The Fugitive: Season Four, Volume 1 (1 Viewer)

[JoshuaB.]

Originally Posted by Regulus
 

 

[jdee28]

I stopped watching The Fugitive with Season 2, Volume 2. I just couldn't take the music replacements, how jarring they were and how badly integrated they were with the rest of the score. For example, the score to "Nicest Fella You'd Ever Want to Meet" was beyond ridiculous; every time there was an action scene, and I mean every time, the new score would blast up and be completely distracting, ruining any sense of mood or emotion. I would have rather seen them cancel the DVDs than release them in such a terribly compromised form; it's just a monstrosity the way it is now. Where was their quality control?

 

Hopefully one day CBS/Paramount can go back and give Seasons 2 and 3 a proper release with the music score completely intact. Find an expert, call them in and do it. It's not like they have much coming up in the pipeline anymore, as they've been scaling back. They should do The Fugitive right, and get some of their reputation back.

 

[Jack P]

Thanks for setting me straight on the Capitol differences.

 

I agree, we had some episodes that were really mixed bad, especially S3 V2. I think I just benefit from being someone who before this series came out on DVD only was really familiar with about 10% of the episodes in specific detail and to my relief all of those episodes have emerged unscathed. Its a lot easier for me to take the glass half-full approach in contrast to those who know this series inside-out. This is why by contrast what happened with "Odd Couple" was a far more egregious thing than what's happened in "Fugitive" and I think its unfortunate there hasn't been a similar level of outrage over what CBS/Paramount did to a lot of great episodes in that show where program content was ruined beyond measure.

 

[Tina_H_V]

Yes!!!!!!! This is, indeed, very, much welcome--and needed--good news for me at this time!!!!!! (my father passed two weeks ago) I was wondering if I would be seeing The Fugitive's color season at all released on DVD this year.

 

At least now...I have a real chance to throw this one under the XMAS tree as I did all of S3 in 2009!!!!!

 

If these dates hold up...then both shall be under the XMAS tree along with a whole bunch of other titles I have on my XMAS wish list!!!!

 

So far, Life On Mars: The Complete (BBC Original) Series and Sgt. Bilko's S1 are in, gift-wrapped and ready to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Dragnet 1968, The Bill Cosby Show's other season and Ken Burns' Baseball are on my to-get list as well--amongst others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

The past six XMAS Days have been the best-ever in my life!!!!! Now, I am on my way to #7 after all!!!!!!!! These gifts will help!!!!!!

 

[Trevtpir]

I may be overly optimistic here but, I'm thinking the sales of season 4 will soar because it will be in its original form!! Because of this a complete series will be produced with all original music intact! One can only hope I guess.

 

[Harry-N]

Hey - at least the color picture on the cover will match the color pictures in the show itself!

 

I'm looking forward to the new transfers to DVD. I'm used to looking at the color episodes from the old NuVentures VHS tapes - which were complete but awful-looking; VHS tapes I made from the old WWOR cable channel, which were time-compressed, but a little better color-wise; and a LaserDisc of the finale which was the best picture-wise, but still far from the detailed images we can see on shows like THE INVADERS.

 

Blue skies that will actually be blue! Green grass that will actually be green! What a concept!

 

Harry

 

[jquirk]

Originally Posted by shoeshineboy

Does anyone else find that it's strange that, through this whole great series (and the immense controversy of its dvd release) that the only 'so-far' extra to be announced is about a scorer who isn't even known as the series' main music supplier? If you were to do a minifeature on the Fugitive, and it had to be about the music, wouldn't 5-10 minutes on Rugolo be the most obvious feature?

I don't want to overly gripe, we all have kicked this can before and it appears that the series will receive an honourable release for the final season; however, the powers that be just seem to be not in synch with the real world here... They know i'll buy but c'mon... if you are gonna do a featurette, why isn't it on janssen or huggins or rugolo?

Maybe they plan on including a featurette on Rugolo in Volume Two?

