"The Fugitive" TV series on DVD (1963-1967)

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Haven't seen a thread discussing the 1960's "The Fugitive" TV series, so wanted to create one (though there are plenty of threads discussing the 1993 film).

I started watching this great show earlier this year; never saw this before, but had heard great things about it over the years. So far, I've seen S01. This is a fantastic series! Really gripping, compelling, and exceptional. I'm seeing this on the old DVD sets (Volume 1, Season 1, etc.). Some comments/observations:

The PQ is, overall, excellent on these DVD's. Very impressed, especially given that this is an older show.

I don't typically watch older b&w shows, but this format really works for The Fugitive. It adds to the "noir" atmosphere/vibe, and is perfect for the show/storyline. I know some of the later episodes are in color, but I'm glad that these early ones aren't.

David Janssen is extremely well-cast in the role of Richard Kimble. He does a very convincing job of being aloof/secretive around strangers & being evasive when asked personal questions about his past (for obvious reasons). But, at the same time, he does go above & beyond and tries to help people when he thinks it's important. Going along with this, he has a very strong sense of justice/fairness.

I like the storyline(s) involving Kimble having various adventures each week. He has to move into a new area & make some money, and then leave before the authorities (or anyone else) recognizes him. He's always looking over his shoulder & inadvertently getting into altercations/scrapes wherever he goes - though he is always able to get away in the end.

It's interesting how Kimble inadvertently gets caught up in other people's lives when trying to help them - and this ends up becoming detrimental to him because he draws unwanted attention to himself. This is obviously something he's fully aware of. In addition, he always draws suspicion/hostility from many he comes into contact with, because they justifiably wonder why someone that's obviously as educated as he is, etc. is working odd jobs - when he sounds/looks like he could do a lot better. This makes them think (in some cases) that he's "spying" on them and/or has some kind of ulterior motive for being on that job - or, that he's on the run from the authorities, etc. The end result is that - for the most part - he has to "skip town" at the end of every episode. And, this is probably something he would have had to do anyway, given that Gerard is one step behind him at any given time.

The show also made me think about how much easier it was for a drifter like Kimble to effectively function by going from job to job & city to city, etc. & also be anonymous back in the early-late 1960's (the setting of the show). That was before my time, but my understanding was that during that era & probably even well into the '70's/early '80's, it was much more difficult to check people's credentials (SSN, work history, birthplace, etc.). Conversely, now everything is computerized & it's very easy to check up on people - at the click of a button.

As with other Quinn Martin productions, the show features a lot of great guest stars, including: Vera Miles, Brian Keith, Sandy Denis, etc.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Though all the S01 episodes were good, here were some of the best:

"The Witch" - extremely unsettling & somewhat creepy episode, with elements of psychological horror. Kimble is a delivery truck driver in rural Missouri, and unintentionally upsets the disturbed child of a local family.

[Show spoiler]She ends up telling a lie about him and a local school teacher, which causes serious problems for both of them.

"Nightmare at Northoak" - Kimble is resting in an open field, when a school-bus rushes past him & crashes - due to a blown-out tire.

[Show spoiler]Kimble selflessly rescues the children & the bus driver off of the bus before it explodes, and then gets injured in the process. While he's recuperating & everyone in town sees him as a hero, he unfortunately attracts unwanted attention.

"See Hollywood and Die" - Kimble is working as a gas station attendant, when he & a customer are kidnapped by two dangerous criminals who have just robbed the gas station. Kimble pretends to be a thief who has a "job" lined up that he is willing to cut the two in on - in order to buy time so he & can figure out how to get out of the situation. This is one of my favorite episodes in the series (so far), given that it really illustrates how quick-thinking Kimble has to be in order to survive being on the run for such an extended period of time. Co-starring one of my favorite actresses from the 1960's/1970's, the sultry Brenda Vaccaro (Midnight Cowboy, The Streets of San Francisco, etc.)

"Glass Tightrope" - Kimble is working as a store clerk, and

[Show spoiler]witnesses his boss accidentally kill someone in the store parking lot late at night. He has to get involved in order to keep an innocent man from being framed for the crime.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Ooh... the old volume sets?

