Classic TV theme music

[Johnny L.A.]

I guess I watched a lot of TV when I was a kid. Give me the title of a '60s sitcom, and I'm more likely than not to be able to come up with the tune. Everybody remembers I Dream Of Jeannie (which I've recently found out is a samba) and Gilligan's Island. For the longest time though, I had trouble remembering the theme to McHale's Navy. When I finally remembered it, oh, so many years ago, it's now the first theme that comes to my head when I think of theme songs. My Favorite Martian took a while to 'stick' as well.

Anyone else find classic TV theme songs popping into his head?

[Slithy Tove]

Took me a minute to recall the theme form My Favorite Martian (it was a march).

Westerns:
I know there was a TV western that used the "Magnificent Seven" theme, but I can't remember which show. It wasn't The Virginian (which I think was the best theme in this catagory).

Long before it was revealed on "Cheers," I knew the lyrics to Bonanza. But I'd always assumed the lyrics to Wagon Train went:
[/i]"wagon train, wagon train, wagon train, oh wagon train; wagon tra-in, wagon train, wagon traiin!"[/i] (sing it and you'll see).

In the sub-catogory Westerns/Chuck Connors, kids could change tongue-clop along to the closing theme of The Rifleman, or change the wording to the theme song for Branded:
"Stranded, sittin' on the toilet bowl. What do you do when you're stranded...and you ain't got a roll? You must prove you're a man... and wipe with your hand."

[What Exit?]

For the 60's: Star Trek, Bewitched, Addams Family & Get Smart.
I would recognize but cannot hum: My Three Sons, Munsters, Lost in Space & Andy Griffith.
Gilligan & I dream of Jeannie are definite. Gilligan is the only theme song I could sing from the 60's.


Jim

[TV time]

It's not really classic, but it should be. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, in my mind the best TV theme song ever.

[slortar]

The original Battlestar Galactica theme song. I fully recognize now that the 70's series sucks ass on ice, but every time I hear the theme it still sends chills up my spine.

[Ponder Stibbons]

I could almost write the musical score to Hawaii 5-0 from memory.

Others that come to mind quickly are The Rockford Files, The Waltons, All In The Family, Sanford and Son, and for some reason I can't fathom, Love, American Style.

[Doug Bowe]

Took me a minute to recall the theme form My Favorite Martian (it was a march).

Westerns:
I know there was a TV western that used the "Magnificent Seven" theme, but I can't remember which show. ..[/i]


Elmer Bernstein wrote the themes for Johnny Staccato and Riverboat. You might be remembering the theme from "Magnificent Seven" from the Marlboro commercials.


For a l-o-n-g time you could say "A horse is a horse" and around you people would follow up with "of course, of course."

[What Exit?]

The 70's: That's a horse of a different Color.
Mary Tyler Moore I could sing, you would ask me to stop, but I could sing it.
M*A*S*H, I even remember the lyrics from the movie (Suicide is Painless...)
Know the lyrics: All In the Family, WKRP, Jeffersons, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Welcome Back Carter.
Hum the Tune: Barney Miller, Taxi, Alice, Maude, Bob Newhart, Columbo, Good Times.

I forgot Hogan's Heroes for 60's

[Robot Arm]

I even remember the lyrics to the Bob Newhart Show theme.

...and for some reason I can't fathom, Love, American Style.
Damn you!

[blondebear]

Two of my faves were Garrison's Guerillas and Mannix.

[Annie-Xmas]

Rolling rolling rolling
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them doggies rolling....RAWHIDE

[Johnny L.A.]

The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, anyone?

[anyrose]

"And then there's Maude!"

[anyrose]

I guess I watched a lot of TV when I was a kid. Give me the title of a '60s sitcom, and I'm more likely than not to be able to come up with the tune. Everybody remembers I Dream Of Jeannie (which I've recently found out is a samba) and Gilligan's Island. For the longest time though, I had trouble remembering the theme to McHale's Navy. When I finally remembered it, oh, so many years ago, it's now the first theme that comes to my head when I think of theme songs. My Favorite Martian took a while to 'stick' as well.

Anyone else find classic TV theme songs popping into his head?
"And then there's Maude!"

[What Exit?]

The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, anyone?

I wish someone would show this and the Nanny & the Professor.
Neither are available on NetFlix. In fact neither are availalbe in any format.

I don't remember either theme song though.

If you want to hear a theme song from a sitcom try this site
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/g.html

I like the Ghost one, I had completely forgotten it. Very Disney Like.
The Nanny and the Professor is pretty Groovy. Give it a listen.

Jim

[What Exit?]

You know probably the best 60's theme song was The Monkees.

Sorry for the multi Posting, you got me into reliving my youth mode.

How about Mr. Ed "A Horse is a Horse ..."

I just listened to My Favorite Martian It reminds me of Bullwinkle.

The Beverly Hillbillies "Come a listen to my Story about a man named Jed"

I'll stop now, sorry.

Jim

[Mrs. Cake]

Oh yeah.

Can't remember what I did at work today, but I can remember all the words to "F-Troop".

[LiveOnAPlane]

Peter Gunn Theme, love it to this day.
Surfside Six Surside Six, ---Surfside Six, ---, In MIAMI BEACH! ( http://www.mythemes.tv/series/surfside.htm)
77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip, snap, snap (http://www.mythemes.tv/series/77sunset.htm)

And my fave, The Hawaiian Eyyeeeee! (http://www.mythemes.tv/series/hawaiian.htm) P.S. Was this Robert Conrad's first TV appearance?

[Eve]

Anyone else find classic TV theme songs popping into his head?

Well, I do now.

Thanks.

[Johnny L.A.]

Well, I do now.

Thanks.
Heh heh heh.

It's working...

[kunilou]

"Come ride the little train that is rolling down the tracks to the junction..."

"Greeeeeen Acres is the place for me..."

"Meet Cathy who's been most everywhere, from Zanzibar to Barkley Square..."

[Carnac the Magnificent!]

I second/third "I Dream of Jeannie."

Also:

"Bewitched"
"Batman"
"Hawaii Five-O."
"The Avengers" (Diana Rigg in black leather doesn't hurt)
"Dick Van Dyke Show"
"Odd Couple"
"Partridge Family"
"Combat"

And...

"Leave it to Beaver." During the last couple seasons, they gave it a swing groove.

[ddgryphon]

Maverick was always a favorite of mine and yes, I sometimes find myself singing or humming it.

[picunurse]

Sugarfoot Easy lopin' cattle ropin' Sugarfoot
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Welcome Back Kotter
The Golden Girls Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold
The Jeffersons
One Day at a Time
Sanford and Son
Route 66
Get Smart!
Make Room for Daddy maybe not fair since it was Oh Danny Boy
Dave's World
The Great Gildersleeve That was the '50s and I think I spelled it wrong. I'm pretty sure Foghorn Leghorn was patterned on Gildersleeve
That's enough.
Johnny, I can't believe I let you do that! There are... so many more! My head won't shut up now. I'll get you, you know... :D

[anyrose]

I have Hawai'i Five-O on my iPod -

Room 222 will run thru my brain whenever I'm walking thru a corridor with a lot of doors

[want2know]

Oh yeah.

Can't remember what I did at work today, but I can remember all the words to "F-Troop".
One of the best!

But where's the love for:

They're creepy and they're kooky,
Mysterious and spooky..."
THE classic 60's theme song, IMHO.

Howzabout some cartoons?
Jonny Quest --great instrumental!
Top Cat
Beany and Cecil --"A Bob Clampett cartoo-oooo-ooo-nn!"

[Terminus Est]

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air
I never thought I could feel so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it's just me

[TV time]

May I put forward:

Hennesy for great, great saxaphone jazz;
The Roaring 20s for great Charleston;
The Smith Family (with Henry Fonda) and Harrigan and Son (with Pat O'Brian) for the wonderful use of existing songs as theme music. The Smith Family used "Primrose Lane" and Harrigan and Son used "H-a-double r-i-g-a-n."

My father used to tune into The Smith Family only for the theme song. I fell in love with jazz from Hennesy, and was introduced to vaudiville tunes through Harrigan and Son. As for The Roaring 20s, heck, all of the music was great not just the theme song.

[anyrose]

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air
I never thought I could feel so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it's just me
see, now, I hate this song for reasons other than just TV watchers do.
We learned a barbershop arrangement of it which pretty much ruined it for me
Not that it's a bad arrangement, it's really quite good and sounds great when sung by a whole chorus - but every time I hear it on the iPod (because the radio station I listen to won't play it0 all I hear is the bass part to the BBS version - :eek:

[Zebra]

There is the theme for The Odd Couple by Neil Hefti and then there is Barny Miller. I love that one oh and the theme from The Rockford Files.

I can't remember the theme to The Rat Patrol (in COLOR!).

[Slithy Tove]

I can't remember the theme to The Rat Patrol (in COLOR!).

It sounded as close as possible to "Colonel Bogey March," with tremolo violins underneath. Visualize a jeep going over a sand dune and it may pop into mind.

[ms.deanna]

How about "Who was once a little green ball of clay?" GUMBY!

[Quint]

Whenever I need to "crank it up a notch", be it at work, in a game, or even just getting ready to hustle out the door, I start to hum (sing?) "Da da da daaaah, Duh duh duuuuuh!"

The A-Team!

[zenith]

Nobody's mentioned the "Perry Mason" or "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" themes yet.

British sitcoms have a couple of classics: "One Foot in The Grave" and "Keeping Up Apppearances".

"Monty Python" and "Fawlty Towers" are also favorites of mine.

[Ike Witt]

I have a CD called Ultra-Lounge: Tiki Sampler and it has the theme from The Munsters, My Three Sons and The Apartment on it. Good Times (ain't we lucky we got 'em).

[Johnny L.A.]

I wish someone would show this and the Nanny & the Professor.
Neither are available on NetFlix. In fact neither are availalbe in any format.

I don't remember either theme song though.
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir sounded like a sea chanty. Sort of:

DUNN-dun-dun-dun
dun-dun-dun-dun-da-dun...

Nanny & The Professor was...

Since the day that nanny came to stay with us
Fantastic things keep happening.
Is there really magic in the things she does
Or is love the only magic thing that nanny brings...

[Foaming Cleanser]

I'm pretty sure Foghorn Leghorn was patterned on GildersleeveFor what it's worth, this (http://www.answers.com/topic/foghorn-leghorn) says Foghorn is a radio-character takeoff.His voice was created by actor Mel Blanc, heavily patterned after the character of Senator Claghorn, a blustering southern politician who was a regular character on the Fred Allen radio show. Senator Claghorn was created and voiced by radio comedian Kenny Delmar. Foghorn Leghorn used a number of Claghorn's catch phrases, like "That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son". The references to Senator Claghorn were obvious to much of the audience when the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons first premiered, but like many of the references in WB cartoons of the era, they have since become dated and "go over the heads" of most modern-day audiences.

[What Exit?]

For what it's worth, this (http://www.answers.com/topic/foghorn-leghorn) says Foghorn is a radio-character takeoff.
Great piece of cartoon lore, I think I always knew they were mocking a southern politician, but I never knew who or that he was fictional.
I now have to find out more about Senator Claghorn

Jim