The Fugitive (1963) s03e20 Episode Script

Stroke of Genius

You're in a lot of hot water, friend.
Half this county's out looking for you.
What's your name, anyway? Frank whistler.
Frank, I had a hunch you'd be here And I'm right.
What do you want with me? That's a good one.
The murder of the reverend barlow.
That's what.
The guy who works in the diner Where you met barlow this morning, Well, he described you to a t.
Narrator: Starring david janssen as dr.
Richard kimble.
An innocent victim of blind justice, Falsely convicted for the murder of his wife, Reprieved by fate when a train wreck freed him En route to the death house.
Freed him to hide in lonely desperation, To change his identity, to toil at many jobs.
Freed him to search for a one-armed man He saw leave the scene of the crime.
Freed him to run before the relentless pursuit Of the police lieutenant obsessed with his capture.
The guest stars Telly savalas, Beau bridges.
Also starring barry morse as lieutenant philip gerard.
Announcer: What's this all about? What's what, pa? "what's what, pa?" This letter from the university, that's "what's what, pa.
" "dear mr.
Keller, "I have been informed by the admissions office "that, as yet, there's no record of your son Gary's applying for admission to the university-" Are you listening? "desirous as we are "to have young men of gary's remarkable academic "achievement as members of our student body, "we cannot, in fairness to others, "continue to hold a place "for him among our incoming students.
It is, of course, with a great deal of regret-" I filled this application out myself And you said you mailed it.
I don't want it, pa.
You know that.
You know you can't afford it.
I kept trying to tell you that I- "I kept trying to tell you that I-" Now, you're not smart enough to tell anybody anything, Least of all the straight truth.
I'm gonna tell you something, I'm sick and tired of listening to this nonsense.
I've been too lenient with you Just because you think you know what's right.
Well, I don't- All right, gary, you get inside the house.
Go ahead.
Gary.
No, get in- For many men, life is a ceaseless flight.
Each moment of each day must be escaped by fleeing, somehow, Somewhere, without rest, Until one day all hope dies Even the hope of further flight.
Perhaps, for such men, Death comes as a final and all-obliterating kindness After a lifetime of nightmarish flight, An eternity of dreamless rest.
But for richard kimble, There is no rest.
Not free to live, He is also denied The freedom of death.
I told you to stay back.
Hey, wait.
Hold it.
Pa, he looks hurt.
Hey! Hey! Don't touch anything.
Right, get back to the truck.
It's reverend barlow.
Get back to the truck and get off the highway.
Pa, I've killed reverend barlow.
Now, snap out of it.
Now, go back and do what I said.
There's a man been shot.
There's a man been shot on the highway.
No english.
Highway.
Telephone.
Gary? Did you know that gun was loaded? Did you? Yes.
Then why did you fire it? I thought the safety lock was on.
Oh, come on, you know better than that.
I've taught you about guns.
You're very good with them and very careful.
I didn't mean to shoot.
I didn't mean to hurt anybody.
He was the best friend I ever had.
I loved him.
And he felt the same way about you, gary.
Maybe even more than he told you.
All right, come on.
Now, let's get packing.
Packing? What for? Well, we're gonna go into the mountains And if anybody asks, We've been there for at least three days.
Let's call the sheriff.
What's the matter with you? You wanna get put in jail? It was an accident.
And who's gonna believe that? That far away, a moving car? That's a million to one.
And that guy who saw us, He might have recognized us And called the sheriff.
So come on.
Let's get packing.
Harry said when he finished at the scene of the accident He'd go over and break the news to mrs.
Barlow.
I'm just as glad it's not me.
All right, ma'am, where is he? He? George.
Um- What's she saying? After she phoned us, She came out here and he was gone already.
Wouldn't you say that was a little strange? Oh, I don't know.
After all, he did have her call.
Well, we're nearly a mile away.
Anybody else would have stayed around.
Tried to flag down a car.
I guess you're right.
You think he did it? Uh, he's running like it.
Look, uh- Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Ask her where he was when she saw him first.
He was coming from that direction And he came down here.
He had blood all over his face.
Si.
He was tall and he had dark hair.
She has to feed the chickens.
All right, well, come along with us now.
She says she has done nothing.
Look, will you tell her that a man's been murdered A few miles up the road And we need her to fill out a report? Hackles worse than those chickens.
Get in the truck.
I said, get in the truck.
Gary- Gary! Hello.
Yes, it is.
