Fugitive comes to DVD in a 33 disc set on Nov. 1st 2011 - Page 33

You had me there for a few moments, Henry.
Maybe it's time I went over to the Camaro5 Forum and joined the bash-GM party because of our poorly-designed, leaky convertible tops.
You'd think after 100 years they'd design a top to shed water, not let water in, and then design a system to drain it back out.

This is why the music on the FUGITIVE takes a back-seat in my head. Literally.

Agreed. Plus, this is a knowledge-based Forum and all who participate are the wiser as a result.

My attempt at humor to diffuse some of the angst only makes the purists here all the more angry.

Rather than take our frustrations over the FUGITIVE fiasco out on folks away from the Forum, I think some of us bring our frustrations over the state of the world and the economy and take them out on folks here in the Forum. Compartmentalization works both ways. I'll try to be more understanding and not make light of sensitive DVD issues.

Tonight's Grammy Awards' IN MEMORIUM segment, honoring the dozens of artists, writers, composers and arrangers who passed away in the past year, left out Pete Rugolo.

Thanks for the response Great Oz. Life's short and there's no reason to develop ulcers over the fiasco which does look like it will ultimately be resolved quite satisfactorily for most of us. Assuming it is released, and I firmly believe it is coming, and it is close to the quality of the editions that snuck out last October, then we've achieved a victory I wouldn't have believed possible. I'm just patiently waiting for the news, whenever it may come.

I hope HGWT gets released one of these days. Cheers...

I thought those of you in the LA area might be interested in a Fugitive-related event on Friday evening, March 23rd. It's an interview with director Walter Grauman and an unprecedented opportunity to see "The Fugitive" pilot episode projected on 35-mm film, and for those of us without access to that bonus DVD from the box-set, it's a rare opportunity to see the "unaired" first edit of "Fear in a Desert City." Here's a link to info on the event (sponsored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive):
http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2012-03-23/walter-grauman-person

Wish they could go on the road with it!
Joyce

Has anyone actually seen one of these sets sold on Ebay?

Nothing on E-bay at this time. I think the people who were lucky enough to get a copy are hanging on to see what will happen. here it is March and not a word on the set. Maybe by the Christmas season?

THIS Christmas?

What a disaster! The Complete Batman Series will be released before The Fugitive Complete Series will see the light of day!

I think that's actually a pretty good guess. If they didn't or couldn't fix the problem to get the sets out by Christmas 2011, I think that they've decided to just wait until closer to the holidays this year.

I've been watching Season 3 from this set. I've finally seen "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" and "Not with a Whimper." Whatever music is still missing didn't bother me as much; it wasn't very noticeable. If a new box set comes out where the only change is that these missing cues have been restored, I doubt I'll get it; the old box set is fine enough.

This set has really been great; from the picture quality, to the almost fully restored music, to the subtitles -- hands down the best box set to never have been officially released!

I keep looking at the Wal-Mart, F.Y.E., and BJ's DVD sections thinking "The Fugitive Most Wanted Box Set"
will magically appear as a missed return. So far, no magic.

Have a good Summer everyone.
Maybe Santa will find Dr. Kimble this year.

I honestly wonder at times if I'd be able to fully enjoy the magnitude of what's come out on DVD this year if I hadn't been among the lucky few who got their set. It's made "The Fugitive" a closed matter with me because I will not be double-dipping for any "improved" box set that finally becomes the "official" release.

I hope Gord and company are still asking them from time to time if there's anything new to report just so we can finally learn what the deal was that led to this. My bet still remains with bonus content that wasn't supposed to be released after further checking.

I still haven't opened my set, waiting to see what happens. I've got plenty to watch in the meantime.

I was wondering if anyone who has the set has noticed any slight discoloration on the back of any of their discs? I noticed some on the back of Season 3, Volume 2, disc 3. It still plays, for now..

This was the case on some (all?) season 3 discs of Have Gun Will Travel as well, was it not? My discs still play though. Still.