You'll be running into the music replacement era soon enough. IIRC, on the old volume sets, starting with season 2 CBS stripped out all the original background and incidental music and replaced it with Mark Heyes's magnificent noodlings on an old Casio mini-synthesizer, because CBS was Cheap AF.

There are Fugitive sets out there with the real music, but I can't tell you offhand which ones, other than the big black one from 2010ish. I'm not sure what version the newer all in one Epicpak contains.

[Geode]

Oh darn. When this thread popped up I was hoping to see that this series was going to have a Blu-ray release as it is my choice for the best TV series ever made. I watched it when it was first broadcast, and of course was part of the historic audience that watched the finale. "August 29, 1967, the day the running stopped."

I think this worked since it basically was the old anthology formula, but with some continuing characters. The 4th season (color) is the weakest.

David Janssen was sometimes criticized for the underplayed approach he took with the part. But to blend and not be noticed this would be logical for a fugitive. One of the best episodes is "Landscape with Running Figures' in which Richard Kimble is trapped in an abandoned town with Lt. Gerard's wife, who has been blinded so she does not recognize him. He starts talking about his marriage to Helen Kimble. Because Janssen usually underplayed the role, he has a bunch of head room to ratchet up his feelings here. He is of course a major reason this series works so well, as much or more as any element

As somebody has mentioned CBS sneaked in new music cues to replace the original Pete Rugolo themes. The new ones were awful and out of place, causing an uproar. I stopped buying the new sets as they came out in protest. They then claimed to have remedied it, but then issued some more with mangled scores.

I bought the "The Most Wanted Edition" from a guy on eBay who had received all the restored discs. With other sellers there was something about white background versus yellow background UPC codes revealing if the set had the remedied discs.

I think I read that a later box set with all four seasons again had the replaced cues.

[Geode]

From a review on Amazon:

MovieMan 5.0 out of 5 stars

CBS/Paramount Finally Gets It Right with The Fugitive.

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2017

After years and years and years and years of problems, CBS/Paramount has finally got it right with The Fugitive. I purchased The Fugitive: The Complete Series, from Amazon in March 2017 and all of the original musical cues are intact.

In the late 2000s, CBS began releasing the series in half-season sets. Volumes One and Two of Season One were outstanding. Then the trouble began with the release of Season Two: Volume One. All of the original music was removed, and replaced by a synthesizer score composed by Mark Heyes. The replacement music did not fit with the show and the complaints about it were fierce.

CBS/Paramount responded to those concerns by issuing a replacement set for S2V1. While some episodes in the replacement set had their original music restored, others contained a mixture of the original cues and the Mark Heyes synthesizer score. And that's how it was for the release of Volume Two for Season Two, as well as volumes one and two for Season Three. Many episodes featured a mix of Heyes and original music. The reason for this was due, apparently, to CBS's inability to clear the rights for much of the music used for the series.

For the two volumes released for Season Four, however, the music was mostly all original. In 2011, CBS released The Fugitive: The Most Wanted Edition, a set that included all four seasons of the series with all original music restored. However, a replacement program was needed for this set, as well, because some episodes still included Heyes music while other episodes were error-laden and wouldn't play.

In 2015, CBS/P released The Fugitive: The Complete Series (the one I just bought), but again a replacement program was needed. Many of the Season Two and Season Three episodes afflicted with the Heyes synthesizer score were contained in this release. Those who complained about it were sent copies of the pricier Most Wanted Edition as a replacement. Some who received the Most Wanted Edition replacement set for the Complete Series then had to complain again because they had received bad copies, and needed additional replacement discs.

But now, finally, everything is right in the world. The Complete Series sets being sold now - at least the ones from Amazon - contain all the original music and I've found no signs of synthesizer music. I checked many of the previously problematic episodes (episodes loaded with Heyes music), and they are now Heyes-free. Brass Ring, Ballad for a Ghost, The Iron Maiden, Escape Into Black, Moon Child ... all of these great episodes and more were ruined in the original DVD releases by containing music that did not fit with the time period of this series. Now, they are restored to the way that they were originally broadcast.

