The Fugitive: Season 3 Volume 1 (1 Viewer)

[TheGreatOz]

This new Forum format is pretty slick.

There are FUGITIVE completists out there, such as myself. So it follows, if you have the VHS releases and the few laserdisc releases, you'll buy these DVDs...

...until the real thing comes along.

 

[michael_ks]

In my last post I probably gave the wrong impression that I'll never purchase S2 vol. 2. I'm just dissatisfied with the sloppy handling by Paramount on this volume and wanted the studio to realize this. I'll pick it up when the price point of the set equilibrates roughly with the desire to add it to my collection--because I do want a complete set. Had everyone just delayed their purchase a bit the studio may well FINALLY gotten the message that half-a**ing the job is not enough to placate the many fans of "The Fugitive" who don't want the show unnecessarily tampered with.

 

[Gary OS]

Originally Posted by michael_ks

In my last post I probably gave the wrong impression that I'll never purchase S2 vol. 2. I'm just dissatisfied with the sloppy handling by Paramount on this volume and wanted the studio to realize this. I'll pick it up when the price point of the set equilibrates roughly with the desire to add it to my collection--because I do want a complete set. Had everyone just delayed their purchase a bit the studio may well FINALLY gotten the message that half-a**ing the job is not enough to placate the many fans of "The Fugitive" who don't want the show unnecessarily tampered with.

Well said, Michael. That's my main issue too. I don't want the studios to feel like this is acceptable, but if everyone buys these right off the bat and says they are acceptable Paramount will have no incentive to get it right in the future. Now having written all that that I can honestly say that I will not, at any price, buy Seasons 3 or 4 if the music doesn't return to a S1 template. I just can't take the Heyes stuff to any degree. But if I had absolutely no other way to view the show at all I guess I might have to reconsider, and I do understand someone like Roy who lost archived footage.

Gary "thanks for contributing Michael, you always add interesting points to the conversations here" O.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by michael_ks

Had everyone just delayed their purchase a bit the studio may well FINALLY gotten the message that half-a**ing the job is not enough to placate the many fans of "The Fugitive" who don't want the show unnecessarily tampered with.

Unfortunately, it's a catch-22. Buying the S2 sets says that replacing the music is acceptable to some degree. However, not buying it wouldn't have gotten them to fix the problem. It would have just made them stop releasing the series. Look at WKRP, Fox knows that the music changes are what hurt sales but they didn't re-release S1 with all the music or continue the series with an intact S2, they just pulled the plug.

Keep in mind, I don't think wanting the original music is asking too much or that everyone should buy whatever the studio puts out but not buying wouldn't have gotten CBS/Paramount to put out corrected S2 sets either.

 

[Gary OS]

You're undoubtedly correct, Travis. The purchasing isn't really the issue. It's the buzz and PR that makes the difference. That's why the Variety piece last year was so important, IMHO. I'm confident that it was instrumental in getting CBS to rethink their position. Unfortunately, they didn't go far enough and correct the entire problem. They only fixed a portion of the problem. Had more people in places of influence been able to follow up on the replacement discs and point CBS to Burlingame's solution, I think it would have been better for all of us. But just buying the new sets and saying "Thanks, this is great now!" isn't going to change anything.

Gary "like you say, it is basically a catch-22" O.

 

[Roy Wall]

Thanks Gary. I am definitely with you guys....just too starved for that show that I did kind of...give in and compromise a bit buying the DVDs.

 

[MichaelEl]

Does anyone have any new information on what's going to happen with S2V1 after the September deadline for replacement discs? If they're just going to release the replacements to retailers at that point, then it obviously would be better to purchase S2V1 after the deadline passes. On the other hand, if retailers keep selling the Heyes-scored version, then you will be out of luck if you don't buy now and send in the coupon. I personally would prefer to just wait rather than risk having the coupon lost in the mail, but I don't want to miss out on the replacements.

 

[TheGreatOz]

Originally Posted by MichaelEl /forum/thread/290947/the-fugitive-season-3-volume-1/30#post_3591360

 

[jquirk]

The $64 million question here is whether "Fugitive" fans will again be subjected to the horrific Mark Heyes musical contributions. Has CBS/P finally washed its hands of this musical hack as far as "The Fugitive" is concerned? Or, has the company once again dipped into Heyes' pool of rotten to continue an ongoing ruination of one of the greatest television series of all time? If the next offering is anything like S2V2, I'm afraid I'll have to hang up the gloves with the series. I'm a fan of "The Fugitive," not a fan of "The Fugitive featuring synthesized organ music by Mark Heyes."

