Fugitive comes to DVD in a 33 disc set on Nov. 1st 2011 (1 Viewer)

[stevelecher]

Not With A Whimper - eh, not so good; Wife Killer - very good. Another good batch of episodes coming your way.

 

[Harry-N]

I'm not sure whether or not we've ever discussed it here, but director Ralph Senensky has/had a blog regarding much of his TV directorial work, including THE FUGITIVE.


http://ralph-senensky.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Fugitive


One thing he discussed sort of crystallized what we all intuitively knew anyway regarding the teasers on THE FUGITIVE. You know, the ones that tend to give away the whole story? He states that it was a requirement by the network to put an action scene at the start of shows to keep people from switching the dial. All of the other Quinn Martin shows had stories that could include action at the start, but THE FUGITIVE's format generally started very quietly with Kimble working on a farm, or walking to work, hitching a ride, getting off a bus, etc. Nothing that would engage an otherwise passive viewer, so that's why they lifted the most tense or action scene from the upcoming episode.


The blog appears to be from 2010 or so. Use the links on the right to see what he wrote about other series involvement.


Harry

 

[rjd0309]

Ralph Senensky eventually upgraded to a website of his own.


http://senensky.com/


He covers each of his directorial assignments in detail, including script pages and video clips. He directed 4 Fugitive episodes.


Count me as one who hates the teasers. When I'm showing an ep to someone who has never seen it, I usually jump straight to Act 1, skipping the teaser entirely.

 

[Harry-N]

Ralph Senensky eventually upgraded to a website of his own.


http://senensky.com/


He covers each of his directorial assignments in detail, including script pages and video clips. He directed 4 Fugitive episodes.


Count me as one who hates the teasers. When I'm showing an ep to someone who has never seen it, I usually jump straight to Act 1, skipping the teaser entirely.

The problem with skipping the teaser and going right to ACT I is that you miss the opening credits sequence. The DVDs are constructed with the teaser and credits all in one chapter. So you skip ahead to chapter 2, and you've missed the credits sequence. For me, part of the charm, and the memories of these older shows was the opening credits sequence. It set the stage, gave a musical signature, and put us squarely in the right frame of mind for the episode about to commence.


I'm not fond of the give-it-all-away teasers either, but, having already seen all of these episodes, they're OK for me. I can understand not wanting to spoil a show for a newbie.


Harry

 

[Doug Wallen]

Tonight's Episode:


Wife Killer

Bill Raisch, Kevin McCarty, Barry Morse, Janice Rule


WOW, what an episode. After the prior one, it was a pleasure to view this one. Great episode and effort for all involved. Very interesting use of the fugitive theme comparing Johnson and Kimble. Two fugitives, two escapes. Found it a nice change of pace that the final escape was Johnson's, not Kimble's.


This is the type of story I enjoy. Excellent!!!


Harry-N, thanks for the info about the teaser. Executive decision-one that I disagree with, but I guess it is to late to complain about it now.

 

[ScottRE]

I love the use of library cues in a this one. These are the standard CBS cues. The orchestra hit when Johnson sees Kimble is amazing (and ruined by the Heyes music). As soon as Janice Rule says "it's Kimble!" fantastic KPM library music kicks in. I remember hearing the same cues on the old Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons.

Love this episode all around, one of the last truly great episodes before the slide...

 

[stevelecher]

There are at least five VERY good B&W episodes left.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Tonight's Episode:

This'll Kill You


Nita Talbot, Mickey Rooney, Phillip Pine

A laundry, mobs, gambling, ok. Well this is a different type of story. I guess when you are on the run, you friend anyone who doesn't immediately harm you. Kimble sure has a talent for getting mixed up with some terribly flawed people. Nice guest cast. Middling story. One thing is for sure, middling Fugitive is still better than some of the current viewing available ota today.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Tonight's Episode:

Echo of a Nightmare


Shirley Knight, Arch Johnson, Ford Rainey, Kevin O'Neal


Well, I guess this is the Defiant Ones, Fugitive style. Interesting story that is very well acted. I guess the unspoken tragedy for 15 year old Jane was "rape". Was unusual to see Kimble in a more ruthless mode with his leading lady. I enjoyed this on quite a bit.


The final confrontation in the kitchen almost brought me out of the story with the very visible use of a Kimble stunt double. The double's face was very visible and obviously not Janssen. Some of the moves imitated Janssen very well, but the medium shots were so apparent. Just the first time I have noticed this so blatantly.


Still an entertaining episode.

 

[Harry-N]

Stunt doubles on old TV shows are now so much more apparent than they were then. Remember, the filmmakers were shooting for a weekly TV series that they figured would be seen once, maybe twice - and only on TV sets of the day - those small, fuzzy, blurry CRTs with pictures from analog reception. Those stunt-people faces couldn't be detected under those conditions.


