"The Fugitive," as everyone knows, was based on the real-life case of Dr. Sam Sheppard, who was convicted of murdering his wife and later escaped from prison.
But everyone's wrong. There are definite similarities between the Sheppard case and that of the fictional Dr. Richard Kimble, who was wrongly convicted of killing his wife, escaped from custody and went in search of the real killer — the one-armed man — while himself being pursued. But that was only a coincidence, according to the man who created "The Fugitive."
"I've never minded that rumor because there's an old saying in Hollywood that any publicity is good, as long as it's not true," executive producer Roy Huggins said. "And this isn't true."
Huggins said he wasn't even aware of the Sheppard murder case, which occurred in 1954, when he created the show in 1960. "It was a year later that F. Lee Bailey took over the (Sheppard) case and it got more publicity."
The only thing about that that ever bothered Huggins at all was when "Sheppard's son accused us of exploiting his parents' tragedy. And that rather distressed me for maybe 10 minutes. But otherwise it never bothered me because, as I say, it got the show talked about and helped us."
The concept Huggins came up with four decades ago sustained the original series from 1963-67, until star David Janssen wanted out.
"It was canceled while it was still a success," Huggins said. "David Janssen was in every scene, and he was getting very tired and complaining a lot to the network."
The concept held up well in reruns. ("I know because I get checks every month," Huggins said.) And in 1993 it was turned into a hit movie that starred Harrison Ford. And Huggins, along with the producers of the movie — Arnold and Anne Kopelson — hasrevived it once again with the high-profile new CBS version of "The Fugitive" that premieres Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. on Ch. 2.
"This is the most brilliant concept for a television show ever devised," said Tim Daly, who follows in the footsteps of Janssen and Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble. "It is a cop show. It is a doctor show. It has a chase — it has two chases. And I even have an attorney."
" 'The Fugitive' is the only show that has ever been on television in which you have suspense when the protagonist just walks down the street," Huggins said.
The pilot of the new "Fugitive" does a tremendous job of reviving the legend — it's the familiar tale told somewhat differently. It's full of great action and nice drama and sets the premise in motion once again.
The big question is whether the show can maintain the level of quality it demonstrates in that pilot. Although no one is talking on the record, reports are that the hour cost as much as $8 million, more than five times the approximate $1.5 million budget of the average hourlong drama.
"You know, a successful show or successful movie is not about what you spend on it," Kopelson said. "You see movies that cost $100 million going right down the tube. It's about the quality of the writing. We are blessed. . . . (Executive producer) John McNamara is a brilliant, brilliant writer. We have the best scripts that Anne and I have seen in all of our years of making movies."
There will be a few changes in focus from both the original series and the movie.
"Well, it'll be a little more like the Janssen series simply because it's a series, whereas with Ford, we closed the story," Huggins said. "Another difference is that Tim Daly is a different kind of actor from David Janssen, and we're getting a different kind of performance."
"I decided not to pay homage to either of them at all," said Daly, whose father, James, once did a guest spot in the original series. "Not because I didn't think they were both really wonderful in their portrayals of Dr. Richard Kimble, but I really wanted to approach this in a totally fresh way."
Also, the character of Lt. Philip Gerard (Mykelti Williamson) will be more prominent in this series than in the '60s series. (Gerard was played by Barry Morse in the original and by Tommy Lee Jones — who won an Oscar for the role — in the 1993 movie.)
And the one-armed man (played by Stephen Lang in this version) will have more of a presence.
Even though he wasn't inspired by the Sheppard case, Huggins readily admits he did take inspiration from another source.
"I was influenced by 'Shane,' " Huggins said. "I had done Westerns on television, and the thing I liked about Westerns was the freedom of the protagonist. . . . I thought, 'I want to do a contemporary show in which the protagonist has that kind of freedom' because that's why Westerns are so popular."
Did he ever believe, however, that the show would be back on the air in the year 2000?
"Absolutely not," Huggins said. "I still don't."
Even assuming that that new CBS version of the show has a long, successful run, that might not be the end of it. The producers say they wouldn't be surprised if there's another incarnation of "The Fugitive" somewhere down the line.
"I hope so," Huggins said.
"No question in my mind," McNamara said. "There's something about this show that gets under your skin and it makes you crazy. . . . I would put it in the same pantheon as 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' 'The Three Musketeers,' Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan and James Bond. It just will always exist."
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com