The Good
Thank the good lord that Paramount has decided to bring out the rest of this First Season on DVD.
The Bad
No extras. Edits in the episodes and the music.When Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) comes home to find his wife murdered and a one-armed man leaving the scene, his life gets a lot more complicated when he is implicated in his beloved's murder. Fate deals him a winning hand when the train transporting him to prison goes off the tracks and Kimble goes on the lam. However, Kimble is a man of science and as such, when he comes across someone who needs his help, he risks everything to come to their aid.
The Fugitive: First Season, Vol. 2 is filled with 15 episodes that should make old fans happy and new fans excited about finding this show. Some of the episodes on this release are "Flight From the Final Demon," which sees Kimble teaming up with a partner, only to have that person's past catch up with them. The two parter "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads," sees religion injected into The Fugitive ith Sister Veronica in an effort to evade capture. Lastly, "Search in a Windy City," has Kimble go after the one-armed man only to be upended by Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse).
Features
No Extras came with this DVD release.
Video
Full Screen Format. These episodes play in a crisp, sharply rendered black and white. I didn't notice too many dust specs and things of that nature on this release. However, I was a bit put off by this disclaimer, "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." I have railed against this in the past and given a litany of reasons for why Paramount might do this, but I am sadly reaching a point where I can't do that anymore because I've come to expect it.
Audio
Full Screen Format. These episodes play in a crisp, sharply rendered black and white. I didn't notice too many dust specs and things of that nature on this release. However, I was a bit put off by this disclaimer, "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." I have railed against this in the past and given a litany of reasons for why Paramount might do this, but I am sadly reaching a point where I can't do that anymore because I've come to expect it.
Package
A full color image of David Janssen is presented on this front cover as he holds up a map and has the road behind him. The back features another image of Kimble moving quickly with a briefcase in his hand. There is a well written description that should get newbies up to date on this show, some black and white images from the episodes, and technical specs. The four discs are neatly stored inside this release and on the walls are episode listings, descriptions and airdates.
Final Word
As I was watching this show I couldn't help entertain a question that was nagging at me. Do I like the TV show or the movie version of The Fugitive more? While I think that Harrison Ford did an outstanding job in the movie, I feel that David Janssen set a bar that is very hard to follow. Having seen the movie before I saw the TV show, I was a bit surprised that I sort of liked the show more. There is something about the look of this show from 1964 that just grabs you. The fact that it tours the country showing us various aspects of Richard Kimble's life on the run, only serves to add a depth to this show that wasn't in the movie.
At almost 13 hours, the 15 episodes that are on this 4 disc set make The Fugitive: First Season, Vol. 2 one to watch.