On March 30, 1986, Claude Dallas, an Ohio-born trapper serving a 30-year sentence for a double murder, escaped from prison. He was still at large at the time the made-for-TV Manhunt for Claude Dallas first aired on October 28, 1986. Matt Salinger stars as Dallas in this gritty, Colorado-filmed effort, which begins with his relocating in Idaho, where he established a reputation of living well outside the law. In 1981, Dallas shot and killed two Fish and Game officers, sparking a 15-month manhunt. Before he was arrested, Dallas had become a folk hero in certain circles. John Gay's teleplay was adapted from Jeff Long's book Outlaw.