"The Fugitive" (1963): Season 1; Volume 1 Rumored To Be In The Works! (1 Viewer)

[Gary OS]

There were a few instances where a radio might be playing in the background, but the music was never anything along the lines of 'pop culture' music. I watched the Vera Miles episode the other night and it seemed to me she was playing a very forgettable tune (and yea, I don't think she was even playing). If that's the type of stuff they need to change, I have no problem. All I'm concerned with is the actual theme music from the show. Not just the opening theme, but all the "mood" music played throughout. Those pieces are priceless and set the tone over and over in the series. If any of those are missing, it would alter the series somewhat in my mind. It might not bother a newbie at all, but it would disappoint me. Hopefully that's not anything to worry about.

Gary "we are so close to the release I don't want to go back through my copies just to see what 'might' be a candidate for replacement - I'd prefer to wait a bit longer and watch them on the new dvds" O.

 

[TravisR]

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the score or theme being changed. To the best of my knowledge there's never been a score that had to be replaced for a DVD and I can't see why this show would be an exception. I know some shows' theme music has been changed before but I'm fairly certain that's only been when it was a pop song that was used and not a piece created for the show.

 

[Jeff#]

There were several, and all featured generic 1950s and 60s music heard on countless earlier series. One of the early episodes to feature that lame music on a car radio was "See Hollywood and Die" with Brenda Vaccaro. As I recall the story, at least that broadcast was interrupted by a police report about the punks who terrorize Brenda's character while she's in the car listening to the news! I think they break the windshield too.

 

[Harry-N]

THE
FUGITIVE
A QM PRODUCTION

Two weeks from today - the running starts.

Harry
...counting the days...

 

[Gary OS]

I'm going to be monitoring the sales figures from Amazon on this FUGITIVE release very carefully beginning today (2 weeks from it's release). As I've mentioned previously, I think the PERRY MASON sets are a good gauge of what a "success" for the classic half-season Paramount sets are. Frankly, the MASON's have done incredibly well. Right now, 6 weeks after it's release, PERRY MASON, SEASON 2, V. 1 is still sitting in the top 400.

I'd love to see THE FUGITIVE, at this point, move up from it's current spot of 239 and work it's way into the top 100 before next Tuesday rolls around. Then I'd like to see it stay in the top 100 up through it's release date and out the other side for about 2 weeks afterward. That would send a strong message that the release is very strong! Only time will tell, but I'm keeping my eyes on it from here on out.

Gary "of course, I'm buying it no matter what - it's the best show of all time!" O.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Here's my review:

http://www.dvdmg.com/fugitives1v1.shtml

 

[David Von Pein]

From Colin's review....


We actually do get the backstory (or "origin" story, if you prefer) in the series' first episode, as Kimble tells Vera Miles the whole story.

I might also add here that the "backstory" scene which is told by Kimble to Miles in Ep. #1 was possibly the most emotional piece of acting that David Janssen had to give during the entire 120 episodes of "The Fugitive". He's moved almost to tears during the story of his plight during that scene.

The "backstory" is also fleshed out a little bit even before Janssen's emotional scene with Vera Miles....as Barry Morse (Gerard) tells the audience the basic "backstory" tale as he's talking to Captain Carpenter about Kimble and his escape.

There's some good subtle writing in that Gerard scene too, IMO, as it doesn't seem as though the characters are necessarily re-hashing the details of the backstory just for the TV audience. But, of course, that's exactly what that "fill in the blanks" scene did intend to do.

And this all, of course, is also after the TV audience is told a recap of "Kimble Particulars" during the opening credits for the pilot episode, with narrator William Conrad succinctly relaying the details of Kimble's predicament (including a brief look at the slain Helen Kimble and the slippery one-armed man).

But, quite obviously, Colin wasn't referring to Kimble merely talking to a third party about his backstory, or Conrad telling us some stuff in the opening narration. It's more satisfying to actually watch the backstory unfold on screen, and that indeed takes many episodes to occur (in "Little Egypt").

Interesting review, Colin. Although I couldn't help but feel a distinctly negative vibe when reading through your show-by-show remarks....but your comment about Kimble's constant bevy of "babes" was quite humorous.

But just wait till you get to Suzanne Pleshette (twice yet!) and Angie Dickinson in future seasons. You'll change your tune then. Because nobody can resist those "babes" (no matter how much you hate the weekly "I've Fallen For Kimble And Must Help Him Escape" storylines).

 

[Gary OS]

That's putting it nicely. Colin is clearly not a fan of the show, and I'm hoping to get reviews from people who actually appreciate this series and aren't stuck in "action only" mode (aka the Harrison Ford debacle). The greatest show television has ever seen deserves a better review than this. To refer to "FATSO" as an after school special is ridiculous! It was an awesome episode, ripe with plenty of action, drama, and great acting.

Gary "geesh, how can one not be moved by Kimble's plight in these first 15 episodes?!!!" O.

 

[Bob Hug]

Gary, you will be happy to hear that Paul Mavis, who has a deep appreciation and knowledge base of vintage/classic television, will being reviewing "The Fugitive," season 1, volume 1 for DVD Talk. Paul is one of the very few reviewers that I read on a regular basis, even if I have little or no interest in the show that he is reviewing . . . . . simply because of the depth of his knowledge and skills as a writer. His review of Shout! Factory's "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" is, singularly, the best TV-on-DVD review that I've ever read, bar none. He may not go into the technical depth as other reviewers do, including Colin, but his knowledge and appreciation of older shows is second to none.

