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DVD Talk review of 'The Fugitive - Season One, Vol. 1'

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DVD Talk review of 'The Fugitive - Season One, Vol. 1'

Old 08-13-07, 05:52 PM
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DVD Talk review of the Fugitive Season 1 Vol. 1

It states in the review that The Fugitive debuted on CBS and later it says that it was on ABC.As far as I can remember it was on ABC on Tuesday nights.The reviewer said Wednesday nights.I also think that Combat! was also on Tuesday nights.But besides that a great review and I agree that splitting the seasons sucks.
Old 08-13-07, 07:04 PM
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Whoops! I have it as both ABC and CBS in the review. Of course, it was on ABC, but the DVD is being released by CBS/Paramount -- hence, my dumb mistake!

And that line-up was Tuesday night -- small print in those reference books are a killer.

Thanks so much for the heads up, and I'm glad you enjoyed the review!

Paul
Old 08-13-07, 10:35 PM
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DVD Talk review of 'The Fugitive - Season One, Vol. 1'

I read Paul Mavis's DVD review of The Fugitive - Season One, Vol. 1 at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=29791 and...

Good job. You made me want to buy this even more than I wanted to buy it before I read your review.

I love this show.
Old 08-14-07, 04:16 AM
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Paul, just wanted to say thank you for such a fantastic review! You wrote with the class and dignity a show of this magnitude deserves, and I'm definitely buying it today! Glad to hear the video and audio are top notch, because fans of the show realize the writing and performance always have been top notch. You brought this out so well in your review.

Thank you so much!

Gary "if only Paramount hadn't gone the half-season route - ughhh..." O.
Old 08-14-07, 09:00 AM
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I know going the “Half Season” route is a disappointment but at least we finally get a DVD release of The Fugitive & hopefully like many other classic Paramount TOD titles, we won’t have to wait long for vol.2 of season one.

I think Paramount will start releasing The Streets of San Francisco, The Untouchables & The Fugitive as season sets now that they know it’ll sell. I’m glad that they didn’t do the half season releases for Hawaii Five-O & Mission: Impossible.
Old 08-14-07, 10:39 AM
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They could release them in quarter-season sets as far as I'm concerned. THE FUGITIVE was so good that I'd buy them no matter how they issue them. That they ARE issuing them is what's important here, and I'm thankful for that.

I got the set a few days early and concur with Paul Mavis on just how great this set is, in spite of the half-season stuff, the lack of extras, and the mysterious blurbs about altered versions on the back.

My theory about differing from the original network versions is that they used the shorter first-season opening on the pilot episode. On that episode's original broadcast, they surely would have used the long William Conrad narration, as can be found on the next few episodes on the DVDs. Later on in the first season, QM shortened the opening by eliminating some of Conrad's spiel, shortening the train-wreck aftermath, and generally tightening the whole thing up. That shortened opening is what's on the pilot on the DVD's, meaning that perhaps they used a network rerun print or something like that.

It's no great loss in any event, as I say, the full long opening (which does get a bit tiring when you watch them in quick succession) is present on a bunch of other early episodes on the DVDs.

I'm happy to have them, happy they look and sound great, and happy that the review here is so favorable.

Harry

Last edited by HGN2001; 08-14-07 at 10:42 AM.
Old 08-14-07, 04:07 PM
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Hi all, I am new to the The Fugitive (born in the 1980's..and I totally dug Tim Daly's version). I have seen the disclaimer on the box but do you true fans know (outside of the opening edit, I read all 14 pages on the Home Theater Forum) if any music has been changed? I generally try to avoid stuff like this (and stuff not in the OAR). I am going to buy it today, if it is edited I will return it. Can anyone help?
Old 08-14-07, 05:28 PM
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I haven't seen any evidence of music subs, and I've watched 4 episodes so far. I sincerely believe that disclaimer is just standard for CBS/Paramount at this point. THE FUGITIVE never made use of "pop" music during it's day, so I doubt there's anything that needs to be subbed. I wouldn't worry about this at all, and that's coming from a person that abhors music substitutions.

