THE FUGITIVE - Season 2 Volume 2 (1 Viewer)

[phil*]

Wall Street Journal...that's serious stuff Harry..."What adds to the complications is that a popular series often gets a more generous music budget with each successive season. The result: more songs to clear for the DVD release. "It gets very costly particularly because DVDs of later seasons of a series tend not to sell as well as the earlier ones," said Mr. Rashba."

Does this explain why Season 1 was unscathed while the problems started with Season 2?

 

[Jack P]

No, the problems started with Season 2 because of incomplete information on the cue sheets that couldn't satisfy them as to what it was they owned free and clear and what they didn't, so they decided to err on the side of maximum caution by tossing everything out.

 

[JLKINSER]

Hey All

My friend Mark has been in touch with the VP at CBS/Paramount.

Thanks to him we now have the email addrss to the VP at CBS/Paramount. Mark has has actually spoken with the VP at CBS/Paramount. According to the VP, they have not heard mcuh bad about the Season Two sets. He told Mark that if enough people contacted him they would see what they could do to fix it. Here is his email:

[email protected]

his name is Mr. Jeffrey Nemerovski, VP of CBS Entertainment

Tell everyone you know to email him.

Here is the letter that Mark sent:

Dear Mr. Nemerovski;

I spoke to you by phone on May 13th, stating my displeasure with CBS' treatment of the Season 2 DVDs of The Fugitive series. My issue concerns the music "sweetening" process your company enforces.

As well documented, the first volume of Season 2 from The Fugitive was overwrought with substitute music. Much of the music was shrill and maladjusted to the scenes which it embodied. Great writing and acting aside, the music changes made for an extremely unpleasant viewing experience. In short, true Fugitive fans swiftly discerned where Pete Rugolo's legacy concluded and where entry level type musical inflections began. Needless to say, the series did not FEEL like The Fugitive.

We fans complained in hopes that you would listen. Many of us sent back proof of purchas labels for replacement discs. The discs we received featured a few more Rugolo and Capitol cues, but obvious alterations to the musical score remained. Among them, the song "There's Just One Road I Travel" from the Ballad For A Ghost episode was removed. Why? There couldn't have been a copyright issue for a song written by a regular contributor to the series. I am speaking of writer George Eckstein. He wrote the song specifically for that broadcast. The episode had more than a minute of action excised.

In another episode, Escape Into Black, we were led to believe that perhaps all but 39 seconds of music was original. However, a careful review of this episode with a VHS tape (which I have) compared to the DVD replacement disc, features some 25 music alterations. Many of these are unnecessary in content. Without canvassing every episode, ALL of which I have seen some 25-40 times, I'd say about 40 percent of Season 2, Volume 1 features replacement music. Moreover, there are episodes with scenes in which some music is omitted outright.

I eagerly awaited the release of Season 2, Volume 2 of The Fugitive, convinced that CBS had put the "sweetened" music debacle behind them.
And lo and behold, I find out that Fun And Games And Party Favors, along with Brass Ring among others, suffer from the same musical malady. Once again, I, along with other enlightened Fugitive fans were completely crestfallen and deflated.

How tough is it to secure rights to calliope music you used in the pilot episode of the series? Background music in "Party Favors" was inconsiderably removed. Other episodes with replacement music in the extremely tense moments of the program are The Survivors, Trial By Fire, & May God Have Mercy. All told, Season 2, Volume 2 of The Fugitive contains about 50 percent of its original music.

When asked about the reason for the redesigned music, your company's reply is "well, the ownership of Capitol is in question", or "we're trying to avoid a lawsuit", or "there are royalty issues which make this very difficult".

My question is "Why weren't these things considered and discussed among management and your lawyers before the release of The Fugitive?" Companies of astute foresight, such as yourselves, usually take every conceivable legal precaution before distributing a product. And at the very least, a company will set aside a certain amount for potential legal complications. Apparently, this essential element of business practice eludes Season 2 DVD episodes of The Fugitive.

CBS owns The Fugitive & The Twilight Zone outright. Many of The Jerry Goldsmith cues used in The Twilight Zone appeared throughout The Fugitive series. Music stock libraries were interchangeable among shows in the 60's. If there were no conflicts of interest in 1963, then it is very dubious that one of these recording entities or estates would retrosue 46 years later. Not when CBS/Parmount is introducing The Fugitive and its musical corps to a new legion of fans. There is more money for Paramount as well as the estates of those involved with The Fugitive. Everyone wins.

IF CBS/Paramount was truly concerned about packaging The Fugitive at or near pristine condition, consultations with surviving musical contributors would've meliorated matters. Peter Rugolo is alive. He provided some 125 minutes of music for the show. Was he contacted by your firm? How about Ken Wilhoit and John Elizalde, the music supervisors of The Fugitive? Joel Goldsmith, Jerry Goldsmith's son, is a composer. There were many sources to contact to help detangle the music issue.

Taking the minimal approach to constructing Season 2 tells a customer that attention to detail is sacrificed in the name of mass production and a hurried profit. Taking the maximum approach to constructing season 2 leads to greater sales, fewer complaints and returns, and satisfied patrons. Not to mention a concerted effort by CBS to honor The Fugitive's musical and theatrical composition.

