The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews - Page 25

Douglas Monce · 07-02-2008, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLKINSER

What about when NU Ventures released the show in the 1990's on VHS. They were all intact: footage and musical score. Why didn't NU Ventures, who was a smaller company than Paramount, have the same trouble? I still say Paramount didn't want to take the time to find out what was original and what was not and opted to put in this new music figuring no one would ever know. I can't buy the legal excuses they are using. Many of the NU Ventures releases were from the Season 2 Vol. 1 release. Nu Ventures even had Barry Moorse do introductions to the show. You can tell me a small company can go to this expense and figure out all of the legal red tape and a large company such as Paramount can't? How about won't? I still think this was a cheaper way out instead of paying the originators the money they wanted for the original score and Paramount opted for the cheaper way out. More money for them seeing how well Season One Vol. 1 and 2 sold. Either that or they were just to lazy to take their time and find out what was original to the show and what was not and took the lazy way out. They did the same thing to the Andy Griffith show. The music is still intact on Andy, but if you watch the credits, most of these were the syndicated time speed versions that had parts missing. Sure is strange that TV Land shows episodes with footage not on the DVD release. Paramount started their TV on DVD release on the right foot but dropped the ball. Unless they redo the Season Two Vol. 1, and also redo the cut scene in Ballad for a Dead Ghost, I will never buy another Paramount DVD period.

Ether that or NU Ventures simply assumed that they had all the rights to the music when they got the license to release the show and never bothered to check music rights.

Doug

AndyMcKinney · 07-02-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

Ether that or NU Ventures simply assumed that they had all the rights to the music when they got the license to release the show and never bothered to check music rights.

Doug

Also, wasn't it a few years later (say, around 1994-96) when the whole music rights/royalties thing really changed and we started having problems? I know it wasn't until the mid-'90s that TV stations started having problems clearing shows with a lot of popular music (like The Gong Show). Maybe the NuVentures stuff came up before they had to pay so much attention to background music.

BillyFeldman · 07-02-2008, 04:05 PM

The bottom line: They own the Rugolo music used for the show - it was a work for hire and whoever inherited the show inherited the music. They don't own approximately five library cues from the Capitol library - the math is simple. Replace the five cues. But I think when lawyers decide to dig their heels in, that's the end of it. They're paid by the studios to do this sort of thing, and it's totally out of control and ridiculous now, not only in the film business but everywhere. I was told a story once by a friend of someone who does special features for studios - they'd shot an interview with someone - in the background was a painting of the someone. The someone had had the painting commissioned and owned it outright. The lawyers wanted to fuzz the image or remove all those shots unless they had a release from the artist. The artist was long dead. They were told time and again that the someone owned the painting and would give them a release. That wasn't good enough.

Rick Thompson · 07-02-2008, 05:28 PM

I'm an ex-radio guy, and now do public affairs, and Paramount had handled this wretchedly from the beginning. It's always best to get out front of the story with as much information as you can. The Tylenol tampering case is the classic example of how to do this right. They came out smelling like a rose.

CBS/Paramount, however, has gotten itself the worst of all worlds. First, they didn't get out front with the announcement that all the score was changed, with the reason why. Second, they have no notice on the packaging that the score was replaced. Third, they put out a statement that is absurd on the face of it, because there was not much time between release of season 1, vol. 2 and season 2, vol. 1.

We are asked to believe the following happened in just over three months: (1) Somewhere in due diligence, the legal staff discovered some music cues weren't necessarily CBS/Paramount's to use; (2) the legal staff then conducted a search to find out who had the rights to the music; (3) the legal staff couldn't find the rights holders, or had unsuccessful negotiations; (4) the decision was made to not use that music, and then another decision was made to replace ALL the music so we'd have a "seamless, consistent experience" (let's give them that one.); (5) a search for the best person to write the new music resulted in the choice of Mark Heyes (I'm assuming he didn't happen to be standing outside the door when the music-replacement decision was made); (6) Heyes watched all 15-30 shows, and spotted music cues throughout with timings; (7) Heyes wrote all that music; (8) Heyes went into a recording studio and laid down all the tracks -- and since I believe he has the normal amount of professional pride, there were multiple takes before he was happy with the result; (9) the music was then edited and mixed into the other elements; and (10) DVD's were pressed, packaged and shipped to stores nationwide.