It's for you.
Sheriff's office.
I'm sorry, pa.
Hello.
Hello, harry.
Why, sure what about? Okay, I'll be right over.
They want to see me right away About the barlow killing.
I'm coming with you.
No.
I'll walk there if I have to.
The waste.
The lousy stupid waste.
Where do you think you're going? I'm sorry.
I thought you were one of my men.
What are you doing out here? I got some friends- I'm looking for high peak road.
Thought we'd do some fishing.
Where's your fishing gear? They've got all the gear.
Well, you're pointed in the right direction.
It's at least five miles down the road.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
All right, you men, on your feet.
Back to work.
Gary, there's something I want you to say in there.
What, pa? That I fired the rifle.
That I was cleaning it and it went off.
A freak accident.
Don't ask me to do that.
I'm not asking you.
I'm telling you.
Well- I wouldn't be any great loss.
The retired chief petty officer, Who never could make it back in civilian life.
Please, don't talk like that.
Why? It's true, isn't it? Everything I ever touched never panned out quite right.
Boy, the one thing that turned out right, is you.
Don't you- don't you spoil it now, huh? Pa.
Come on, you, uh- You just remember what I told you.
Hello, keller.
Hi, sheriff.
Hi, gary.
Sit down.
Sit down, keller.
Thanks, sheriff.
I'll tell you why I called you over, keller.
I was wondering if maybe you could give us a hand With this thing.
I've called in a lot of the fellows, Harris, gurney and brook, the usual gang, But we're going to need a lot of help.
Why, sure, sheriff, I'll be glad to.
Well, you can go on the night duty And, uh, maybe gary can help with the phones.
Sure.
You know, keller, This accident happened pretty near your place.
I've been thinking about it and I wondered, Did you hear a crash? Or maybe a shot? Well, uh- Sheriff.
It's chet carter.
You know, he works at the diner up the road.
He says he saw who shot the reverend.
Yeah, sheriff, a little before 9:00 this morning, Reverend barlow come in to pick up my jeep.
I used to loan it to him every once in a while, you know, When he wanted to go fishing.
And then a little while later, this other feller, comes in.
Did you recognize him? Nope.
Not from around here.
I'd swear to it.
What did he look like? Oh, dark trousers and dark jacket.
About six feet, Maybe 170-75 pounds.
This fellow, chet, did he have black hair? Straight black hair? Yup, that's right.
Brown eyes? Uh, I think so.
I didn't notice that too much in particular.
Sounds like that circular we were looking at this morning.
Wanted killer could be in the area.
That's the one.
It's on your desk.
Bring it to me.
I'll get it.
Chet, you said that this fellow came in a little later.
How much later was it? How much later was it than what, sheriff? Than barlow.
Oh.
Oh, about ten minutes.
We may be off the hook, gary.
Did they know each other? No.
No, they met for the first time right in front of me there.
Well, what did they talk about? Um, fishing mostly.
Oh, and then this other feller said That he had been hitching a ride With a truck but he was going on through town, So reverend barlow said, well, he'd give him a lift On down the highway for a ways, anyway.
That the fellow you saw, chet? That's him, sheriff.
That hair is a little different, but that's him all right.
Get me the chief of police up in marysburg on the phone.
There's a detective from back east up there too, Name of gerard, philip gerard.
Lieutenant.
I want him in on the call too.
Who is this guy, sheriff? Read for yourself.
He was spotted just outside marysburg Three or four days ago.
He's wanted for murdering his wife.
Looks like you got yourself a lot of trouble.
Flat tire and a bunch of kids.
Come on.
What for? There's a gas station about three miles down.
I can give you a lift.
The other fellow, my buddy he went for help.
We'll be all right, thanks.
Right.
I don't believe it.
Whatever kimble might be, He wouldn't do a thing like this.
What reason would he have? Best reason in the world, lieutenant.
Reverend barlow must have recognized him.
No, kimble's been recognized before By people who were a far greater threat to his safety And he's never killed anyone trying to escape, Nor even tried to.
Except this time.
After we catch kimble, you're gonna have a tough time Getting him extradited, If that's what's you had in mind.
Yeah, but if he didn't kill that old preacher, You've got no right to hold him.
That you've got to prove.
This report, The mexican woman who called in.
Her description of the man who came to her place Fits kimble exactly.
Now, would kimble kill somebody And then ask a woman to call the police? Look, all I know is that nobody from around here would kill him.