That was caused by the off-gassing of the VOCs in the cheap plastic cases. If you periodically clean off the haze from discs, there should be no damage or permanent discoloration.

Personally, I tossed out the original plastic cases and bought different multi-disc ones. They're tough to find, especially in the clear version, but Micro Center carried them two years ago.

That's probably what's holding up the final season of HGWT.

I finally finished watching Season 3 from this set. If anyone is able, like I was, to see these episodes for the very first time from this set, they are extremely fortunate; the presentation could not be better. Excellent picture quality, subtitles, excellent sound, no edits, no sign of Heyes anywhere, all original music! This is definitely the best way these episodes have ever been presented. I'm happy with this version of Season 3. If there are cues missing, I didn't notice them. I do hope CBS/Paramount makes the complete set available again.

I found Season 3 to be on par with the earlier two. I think it starts off slower than the others, with a number of clunkers, but it ends more strong than any other season. Episodes like "The 2130," "Running Scared," "Ill Wind" are without doubt among the best ever. It was nice to see the season close with Kimble finding some female companionship, in "In a Plain Paper Wrapper" and "Coralee." Definitely a good year for The Fugitive.
Edited by jdee28 - 4/30/12 at 1:51pm

Hey, at least you're enjoying the set and not hoarding it unopened hoping to strike it rich someday.  I guarantee that if I had one, I'd have opened it and enjoyed it like you're doing jdee28.

 

Harry

How about "The Chinese Sunset," with some nice humor we hadn't seen since "Angels Travel On Lonely Roads." The episodes you mention, "Landscapes - two parter," the never mentioned, but wonderful, Echoes Of A Nightmare," "Crack In A Crystal Ball." "All The Scared Rabbits," and "Trial By Fire" make Season 3 a winner in my book. As you said, there are clinkers here but a bunch of these episodes are among the series' best.

Season 3 comes very close to being my favorite one out of the bunch. Season 1 is at the top for me, as everything seems brand new and fresh; it was the first time seeing the concepts of the show; but like I said, Season 3 comes very close to topping it. Other episodes that really stood out to me were "Landscape with Running Figures" Part II; the show doesn't get better than the scene of Mrs. Gerard and Kimble sitting in an abandoned diner reminiscing about their hometown; and also "This'll Kill You," with Nita Talbot lighting up the screen as the morally unfit girlfriend; I was stunned how they made it pretty clear that she sleeps with the guy she sells her boyfriend out to and that they like it rough; how they got that past the censors, I'll never know. I also liked "Trial By Fire," how it's implied that Gerard actually gives Kimble the heads up not to turn himself in. And "Echo of a Nightmare" was definitely Shirley Knight's best episode of the show.

John, I agree with Harry, it's great that you are enjoying your set!

 

I also agree with you that Season One is still the best,  for all the reasons you said plus the fact that Kimble is so different during that season, less paranoid, less panicky and generally more bold in his actions and words. As the series progresses he becomes increasingly uneasy with people and situations, which is exactly how a real fugitive would progress, given  the narrow escapes that keep piling up. Janssen was brilliant in this regard, the greatest dramatic performance of anyone in any series.

I always figured that Nita Talbot's character was more or less raped in that episode but there wasn't much she could do about it and she did want the money. Let's not disregard the excellent episodes from season two. I think there are great episodes and weak episodes in each of the first three seasons with a huge fall-off in season 4.

I think Kimble expresses more palpable terror in season one than the later seasons.

I totally agree. There are not enough words to express how amazing David Janssen's overall performance is in this show; very understated, very real; truly great work, probably the best of any lead of any dramatic tv show anywhere, anytime. He makes the show work.

I've read that after coming out of The Richard Diamond series, Janssen was unsure if he had the acting chops to pull off The Fugitive. We all agree here he nailed it.

