A Young Kurt Russell Played Two Different Characters On The Fugitive

What makes Roy Huggins' acclaimed crime drama series "The Fugitive" so compelling? This ABC show revolves around a man wronged: Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), to be exact, who is transported to death row on a train after being convicted of his wife's murder. By sheer luck, the train derails, allowing Kimble to escape and track down the real killer. Thus begins the simple, yet delightful premise of "The Fugitive," where Kimble moves from one city to the next with this difficult, near-impossible quest in mind. This clever format allowed the show to introduce countless one-off villains and guest stars, with Kimble constantly on the move to evade capture. This rare ability to shift locales every week prevented "The Fugitive" from feeling stale, as every episode promised a new adventure with Kimble ready to bolt out of town at the first whiff of danger.

The crime series had amassed an impressive number of guest appearances throughout four seasons, with everyone from Joseph Campanella ("Guiding Light," "Mannix") to Geraldine Brooks ("Gunsmoke") being a part of the story. It was not uncommon for actors to star in more than one guest role, as versatility was the name of the game in "The Fugitive," which created space for a lot of creative liberty. During the time the show aired (between 1963 and 1967), a young Kurt Russell had just begun making a mark as a child actor. After guest-starring in the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters," Russell made a guest appearance in a 1964 episode of "The Fugitive," followed by yet another guest role in the show two years later.

These dual episodes that feature Russell — titled "Nemesis" and "In a Plain Paper Wrapper" — are worth delving into, if not solely for highlighting Russell's incredible range as a young performer. Let us take a closer look at these episodes to figure out how they involve Kimble and his mission to catch a killer.

In "The Fugitive," Kimble needs to assume fake identities in order to evade the authorities, especially Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), who hounds him wherever he goes. In "Nemesis," Kimble is seen working at a trout hatchery, but trouble soon follows him after local sheriff Sam Deebold (John Doucette) starts suspecting his cover. Meanwhile, Gerard and his kid Phil Jr. (Russell) travel together, before the Lieutenant leaves him under Deebold's care to go and apprehend Kimble. In a chance encounter, Phil Jr. and Kimble end up inside the same station wagon, leading to a tense scenario involving conflicting loyalties. After a string of troubling events, Kimble's moral compass is tested, along with Phil Jr.'s preconceived notions about the man his father has been pursuing for years.

Russell plays Phil with a startling amount of emotional maturity, as this is a child who is actively troubled by his father's prolonged absence at home, as he is too busy trying to catch Kimble. To Phil, Kimble is not just a bad man, but also the person preventing him from forming precious memories with a parent. These notions factor into his efforts to alert others about Kimble's presence, but he naturally thwarts these efforts throughout the episode. In the end, Kimble proves to be a morally sound person after all, as he helps the Lieutenant's kid without hesitation.

"The Plain Paper Wrapper" has less going for it than "Nemesis," but it is a decent season-end episode that pits Kimble against a group of kids who are hell-bent on exposing him to the authorities (this happens often, for some reason). Russell returns in a guest role, but this time he's Eddie, friend to the 12-year-old nephew of Kimble's girlfriend, Susan (Lois Nettleton). Russell's Eddie is a troubled kid up to no good, who bands together with his pals to buy a mail-order rifle (!) to frame Kimble, who is posing as a certain Paul Stoddard. This absurd situation creates some interesting conundrums, and it's obviously fun to see a young Russell gradually establish himself as an actor who can hold his own opposite established performers like Jannsen and Morse.

As you might know, "The Fugitive" was adapted into a critically acclaimed feature film with a less-than-perfect production history 30 years after the parent series ended. This eponymous adaptation stars Harrison Ford as Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard, featuring a revamped dynamic between the two with the stakes dialled up to 100. Although this is an extremely watchable film, the original series remains timeless and is definitely worth a shot.