 

As for the announcement, I am pleased to see Season 4 is finally coming out. But I have to echo a lot of what Gary and others had to say about what could have been for Season Two and Season Three. There are so many bad decisions being made these days when it comes to classic content getting released on DVD that it makes you sick. It makes you wonder what sort of buffoons are pulling the strings behind the scenes. Are they from another planet?

 

For instance, Warner Brothers recently released two Looney Tunes sets, but some bright boy or girl felt it was necessary to crop post-1954 cartoons to fill a 16:9 television screen. The end result is that some snippets of animation cannot be viewed.

 

What CBS/P did to "The Fugitive," however, takes the cake. If I hear one Mark Heyes cue after tossing in Volume 1 of Season 4, I'm sure my stomach will not be able to take it. If they are planning to include Heyes garbage - which I don't think they will do with this latest set - they should at least do what the producers of the film "Mark of the Devil" did for paying customers back in 1969 - include barf bags with the purchase.
 

 

[Harry-N]

Originally Posted by shoeshineboy

Does anyone else find that it's strange that, through this whole great series (and the immense controversy of its dvd release) that the only 'so-far' extra to be announced is about a scorer who isn't even known as the series' main music supplier? If you were to do a minifeature on the Fugitive, and it had to be about the music, wouldn't 5-10 minutes on Rugolo be the most obvious feature?

I don't want to overly gripe, we all have kicked this can before and it appears that the series will receive an honourable release for the final season; however, the powers that be just seem to be not in synch with the real world here... They know i'll buy but c'mon... if you are gonna do a featurette, why isn't it on janssen or huggins or rugolo?

I meant to reply to this yesterday and got sidetracked, but there's something odd about this featurette.

 

And I think I mean in a good way. As I sort of hinted at, this extra feature on Dominic Frontiere almost looks - to this outsider - to perhaps be part of deal to use the music. As mentioned, there have been zero extra features on ANYTHING in the releases so far, and here we have the first one, and it's about someone who composed music for a different series. Yes, Mr. Frontiere did work for the Quinn Martin stable with work on both THE INVADERS and TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH around this time, but he wasn't *known*, nor even credited for his old OUTER LIMITS cues used in THE FUGITIVE in season four, so having the first-ever feature in a DVD set done on Mr. Frontiere does indeed seem odd. But since it likely means that they're leaving the music cues in place - that's a good thing.

 

I'm certainly no expert on what cues were in the contested Capitol Music Library that's caused all the fuss, and I'm not certain at all that there aren't going to be some problematic cues in season four. I hope not. But if a needed Heyes cue pops up here and there -- don't be surprised. At this point, we've heard nothing from CBS/Paramount regarding their official stance on how Season Four will be handled. All we've been given is a date, a picture, and word of a feature on Dominic Frontiere.

 

Harry

 

[Neil Brock]

I don't care if they had to agree to put Frontiere's face on the DVD box, so long as we can get the season with intact music!

 

[jquirk]

Originally Posted by jdee28

I stopped watching The Fugitive with Season 2, Volume 2. I just couldn't take the music replacements, how jarring they were and how badly integrated they were with the rest of the score. For example, the score to "Nicest Fella You'd Ever Want to Meet" was beyond ridiculous; every time there was an action scene, and I mean every time, the new score would blast up and be completely distracting, ruining any sense of mood or emotion. I would have rather seen them cancel the DVDs than release them in such a terribly compromised form; it's just a monstrosity the way it is now. Where was their quality control?

 

Hopefully one day CBS/Paramount can go back and give Seasons 2 and 3 a proper release with the music score completely intact. Find an expert, call them in and do it. It's not like they have much coming up in the pipeline anymore, as they've been scaling back. They should do The Fugitive right, and get some of their reputation back.

I would not be surprised that, in a couple of years, they re-release "The Fugitive," but on Blu-ray. And when this does happen, my prediction is that all four seasons will be released in a single box set, and that the music substitutions featuring the Mark Heyes cues will not be found anywhere.

 

Of course, we'll all have to open up our wallets again and dish out about two-hundred bucks to buy it, but it would probably be worth it for the upgraded picture and Mark Heyes-less musical interludes. Maybe by that time CBS/P will even include an option to watch the episodes in 3D? Now that would be cool. The suspense would feel so much more intense, especially when it seems like Gerard is snooping around for Kimble right in your own living room.

