Re: THE FUGITIVE - Season 2 Volume 2
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:
jcnemerovski@cbs.com
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.
