THE FUGITIVE, Season 2, Vol. 1 - Replacement Program Announced (1 Viewer)

[EdG]

Wow. This is Great News. I get most of my TV DVDs the Friday before street date and was bummed when I read on here that the music had been replaced. So I was stuck with the set after already opening it and held off watching it hoping the studio would do a replacement program.
I had only watched a handful of episodes that our local library had on VHS before getting the S1 and S2 Vol 1 sets and after watching season 1 I could not get enough interest to watch the S2 set knowing that all of the music had been changed except the theme and end credits. Like many others here said the music plays a large part of the show. After hearing this news today I ordered S2 Vol 2.

Thanks to the HTF, the guys at TVShowsonDVD, the members here and everyone else who fought to get this show back on track and a big thank you to CBS/Paramount for doing this for the fans.

 

[Tom Brennan]

This is fantastic news. I too wrote a letter of complaint, but am so pleased with this replacement offer that I cannot thank all involved enough. I was in the midst of researching alternate ways to follow the adventures of Richard Kimble, but now I can happily support the official releases. Season 2, Volume 2 just went from being a "no way" to a "must buy"!

 

[JLKINSER]

When the set first came out and I heard what they did, I sent mine back to Amazon. I wrote and emailed CBS/Paramount about my displeasure for what they did to my favorite TV show. I was polite about it, yet firm. I always had faith deep down that Paramount would do the right thing once they saw the huge outcry from the fans. But I must admit, in the last few months I had given up hope. Today, after reading about the replacement program, I jumped for joy! My only fear is that the song on "Ballad for a Ghost" will still be the changed version instead of the original version that was originally written for THAT episode. If it is, that will still kill that episode! The third season episode "Ill Wind" has a song throughout that episode also that was written for that episode. If the song on "Ballad" still remains changed, I fear the song on "Ill Wind" will be messed up also. Hopefully your friend will be able to clear this one up for us Gord.

 

[Tina_H_V]

Oh, how sweet this news is!!!!!!!!

I can finally treat myself to The Fugitive, S2, V1 at long last. Be it that this was to have been a birthday present for me last year, this will be, for me a belated birthday present for myself!!!!!

For those of you here at Home Theater Forum you recall when this music issue came down, S2 V1 was released FOUR DAYS BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY AND WAS TO HAVE BEEN A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY PICKUP AS A RESULT.

And, as an extra added sweet treat, I shall also proceed to pick up S2, V2 of The Fugitive on March 31, 2009, giving me a Hat Trick for the final three weeks of March, with The Nanny, S3 and Room 222, S1 coming out in the two weeks preceeding it.

Thank you very much, CBS/Paramount, for restoring the confidence of consumers such as myself who are not only Fuge fans...but also to those who have picked up some of your other TV DVD products as well.

And to David, Gord and all the friendly folks who were vigilant in helping to see this through...right on!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now...on to the rest of The Mod Squad's sophomore season!!!!

 

[TheGreatOz]

"Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again!"

© 1929 by Milton Ager (music) and Jack Yellen (lyrics)

 

[Flashgear]

I can now resume collecting and watching THE FUGITIVE on DVD!
Completely unexpected and great news for fandom!

 

[Carabimero]

I don't see how they can cut the song from ILL WIND because it is repeatedly woven into the body of the episode. The story would not make as much sense.

I fear the song in BALLAD FOR A GHOST is gone for good in the official releases.

 

[DeWilson]

Oh, I'd expect they'll be in the eventual complete series box set in a 3 or so years!

 

[Harry-N]

I'm also betting that the new discs will just show up in future sets if they need to manufacture another run due to demand. They're not going to knowinglt repress "wrong" material when the corrected masters are available.

This will be like the situation with the CDs of THE BEATLES CAPITOL ALBUMS VOLUME 2. Those masters were done wrong (some mono tracks used wrong masters), there was a replacement program put in place, and the marketplace was then slowly filled with the newer corrected discs - without a recall of the incorrect ones.

For months, maybe years, the incorrect discs sat on shelves, still selling to unsuspecting customers, yet right next to them on the same shelf was the corrected discs in another set. The tell-tale code of "SK1" to someone in the know, was printed on a front sticker of the package.

There have been other examples - in the DVD world, there was an errant release of the Connery/Bond flick, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, with a scene missing during a layer change. The company issued a send-and-replace disc program, and placed three asterisks next to the title on the top sticker of the package, so one could identify it as the corrected disc, if one were in possession of such knowledge. But again, they didn't recall the old ones - they just left them on shelves to sell.

I'm betting that CBS/P will leave the errant sets selling, and stealtfully issue the new discs in future manufactured packages. Perhaps their reasoning on a September cutoff date is that by then, they expect all of the current sets to have sold, and the corrected product replaced in the marketplace - without notice.

It'll be interesting to see if the sharp-eyed among us will spot the "code".

Harry

 

[Dave_I]

Add me to the list of people that were upset over the music replacement debacle and are ecstatic about the replacement discs. I finally put in my order for a set yesterday. Thanks to the guys at TV Shows on DVD for posting the news.