Now we have crystal clear DVDs with giant screens and the ability to replay or freeze anything we want, which reveals some of those filmmakers' secrets. The first time I noticed Janssen's stunt double as obvious was in the "Storm Center" episode. We see Kimble supposedly thrashing around in the water around the boat, but his face reveals a stunt double. There are many others, but that was the first time on DVD watching that I noticed it so blatantly.


Harry

 

[stevelecher]

The stunt doubles are blatant in many Fugitive's. Probably the earliest blatant one I can think of is the bar fight in The Other Side Of The Mountain. Doug will notice a lot more of these the next time he goes through the episodes.


Love Echoes Of A Nightmare. Yes, Kimble's a bit more "ruthless" but you know he'd never really hurt her. Great to watch her kind of start to admire him even as he drags her across the county. On that freight:


Jane - "It's obvious you're not just some petty criminal."

Kimble - "Thank you."


As always, Janssen is terrific. Let's face it, this has been a long day for Dr. Kimble.


This is the first of my "at least five more very good B&W episodes left."

 

[Doug Wallen]

The stunt doubles are blatant in many Fugitive's. Probably the earliest blatant one I can think of is the bar fight in The Other Side Of The Mountain.




This is the first of my "at least five more very good B&W episodes left."

I guess I have been caught up in the stories so much that it wasn't that obvious to me. But you are correct, now that I have seen this, I will probably be looking for the substitutions in the rest of the episodes.


I had wondered if this was one of your "five". Seems a shame that there will be so few "gems" left in this season.

 

[stevelecher]

Well, I said "at least." The rest of this season is quite satisfactory, with just a couple out and out duds and a couple "middling" episodes, as you put it. Enjoy!

 

[ScottRE]

There are at least five VERY good B&W episodes left.

Agreed, but arguably, no really truly great episodes. The kind that really shake Kimble and seem really important, if you know what I mean. Aside from The Judgment, no other episode really reaches those heights in story and performance. And even the final episode isn't as good as Northoak or Landscape. But, everyone's mileage varies.

 

[stevelecher]

Well, arguably, I think there's one more great episode and three or four very good ones, amongst the B&W remaining episodes. I don't want to say which ones until Doug has posted on them. Don't want to be a spoiler.


For me, there are no very good or excellent color episodes. I rarely watch them. There are perhaps 7 - 10 decent, and/or middling, color episodes and The Judgment is amongst them.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Well, the weekend, unwinding after evening services, a good time to start a new disc of episodes.


Tonight's Episode:

Stroke of Genius


Telly Savalas, Beau Bridges, Malcolm Atterbury, Barry Morse, Ellen Corby


I am always a sucker for a Gerard episode. Really like the minor supporting characters in this one. Luck seems to favor Kimble at the beginning of this episode. Seems strange for Gerard to defend Kimble of "this one", even "doctors" him. Most sympathy I've seen him show towards Kimble. Nice and very enjoyable episode. The cast truly makes this story work for me.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Tonight's Episode:

Shadow of the Swan


Andrew Duggan, Ken Lynch, Joanna Pettet, David Sheiner


Here is another guest cast I like, Andrew Duggan and the always reliable Ken Lynch (such a prolific actor). Troubled (emotionally disturbed child, female) individual story again. Nice cast with a standard Fugitive storyline. I would call this one average. Ending was not much of a surprise. On to the next one.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Tonight's Episode:

Running Scared


Barry Morse (more Gerard ), Jacqueline Scott, Lin McCarthy, James Daly, Joanne Linville


Thematically similar to "Landscape With Running Figures". A great cast with Gerard thrown into the mix. Good story, great portrayals of the Taft family..Nice moment when Kimble states he will not leave without seeing his sister. Although the ending was expected, great two man chase/escape scene. A pretty good episode.


Is this another of your "five", Steve?

 

[Doug Wallen]

Finishing up disc 2


Tonight's Episode:

The Chinese Sunset


Laura Devon, Paul Richards, Ned Glass, Wayne Rogers


Prof. Higgins and Eliza Doolittle done Fugitive style. A nice change of pace episode bringing some small bits of humor ("Thank you!"). A pretty good episode.

 

[stevelecher]

Wow! You did a little binge watching. Here's how these stack up, IMO, from my earlier post:


Stroke Of Genius = good episode


Swan = Dud.


Running Scared = The episode I called the last great one. I love the family/Donna aspect of it; the cat and mouse; the final escape, and even the epilogue with Donna taunting Gerard. This one's a favorite.


Chinese Sunset = good episode. You hit upon the humor of it and it's quite good. Janssen's reactions in the coffee shop are priceless and when she asks her crook boyfriend, "What do you think I am, a factotum?" at the end, I thought that was LOL.


Still some good ones to come. Thanks a lot for posting.