Lost lyrics to "The Great Escape" movie theme

Cafe Society
1

When The Great Escape came out in '63 the theme song, with words, was played for a brief time on the radio.
But the words that had been written for the theme never appeared in the movie.

I’d tried for years to find the words, and now I’ve found them.
On a Chinese movie Oscar site of all places (scroll down).
Got to love the internet.

THE WORDS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD
The Great Escape March
Words by Al Stillman, Music by Elmer Bernstein
(This is not a joke: these are from the actual published lyrics)

Mabel
I love you, Mabel
Love you as much as I am able
But, oh, Iím crazy
For little Daisy
She is the one girl for me

Fickle
I may be fickle
But it’s a dollar to a nickel

That when I’m kissin’
The one I’m kissin’
She is the one girl for me

Carrie, I love you, Carrie.
But I don’t think that we will marry.
'Cause that would hinder my love for Linda.
She is the one girl for me.
:
:
Originally Published by United Artists Music Co, Inc.

2

I hate being old enough to remember that :smiley: . IIRC, it was Mitch Miller (remember him)?

das Glas

3

And I thought nothing could be more embarassing than the words to the Star Trek theme! Live and learn.

4
  • Star Trek Lyrics -

Beyond the rim of the starlight,
my love is wandring in star flight.
I know he’llfind
In star clustered reaches
Love, strange love
A starwoman teaches.

I konw his journey ends never.
His Star Trek will go on forever.
But tell him while
He wanders his starry sea,
Remember,
Remember me.

5

Can’t believe I found the lyrics! Long long ago when I was a little kid, when this movie was released, I Mom heard the theme and started singing these lyrics. My brother and I thought she made them up. This is another example of Mom losing every battle and winning every war.:smack:

6

Hard to hear the theme without thinking of Trim-Jeans®

7

A lot of instrumentals were given “fake” lyrics so that the producers could share in the ascap/bmi royalties.:o or so I was told.:dubious:

8

That’s why Gene Roddenbery wrote those awful lyrics I heard.

9

I had temporarily forgotten the tune but the lyrics brought it right back.

Reminds me of its use in The Simpsons, in which Maggie liberates the Ayn Rand School For Tots, burning off more cultural references in under two minutes of any TV episode I can think of.

10

As long as we’re posting missing lyrics to themes:

Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see…

[chorus]:

That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.

aka, the MASH theme.

11

Small Hen: Hard to consider those lyrics lost, as they were used rather prominently in the movie.

12

Oh? I never saw the movie - I was familiar with the TV show. Whoops.

13

Altman complained until he died that he only got, what was it: $50?, to direct it but his punk-kid son got over a million for the lyrics.

14

There are lyrics to theme from Bonanza: