Your Favorite TV Themes/Songs (2 Viewers)

[Ockeghem]

Neil,Thank you. I checked our university library, and although we often have a number of out-of-print gems like the one you listed above, we don't own this one. I think it's something I will need to pick up for our library. (Funds aren't too much of a problem since we have a fairly substantial acquisitions budget.)

The best price I could find thus far is from about a half-dozen sellers on Amazon. It's going for about $90.00. I was fairly certain AbeBooks.com would also have it in stock, as they frequently have items that are relatively rare or out-of-print. I have had much success with them over the years. Their prices for this item are a bit higher (from about $111.00 to $120.00).

http://www.abebooks.com/9780961204426/Theme-Soundtrack-Directory-Discography-Cover-0961204427/plp

 

[Vic Pardo]

I disagree. I love the UNCLE theme, but season two is my favorite, although I don't mind seasons 3 & 4. First season doesn't do it for me as I find it kind of too slow and boring. Maybe because I started watching the show as kid in second season and never saw the first season shows until syndication.

First season 'slow and boring'?! With that driving, pulsating brass section?! You've gotta be confusing it with the second season where they replaced the brass with those lame woodwinds and made it more of a light jazz piece. Here's a compilation of the show's different theme arrangements:

 

[Ockeghem]

Vic,Thank you! I liked everything I heard. Watching these openings makes me want to spring for this show now. Seeing the title "The Vulcan Affair" followed by a guest star whom also appeared on TOS was a nice treat too.

 

[Neil Brock]

Neil,Thank you. I checked our university library, and although we often have a number of out-of-print gems like the one you listed above, we don't own this one. I think it's something I will need to pick up for our library. (Funds aren't too much of a problem since we have a fairly substantial acquisitions budget.) The best price I could find thus far is from about a half-dozen sellers on Amazon. It's going for about $90.00. I was fairly certain AbeBooks.com would also have it in stock, as they frequently have items that are relatively rare or out-of-print. I have had much success with them over the years. Their prices for this item are a bit higher (from about $111.00 to $120.00). http://www.abebooks.com/9780961204426/Theme-Soundtrack-Directory-Discography-Cover-0961204427/plp

Trying to remember how I got it. I know it was out of print for a long time. Think I may have actually tracked down the author and bought a copy from him. You may want to try that.

 

[Ron1973]

Some of my favorites that I haven't seen mentioned yet:Storefront Lawyers

Neil, I'm not familiar with the show and hadn't heard of it until you or someone else mentioned it recently. I do have the theme song in my collection though. I bought a CD of The Ventures and that was included as a bonus track. Not even knowing it was a TV theme I often mused how much it sounded like one. It reminds me somewhat of the theme to Hawaii Five-0.

 

[Ron1973]

Instead of simply listing my favorite TV theme, I uploaded it to YouTube:

 

[Richard V]

Wow, Neil's post reminded me of one of my favorite themes, Judd, for the Defense. Just awesome. BUT my all time favorite remains The Virginian. Elegant and bold, can't hear enough of it.

 

[Ron1973]

I would also add S5's opening theme of Emergency! as one of the best themes ever!

 

[jimmyjet]

the catchiest one for me, as a kid, was the addams family. at least the one that comes to mind.

i also like mr. ed quite a bit.

of course, these are when i was in grade school.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

The last Virginian theme by Morricone is pretty atmospheric too, in a different way.

 

[Regulus]

Here's my best narrowed-down list:

My #1 remains the Combat! S1 opening. That "pre-intro" always places this in the top spot. I'd rate the S2-5 openings after other themes though.



The rest aren't in any order, all too close to choose a #2,3,4, etc.


Westerns:

Wild Wild West S1 opening.




The Rifleman's almost immortal in my list. Memories of coming home from school to watch this one.



SItcoms:

There are 2 that are far and away my favorites, with "Donna Reed S1" being a recent discovery. It's too close to call between the iconic "Bewitched" S1 opener and Donna Reed S1.



I'm not a "phone ringer" fan but this opening changed that . By far my favorite season opener in this series.



SciFi:

No contest for #1.



A close 2nd, is TOS Season 1 intro. I'm not really a "Trekkie" by definition but S1's opening is in the immortal class, imo, in classic TV openings. Everyone's heard "Space... the final frontier..."



M:I S1 opening, the best in the series for me.



Mannix, the "piano" theme. My favorite by far of the detective shows.



Mike Hammer 50's: This one's short but I love that trumpet...played one long ago.



Animation: I'm not a big collector of cartoons so I only have a couple but they're hig on my overall theme list.

Jonny Quest. That pterodactyl sound, 60's kid cartoon timeless.



This one's on my timeless list....

[font="'Times New Roman';font-size:10pt"]♪[font="Arial;font-size:10pt"]♫[font="'Times New Roman';font-size:10pt"] [/font]Flintstones
Meet the Flintstones
They're the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
They're a page right of history[/font][/font]
Let's ride with the family down the street
Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet
When you're with the Flintstones
you'll have a yabba dabba doo time
a dabba doo time
You'll have a gay old time [font="'Times New Roman';font-size:10pt"]♪[font="Arial;font-size:10pt"]♫[/font][/font]



The Graphics on the opening of Combat! remind me of playing Video Games on my old Atari 2600 in the late '70s - Early '80s

Here are a few opening themes from some of my favorite shows

Thunderbirds

Moby Dick & Mighty Mightor

UFO (Gerry Anderson)

Probe/Search

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

The Bold Ones (Second Season)

The Theme from The Moneychangers

NBC Sunday Mystery Movie

Journey to the Unknown

I have DVDs of all of these shows (Yes, I had to get some of them from a "Trading Site").


PS. The Amusement Park rides that you see operating in the opening of 'Journey are located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach , about 250 miles north northwest of London, England. (This my ALL-TIME FAVORITE Amusement Park). It's the only Amusement Park that's home to FIVE Wooden Roller Coasters. As for the park's atmosphere - It's kind of like Disneyland, Cedar Point and Las Vegas rolled into one!

 

[Susan Nunes_329977]

Those shows with lyrics:

F Troop (I don't know WHY they changed it the second season to eliminate the lyrics)

Pruitts of Southampton

Instrumentals:

Perry Mason
Cimarron Strip

 

[swan4022]

I liked St. Elsewhere's theme a lot; Room 222 and Bob Newhart Show bring back fond, comforting feelings (especially like when these shows use the longer version), and Barnaby Jones. I guess there aren't many themes I don't enjoy!

 

[Elizabeth S]

The Avengers
Murder One
The 4400

 

[Carabimero]

I put my favorites into this TV Themes Quiz. Maybe some of these are your favorites too.

 

[Gary OS]

Got 'em all except the British show, "Fawlty Towers." Never watched that one.


Gary "even though I'm not a huge fan of 70's shows, I know just about all the theme songs from that decade" O.

 

[Carabimero]

Since I made that movie many years back, I have several new favorites, including DR. KILDARE. May have to make a sequel

 

[The 1960's]

Here's a tear-jerker from YouTube.

 

[The 1960's]

Now wipe away the tears for my own mash-up which I wrote many years ago dedicated to the memory of Shemp Howard.

'Mary Tyler Shemp'

Who can turn the world on with his sounds,

Who can take a nothing script,

And violently make it all seem 12 rounds,

Well it’s you Shemp and we all know it,

With each little grunt and every beep beep you've showed it,

You could never tell that you had made it,

So you're not alive to appreciate it,

We’ll always love you after all,

We'll always love you after all.
​

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​

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[jayembee]

My five favorite instrumental themes, in descending order:

Jonny Quest, Mission: Impossible, East West 101, Johnny Staccato, Peter Gunn

Special mention for orchestral score: both the Main and End Titles for From the Earth to the Moon

My five favorite vocal themes, in descending order:

"Amor Gitano" (El Zorro, la espada y la rosa) -- Alejandro Fernández & Beyoncé
"Way Down in the Hole" (The Wire S1) -- The Blind Boys of Alabama (with other good versions on the other seasons)
"Bad Things" (True Blood) -- Jace Everett
"Far from Any Road" (True Detective S1) -- The Handsome Family
"Saving Grace" (Saving Grace) -- Everlast

East West 101 was an Australian police drama
El Zorro, la espada y la rosa (Zorro: The Sword and the Rose) was a telenovela on Telemundo.