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The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews - Page 27  

post #781 of 1043
7/9/08 at 10:32am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I have to say that I also think that more than a few of those 5 star reviews on Amazon are a bit fishy.
post #782 of 1043
7/9/08 at 10:53am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
To be clear, I have no problem with any amazon review wherein they're actually talking about the DVD (or whatever product) - I take exception when they're just talking about the actual show or film and they haven't even seen the DVD (or whatever). Frequently, there are reviews up for product that doesn't even have a release date.
Yeah, I guess Amazon reviews are a double edged sword and, in all fairness, I don't have any ideas on how to 'fix' their problems. The reviews are good when they're intellignetly written or talk about the product or when they can alert to a real problem like the one with The Fugitive (like Carabimero said) but they're a bad thing when it's just weird rants or misinformation or outright lies.
post #783 of 1043
7/9/08 at 10:59am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
Frequently, there are reviews up for product that doesn't even have a release date.

Here's a classic example of this . . . .

Amazon.com: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Fifth Season: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner: Movies & TV

Forty four reviews for season 5 of the MTM show, which has had no formal release date from Fox; forty of the reviews were the full five stars! They're just pleas for the release of more seasons, not reviews. What's equally bizzare is that people find these "reviews" helpful.
post #784 of 1043
7/9/08 at 11:18am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hug
Here's a classic example of this . . . .

Amazon.com: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Fifth Season: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner: Movies & TV

Forty four reviews for season 5 of the MTM show, which has had no formal release date from Fox; forty of the reviews were the full five stars! They're just pleas for the release of more seasons, not reviews. What's equally bizzare is that people find these "reviews" helpful.

Exactly what I'm talking about.
post #785 of 1043
7/9/08 at 12:31pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by michael_ks
For the record, I've always enjoyed reading reviews by our own David Von Pein, Bob Huggins and Harry Neyhart.

What a nice thing to say. Thank you Michael. I'm honored to be in such company!

Amazon reviews can be quite helpful. Naturally, wherever the masses are allowed to contribute, one must be careful to weed through the bad stuff to find the gold, but it's often there. After a bit of practice, one can tell which reviews are accurate and which are the fluff.

I had an opportunity on July 4th to be in the presence of a TV station airing the RTN feed of THE FUGITIVE. On that particular day, it was airing "Nobody Loses All The Time", a color fourth season episode with Barbara Baxley and Joanna Moore. It's one of the more frequent fourth season Bill Raisch/Fred Johnson episodes, and a good one. I was happy to hear the Rugolo cues along with some of the Dom Frontiere OUTER LIMITS cues used in the episode. I could also tell that they were airing a time-sped version. The color was a bit washed-out looking, much like what's on the NuVentures tapes from the fourth season.

As I watched it (from about the mid-point on), I was constantly reminded of the great score that's been taken away on the Season Two episodes on DVD, and that unless the situation is remedied, that there's really not much hope for the future of THE FUGITIVE at this point. So it was all a rather bittersweet experience for this FUGITIVE fan.

Harry
post #786 of 1043
7/9/08 at 12:54pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry-N
What a nice thing to say. Thank you Michael. I'm honored to be in such company!

Ditto!!!
post #787 of 1043
7/9/08 at 3:27pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

You know, I was thinkng about something today when I was watching Happy Days on TV. I know that Paramount changed alot due to music issues with Happy Days. Why is it then when we see re-runs on TV of these shows, the origianl music is still intact? The Fugitive, when a station does re-run it, always has the origianl music intact. Why is it the studio can release them for re-runs with the origianl music intact but can't release them intact for private home use on DVD??????
post #788 of 1043
7/9/08 at 3:48pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

When the original contracts were made for the shows they only addressed running episodes on television, and they didn't forsee new media like VHS then DVD. What's weird for me is the VHS tapes had the right music but now the DVDs can't???
post #789 of 1043
7/9/08 at 4:17pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
What's weird for me is the VHS tapes had the right music but now the DVDs can't???

This is what is so enormously frustrating to me. If DVDs began their debut around 10 years ago we probably wouldn't be faced with these rights issues. Maybe in the future everything will be dubbed wholesale--music, voice, all of it. Just to be on the safe side.


