Don Medord obit

Don Medford, Who Directed the Historic Last Episode of ‘The Fugitive,’ Dies

The series’ climax attracted a then-record 78 million viewers in 1967. "Midnight Medford" also helmed episodes of “Dynasty” and “The Twilight Zone” and the Sidney Poitier film “The Organization.” 

He was not on the list.

Don Medford, a prolific TV director who helmed the final installment of the landmark 1960s ABC drama The Fugitive — at the time the most-watched series episode in history — has died. He was 95.

Medford died Dec. 12 at West Hills (Calif.) Hospital and Medical Center, his wife Lynn told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. Medford had been a resident of the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s retirement home in Woodland Hills since 2001, she said.

In a career that spanned nearly a half-century, Medford also directed The Organization (1971), the third film in which Sidney Poitier played Detective Virgil Tibbs, and the Western The Hunting Party, also released in 1971, starring Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen.

But Medford made his mark in television. He helmed 26 episodes of the 1980s primetime soap Dynasty; 32 episodes of The F.B.I., which ran from 1965-74; 19 episodes of the ’70s crime drama Baretta (he also wrote a pair); and 13 episodes of The Detectives, another cop series that starred Robert Taylor and Tige Andrews and aired from 1959-62. He also did five episodes of The Twilight Zone, including “A Passage for Trumpet,” starring Jack Klugman, who died Dec. 24.

A native of Detroit who moved to New York in 1946 to work on such live TV shows as the sci-fi anthology Tales of Tomorrow and Medallion Theatre, Medford was brought to Hollywood by director Alfred Hitchcock and helmed two installments of the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1955.

Earlier, he directed Ronald Reagan and James Dean in a live installment of G.E. True Theater titled “The Dark, Dark Hours,” which aired live in December 1954. Reagan played a doctor whose home was invaded and family threatened by Dean and another young punk.

One of Medford’s trademarks in the early days was shooting a scene during the day and then “underdeveloping” the film in postproduction to make it appear as if it were shot in darkness (it was called “day for night” shooting; the shadows were a dead giveaway for anyone paying attention). For that he earned the nickname “Midnight Medford.”

In all, Medford directed six episodes of The Fugitive, including the two-parter — Episodes Nos. 119 and 120 — that closed the series in August 1967. “The Judgment Part II,” in which accused killer Richard Kimble (David Janssen) clears his name and finally catches up with the one-armed man (Bill Raisch) who had murdered his wife, was viewed in 25.7 million households. More than 78 million people, or 45.9 percent of American households with a television set, tuned in.

That viewership record held until the Nov. 21, 1980, episode of Dallas that revealed who shot J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman).

Medford’s TV career also includes work on such series as 12 O’Clock High, Dr. Kildare, The Rifleman, The Untouchables, The Fall Guy, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Police Story, The Colbys, Jake and the Fatman and his last credit, True Blue, in 1989.

He also directed the telefilms Hell Town (1985), starring Robert Blake (it later became a TV series), and 1973’s The Fuzz Brothers, starring Louis Gossett Jr. and Felton Perry.

Director

True Blue (1989)

True Blue

7.8

TV Series

Director

1989

1 episode

 

William Conrad and Joe Penny in Jake and the Fatman (1987)

Jake and the Fatman

6.4

TV Series

Director

1989

2 episodes

 

Something Is Out There (1988)

Something Is Out There

6.6

TV Series

Director

1988

1 episode

 

Dynasty (1981)

Dynasty

6.4

TV Series

Director

1981–1988

27 episodes

 

Charlton Heston, Stephanie Beacham, Maxwell Caulfield, Katharine Ross, Tracy Scoggins, Barbara Stanwyck, John James, Emma Samms, and Claire Yarlett in The Colbys (1985)

The Colbys

6.1

TV Series

Director

1985–1987

6 episodes

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

7.7

TV Series

Director

1986

1 episode

 

Ernest Borgnine, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Alex Cord in Airwolf (1984)

Airwolf

6.7

TV Series

Director

1985

2 episodes

 

Robert Blake in Hell Town (1985)

Hell Town

7.0

TV Series

Director

1985

2 episodes

 

Lee Majors and Heather Thomas in The Fall Guy (1981)

The Fall Guy

7.1

TV Series

Director

1983–1985

5 episodes

 

Hell Town (1985)

Hell Town

7.4

TV Movie

Director

1985

 

Tony Lo Bianco and Lindsay Wagner in Jessie (1984)

Jessie

6.9

TV Series

Director

1984

2 episodes

 

Emerald Point N.A.S. (1983)

Emerald Point N.A.S.