Thank you, CBS/Paramount, for finally getting this right. I gave up on this after your release of volumes One and Two for Season Two, and now I'm back on board.

[EvilMoose]

This is the show that the Iron Maiden song of the same name is about, right?

"We want information... information... information--"
"Who are you?"
"The new #2!"
"Who is #1?"
"...You are #6!"
"I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM A FREE MAN!"
[Sinister laughter]

*Epic metal ensues*

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew about the music replacement(s) in the early Fugitive DVD's, but since I never saw the show on it's original release, I probably won't know what I'm missing. I get more irritated with music replacements when it's rock/pop music that's replaced. Howeer, in this case it's sounds like it's the score itself - which, again, I probably won't notice.

Originally Posted by Geode

Oh darn. When this thread popped up I was hoping to see that this series was going to have a Blu-ray release as it is my choice for the best TV series ever made. I watched it when it was first broadcast, and of course was part of the historic audience that watched the finale. "August 29, 1967, the day the running stopped."

Nope, no Blu release is forthcoming AFAIK. That's why I created this thread in the DVD section.

Originally Posted by EvilMoose

This is the show that the Iron Maiden song of the same name is about, right?

"We want information... information... information--"
"Who are you?"
"The new #2!"
"Who is #1?"
"...You are #6!"
"I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM A FREE MAN!"
[Sinister laughter]

*Epic metal ensues*

No. That's "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan (1967). Iconic show as well, and something I also need to start re-watching.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner

[benricci]

Originally Posted by EvilMoose

This is the show that the Iron Maiden song of the same name is about, right?

Nope.

[Geode]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

Thanks for the feedback. I knew about the music replacement(s) in the early Fugitive DVD's, but since I never saw the show on it's original release, I probably won't know what I'm missing. I get more irritated with music replacements when it's rock/pop music that's replaced. Howeer, in this case it's sounds like it's the score itself - which, again, I probably won't notice.

After hearing the normal cues in the first season, the substituted ones in the second season will stand out like a sore thumb.

Nope, no Blu release is forthcoming AFAIK. That's why I created this thread in the DVD section.

It showed up on my screen lumped under "Blu-ray Movies USA" with other threads about Blu-ray. The sub-category did not appear.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by Geode

After hearing the normal cues in the first season, the substituted ones in the second season will stand out like a sore thumb.

OK, Thanks. I'm on the verge of starting S02, Volume 1 - so will listen for this. It does sound jarring. Does anyone know why the music was changed?! Was this because of licensing/copyright issues involving the original music?

I know rock/pop music had to be replaced for TV shows/movies released to DVD/Blu over the years due to copyright issues with the original song(s). However, I haven't heard this happening with score/instrumental music (i.e., music without vocals, etc.).

[BluPat]

I adore this series. It's fantastic television. David Janssen is Dr. Richard Kimble in every sense. Nobody else could have pulled it off.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

I did finish watching S02 of The Fugitive over the summer, and will hopefully start on S03 in the next month or so. I found S02 a very strong season, as good (if not better) than S01. In fact, there has not been one bad episode in this whole series (so far). Some of my favorite S02 episodes:

"Man in a Chariot": Kimble contacts a once-popular & respected older attorney to tentatively see if he would be willing to defend Kimble if he were re-tried again. The attorney conducts a mock-trial of the Kimble case in a small college class he teaches;

[Show spoiler]Kimble observes from the side-lines, but doesn't reveal himself to anyone in the class (and is almost captured at the end).

"Brass Ring": Kimble is in Santa Monica, CA - working on the boardwalk. He ends up being hired by a young woman to take care of her invalid brother (a young Robert Duvall).

[Show spoiler]The unscrupulous woman & her boyfriend are planning to kill the brother (and make it look like an accident) so they can collect the insurance money. And, once they suspect that Kimble is wanted, they try to set him up to make it look like he committed the crime.

"Moon Child": Kimble is passing through a small town, and goes into a local diner for something to eat/drink. While there, he is treated with immediate suspicion/hostility by a group of men. They suspect him of being a serial killer who is targeting women in the town. Once Kimble realizes what is going on, he quickly leaves - and is later helped by a handicapped young woman nick-named "Moon Child" who hides him in the basement of the home where she lives with her mother.

