Run For Your Life on COZI TV (1 Viewer)

Just to let everyone know that tonight at 11 p.m. Eastern, COZI TV (channel 82 on DISH) will show the episode "Someone who Makes Me Feel Beautiful", starring (alongside protagonist Ben Gazzara) Tippi Hedren (Hitchcocks' The Birds) and the irrepresible Fernando Lamas as aspiring gigolo Ramon de Vega.
In its three year run -1966-68- Run For Your Life did something that I don't remember being done by other drama series of the era: recurring characters with their own arc-story.
This episode represents Ramon de Vega's meeting with Paul Bryant (Gazzara), and Lamas's character would come back another three times during the series run, always trying to outwit Gazzara in the pursuit of beautiful women, but with an interest of seducing them and taking their money.
Martin Milner (a a Korean War pilot friend of Gazzara) and Bruce Dern (as an opportunistic friend) play other somewhat recurring characters in the series.

This is my all time favorite show. It's a darm shame its Universal and will never see the light of day on DVD. Not too many 3 season series have suffered that fate.

Frank,This is a show that I would very much like to own on DVD. Could you please tell us why you think that it will never happen. I thought that Universal had released other shows on DVD - for example they have released the A Team here in Britain. Thanks.

Ian. the reasons I stated that come from both information from other posters I gleaned from this forum as well as some of my own theory:

1) Universal is known to have little interest in doing anything DVD related with their classis DVD titles.

2) Although several of us love the show, it's not one of the higher echelon classic DVD titles people are clamoring for a release.

3) Universal has done some licensing, but for another company to pay all that money, they would have to think they have a decent shot at a decent profit and the show just doesn't have the interest base from the buying public to take that chance,

4) Although it was never mentioned on here, my guess is that there are music licensing problems with this as well. There was quite a lot of music used as Paul travelled throughout the world.

I hope that helps Ian and frankly I hope I'm wrong. As I said, with all this other stuff being released on DVD, it's hard to stomach that my own favorite will most likely never come out. The only saving grace for me is that I already have a complete set I recorded for WOR's satellite feed in the early 90's. I would love, however to replace them with crystal clear transfers. Probably never happen.

Universal has shown almost nothing but disdain for their classic television (including Alfred Hitchcock Presents - I mean, come on - it's Hitchcock!!; The Rockford Files; etc.), so why would they show any interest in a short-run TV show from the 60's? Personally, I'd love to see all old shows released in their original form, but apparently only CBS has any interest in doing this (and even their record has been spotty on several shows). A shame.

It is a great series. In fact, I think Run For Your Life was one of the few drama series that was not crime based, and had the capacity to go anywhere and tackle many different genres, while having in its center the sad tragic story of Paul Bryant (Ben Gazzara). One week he could be in a safari in Africa, another he could be working as a secret agent for the US in Eastern Europe, another he could be jet-setting and skying in the alps and still another he could be racing cars in Spain or chasing girls with Bobby Darin or Fernando Lamas, trying to enjoy to the limit the "one year or maybe two" that he had lef to live. Kind of a one man Route 66, with the difference that Gazzara was at the center of most of the stories in his series, while the two guys in Route 66 where a lot of times just secondary figures.
Anyway, these ar two of my favorite series of all time.

ljgranberry said:

Universal has shown almost nothing but disdain for their classic television (including Alfred Hitchcock Presents - I mean, come on - it's Hitchcock!!; The Rockford Files; etc.), so why would they show any interest in a short-run TV show from the 60's? Personally, I'd love to see all old shows released in their original form, but apparently only CBS has any interest in doing this (and even their record has been spotty on several shows). A shame.

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With all due respect, I think that exaggerates things a good deal. Universal has a decent track record, the thing that's frustrating about them is they keep using old master elements whether they release the end product themselves or if it gets licensed out. But they *have* licensed a large number of titles and collectively we have a great deal of Universal's vintage catalog available to us on DVD. "Rockford Files" Is complete except for the last set of reunion movies and compared to other titles it was pretty much fast-tracked out, so I don't understand why you'd mention that. Yes, Hitchcock is more frustrating to be stalled at that with only six years of ten released in nine years overall, but in terms of depth, I think we've seen more of them than we have CBS/Paramount titles (and Universal hasn't given us much in the way of music butchery, save for the replacements on S2-4 of "Quantum Leap").

I thought it a nice touch when RUN FOR YOUR LIFE turned up on one of the TVs in the background of a scene on MAD MEN.

jperez said:

Just to let everyone know that tonight at 11 p.m. Eastern, COZI TV (channel 82 on DISH) will show the episode "Someone who Makes Me Feel Beautiful", starring (alongside protagonist Ben Gazzara) Tippi Hedren (Hitchcocks' The Birds) and the irrepresible Fernando Lamas as aspiring gigolo Ramon de Vega.