Quote:
I had some fun assembling this video today, which features Pete Rugolo's outstanding "Fugitive" music front and center

Nice work, David and a firm reminder of how just how great a role Rugolo's music plays in the series. I'm especially fond of a particular 8 note phrase which to my ears sounds like it may be played on a vibraphone, but it's probably another instrument. It never fails to grab me in the S1 episodes. (In your video it occurs around 6:10 - 6:18). I wonder now if it's on the Silva soundtrack?
post #790 of 1043
7/9/08 at 4:34pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by JLKINSER
You know, I was thinkng about something today when I was watching Happy Days on TV. I know that Paramount changed alot due to music issues with Happy Days. Why is it then when we see re-runs on TV of these shows, the origianl music is still intact? The Fugitive, when a station does re-run it, always has the origianl music intact. Why is it the studio can release them for re-runs with the origianl music intact but can't release them intact for private home use on DVD??????

I know what you mean. Season 2 of Absolutely Fabulous on VHS and DVD doesn't contain the vocal version of the theme song Wheels on Fire. However both VHS and DVD versions of seasons 1 & 3 have the vocal version of the theme and it is EXACTLY the same version of the theme that was originaly used for season 2 as well. Performed by the same vocalists. Same music. So what happened? Why was it possible to use the original theme song for seasons 1 & 3 on DVD but not season 2 EVEN when it is the EXACT same version?

Now those same season 2 episodes that are currently being reran on BBC America have the original vocal theme song.

The whole music rights thing just gives me a headache.
post #791 of 1043
7/9/08 at 5:35pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I've been looking at the amazon reviews and every one of those five or four-star reviews has something in common:

They either haven't seen the DVD, or they are written so similarly it's almost as if someone had provided a template. And always look at the reviewing history - many times you'll find it's their only review.
post #792 of 1043
7/9/08 at 6:52pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
I'm especially fond of a particular 8 note phrase which to my ears sounds like it may be played on a vibraphone, but it's probably another instrument. It never fails to grab me in the S1 episodes. (In your video it occurs around 6:10 - 6:18). I wonder now if it's on the Silva soundtrack?

It's definitely on the Silva CD.....because I used that
exact CD when making my soundtrack "video".

post #793 of 1043
7/9/08 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I believe I have managed to get a complete, unaltered soundtrack (dialogue, music, sound effects) to ESCAPE INTO BLACK with a VERY nice signal to noise ratio. I am converting it to WAV now. It may take me a while as I am swamped with work, but I am going to try and marry this soundtrack to the restored transfer from S2V1. I am going to work in acts to try and minimize sync problems. My composite won't be lossless (if it works) but close to it.
post #794 of 1043
7/10/08 at 4:37am
Thread Starter 

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I think it worked. My video file was 1.89GB and my WAV was 520MB. I had to resync at the beginning of each act and the epilogue as black between acts was different in length between the CBS master and Nu Venture's. Also some frames were missing fron the VHS which meant the audio got rubbery every now and then. I corrected whenever I had a good door slam or phone hang up. I put the old credits back on. I'll look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes but it is solid and it appears I will be able to watch ESCAPE TO BLACK the way its creators intended. If nothing else, it's proof of concept.
post #795 of 1043
7/10/08 at 6:46am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

wow David...I admire your tenacity to do that. But why not just buy one of the many unofficial complete DVD series collections offered online? Many state that they're complete/uncut just as broadcast. I'm considering it myself. I'm not condoning bootlegs but if Paramount/CBS wants to control what we see and hear what choice is there? I might ask one of these guys to send me a demo disc to see image quality.
post #796 of 1043
7/10/08 at 7:39am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I would be very wary of this. I had to learn the hard way. Most episodes are taken off of VHS from TVLand or A@E. Sound and picture quality varies greatly, from decent to unwatchable. Beginning of acts are cut out. I will never do that again.
post #797 of 1043
7/10/08 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Charles, one look at the gorgeous transfer will give you your reason. I'm tweaking it, then gonna watch it. Being it is my favorite episode, and it broke my heart to see it castrated, I at least don't feel powerless now to have to sit by and watch a company slaughter one of the best artistic creations ever made.

