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What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:04 pm
by 45 RPM
Over the years there have been lots of great TV show themes. Many have become hit songs, most have just remained with the show.

What's your favorite TV show theme from the past (or present)?

I've always liked the Hawaii Five O theme from 1969 by The Ventures. The fact they're using the same theme for the show's 40 plus year revival means others must like it too.

This is one I'd love to hear on my local "oldies" station rather than yet another overplayed Tom Petty tune from the 80s!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhlodvXvwI

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:32 pm
by Neumann Sennheiser
Seriously? I can only pick one?

Mission Impossible Theme
Get Smart
Hogans Heroes
F-Troop
The Addams Family
The Munsters
You're Not The Boss Of Me (..from Malcom in the Middle
The Sopranos
Treme
...I could go on and on.
It's pretty hard to top Hawaii 5-0 as the overall best of all-time.
I guess my personal favorite ( if I have to pick ONLY one) would be Way Down in the Hole by The Blind Boys of Alabama from the opening credits of the HBO series The Wire (which, coincidentally, might be the best TV drama program ever).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ABR4UpDSU

Image

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:37 pm
by albertaboy4life
Rockford Files - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d41cAOmcuxk

HIll Street Blues - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je2fGzKiqRM

Mary Tyler Moore show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuuYvQsN-ak

Simon and Simon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDhz_mVcVCQ

Kingo Bingo (CFCN TV Calgary) - Move Out, Situation by Yaz/Yazoo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Me9xPEJX0

Stampede Wrestling (CFAC TV Calgary) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgfcPU5WiE4

Buck Shot show (CFCN TV Calgary) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ohEl8hUZCk

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:47 pm
by radiofan

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:09 pm
by Tape Splicer
I like the "Top Cat" theme The show is a great "take off" on "Sgt. Bilco"

Here are three more TV themes.....
Hill Street Blues theme;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqH3qCxz2x0
Welcome Back Kotter Theme;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZzEzDkeHzI
WKRP In Cincinnati Theme;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgrVP_J0BHk

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:24 pm
by Neumann Sennheiser
Of course! WKRP!

The late 70's into the 80's were a goldmine of great TV themes.

Cheers
Taxi
Barney Miller
...and BOTH Bob Newhart shows.

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:42 pm
by CubbyCam
Just about ANYTHING by Mike Post... but particularly the Rockford Files. Once it get's into your head, it's a tough ear worm to get rid of... :violent1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg1Cx26-928

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:44 pm
by Tape Splicer
I find it interesting how a message board dealing with "radio" themed topics uses "YouTube" (a visual medium) to express some of the content. If one types 'themes" into the YouTube search box you will have any number of play lists with TV themes.
For example......
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... emes+&sm=3

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:17 pm
by Toomas Losin
The absolute bestest theme has to be Hawaii Five-O. Closely followed by The Mod Squad and The Rockford Files. Other favourites are Spider-Man (1967) and Scooby Doo (1969).

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:06 pm
by Firedog
Tod and Buz cruising Route 66 in their Corvette to the sound of the Nelson Riddle theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI Route 66

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:11 pm
by radiofan

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:49 pm
by jon
I'd really have to do some serious looking through a lot of TV shows to answer this one, but Firedog got me thinking about what great combo composer/conductors have applied their skills to theme music for TV (and, of course, movies) over the years. Henry Mancini and Nelson Riddle come immediately to mind, but there were many others. At CHQM, when I had access to all the new releases, it was amazing to see how many TV themes by Mancini showed up as 45 rpm singles. And they were all great, even when the TV show bombed. There were actually more themes than you might think, as a single time spot on network TV might be rotating weekly through several different series, typically in the 90-120 minute TV movie format. It is easy to forget, for example, that Columbo was never on every week, to the best of my knowledge, and there were probably three other series that occupied the same time slot.

I'm currently watching Gunsmoke from 1961 at the moment, and there is my all-time favourite composer of movie music, Bernard Herrmann, in the credits for all the Music in the last three episodes I've been watching. This is the guy who did the amazing music for Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho, being hired to compose the music specifically for only three episodes of a TV show that lasted 20 years. If you look him up on imdb.com and add up all his credits under Music Department, Composer and Sound Track, you'll find hundreds of TV episodes where he was involved in the Music.

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:41 pm
by Firedog
I doubt there is anyone alive today who would not remember a well known theme composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1829. Part of his composition was adapted to a radio show which later moved to television. Rossini's composition was called The William Tell Overture but was best known as the theme for The Lone Ranger.

Probably the best rendition was done by Fred Foy for the radio show. Foy also slightly changed the wording for the television series.

Lone Ranger Theme - Fred Foy

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:44 am
by freqfreak2
Just gotta weigh in with my two notes worth ...

Homicide - Life on the street (incidentally, the aforementioned The Wire's antecedent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeZLSomwuLw

House of Cards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbWcdaeYrsI

Great themes aren't always easy to hum ... but they're easily recalled.

Re: What's Your Favorite TV Show Theme?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:17 pm
by mccrady
I'm clearly dating myself, but my vote would be for "The Fishing Hole" .... the old Andy Griffith Show theme.