As I stated in our phone conversation, products are bought with a trust between a merchant and his customer. The merchant advertises a product with known or assumed features and the customer purchases believing the product meets their needs or desires. The merchant trusts that the customer will be happy. When a customer finds that the product differs greatly from its public billing, understandably, the customer will feel angry, betrayed, pirated, and desirous of a replacement or a refund.

Such has been the case in the recent history of CBS/Paramount releases. Wonderful TV classics bearing the CBS/Paramount trademark such as Gomer Pyle, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, and My Three Sons have been sold as merchandise resembling their nights of original broadcast. Then a customer finds that the DVD they own features SYNDICATED episodes with songs, background music and scenes changed or completely deleted. In some cases, scenes begin with the remnant of crowd laughter.

A continued indulgence in this glorified bait and switch method of operation will cost you longtime and potential buyers and big money. The aforementioned shows are relics of a television heritage which will never be equalled or excelled. That heritage could - and should - be furthered by CBS/Paramount. PROPERLY. TV ads (similar to the ones issued by Columbia House) would expose the DVDs likely to garner public demand.

In closing, I will say that we Fugitive fans are a sentimental, nostalgic lot who know that Pete Rugolo's music speaks in a way that Richard Kimble doesn't have to. By removing the pristine musical properties of this viewing gem, the show lacks the intensity, the emotion, the sympathetic hues, and the sense of foreboding danger which makes it the greatest drama of all time. The music is the backbone of The Fugitive. THE MUSIC IS THE BACKBONE OF THE FUGITIVE.

My advice to CBS/Paramount is this: Either re-release Season 2 Volumes 1 & 2 of The Fugitive with all or nearly all of its original music and cues, or offer your customers a complete refund. No strings attached. IF you must edit portions of musical cues, please provide the most minute, indiscernable adjustments as humanly possible.

If doing The Fugitive right is THAT big a problem, then outsource the show to entities such as Time/Life HBO, Image Entertainment, or Canada's Shout Factory. Their customers are satisfied with their products. The same can and should be said about your customers.

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully Submitted,

Mark Gaston

NOTE: The preceding was a letter I sent to Mr. Jeffrey Nemerovski, a Vice President for CBS Home Entertainment. The people at CBS/Paramount will not move unless WE Fugitive fans move. If you are sincerely troubled by CBS' continued tampering with the musical score of The Fugitive, let them know. Mr. Robert Dahl has, Mr. John Kinser has, and so have I. Get on board.

 

[shadyguy]

WOW, What a letter !

I just sent one in, but not quite as intense as Marks, but it got the
point across ! !!

 

[buford2]

I sent in my letter. I hope we see some positive results.

Dave

 

[MichaelEl]

It goes without saying that replacing the music was a disaster, but CBS/Paramount have complicated things enormously with half season sets and mail-in coupons. For example, will they update S2 V2 so that we have to send off for TWO replacements sets? Will they release the replacement S2 V1 set to retailers after the September deadline or will customers who wait be stuck with no choice but the original Heyes set? Also, what happens to the poor customers whose proof-of-purchase labels get lost in the mail? The mail-in coupon clearly states they will not replace a set in those circumstances.

If you ask me, CBS/Paramount should just pull THE FUGITIVE from the marketplace, and re-release the series in full season sets with the original music and cues. They released MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE and THE INVADERS in full season sets with original music, I don't see why they can't do the same thing for THE FUGITIVE.

 

[TravisR]

No.

 

[TheGreatOz]

Speaking of "two replacement sets"...

If, for some reason you purchased two sets of S2V1 DVDs, you will only be able to get one of them replaced. The fine print stipulates 'one replacement set per name/address/household.'

I guess you'll have to get Aunt Tillie to send in your Proofs if you want to replace a second set of S2V1.

 

[jdee28]

In the Season 1, Volume 2 release, for the episode "Never Stop Running," isn't that a Heyes cue at 6:07? It continues for the next 23 seconds.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Originally Posted by jdee28

In the Season 1, Volume 2 release, for the episode "Never Stop Running," isn't that a Heyes cue at 6:07? It continues for the next 23 seconds.

I did a check of the CBS/P S1V2 episode with an original as aired episode at 6:07 and it's an original Rugolo cue in the CBS/P set. This is the scene where the wife and brother are turning the card around to go to the house with Kimble in the car. I'm pretty sure that this is the cue you're referring to since it lasted 23 seconds.

As far as I know, the CBS/P S1 V1 & 2 sets didn't contain any "Heyes" music. I assume that the Heyes music first appeared in S2V1.

 

[Harry-N]

I've finally gotten around to finishing off Season Two, Volume Two of THE FUGITIVE, trying to savor the episodes and not burn through them. Early on I watched a few together, but slowed down greatly as I approached the end of the set.

I've spotted some interesting video anomalies and would like to share them here. They have to do with the coloration of the black & white video. No, these episodes aren't "colorized" - and I hope they never are - but even black and white material *can* have a coloration to it.