 


 

 

[Jeff Willis]

Originally Posted by jquirk
I would not be surprised that, in a couple of years, they re-release "The Fugitive," but on Blu-ray. And when this does happen, my prediction is that all four seasons will be released in a single box set, and that the music substitutions featuring the Mark Heyes cues will not be found anywhere.

 

Of course, we'll all have to open up our wallets again and dish out about two-hundred bucks to buy it, but it would probably be worth it for the upgraded picture and Mark Heyes-less musical interludes. Maybe by that time CBS/P will even include an option to watch the episodes in 3D? Now that would be cool. The suspense would feel so much more intense, especially when it seems like Gerard is snooping around for Kimble right in your own living room.

 


 

Jim

 

I hope you're right. That would get me off the BR mkt fence and I'd buy the BR player.

 

[JoshuaB.]

Now that Image is releasing The Twilight Zone on BD and A&E is doing the same with Space: 1999, my two vintage TV-to-BD hopes are The Outer Limits and The Fugitive (I'd love the 60s Batman on blu, but that will never happen). CBS has done a great job with the picture quality of the transfers for standard def, but the beautiful BW photography of The Fugitive would be a very good fit for high def!

 

[shadyguy]

I went ahead and pre ordered S4V1 at Amazon today with high hopes of a great product, but if I get news of lots of Heyes music I will not hesitate to return it or cancel my order !

 

[shadyguy]

JQuirk,

I can see your anticipation of "The Fugitive" coming to BR, but I am not so eager, as I cannot afford a BR player at this time and have many regular DVDs with a pretty nice Sony player.

I cannot see buying a BR player just for The Fugitive series !

 

Do they make a regular DVD/Blu Ray player combo like the did with DVD/VHS ??

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by shadyguy

JQuirk,

I can see your anticipation of "The Fugitive" coming to BR, but I am not so eager, as I cannot afford a BR player at this time and have many regular DVDs with a pretty nice Sony player.

I cannot see buying a BR player just for The Fugitive series !

 

Do they make a regular DVD/Blu Ray player combo like the did with DVD/VHS ??

 

All Blu-ray players play regular DVDs, so there is no need for a combo player.
 

 

[shadyguy]

[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 255)]"All Blu-ray players play regular DVDs, so there is no need for a combo player."[/COLOR]

 

I did not know this Richard and thanks for letting me know, as that changes my whole outlook on purchasing a Blu Ray !!

 

[jquirk]

I've reached the conclusion that there will be no changes to the music in this set. This conclusion is based on several factors:

 

A. Consider the time it took for CBS to finally get this collection to DVD. Obviously, there must have been an effort to get it right this time because of all the complaints about S2 and S3.

 

B. The inclusion of a retrospective feature on composer Dominic Frontiere. Why would CBS include something like that if it planned to replace his cues with synthesized junk?

 

C. The complaints on S2 and S3. That had to be a marketing nightmare for CBS, with all the people talking trash about them here and on Amazon. The company, like any business, would want to take whatever measures are necessary to clear their good name.

 

D. Poor sales. I am certain that sales for the S2 and S3 sets had to be poor. I know I did not buy any of the S3 volumes, nor S2V2, and the same could be said for a number of other prospective buyers. Why would CBS decide to issue a DVD collection it knows would not sell well?

 

If there are any changes, they would be of the minor variety similar to the ones made for the Season One collections that hardly anybody noticed.

 

[LeoA]

Someone else says they continued to use the same music from past seasons for several episodes into this season.

 

While many episodes might be substantially unedited, I have a suspicion since they're not confirmed that music is indeed intact that the first few episodes will see the usual edits.

 

Hopefully they confirm something soon. But if nothing is heard as the release date gets nearer, I think that will say it all.

 

[Charles H]

Any word on THE UNTOUCHABLES winding up?

 

[Charles Thaxton]

I'm surprised they never used Barry Morse's great episode intros on any of the sets. And I am sure there have to be some archival interviews with the cast in existence somewhere.