker agrees to mount a widespread search for the elusive One-Armed Man (Bill Raisch) who actually committed the murder. The fly in the ointment is Mike's alcoholic wife Paula, whose reckless behavior may end up betraying Kimble to his relentless pursuer Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Recognizing the man in a picture snapped by a sidewalk photographer as Richard Kimble (David Janssen), Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) rushes to Chicago in hopes of finally capturing the fugitive. Seeking a hideout, Kimble takes refuge in the home of two crotchety middle-agers named Jake (John McGiver) and Sam (John Fiedler), who by a strange coincidence are in the middle of a lengthy debate over Kimble's innocence. Legendary sportscaster Chick Hearn appears as a TV newscaster in this semi-comic episode, which brings the first season of The Fugitive to a close. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide