"The Fugitive" (1963): Season 1; Volume 1 Rumored To Be In The Works! (1 Viewer)

[Bob Hug]

That's a great sign-off line, Gary . . . how appropriate for "The Fugitive!"

 

[Jeff#]

I was more interested in the one QM Production I've seen so few episodes of and it was his biggest hit
The F.B.I.. I tried to download the first one that AOL has (with guest star Burt Reynolds) and I figured I'd watch all of the ones on that site in the order they were uploaded. The problem? I have a Macintosh and it looks like AOL doesn't support Mac. Is there a way around that?

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Maybe he meant to say "first American TV series" to go that route. Remember, The Prisoner was a British production that just happened to be shown on a major American network.

Won't ever see the likes of that happening again: nowadays if the networks like a British show, they'll just recast all the parts with Americans, rewrite everything and basically ruin the whole thing (Amanda's? Men Behaving Badly? Coupling, anyone?).

 

[Craig Beam]

However, the US version of The Office is positively brilliant.

 

[Doug^Ch]

I agree one hundred percent!!

 

[Harry-N]

I have to disagree with this, though it's purely subjective. IMHO, the original series theme and incidental music by Pete Rugolo is hard to top. The theme was majestic and brassy and fit the series perfectly. For those that may not be aware, Silva America released a soundtrack CD back in 2001 with the original Rugolo score as originally performed by The London Studio Symphony Orchestra. It's sadly out of print (available used), but on the amazon page you can still listen to samples of the cues:

http://www.amazon.com/Fugitive-Origi.../dp/B0000560K3

In addition to the incidental music by Rugolo, Ken Wilhoit, musical director for THE FUGITIVE, used cues from the CBS music library - virtually all of the score for TWILIGHT ZONE's "Back There" was used in "The Girl From Little Egypt" - as well as stuff from Capitol.

Hopefully, one of the benefits of DVD's of the series will be the restoration of the music to its proper grandeur, rather than the warbly mess that time-sped syndication prints gave us over the years.

Harry

 

[phil*]

"Nightmare at Northoak" was my favorite episode of the entire series. This particular show had everything which epitomized the quality of "The Fugitive":
excellent writing and acting, dramatic suspense,haunting music at key moments...

As an aside, this episode was watched by many people of a grieving nation who wanted to have their minds diverted from the events of the preceding few days...the episode was originally broadcast on November 26,1963...the day after President Kennedy's funeral...

 

[Jeff#]

Except for the nauseating hand-held camerawork, which has kept me away from several hit TV series (such as NYPD Blue and Law & Order). To that I say: Give me steadicam or give me sitcoms!

 

[michael_ks]

Agree with you Harry on the music for the original "The Fugitive". There's no substitute for the raw and gritty sound in music composition that was a 60s era showcase. I bought the soundtrack CD on initial release.

Interesting about Jerry Goldsmith's score for "Back There" surfacing in a "Fugitive" episode. I'm very curious about how that harpischord laden antique-y sound that Goldsmith composed plays out. I'd be particularly interested if the most memorable cue is used (starts after Russell Johnson says the line "That's it...I'll go home, just go home..." and walks down the street). That cue was also used for the opening titles of "To Serve Man" and is one of the most stirring bits of music I've ever heard.

 

[Jeff#]

Pete Rugolo's music for the original Fugitive was just fine, but the only thing about the newer series that was better than the old show was the theme music.

However, the incidentals on the 1960s The Fugitive were much better, even though a lot of that music was not Rugolo's at all, but rather re-used from earlier series (such as what Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Hermann had done on The Twilight Zone, music from The Untouchables, etc.).

The best music on the original show heard during The Fugitive's final season was borrowed from The Outer Limits's first season, even though Dominic Frontiere was only in Quinn Martin's regular employ on
12 O' Clock High, The F.B.I. , and The Invaders.

 

[Marty M]

Harry-N,
Thanks for the link to the Fugitive soundtrack. That really brought back fond memories of watching the Fugitive every week.

 

[David Von Pein]

Yes, I've noticed that too. And I was surprised when I heard "Fugitive" music in other shows. But those are apparently "library" cues/bridges.

Reminds me of a similar instance when "Leave It To Beaver" music constantly shows up in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Just doesn't seem quite "right", somehow.

And I agree with previous posts re. The Fugitive Soundtrack Album. Very nice having the theme music in stereo. .....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...e=ReviewDetail

 

[Harry-N]

It works surprisingly well, since in that episode ("The Girl From Lttle Egypt"), Richard Kimble is injured, and goes in and out of consciousness. As he hallucinates, the weird harpsichord strains from the "Back There" score begin, taking us into his nightmare world.

Harry

 

[Jeff#]

Well, that was different because both of those series were filmed at Revue Studios, and obviously the only Beaver music that turned up in the half-hour Hitchcock episodes were the more humorous tales. Come to type of it, Alfred Hitchcock Presents probably had that music first before Leave it to Beaver picked it up.

As for Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful Twilight Zone music, much of it was heard primarily in other CBS television and radio series. Much of it originated in the 1950s on such shows as the anthology series CBS Radio Workship (Goldsmith did the music for the premiere 2-part episode "Brave New World" in January 1956, hosted by original author Auldous Huxley.). A lot more debuted in various CBS westerns in the late 1950s such as GUNSMOKE, Have Gun Will Travel, and Rawhide. The fact that it turned up on ABC on The Fugitive in 1963 was very unusual.

 

[Ron68]

I'm really looking forward to this set, even though the season is boken into volumes, makes it seem more affordable. I would prefer whole season sets but it's not bothering me much with the Voyage sets. I'm glad it's also coming out in August, since there isn't anything else I want coming out then, so far, and June and July are loaded with sets I want. I only remember seeing the two episodes that NBC aired when the movie came out and I liked what I saw.

 

[Hank E]

Looks like the rumors are true..... August 14: Season one, volume one.

 

[Gary OS]

Yes, as confirmed by The Digital Bits just a short time ago!! Great, great news.

Gary "August 14th - the day the waiting stopped!" O.

 

[docdoowop]

I fully agree! I bought, but couldn't watch, 24 and Homicide for this reason. Enough with the "showy" camera work and hyper editing.

 

[Bob Hug]

Thanks, Hank and Gary, for the confirmation; this is very much a "day of release" buy for me!

 

[Jeff#]

Not to go back on what I said earlier, but I LOVE 24 since it does keep the shaky camerawork to a minimum. It's just a well-done series....even with the implausibility of Jack Bauer getting away with every assult and sometimes murder under the sun (and moon) in the course of protecting our country. Eventually I'll buy the whole series on DVD but not until FOX goes the Buffy route and packages it all in one large box. Kiefer Sutherland is signed until 2009 though, so I'll have a long wait.