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Worth mentioning these episodes are cut down to 44 minutes! Plus they tend to skip episodes as well. When RTV ran them, they ran 47 minutes.

Newbie here who is impressed with the quality of the discussion here and intends to post more, even though I currently am saving up for other stuff and don't have that much money earmarked for new DVD releases. (I intend to make a large order for some old 1970s-early 1980s vintage NFL Films shows via their MOD offers.)As for this title, I am a Joan Collins fan/completist and would be willing to buy a series set just to get her early season 2 guest shot. I have it off Cozi TV, but it was a badly washed-out print. Still, it's better than nothing.I'm surprised in that I thought Ben Gazzara, considered one of the premier Method actors of his time, doesn't have a bigger cult following that might convince some company to take a shot. But I suppose that's just it, he has a cult following, and not a large one. Too bad.

High C said:

Newbie here who is impressed with the quality of the discussion here and intends to post more, even though I currently am saving up for other stuff and don't have that much money earmarked for new DVD releases. (I intend to make a large order for some old 1970s-early 1980s vintage NFL Films shows via their MOD offers.)As for this title, I am a Joan Collins fan/completist and would be willing to buy a series set just to get her early season 2 guest shot. I have it off Cozi TV, but it was a badly washed-out print. Still, it's better than nothing.I'm surprised in that I thought Ben Gazzara, considered one of the premier Method actors of his time, doesn't have a bigger cult following that might convince some company to take a shot. But I suppose that's just it, he has a cult following, and not a large one. Too bad.

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I actually thought that for a while too. With Roadhouse being so prolific on cable and Brad Wesley being one of the all time great movie villians, I thought maybe it would have a chance but sadly I was wrong. Like I previously stated, I love the show. IMO not a bad epsisode in all 85. To me, that's a pretty good track record.

I actually thought that for a while too. With Roadhouse being so prolific on cable and Brad Wesley being one of the all time great movie villians, I thought maybe it would have a chance but sadly I was wrong. Like I previously stated, I love the show. IMO not a bad epsisode in all 85. To me, that's a pretty good track record.

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Good point about Roadhouse.I lost hope for RFYL being released when nothing happened after Gazzara died in Feb. 2012. Sadly, that often serves as an impetus for re-examining someone's legacy and, crassly, a chance for studios to cash in. But it didn't happen in this case.

The one thing in favor of RFYL making it to DVD is that there is still an extant set of old video masters being used for these cable airings and it wasn't a victim of the Universal fire of 2008 like some other shows were (in their video master versions). So theoretically an independent label could use those for a licensed out release, although the overall picture quality wouldn't be much of an improvement since they'd utilize the same masters.

The negative for the moment is that its been said that Universal has made changes in personnel that has brought all licensing deals to a halt.

Jack P said:

The one thing in favor of RFYL making it to DVD is that there is still an extant set of old video masters being used for these cable airings and it wasn't a victim of the Universal fire of 2008 like some other shows were (in their video master versions).

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But are we sure there's a "set"? Both RTV (47 minutes) and COZI TV (44 Minutes) skipped episodes (and not the same ones!) So who knows what is sitting around and what length. Now they did put the show up on Hulu at one point AFTER the fire, so I'd guess there is a set of complete episodes someplace there!

The show's great but needs remastering badly. The colors are at times muddy or faded. Shout Factory/Timeless Media should look into this title ASAP!

Charles Ellis said:

The show's great but needs remastering badly. The colors are at times muddy or faded. Shout Factory/Timeless Media should look into this title ASAP!

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As much as I love the show, I wouldn't expect it from Shout/Timeless any time soon. Shout is now focusing more on 70's and beyond titles and Timeless has done little outside of Westerns (and little period after the merger).
Maybe an Indie might try to pick it up, but sadly, I don't think it's coming out.

Thanks for your reply, Frank. The show was run here but I am not sure if all the episodes were or not. With so many other 60s shows being released on DVD it would be a shame if this one was left out.

Well, apparently Run For Your Life's run on COZI TV is now over... they have an old western movie scheduled for the 11 p.m. Friday slot this week...

On the other hand, apparently they're about to start showing The Name of the Game...

jperez said:

Well, apparently Run For Your Life's run on COZI TV is now over... they have an old western movie scheduled for the 11 p.m. Friday slot this week...

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I just checked my Dish Network on-screen guide for next week, and it looks like Run For Your Life is still on, in that regular 11 pm (EST) weekly slot. The reason an old western movie is airing in RFYL's place today, Fri 7/4/14, is because Cozi is running a marathon of old westerns, all day long, for the holiday, pre-empting regular programming.

According to the Dish on-screen guide, the RFYL 1st season episode, "The Girl Next Door Is a Spy", will air at 11 pm (EST) on Friday, 11/11/14.

Correction: the next RFYL will air on 7/11/14. I was falling asleep when I accidentally put in that November date. I wonder if I'm just dreaming that I'm correcting this?