If properly done, a black & white video should display no color at all on a properly adjusted color television set, yet this set seems to have a bunch of episodes that reveal a bit of a brownish/yellowish cast to them.

I've watched these on a well-adjusted Sony 37" XBR flat panel television, and most black & white DVD's that I view on this TV display no color at all to them. I've got the color palette adjusted to a normal setting, neither too bluish (cool) nor too reddish (warm), but comfortably in the middle.

While watching the early episodes on this set (and the other sets), I noticed nothing out of the ordinary with regard to this coloration. All of the episodes in the first three sets all looked properly black & white to me, and the first two discs in THIS set also looked fine.

Beginning with Disc Three though, something weird began to happen.While watching "Everybody Gets Hit In The Mouth Sometime", I noticed a weak brownish/sepia tone to the video. It repeated in "May God Have Mercy", and at first I thought that maybe the TV had somehow gotten out of adjustment. Not too concerned about it, I plowed on. "Masquerade" looked fine again but once again "Runner In The Dark" had that brownish cast to the video.

That's when I began to investigate and play a little further into the phenomenon. I decided to emphasize the "problem" by turning up the color setting on the TV all the way. Now things really looked sepia toned, much like the opening scenes of THE WIZARD OF OZ in the newer restored versions. Then something odd occured. During the opening credits sequence, right after the "...starring David Janssen as The Fugitive" it went into the "...an innocent victim of blind justice" screen and all of a sudden the video returned to a normal no-color pallette. This continued through all of the opening still shots until it got to the silhouette of Kimble in the alley when the sepia coloration began again and continued through the rest of the episode.

That told me that as they prepared these episodes for this release, they reused earlier frames and sequences that had already been restored and were common to all epsodes. One other oddness I noted was in the end credits of these episodes. When it gets to the "FRED AHERN / PETER RUGOLO" screen, the brownish cast disappears for that one screen sequence of frames, returning on the next bunch.

So this coloration anomaly affects all of the episodes on Disc Four, and three of the four on Disc Three ("Masquerade" is properly black & white).

If you've not observed this and would like to witness it for yourself, find the color setting on your TV or the "saturation" setting in your software and turn it all the way up.

One more oddity as I double checked which of these episodes were which way: the end credits sequence on "The Survivors" has an odd edit to the Rugolo theme. I don't recall if it was that way originally or if something is amiss with this for the home video DVD release.

Harry

 

[Jeff Willis]

Harry,

Thanks, interesting info on the color B/W thing. I've noticed this in a couple other B/W TV/DVD's in my collection but as you said, it's somewhat rare when it's seen. It sounds similar to the old issue of the "color burst" signal not being properly disabled during transfer of some of the Fugitive episodes.

What I've done with my "Game" picture setting on my Plasma TV is to turn down the color to 0 and to use that picture option setting for those occasional B/W DVD's that have this issue.

 

[brian MC]

Is there any news on when there will be further releases in the Fugitive series?

 

[MattPeriolat]

Originally Posted by brian MC

Is there any news on when there will be further releases in the Fugitive series?

Nothing yet, but with S2 V2 recently released and the replacement offer for S2 V1 still ongoing, I wouldn't expect anything until closer to Christmas, assuming anything comes out this year at all.

 

[Clugul]

Originally Posted by brian MC

Is there any news on when there will be further releases in the Fugitive series?

Here's a link to a new article on "The Fugitive" (per below, the writer notes that the next DVD release will be in October):
From: Steve Marinucci [email protected]
Re: Fugitive season 3 -- In doing research for an article I wrote on Examiner.com http://snipurl.com/j5s5z CBS told me late October.

 

[Harry-N]

Late October is the time frame I've heard rumors of.

Harry

 

[Sam Favate]

If late October is the timeframe, we should hear an announcement in the next several weeks.

 

[Gary OS]

Since this cat is somewhat out of the bag, I guess it's OK for me to say that late October is the last word I had heard as well about a possible release date for S3, V1. My hope is that we'll return to a Season 1 template, music wise, with this upcoming release. If not I may very well not even purchase these dvds when they are released. Unfortunately, it seems as though our camp is very much divided on this issue. Some Fuge fans were more than happy with the compromised musical arrangements on the newer replacement discs while others (myself included) were not. I'm concerned that CBS/Paramount will only take note of the positive feedback on this issue and therefore feel like they can continue releasing this show with the subbed out CBS Library cues as long as they keep the Rugolo. Hope I'm wrong and they didn't enlist Heyes again and went back to the Season 1 template.

Gary "what a shame that all this has taken place with my favorite show of all time" O.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gary, ditto on the music issue. If S3V1 is a return to the S1 restored backscores, I'm in for this set as a very rare order-at-release buy. If it's the same as the "restored" S2V2, I'll pass. That wasn't restored, imo. CBS/P can call it that if they like, but it's not accurate.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I opted out of the replacement offer for S2 and do not plan on contuning with the series unless Paramount/CBS return to form and revisit the Fugitive with proper season sets that accurately reflect the original production of this series. If not, a rental will suffice...