That's asking a lot for just over three months. The point is that whatever problem was known, was known before, maybe well before, volume 2 of season 1 came out.

Now suppose CBS/Paramount had put out a statement with the actual reason. To throw in some humor, something like: "CBS/Paramount has discovered that the music from the beginning of Season Two onward, except for the opening and closing titles, is now controlled by Mr. Sam Schmidlap, who says his father would beat him with a two-by-four every week during the original run of "The Fugitive." Mr. Schmidlap claims to suffer severe emotional harm whenever he hears this music, and so does not want it played anywhere in the world in any context as long as he holds the rights. Accordingly, CBS/Paramount has commissioned a new musical score, which will be used starting with the first volume of Season Two."

Yes, it's absurd, but you get the point. Would anyone be happy? Not many. Would people be throwing verbal Molotov cocktails at CBS/Paramount today? Again, not many.

And when the set came out, the packaging would plainly state that the score had been replaced. CBS/Paramount should have followed their own example from Season Two of "Hawaii Five-O": one episode was not included, and the packaging plainly stated it. No one could claim to be misled -- unhappy, yes; misled, no.

My advice to CBS/Paramount is simply this: End all the speculation. Say why it happened, and what you're going to do -- even if that "what" is cancelling all future issues.

Honesty is the best policy. We -- most of us, anyway -- are big boys and girls.

We can take it.

Douglas Monce · 07-02-2008, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyFeldman

The bottom line: They own the Rugolo music used for the show - it was a work for hire and whoever inherited the show inherited the music. They don't own approximately five library cues from the Capitol library - the math is simple. Replace the five cues. But I think when lawyers decide to dig their heels in, that's the end of it. They're paid by the studios to do this sort of thing, and it's totally out of control and ridiculous now, not only in the film business but everywhere. I was told a story once by a friend of someone who does special features for studios - they'd shot an interview with someone - in the background was a painting of the someone. The someone had had the painting commissioned and owned it outright. The lawyers wanted to fuzz the image or remove all those shots unless they had a release from the artist. The artist was long dead. They were told time and again that the someone owned the painting and would give them a release. That wasn't good enough.

Again we assume it is only 5 tracks, but do we know that for sure? And are we sure that there isn't also a problem with Rugolo?

Doug

TheGreatOz · 07-02-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

We -- most of us, anyway -- are big boys and girls.

We can take it.

No, we can't! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Sorry...couldn't resist.

Rick Thompson · 07-02-2008, 05:39 PM

Of course, there are exceptions!

Clugul · 07-02-2008, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

And are we sure that there isn't also a problem with Rugolo?

Doug

To everyone's best knowledge, the Rugolo score is owned by the studio as work for hire.

Harry-N · 07-02-2008, 06:43 PM

I personally think that Sam Schmidlap needs to get over it...

Harry

Chris Muermann · 07-02-2008, 07:59 PM

Saw all the 15 episodes in the last two weeks. Wonderful produced episodes, great cast = Quinn Martin.

And, OF COURSE, I´m most disappointed about the re-score. For everyone who has a little bit knowledge about music, this is a total desaster.
The mix of computerized synthesized music large orchestral score sounds terrible.

That´s my small opinion after seeing all the 15 episodes very compact and intensive.

Best wishes.

David Von Pein · 07-02-2008, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Whatever problem was known, was known before, maybe well before, volume 2 of season 1 came out.

Oh, without doubt.

Season 1, Volume 2 was announced by CBS/Paramount on February 19, 2008, seven days before S1, V2 ever streeted.

So, this lame excuse given by CBS on June 17th is just completely silly (IMO): "We didn’t want to disappoint fans by significantly delaying the release of the second season so we chose to replace the music."

The Fugitive DVD news: Announcement for The Fugitive - Season 2, Volume 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com

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