Now, you figure it out.
Sheriff, barlow's personal effects.
George says the lieutenant might wanna take a look at them.
Oh, thanks.
Why don't you go on home, keller, and get some rest.
We're going to need you all night.
Right.
This all he had on him? That's it.
Prayer book, wallet, uh Sheriff, do your men have orders to shoot? If they're shot at, of course.
Kimble won't shoot.
I promise you that.
Why do you ask? There's a good chance he might have seen something And he knows something.
He might even have seen the killer.
All right.
I'll send out the word.
We'll bring him back in one piece.
Oh, and, uh, sheriff, Can you tell me where the barlow house is? Pa, Mrs.
Barlow called a little while ago.
She wants to see me.
Don't bother her, son.
Not now.
What about that man? Kimble? Well, all they know is that him and reverend barlow Were talking about going fishing or something.
They drove off in the jeep.
Nothing else.
I guess he was going up to the cabin.
What cabin? Well, last month he, uh- He bought this cabin up in the mountains.
Said he wanted to get away from it For a while, be by himself.
Pa, what happens if they catch this man? We'll worry about that when we get to it.
You know where the cabin is? Yeah, he-he took a bunch of us up there last- Last week to, uh, Help him with the roof.
Where is it? The end of high peak road.
There's a Dirt road that branches off to the right a- a couple miles And then, uh, there's a- A trail.
You'll be all right.
I'll see you later.
Pa.
Where are you going with that rifle? Taking it to town.
Have that swede at the gun shop look at it.
Check the safety.
Loaded? You're going after him yourself, aren't you, huh? You know where he is.
How would I know? If you kill him, I'll tell.
"if you kill him, I'll tell.
" What's the matter with you? I don't wanna kill anybody.
I just wanna find this guy, Talk to him, but I don't know what he's like.
He's a wife-killer and a murderer.
He may be dangerous.
I just don't wanna get into Something like that without protection.
Promise me, if you don't have to, you won't use it.
Please, now, just promise me.
I promise.
If he doesn't try anything.
It isn't that important.
Nothing is that important.
And I'll decide what's important.
You put those scissors down.
Over there on the table.
Now, get your hands up.
And the other one.
And one false move out of you mister, And you're dead.
I can't raise my right arm.
Turn around.
All right, sit down over there.
You're in a lot of hot water, friend.
Half this county's out looking for you.
What's your name, anyway? Frank whistler.
Frank, I had a hunch you'd be here and I'm right.
What do you want with me? That's a good one.
The murder of the reverend barlow, That's what.
The guy who works in the diner Where you met barlow this morning, Well, he described you to a t.
I didn't kill him.
We were driving along and there was a shot.
The jeep turned over and I was thrown clear.
When I came to there was a man and a boy.
Maybe they had something to do with it or- Or what? I don't know.
Well, if you didn't kill him, why did you take off? Reasons of my own.
What did this man and boy- what did they look like? I couldn't tell.
They were too far away.
It could have been anybody.
Well, I happen to know this boy and his father.
They're good friends and they're good people.
Did they kill him? It was an accident.
It was a freak accident.
The boy didn't mean to shoot.
These mountains, They stretch all the way out of the state.
Are you letting me go? I don't want anything to happen to that boy.
Must be quite a boy for you to take this risk.
He's got more brains and goodness In his little finger Than this whole town's got put together.
Well, go on.
I'll close this place up after you're gone.
I'm not gonna shoot you in the back.
What's he doing here? You know who I am, don't you? What difference does that make? Now, you let me take care of this.
You walk out in front of me as if you're my prisoner.
Oh, boy, am I glad to see you, lieutenant.
This guy's full of all kinds of tricks.
Kimble.
Am I convicted of this one too? No, not this one.
I saw your car back there, checked the registration.
How come you're here? Wild hunch.
My boy, gary, he, uh- He told me about this place.
You know, he knew barlow pretty well.
I figured he told him about it And, uh, gave him some ideas about where to hide out.
How'd you think about it, lieutenant? Mrs.
Barlow said her husband had just rented this place And was on his way up here.
When a man goes up to his cabin, He usually takes a key along And it wasn't with his personal effects.
Did you take it, kimble? I told him I was out of work.
He offered me a job doing some repairs here.
He gave me the key.
All right.
Back inside.
What for? A few things I wanna know from you Before we see the sheriff.
Come on.