 

[Roy Wall]

Available for pre-order on Amazon

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Fugitive-Season-3-Volume-1/9243

 

[shadyguy]

Just curious if anyone has been brave enough to preorder season 3 yet ?
Not yet for me !

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by shadyguy

Just curious if anyone has been brave enough to preorder season 3 yet ?
Not yet for me !

I haven't yet, but I believe I will.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Nope, I need online reviews about the backscore before buying this one. If it's altererd, (Heyes music), I'll pass.

 

[michael_ks]

Well, do I want to give CBS Paramount my money up front under the guise that they will 'probably' make an effort to get at least 'some' of the original score back in? Answer: I'll wait and see. 95+% original soundtrack or NO SALE for me.

 

[Gary OS]

Add me to the chorus that Jeff and Michael are singing in. I'm definitely going to wait for reviews before I purchase. If the review guarantees me that we are back to a Season 1 template, I'll buy. If not, NO SALE.

Oh, and by a review I mean one by someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Not some pseudo-intellectual who fancies themselves a fan and then can't even accurately communicate what percentage of original music is retained. And "original music" is more than just the Rugolo score, as beautiful and important as that portion of the backscore is to this series.


Gary "keeping my fingers crossed for some good news, but at the same time I'm not getting my hopes up" O.

 

[smithb]

Not me.

I have season 1 and the first part of season 2 but have yet to see a single episode ever (complete blind buy with too many other shows in the queue). At some point I will need to watch the first season and a half to make a determination on how affected I am with the music replacements. Based on that I will either sell off what I have or be committed to buy the rest. This isn't the type of show you can go half way with.

 

[jdee28]

It's such a travesty what CBS did to this show. It was completely needless.

 

[shadyguy]

Kinda strange, this season 3 has only two reviews on Amazons web site, where the S2V2 had about 20 plus at this time.

It is kind of like everyone is really scared of it and what it is made of !

 

[Jeff Willis]

Originally Posted by shadyguy

Kinda strange, this season 3 has only two reviews on Amazons web site, where the S2V2 had about 20 plus at this time.

It is kind of like everyone is really scared of it and what it is made of !

I'd say that's a good guess. The history associated with the Fugitive CBS/P releases are such that some of us require reviews and info about the backscore content before buying.

 

[jdee28]

I would rather see CBS/Paramount either release The Fugitive with its music 100% intact or not release it at all. I say this not only out of principle, but also because of the replacement music itself. They simply didn't pour enough money into the new music to make sure it sounded right, or to make sure it was properly mixed into the soundtrack. It's so cheaply produced that its very cheapness brings attention to it and draws you out of the episode.
I was watching "World's End" on the replacement discs for Season 2, Volume 1. I thought it was a great show, and I was really enjoying hearing the Rugolo soundtrack as well as the CBS cues from Gunsmoke and other programs. But then the episode gets to the jukebox scene. The jukebox music sounded so loud I couldn't hear the characters; it felt so modern, so sythesized and fake; I was completely drawn out of the episode and the mood. All I could think about was the incompetence of the people who mixed the audio track for this DVD and the shoestring budget they must have been operating on if this is the result. And then there's "Man on a String"; I was enjoying the episode with the Rugolo and CBS cues. Then comes the final act in the courtroom. Again, my attention was diverted by the new score, how it sounded cheap, too modern, and how it wasn't well mixed. It caused the final scene to fall completely flat dramatically for me.
The experiment that they conducted with the "new look" Season 2 sets of mixing replacement cues with the original fails miserably. The replacement music is too self-conscious. It takes you out of the episode. To make it work, they needed to record the replacement music with a full orchestra, just like the original was recorded. They also needed to mix it in more deftly with the original. Both of these things were obviously beyond their budget.

Why they thought the music to The Fugitive would be an issue at all is still beyond me. It just points to the incompetent coporate culture at CBS/Paramount. They should have just used the original, their imaginary consequences be damned, or not release The Fugitive at all and explain why to the fans. Their way out, first a total replacement score done without explanation, then this mixed, still bastardized version done on the fly, is a classic case of corporate stupidity and how to completely turn off a fan base.

For dramas from the 1960s, like Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, music plays such a crucial role in making the show. For CBS/Paramount to cavalierly treat the music score to the Fugitive the way they have is a travesty; they're gutting the show. It would have been better to leave it unreleased.



Edited by jdee28 - 8/11/2009 at 05:01 pm GMT