TV Series with Story-Telling Intro Songs

Cafe Society
1

In response to this thread:

What about TV series that have a song that tells the backstory/premise (as opposed to just some introductory song – it has to relate the sertup).

The OP in that thread listed the classic Gilligan’s Island (“…a three hour tour…”) and the less-well-known Branded. What are some others?

The Smothers Brothers Show (the first one, before their controversial variety show, where Tom is an angel)

Hank – 1960s show about a college “Drop in”*
**Magilla Gorilla

Captain Nice

**

*Hank attended classes in disguise because he couldn’t afford tuition. God knows how he hoped to get a diploma or transcript. Hank is one of the few shows I know of that had a “final episode” in the 1960s – Hank got a degree.

2

I think Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fits (well, fitted) your requirements.

Come to think about it, could old series like Green Acres or Petticoat Junction (or heck, the Dukes of Hazzard) kind of fit the bill.

3

The Brady Bunch.

4

“Here’s the story, of a lovely lady…” The Brady Bunch

“Come and listen to a story about a man name Jed” Beverly Hillbillies

5

F-Troop “The end of the civil war was near and quite accidently the hero…”

6

Land of the Lost

7

*Liddsville *and H. R. Pufnstuf come to mind.

8

The Nanny.

9

Fairly Oddparents

10

Green Acres

I think Petticoat Junction might qualify, though it is more of an introduction and less of a story. Not surprising, since both were made by the same people who did Beverly Hillbillies.

11

How about one that has a spoken introduction and a storytelling song?

The Amazing 3

12

I see you agree w/ my post up above :stuck_out_tongue: .
I will give you Petticoat Junction is more of an intro to the premise (telling you Uncle Joe’s moving kinda slow, and that there’s curves up ahead etc.) than Green Acres (which gives a story sort of explaining why this clearly urban couple is now living on a beat-up farm). I suppose the Dukes of Hazzard theme is more an introduction too, as there is really no story, just that them “Good Ol’ Boys been in trouble with the law since they day they was born…”
The ‘Love Theme from Mystery Science Theatre’, now that’s a Story.

13

The Patty Duke Show

14

The Dukes of Hazzard!!

Plus the singer (Waylon Jennings) is the narrator of the show. Whoa.

15

The Flinstones & The Jetsons

16

Strangers with Candy and Upright Citizens Brigade both give an intro in their intros.

17

The Jeffersons

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

18

I don’t know Upright Citizens Brigade, but Strangers with Candy belongs in the other thread, about narrated intros.

19

It’s About Time, which was a fantasy show about two astronauts who traveled back to prehistoric times and encountered a group of cave-people. It lasted for 26 episodes from 1966-67 and was created by “Gilligan’s Island” producer, Sherwood Schwartz. The first half of the season had the astronauts living among the cave-people and attempting to repair their spaceship. In an attempt to improve ratings mid-season, the show was retooled so that the astronauts repaired their ship and returned to the 20th century, dragging a caveman and his family forward in time with them.

I’m going to link to the lyrics of the theme, so that I don’t get in trouble posting too much of them. There was one version of the theme for the first half of the season. The lyrics were rewritten to explain the events of the second half.

Here are the opening and closing credits from YouTube and here are the two versions of the lyrics, side-by-side.

20

Webster and Mr Belvedere come close.