It was your son, wasn't it? You say one word about seeing a man and a boy And you won't even get off this mountain alive And neither will he.
Sit down over there.
What's the matter with your arm? I tore the muscle when the jeep turned over.
What happened? I know you hitched a ride with him.
We were driving along And all of a sudden the old man slumped.
I could see he'd been shot.
The bullet came from somewhere.
Any idea where? No.
What about after the crash? Did you see anything, anyone? No, no one.
You had anything to eat? I was gonna open that.
Well, let's start back when you've eaten.
Why don't you start closing up? Oh, gary, it's you.
Mrs.
Barlow.
Well, come in, come in.
I thought there'd be a lot of people.
Well, there have been, And there will be again this evening, but, uh- Well, I asked to be left alone for the afternoon.
Come.
Well, as you can see, I'm- I'm not only sentimental, I'm also, uh, messy.
I had no idea that in 35 years Two people could take so many photographs of, uh- Mrs.
Barlow, I'm sorry it happened.
Oh, how he admired you, gary.
And how proud he was of you.
Come here.
Remember when you were a little boy And he gave you your first watercolors? Yes, ma'am.
And you went home and painted and painted and painted And then gave them all to him on his birthday? Yes.
Funny scrawls and blotches from a funny little boy.
He loved them.
And even then he'd say, "that boy is a genius.
" Well, it seems he was right.
I want you to have those funny scrawls and blotches back, gary.
They were, uh, very precious to him.
He, uh- He did something behind your back, I'm afraid, As a surprise.
But, uh, we've got an answer back before, uh- Oh, it's all so strange.
This morning, just five minutes after he drove away, The mail came and in it was this letter about you.
The surprise that he'd hoped for.
And, uh- A little over an hour later, The phone rang and they said he was- He was, um- that some man had murdered him.
I had the letter in my hand when I took the phone.
I didn't know what to think a- A voice talking about death on the phone And, in my hand, news that would have brought him such- Such joy.
Have-? Have you ever heard Of the j.
Edward newton fund, gary? Well, they award an annual grant of $5000 To study art in europe.
My husband wrote to them, Sent them some of your pictures and, uh- Here it is, For you, And for the beautiful gift god gave you, my dear boy.
Oh, god, forgive me.
Gary.
Please, forgive me.
Gary, what is it? I didn't mean to do it.
It was an accident.
Gary.
Gary, what is it, dear.
Gary.
Forgive you for what, dear? Gary.
You say there was an interval of about 10 seconds Between where mr.
Barlow was shot And, uh, where you crashed.
And you were going about 50 miles an hour.
That's right.
So the shooting probably happened A little better than 200 yards back From the scene of the crash.
Uh, did you see anything back there? A house or anything? No, nothing.
Because everybody's been so eager To throw this whole thing in your lap, Nobody's even checked that far up the highway.
Uh, keller, when we get to the cars, Remind me to call in.
I'll have the sheriff send someone up there And see if anybody lives there.
All right.
Let's go.
I'll see you get to a doctor As soon as we get in.
Okay, hold it, kimble.
I'm gonna call in.
Keep an eye on him.
Don't be a fool, keller.
Go on, beat it.
I got nothing to fear from you anyway.
Lieutenant gerard to headquarters.
Lieutenant gerard to santa elena headquarters, come in, please.
Gerard! Lieutenant gerard.
Lieutenant gerard, come in, please.
Hold it there, keller.
Come in, lieutenant gerard, come in.
Lieutenant gerard, We've got a dispatch for you.
Lieutenant gerard, can you hear us? We've got a dispatch for you.
We've got a confession in the barlow case.
Do you hear me, lieutenant? We've got a confession On the barlow case.
Gary keller has confessed to the shooting.
His father, deputy keller, May be somewhere near the barlow cabin.
He may be dangerous.
Do you hear us, lieutenant? Gary keller has confessed to shooting reverend barlow.
Lieutenant gerard.
Lieutenant gerard, come in, please.
Pa.
I'm sorry.
I had to.
I- I had to.
I know.
I know, gary.
What's gonna happen to him now, sheriff? He'll get off a lot easier than you will, believe me.
And after that? Don't worry about that.
He's a good kid.
He's got lots of friends here.
Then maybe I didn't do so bad after all.
Even for the guilty, There is relief when the truth is known, But for richard kimble, The truth that will free him Lies somewhere ahead, Over the next horizon, Beyond the next town At another place, At another time.

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