Gary "I think this is a non-issue" O.
Old 08-14-07, 07:33 PM
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Wow you answered my question in two spots (I'm Kevin from the HTF). Well that is good to know. Keeping my fingers crossed that future releases are the same.
Old 08-14-07, 09:55 PM
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Just to second GaryO's point, "The Fugitive" NEVER used anything but Pete Rugolo's commissioned score, library cues and generic music for the entire run of the series, and that it could still be consistently strong with standout episodes in between makes it still my pick for Best Television Drama Ever.

There was one episode from 1965 called "Ill Wind," in which guest star Tim McIntire sung a ballad, but that was written specifically for the episode. Otherwise, the aforementioned abridged opening is the only possible music sub the series would undergo.

Sucks about the lack of extras, though. I've been waiting to see those Barry Morse introductions ported over from the VHS cassettes for more than a decade.

Still, I only say that because I have all 120 freaking eps already on VHS! lol...whoever doesn't, BUY THIS SET. This was an absolutely fantastic and criminally underrated TV series.

Originally Posted by Paul Mavis
Special mention should be made, as well, about Barry Morse, playing the relentless, unstoppable Lt. Gerard. Morse, with his sharp, angular features, brings just the right amount of barely suppressed fanaticism to the character, while always carefully letting the audience in on the fact that Gerard, although he basically believes Kimble's story, will never stop pursuing him because that's the letter and spirit of the law - a law that the series time and time again questions.
Damn straight, Paul. It only took 40 years and a reviewer of your insight to give Barry Morse the credit for owning this role he deserved. Great review!

Last edited by GeorgeP; 08-15-07 at 12:07 AM.
Old 08-15-07, 08:35 AM
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The problem with the Barry Morse intros of course is that they're "volume specific" for those old VHS/LD releases. It wouldn't due to have him introduce "the second episode in this volume" now would it?

Harry
Old 08-16-07, 06:36 AM
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Originally Posted by HGN2001
The problem with the Barry Morse intros of course is that they're "volume specific" for those old VHS/LD releases. It wouldn't due to have him introduce "the second episode in this volume" now would it?
Frankly, I care more about the extra itself than considerations of context. I don't have hundreds of dollars to burn on every single volume of those tapes just for the intros.

Nobody seemed to mind that their DVD of Doctor Zhivago began with Omar Sharif's introduction of "this newly restored print," ported over from a 1996 VHS THX remaster.

I don't care what Morse would be talking about as long as it was "Fugitive"-related. At his age especially, those intros. were valuable extras which hopefully will be included in subsequent volumes.
Old 08-16-07, 06:19 PM
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Oh, they were FUGITIVE related all right, and in many cases somewhat informative as to the inner workings of the series. I'd personally love to have them on DVD as extras, and wonder if CBS/Paramount even knows that NuVentures ever did them in the first place.

My guess would be that while the ownership of the show has fallen under the CBS/Paramount umbrella, those intros were likely not part of the package.

Harry
Old 08-16-07, 08:09 PM
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Here's a sample screen of how the Barry Morse intros look on the VHS tapes:



Harry
Old 08-24-07, 09:13 AM
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I just finished watching the first 15 episodes of The Fugitive (S1, V1) & I think Paul Mavis summed up this series very well, masterpiece. It really, really is. I’ve never seen the show prior to watching this set but since I’ve heard fantastic things about the series & I love the concept, I had to blind buy this, I blind buy a lot of TOD titles though. This is simply one of the best shows, period. Strong storytelling & excellent performances by both David Janssen, who left the world much too early (due to smoking & heavy drinking) & the excellent as always, Barry Morse.

I’m very much looking forward to volume two of season one (hopefully this set sold well) & The Fugitive puts many of the current television shows to shame.

My views on the ‘DVD Talk Collector’s Series’ aside, The Fugitive is definitely one show worthy of that title.
Old 10-06-07, 09:04 PM
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Correction to the DVD episode description

I just wanted to point out that in the episode listing at the end of the review, "Never Wave Goodbye (Pt. 1)" erroneously states that "Kimble falls for a California girl whose dying father hopes they'll remain a couple - but her brother has other ideas." It is not her father but her _uncle_ who is dying, and the Robert Duvall character is not her brother, he is only a worker at the sail-making company, hired by her uncle.

I can't WAIT for the final set of Season One; perhaps they'll add an extra disc of bonus material if the response to the current set is strong enough. Thank you for an excellent review.

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