Wow doing that only took about 7 hours but made me feel so much better.
post #798 of 1043
7/10/08 at 12:50pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I mean 7 hours I like the show but that seems way over the top.
post #799 of 1043
7/10/08 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

If you've never worked in sound mixing before, seven hours might seem like a lot. To do a full 51 minute show, it's nothing. It took an hour to render my source tracks. It took another hour to render the full-res picture. About half an hour to redo the credits like they originally appeared. Then about 45-minutes of syncing per actual act. Finally about an hour to render and burn my composite. So a full three out of the seven hours, I was downstairs drinking coffee while my computer did the work.

Even so, I've never met a man who's told me that seven hours is a long time when he enjoys what he's doing. I've been sound mixing my own audio dramas for years, even had two of them on NPR. But to have a chance to restore my favorite FUGITIVE episode to its original form, even for my own private use, I deem not just a personal honor but a genuine pleasure.
post #800 of 1043
7/14/08 at 2:19pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

This interview with actor David Janssen is taken from "The Joey Bishop Show" of 8/29/67, the very night when the series finale of Janssen's "The Fugitive" aired on network television.

post #801 of 1043
7/14/08 at 5:11pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Fantastic !!!! That was a fine interview on the Joey Bishop show. David maybe never realized what a true masterpiece that "The Fugitive" was, is and always will be.
post #802 of 1043
7/14/08 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Thanks for the link. I recorded it and added it to my Fugitive library!
post #803 of 1043
7/15/08 at 10:26am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

I was just wondering, out of all the people who wrote letters and complained to CBS/Paramount about "The Fugitive", no one ever got an answer back?
post #804 of 1043
7/15/08 at 11:34am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Never heard anything.
post #805 of 1043
7/15/08 at 12:00pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by John DeAngelis
I was just wondering, out of all the people who wrote letters and complained to CBS/Paramount about "The Fugitive", no one ever got an answer back?

I wrote three different people and emialed one: Not a word in reply. But they say Silence is Golden! So, I am hoping that the silence is CBS/Paramount fixing the problem and we will hear something when they have restored the original scores. I was at my local Walmart last night and noticed that they pulled The Fugitive Season 2 Vol. One off the shelf. I am hoping that they have been recalled by Paramount as to why they are not there!
post #806 of 1043
7/15/08 at 12:04pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by JLKINSER
I was at my local Walmart last night and noticed that they pulled The Fugitive Season 2 Vol. One off the shelf.

Really? It's still available at Amazon and Deepdiscount. I'd love to believe that CBS/Paramount would withdraw it.
post #807 of 1043
7/15/08 at 12:19pm

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

^^^

I wouldn't make too much of the removal of "The Fugitive" season 2, volume 1 from Wal-Mart's shelves. The set was released on June 10 and Wal-Mart tends to turn over their limited shelf space quickly to make room for new releases on an ongoing basis. I've seen sets removed after just two weeks.

What is interesting is that here we are, a month after the initial release, and it's still sitting on Wal-Mart's shelves. I don't think that would have been the case for the two season one volumes and suggests to me that sales of this season 2 release were probably slowed significantly once word spread of the music changes. I know when I purchased season 1, volume 1 of "The Untouchables" from Wal-Mart, that release was gone in just a few days (the $19.99 selling price didn't hurt either).
post #808 of 1043
7/16/08 at 10:43am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Funny thing I found out today: In the book, The Fugitive Recaptured by Ed Robertson, when writing about the episode "Ballad for a Ghost", it seems the the song that Hallie Martin (Janis Page) sings was actually written and composed for THAT episode. Paramount/CBS did not have to change it but yet they did!
post #809 of 1043
7/16/08 at 10:52am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Now that's very interesting. I'll have to dig out my copy of Robertson's book and check this out for myself. Did Pete Rugolo himself compose it? Who else would it have been?
post #810 of 1043
7/16/08 at 11:16am

Re: The Fugitive, Season Two Volume 1 - Reviews

Quote:
Originally Posted by JLKINSER
Funny thing I found out today: In the book, The Fugitive Recaptured by Ed Robertson, when writing about the episode "Ballad for a Ghost", it seems the the song that Hallie Martin (Janis Page) sings was actually written and composed for THAT episode. Paramount/CBS did not have to change it but yet they did!

Robertson's book states that teleplay writer George Eckstein wrote the music and lyrics to "Just One Road I Travel," sung by Paige, and that the song title was originally the episode title.
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