Here are the music changes I have noticed in Season 3 of the DVD's

Season 3 volume 1
DVD 1
“Middle of a Heat Wave” - Music playing in the road house has been changed.
DVD2
“Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue” - Music has been changed playing on the record player at the party in Act 3. In Act 4, the music coming from the bar “The Talley Ho” has been restored to original.
“All the Scared Rabbits” - The Music playing in the car on the radio has been changed from the original airing.
DVD 3
“Landscape With Running Figures Part 2”: In the bar, the second song that the girl is playing on her radio has been changed while the first one remains intact as original.
“Set Fire To A Strawman” The piano music in the bar at the end of ACT 1 has been changed. That bar music is the very same music from the pilot episode that Monica was playing on the piano and the music playing in the bar “The Branding Iron” and also playing in the bar in the episode “Somebody To Remember”. No reason to have changed this music. It is still in the pilot and Somebody To Remember” so there is no reason for it to be removed from this episode. In ACT 2, the music in the bar has also been changed here as well.

DVD 4
“The Good Guys and The Bad Guys”- Carnival Music has been restored to original. The
Party music playing on the juke box has been changed in ACT 1. No need to have changed this since the party music on the juke box is the same music that is being played in “Fun and Games and Party Favors” from Season 2. On the Season 2 DVD this has been restored so it should be here as well.
At the beginning of ACT 2 the party music is has been restored to original. But at 18:08 the music has been changed. I think this may be the same music that was removed from ACT 1 and if it is, it is the same as “Fun and Games and Party Favors”. Also in ACT 2 around 20:10 music has been changed.
All of the music in, background and party and carnival ACT 3 and 4 has been restored to original.

Season Three Volume 2
DVD 1
"Not With A Whimper"– The Music that was missing from Act 1 on the previous set is still missing. Other than that the episode has been restored 100%.
“Echo of a Nightmare” at 2:50 Jukebox music in the restaurant “Sugar Bowl” has been replaced. The lounge music in “Echo of a Nightmare” at time frame 7:12 has been changed. This is the same music once again from the pilot episode that Monica was playing on the piano and the music playing in the bar “The Branding Iron” and also playing in the bar in the episode “Somebody To Remember”. No need to have replaced that.
DVD 2
“Running Scared:” The Lounge Music in Act 1 at time frame 8:56 has been changed. Once again no need to because once again from the pilot episode that Monica was playing on the piano and the music paling in the bar “The Branding Iron” and also playing in the bar in the episode “Somebody To Remember”. No reason to have changed this music.

“The Chinese Sunset” The music playing on the jukebox starting at 4:59 has been changed. ACT 3 the party music starting at 32:01 has been changed and stops abruptly at right around 34:38. It doesn’t fade out like the original: it just stops. (This is a really botched replacement work here). At the 34:47 point the music is restored to the original music used. (“The Chinese Sunset” has a real jarring, in my opinion, musical mess up at the 34:38 point. Due to this, this is the worst musical error, or replacement, I have seen in this set so far.)

DVD 4
“In a Plain Paper Wrapper” – The music playing on the juke box in Act 3 in “The Bun and Burgers” restaurant at time frame 34:50 has been changed. This same music appears in “Fun and Games and Party Favors” so there was no reason to have changed it here.

Yes, but these changes are incidental music items such as juke box, radio, and restaurant/lounge scenes, and they are not obnoxious. It is still correct that this release is far better than the individual half season releases and that Heyes is nowhere to be found. This is a very acceptable presentation of seasons 2 and 3 and I hope when it is re-released, there aren't changes for the worse. Time will tell.

Yeah thats true but it would be nice if they can fix these since they did fix these issues in a majority of the other episodes. But don't forget the Season One episode "Bloodline". It does have background score that it still changed

That's a bold statement and I'm inclined to agree!

The problem I have with replacement music is when it doesn't match the level of the remaining sounds - what I mean is when it sounds like it doesn't belong - replacement music - even for an older show should fit smoothly . Background or ambient - with today's technology - it's no excuse not to be as close as possible.