[Show spoiler]Eventually, the real serial killer is revealed.

Very disturbing episode, with elements of psychological horror.

"A.P.B.": Kimble hops a freight train, and immediately encounters three desperate escaped convicts (one of whom subsequently dies from his injuries). Kimble is taken prisoner by the remaining two (ostensibly to help treat the leg wound of one of them). And, the criminals w/Kimble end up going to a local home & taking the two inhabitants prisoner, a mother & her adult daughter. Very tense episode. Co-starring Shirley Knight.

Like many of the episodes in this show, this especially illustrates how hamstrung Kimble is due to his fugitive status. I.e., when he gets in trouble and/or is being taken advantage of, he can't go to the authorities due to the strong possibility of blowing his own cover & being taken prisoner.

[harry o]

Loved the colour season episode with Charles Bronson !

[AJ Cook Fan]

I spent about three weeks watching the complete series on DVD recently. September 19 marked 60 years since the killing of Kimble's wife and I happen to watch the series finale on September 18.

[Geode]

Originally Posted by AJ Cook Fan

I spent about three weeks watching the complete series on DVD recently. September 19 marked 60 years since the killing of Kimble's wife and I happen to watch the series finale on September 18.

I watched the series finale the night it aired, along with a large portion of America.

[Cheese]

I adore this show. David Janssen is a legend.

[noirjunkie]

I recently purchased a new copy of the complete series (the 2015 re-release). Is there a sure-fire way to ensure I have a copy with all of the corrected discs?

[Zechs Merquise]

This has been re-airing on British television so I've watched a few episodes here or there. I personally feel it really was a mistake to do the last season in colour. The colour really killed the film noir feel that the series had previously

[cutback73]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

This has been re-airing on British television so I've watched a few episodes here or there. I personally feel it really was a mistake to do the last season in colour. The colour really killed the film noir feel that the series had previously

The last season had to be made "in color" as the US Networks adopted colour for all prime time TV that year. So, there was no alternative if you wanted the show to be broadcast.

However, I do agree that this show suffered for it.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Recently finished watching The Fugitive S03. Amazing. This is one of the best seasons I've ever seen of any TV series. The noir elements were especially strong here, and the story-lines were suspenseful & well-done. Kimble's capture seemed imminent in many of these episodes. Presumably, as time goes on - his fugitive status is becoming more well-known across the country and more LE offices (even those in small towns) are aware of what he looks like, etc.

Part 1 of my S03 review:

"Wings of an Angel": Kimble is inadvertently travelling on the same bus with an escaped convict, who takes a woman hostage - when he's cornered by the LE. Kimble heroically incapacitates the man & frees the woman, but gets stabbed/wounded in the process. He is then taken to a local prison hospital - because it is the closest. While under a doctor's care, he is recognized by two inmates - who black-mail him into participating in a drug-smuggling scheme. Guest-starring Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible).

"Where the Wind Blows": Kimble is working at a small motel, and ends up befriending the owner (a young widow) and her son. Due to his reserved nature, the woman is worried that her son has psychological problems. Kimble ends up bonding with the son, who has no real father figure in his life. Towards the end of the episode, the son ends up alerting Kimble that the LE are after him - allowing him enough time to escape.

"Stranger in the Mirror": Kimble is working as a custodian for a youth camp run by Tony and Carole Burnell. The bodies of two officers are found near the camp, and a local petty criminal & Kimble are both under suspicion for the crime(s).

[Show spoiler]However, Tony is the real culprit in the murders - despite not consciously remembering committing them. He has a deep-seated, subconscious resentment towards the authorities, due to the circumstances surrounding his father's death years before.

Guest starring Norman Fell (Three's Company) and Bill Shatner.

"Shadow of the Swan": Kimble meets a disturbed young woman who helps him get a job in a vet's office. However, when he rejects her she becomes vindictive.

[Show spoiler]It's later revealed that the fire which killed her parents (years before) was started/caused by her - in a fit of anger/rage.

As with several other TF episodes, both SitM & SotS have strong elements of psychological horror.