7.2

TV Series

Director

1984

1 episode

 

Trauma Center (1983)

Trauma Center

6.4

TV Series

Director

1983

3 episodes

 

Dusty

7.8

TV Movie

Director

1983

 

The Fugitive - The judgement

Video

Director

1982

 

Helen Shaver and David Spielberg in Jessica Novak (1981)

Jessica Novak

3.8

TV Series

Director

1981

2 episodes

 

Sizzle (1981)

Sizzle

6.2

TV Movie

Director

1981

 

Coach of the Year (1980)

Coach of the Year

5.3

TV Movie

directed by

1980

 

Kate Mulgrew in Mrs. Columbo (1979)

Mrs. Columbo

5.7

TV Series

Director

1979

3 episodes

 

David Cassidy and Simon Oakland in David Cassidy - Man Undercover (1978)

David Cassidy - Man Undercover

6.8

TV Series

Director

1978

1 episode

 

The Clone Master (1978)

The Clone Master

5.6

TV Movie

Director

1978

 

Kaz (1978)

Kaz

7.5

TV Series

Director

1978–1979

 

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

Director

1975–1978

19 episodes

 

Jo Ann Harris, Shelly Novack, and Robert Stack in Most Wanted (1976)

Most Wanted

6.8

TV Series

Director

1976–1977

3 episodes

 

City of Angels (1976)

City of Angels

7.6

TV Series

Director

1976

3 episodes

 

The November Plan (1976)

The November Plan

7.0

TV Movie

Director

1976

 

Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)

Police Story

7.5

TV Series

Director

1975–1976

4 episodes

 

Medical Story (1975)

Medical Story

6.8

TV Series

Director

1975

1 episode

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

Director

1965–1974

32 episodes

 

The Streets of San Francisco (1972)

The Streets of San Francisco

7.3

TV Series

Director

1973

2 episodes

 

Louis Gossett Jr. in The Fuzz Brothers (1973)

The Fuzz Brothers

8.7

TV Movie

Director

1973

 

William Conrad in Cannon (1971)

Cannon

6.8

TV Series

Director

1971

1 episode

 

The Organization (1971)

The Organization

6.0

Director

1971

 

Candice Bergen and Oliver Reed in The Hunting Party (1971)

The Hunting Party

6.2

Director

1971

 

Incident in San Francisco (1971)

Incident in San Francisco

6.1

TV Movie

Director

1971

 

Andrew Duggan, Wayne Maunder, and James Stacy in Lancer (1968)

Lancer

7.1

TV Series

Director

1969

1 episode

 

The Invaders (1967)

The Invaders

8.0

TV Series

Director

1967

3 episodes

 

Stuart Whitman in Cimarron Strip (1967)

Cimarron Strip

7.1

TV Series

Director

1967

1 episode

 

Ghostbreakers (1967)

Ghostbreakers

6.2

TV Movie

Director

1967

 

David Janssen in The Fugitive (1963)

The Fugitive

8.1

TV Series

Director

1965–1967

6 episodes

 

Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI (1967)

Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI

6.3

TV Movie

Director

1967

 

12 O'Clock High (1964)

12 O'Clock High

8.1

TV Series

Director

1964–1966

12 episodes

 

Robert Vaughn, Pat Crowley, and Luciana Paluzzi in To Trap a Spy (1964)

To Trap a Spy

6.0

Director

1964

 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7.7

TV Series

Director

1964

1 episode

 

Dr. Kildare (1961)

Dr. Kildare

7.0

TV Series

Director

1962–1964

9 episodes

 

Suspense

6.3

TV Series

Director

1964

1 episode

 

Gary Lockwood in The Lieutenant (1963)

The Lieutenant

8.3

TV Series

Director

1963

3 episodes

 

Angela Lansbury and Tuesday Weld in The Eleventh Hour (1962)

The Eleventh Hour

7.7

TV Series

Director

1962–1963

4 episodes

 

James Franciscus in Mr. Novak (1963)

Mr. Novak

7.4

TV Series

Director

1963

1 episode

 

"The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" Kurt Russell, Jean Engstrom 1963 MGM

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters

7.5

TV Series

Director

1963

1 episode

 

The Dick Powell Theatre (1961)

The Dick Powell Theatre

7.4

TV Series

Director

1962–1963

4 episodes

 

Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone (1959)

The Twilight Zone

9.0

TV Series

Directordirected by

1960–1963

5 episodes

 

Sam Benedict (1962)

Sam Benedict

7.7

TV Series

directed by

1962

2 episodes

 

The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962)

The Lloyd Bridges Show

6.5

TV Series

Director

1962

2 episodes

 