 

[Bob Hug]

I'd agree, Harry. From CBS Paramount's point of view, there are economics to consider in rolling out this replacement program. It's likely less expensive to go the route they have chosen, i.e., mailing the discs to consumers who have purchased the "bad" sets rather than recalling these sets from the retailers and then restocking with new pressings. This way, they'll be able to sell down current inventories at retailers, and the retailers will not have to bundle up the "bad" sets and sent them back to the distributor. It may not necessarily be the best way to do it from a consumer's point of view, but I think I understand the economics behind it and sincerely appreciate CBS Paramount's make-good effort. And I think you're absolutely correct that future pressings of season 2, volume 1 beyond 9/1/09 will contain the corrected discs though there is bound to be some remaining inventory of the "bad" sets that are intermingled with the new.

 

[Sam Favate]

Great news, indeed. I was very happy to get the TSoD email yesterday about this. Big thumbs up to CBS for showing respect to the fans and to the show.

Cheers, also, to Gord for following up with this particular title and issue and for being the bearer of good news.

 

[buford2]

I am very happy about this too, but I am going to wait and see how much is being replaced. If it is just incidental music like in season 1, I have no problem with that.

Looks like I have to double dip. I was so mad with the original set that I gave it to my son to trade in with a bunch of other disks. But if the new sets are the same as season 1, I will be happy to.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I'm so impressed. Not just with studio actually responding, but mostly with the voices and the efforts of posters on this site who carried the torches (sometimes swinging them quite wildly), wrote the letters, reviewed on Amazon, and created enough buzz to make this happen. Congratulations!

I read through the original thread more as a curious spectator (and casual Fuge fan) and it was like a love story (for the show) that turned into a horrified story (for the music switch) that turned into a hate story that got so ugly the story was finally cut off in mid sentence. But now ... now ... it's a Frank Capra story, with a happy ending and everyone in love again. Oh, yeah, and justice.

Sigh. Great drama. Right here on the HTF.

 

[Harry-N]

Happy to be a "guest star in tonight's story"!

Harry

 

[RevisedAndExpanded]

I'm a little blown away.

While I thought there was a possibility that they'd correct the problem on future releases, I NEVER thought it was even realistic to expect them to correct S2V1. Others were demanding they do it, but I kept saying it simply would never happen.

Well, I'm glad I was wrong. While I had every intention of collecting future releases with replacement or original music, I much prefer the original music. I was also getting tired of every Fugitive discussion being about the music.

You've gotta take your hats off to CBS/Paramount on this. While they screwed up by replacing all the music, they made good, and as far as I'm concerned, they went above and beyond by redoing discs that had already been released.


Side note -- I feel a little bad for Mark Heyes, who was a guy who simply did his job, but seemed to become the focus of a lot of anger. His music wasn't all that bad -- at times it was quite well done. The use of replacement music deserved to be criticized, but his own work didn't deserve the lashings it received.

 

[LeoA]

Any chance of My Three Sons fans getting decent treatment now? Or at least the possibility of future sets being more intact?

I'd almost be willing to settle for the awful music they're supplying us in My Three Sons if we could at least have the option to turn it off. Wouldn't be the same as the original episodes, but at least we'd only be watching/listening to what belongs on the episode. Would beat by a mile listening to the awful replacement music.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Dave, that's my position for now. I don't want anyone here to misinterpret this as doing another "rain

about this. KUDOS to Gord/Dave for their relentless pursuit of this issue. They knew this one was a big deal with collectors among the HTF'ers and frequent TSoD hitters.

I mailed in my form today and will check it out upon arrival. I'll get the Fuge expert (my friend Gary) to help me determine where the Capitol cues are located in some sample episodes. As Dave (buford2) mentioned, restoring the Rugolo portion of the original backscore is a very important move on CBS/P's part. I "second" the motion to organize some sort of online "thanks" site where we can sign it and possibly ask Gord/Dave to relay it to the folks at CBS/P.

This series, for me, is a unique situation where the original backscore is concerned. I'd guess that if this were 99 other series that I collect, I'd have no hesitation about un-corking my applause from 90% to 100% if the restored S2V1 set is the same as the S1's. Since we're hearing that the report from Gord's source is saying that some "Heyes" music is present in the restored S2V1, I'll wait and see on this one.

Bottom line is that I agree with you guys that this is a BIG move on CBS/P's part and deserves our profound Thanks, particularly given the current economical environment.

I'll sign off this one with a line from Star Trek TOS from the episode "Mirror Mirror" (sidebar tribute for "Rick" in Tulsa )

"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision".

In this case, there were many here that pasted the stamps, mailed the letters.

salute to you all.

 

[Guy Foulard]

I would have to agree--I finally broke down and began watching S2V1 a while ago, and was generally not as displeased with his music as I feared I would be. Heyes tried to keep true to the general feeling of the original music, but without being able to use the resources (and score) Pete Rugolo had for the originals.

Nevertheless, I dropped my disc replacement form in the mailbox this morning! (and pre-ordered S2V2 as a gesture of good faith in CBS/Paramount)

 

[Joseph Bolus]

This is just *fantastic* news!!

I'm going to be placing my order for S2, V1 when I get home tonight!
Some of my favorite Fuge eps of the entire series are included with this set; and I was beginning to believe that I would never see a proper release for them.

As others here have stated, I can accept the replacement music for the Capital Library music as long as the bulk of the Rugolo cues remain. And it sounds as though that's what was done.

Anyway, tremendous kudos to CBS/Paramount for this response. It clearly indicates that they *do* listen to their customers. This is a "win-win" for Fugitive fans, classic TV fans, and the studio. Congrats all around!!!