FILM 1362: THE FUGITIVE

TRIVIA: Harrison Ford damaged some ligaments in his leg during the filming of the scenes in the woods. He refused to take surgery until the end of filming so that his character would keep the limp. The limp can be seen in any subsequent scene where Richard Kimble is running.

The wrecked train and bus remain a tourist attraction in Dillsboro, North Carolina.

According to producer Roy Huggins, Gerard's line in response to Richard Kimble's claim of innocence ("I didn't kill my wife") was originally read in the script as, "That isn't my problem." But at the request of Tommy Lee Jones, it was changed to, "I don't care."

Originally Julianne Moore's character had a bigger role in the film even after she exposes him briefly. Kimble was to have sought her out for help and eventually fall for her. These scenes were filmed and deleted from the final cut of the film. That is, however, at the same time her name is still credited as one of the main stars of the picture.

Kimble's apartment is modeled after an actual doctor that Harrison Ford and Andrew Davis met in a Chicago bar shortly before filming. Ford felt that the doctor, somewhat eccentric and reclusive, was exactly how he wanted to portray Kimble and sent the art department to see his apartment. The doctor was also treated to a drink by Ford.

Alec Baldwin was first choice to play Dr. Richard Kimble. When he dropped out, Andy Garcia was considered for the role. Harrison Ford had previously played a role first offered to Baldwin in Patriot Games (1992).

The character of Cosmo Renfro was supposed to die in the finale of the film. However, Joe Pantoliano successfully lobbied for his character to be spared so that he may appear in a potential sequel. Pantoliano indeed got to reprise the role of Renfro in the sequel U.S. Marshals (1998). A similar request by Sela Ward to have her character beaten into a coma instead of being killed, however, was not honored.

Julianne Moore's brief role landed her an interview with Steven Spielberg, who would later cast her in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).

The picture of Richard Kimble on the composite from medical school is actually Harrison Ford's yearbook picture from Ripon College. He (almost) graduated in 1964, nine years before the picture was said to have been from.

Richard Jordan, who was originally cast as Dr. Nichols, actually filmed some scenes with Harrison Ford before he became ill and had to drop out of the picture. These scenes had to be re-shot with Jeroen Krabbé. If you look closely at Krabbé's first scene, Ford's beard looks different because he had to regrow it for the re-shoot.

Tommy Lee Jones reportedly told Joe Pantoliano "It's not like anyone is going to win any awards for this film." However, Tommy Lee Jones won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in the film.

Kevin Costner was considered for the role of Richard Kimble.

FILM 1197: SHERLOCK JR.

TRIVIA: Buster Keaton practiced for four months, working with a pool expert, to learn all the trick shots that Sherlock Jr. performs during the pool game. Nevertheless, it took him five days to film all the trick shots, and get them right. When he was finished, all the best trick shots he had filmed were cut together to make it look like Sherlock Jr. was playing one continuous game of pool.

In one scene at a train station, Buster Keaton was hanging off of a tube connected to a water basin. The water poured out and washed him on to the track, fracturing his neck nearly to the point of breaking it. This footage appears in the released film. Keaton suffered from blinding migraines for years after making this movie and was unaware of the reason, until a doctor diagnosed him in the 1930s.

Following his "entrance" into the "movie within a movie," the scenery changes around Buster Keaton very quickly, as if the movie is changing scenes with quick edits. (He suddenly finds himself on a crowded city street, in the jungle confronted by lions, on a rock in the middle of the ocean, etc.) Keaton later recalled that his cameraman, Byron Houck, had used surveying instruments to position him and the camera at the exact correct distances and positions to give the illusion of continuity as the scenes changed.

Sherlock Jr.'s assistant, Gillette, is named after William Gillette, the first actor to play Sherlock Holmes on stage.

According to the book Buster is reading, the seven rules for being a detective are: 1. Search Everybody. 2. Look for Clue. 3. Examine all windows. 4. Search for finger prints. 5. Shadow your man closely. 6. Send for the police. 7. Keep cool. Buster actually only employs rules #1 and #5 in the movie.