Kraft Theatre (1947)

The United States Steel Hour

8.0

TV Series

Director

1960–1962

2 episodes

 

Robert Harland and Stephen McNally in Target: The Corruptors (1961)

Target: The Corruptors

7.5

TV Series

Director

1961–1962

7 episodes

 

The Law and Mr. Jones (1960)

The Law and Mr. Jones

7.5

TV Series

Director

1962

1 episode

 

Gardner McKay in Adventures in Paradise (1959)

Adventures in Paradise

8.2

TV Series

Director

1962

1 episode

 

The Assassination Plot at Teheran

TV Movie

Director

1961

 

Joan Freeman, Marilyn Maxwell, and Rhodes Reason in Bus Stop (1961)

Bus Stop

6.9

TV Series

Director

1961

1 episode

 

Abel Fernandez, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni, and Robert Stack in The Untouchables (1959)

The Untouchables

8.0

TV Series

Director

1961

3 episodes

 

Barbara Stanwyck in The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1960)

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

7.6

TV Series

Director

1961

1 episode

 

The only authorized DVD edition of all episodes in  Season One.

The Rifleman

8.3

TV Series

Director

1959–1960

7 episodes

 

Checkmate (1960)

Checkmate

7.4

TV Series

Director

1960

1 episode

 

The Detectives (1959)

The Detectives

7.5

TV Series

Director

1959–1960

13 episodes

 

Zane Grey Theatre (1956)

Zane Grey Theatre

7.5

TV Series

Director

1959

1 episode

 

Michael Ansara in Law of the Plainsman (1959)

Law of the Plainsman

8.0

TV Series

Director

1959

1 episode

 

The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959)

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

7.6

TV Series

Director

1959

1 episode

 

Lee Marvin in M Squad (1957)

M Squad

8.1

TV Series

Director

1958–1959

10 episodes

 

Henry Fonda in The Deputy (1959)

The Deputy

7.0

TV Series

Director

1959

1 episode

 

Ray Milland in Markham (1959)

Markham

8.1

TV Series

Director

1959

1 episode

 

Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)

General Electric Theater

6.8

TV Series

Directorepisode "I Am a Fool"

1954–1959

28 episodes

 

Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse (1951)

Schlitz Playhouse

7.6

TV Series

Director

1958

1 episode

 

Suspicion (1957)

Suspicion

8.1

TV Series

Director

1957–1958

7 episodes

 

Beverly Garland in Decoy (1957)

Decoy

7.6

TV Series

Director (as Donald Medford)

1957–1958

2 episodes

 

Kraft Theatre (1947)

Kraft Theatre

7.9

TV Series

Director

1958

2 episodes

 

Dan Duryea in Climax! (1954)

Climax!

6.5

TV Series

Directorepisode "Trial of Captain Wirz, The"

1957

4 episodes

 

Studio 57 (1954)

Studio 57

7.3

TV Series

Director

1956–1957

2 episodes

 

Alfred Hitchcock in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

8.5

TV Series

Director

1955

2 episodes

 

Zachary Scott in Medallion Theatre (1953)

Medallion Theatre

6.3

TV Series

Director

1953–1954

5 episodes

 

Treasury Men in Action (1950)

Treasury Men in Action

7.2

TV Series

Director

1953

2 episodes

 

Campbell Summer Soundstage (1952)

Campbell Summer Soundstage

6.6

TV Series

Director

1953

1 episode

 

Tales of Tomorrow (1951)

Tales of Tomorrow

7.0

TV Series

Director

1951–1953

36 episodes

 

The Earl Wrightson Show

TV Series

Director

1951

1 episode

 

Producer

Robert Harland and Stephen McNally in Target: The Corruptors (1961)

Target: The Corruptors

7.5

TV Series

producer

1961–1962

3 episodes

 

Writer

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

story by

1977

2 episodes

 

Thanks

Sal Mineo in James Dean: A Portrait (1995)

James Dean: A Portrait

7.4

TV Movie

the producers wish to thank

1995

 

Self

Real James Dean

8.3

Video

Self

2006

 

100 Years of Horror: The Frankenstein Family

5.7

Video

Self

1996

 

Christopher Lee in 100 Years of Horror (1996)

100 Years of Horror

7.0

TV Series

Self - Director

1996

1 episode

 

Sal Mineo in James Dean: A Portrait (1995)

James Dean: A Portrait

7.4

TV Movie

Self - TV Director

1995

 

Tales of Tomorrow (1951)

Tales of Tomorrow

7.0

TV Series

Self - Director

1952

1 episode