Paul's profile: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/bio.p...reviewID=29458

 

[michael_ks]

Well, the opening salvo to the "review" ("For folks of my generation, we best know The Fugitive as the 1993 Oscar-nominated Harrison Ford flick...") pretty much told me all I needed to know and I had to stop right then and there.

Too bad this was the first review I had to come across for a series that set the bar for incisive tv drama but at least we'll be treated to a first class write-up when Paul Mavis at DVDtalk.com gives us his take on "The Fugitive" S1 vol. 1 in the coming weeks.

P.S. Well, I see Bob just beat me to it, regarding Mr. Mavis. He informed me initially, in fact that Paul was to review this set and I can think of none better for the job. If ever a reviewer was able to get into the very subtext of what a vintage series has to offer the reviewer, this is the man to do it.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Andy "geesh, how can someone take this review so personally?!!!" M.

 

[Harry-N]

Thank you Colin, for the review. It gives an interesting look into how the younger generations might view what has been billed as "the greatest drama TV ever had."

Obviously Gary, David, myself and others look on THE FUGITIVE as something that perhaps Colin and members of younger demographics might not quite see. So much has changed in the landscape of not only television, but life in general since this show was produced.

I hinted at this in an earlier post:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...&postcount=152

I found Colin's review to be fair and honest. Those first few episodes after the pilot were somewhat strange choices as early episodes, and I can understand exactly where he's coming from. As for the "babe of the week", well, I suppose that with a drama about police pursuing an innocent man, the trend back in the '60s was to give the women in the audience something to grab onto as well. I can tell you that this red-blooded American male never minded feasting his eyes on the lovely actresses of the day as they made their procession through the weekly episodes.

That's perhaps another point. These shows were meant to be played out in the large time-frame of a week-to-week series. Kimble drifts into a town, interacts with the population, and leaves. Then we don't see him for another whole week, when he turns up somewhere else.

With the series available for instant viewing in a "Play All" mode, sometimes the similarity of the format might become more repetitively annoying. "Geez, just twenty minutes ago he was madly in love with Vera Miles, now he's falling for Pat Crowley?" When, in fact, the idea is that weeks - months - have passed in between.

There have to be countless days and nights of Kimble's flight and pursuit that we don't get to see. The episodes themselves represent the unconnected highlights of his journey.

So, yeah, I'm happy that Colin seemed to enjoy the series as much as he did, and hope that he can continue to do so as the series progresses forward. Within the scope of the entire series, there are bound to be themes, situations, that ring familiar, mostly due to the constraints of the format - a man on the run interacting with different people every week.

Indeed, with the "stable" of guest stars that Quinn Martin liked to use, we many times get to see the same actors playing different roles. We'll see Robert Duvall and Bruce Dern again in later episodes, and as mentioned, we get to enjoy Suzanne Pleshette in two different roles - only a few episodes apart as one came at the end of one season and the other came near the beginning of the next.

(Correction to above: It's Lois Nettleton who appeared in two episodes very close together numerically. She was in episode #89 near the end of the third season (last episode filmed that year), and in episode #92, the second episode in the fourth season under the new production management.)

Richard Anderson, who plays Kimble's brother-in-law even gets to play a different character during the series.

Harry
...with 12 days to THE FUGITIVE on DVD...

 

[Gary OS]

Well, I stand by my initial comments about this first "review." But I'm not going to get into an argument with others about it.

Bob, I'm so glad to hear about Paul Mavis getting a review ready. I agree with you that his review of the "OZZIE & HARRIET" set from Shout was the best I'd ever read. He clearly loves classic tv, so I'm looking forward to his review.

Gary "less than 2 weeks to go now!!" O.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Also lets understand how many imitators there's been to the Fugitive, such as the Hulk, that the formula seems stretched out now, when it was fresh then

 

[Bob Hug]

The imitators started even while "The Fugitive" was still being aired in prime time. "Run for Your Life" with Ben Gazzara was a variation on "The Fugitive" and began broadcasts in 1965.

 

[Ivan G]

...and The Guns of Will Sonnett is essentially "The Fugitive Out West."

 

[phil*]

"Though I couldn’t call the music bold and dynamic"..Colin Jacobson's reference to Peter Rugolo's music left me somewhat flabbergasted...but I suppose I could use the same terminology in describing Colin's writing...

 

[Harry-N]

Added a correction to my last post above.

Harry

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Hey, thanks a lot for that condescending remark! Nothing like having my work referred to as a "review" in ironic quotes to make me feel good! :frowning:

 

[Colin Jacobson]

So those of us who weren't born until after the series aired have no right to review it? Our opinions are invalidated? That makes sense. :rolleyes

And for the record, I knew of the series before the movie - I'd simply never seen it. I don't think I'm unusual in that regard - I don't think this is a series that was big in syndication, so if you want to find people who know it well, you'll probably have to stick with those in the 50+ age range. Apparently only their opinions matter. Nice to know - I'll never review anything made before my 10th birthday ever again, since I'm not qualified! :rolleyes