TV and Movie Theme Songs Of Our Youth

[Nvr2Thick]

I've omitted the painfully obvious worst (Enterprise). IMO the best was Deep Space 9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, maybe this works a little bit better:

 

[Larstrup]

[handiacefailure]

Cagney and Lacey was another fav of mine in the 80s:

 

Sharon Gless was doing a fundraiser for LGBT law enforcement with a promo for Hannah Free at the hotel I was staying at during Chicago pride. She did a signing after and remember feeling old when I told her I watched Cagney and Lacey in high school and college and some of the younger people there never heard of the show:) I remember thinking Martin Kove was really sexy for an "older guy" LOL

[Larstrup]

[+ azdr0710]

 

 

don't know if anybody ever noticed, but, even when the new Newhart show was originally on, I always was intrigued with that outboard motorboat at 0:12-0:14 headed full speed into the bushes and the shore....anybody else see that??!!

[longtime lurker]

 

Sure they talked about girls a lot, but they were always happier "bro-bonding", sharing sleeping quarters and frolicking the beaches topless together.

[Ajac]

OK in some ways I think the quality of shows can be better now. There is so much content out there that if compared in volume to the past shows I am sure the amount of good is equal. I think what bothers me is there is an underlying theme that bad behavior gets rewarded. (Reality shows...Washington?) I also think it was funnier to hint at some sexual stuff other than now when nothing is off limits but hey I am over 50 so I am a Geez. Yes I long for the days of Carol Burnett, Bewitched and Gillian's Island But as we have seen when people try to recreate the variety show or any show with a structure from the past (aliens, Genies, etc.) it rarely works in todays world.

So we can reminisce fondly that is what we do.

[BigK]

Did I Miss someone posting Hill Street Blues?

 

I particularly liked:

 

Mission Impossible

Perry Mason

St Elsewhere

Dallas

Dynasty

 

and many more.

[N13]

Carol Burnett Show was the only one I would plan on staying home to see.

[actor61]

When I was a kid, I never missed "Mr. Novak" with James Franciscus. And I loved the specials - remember "Specials"?? Some of them were glorious. Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly. Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte. Mrs. Kennedy's tour of the redecorated White House. On Sunday evenings, there was the Shirley Temple show, Ed Sullivan, Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and some of my best memories of being with my mother are when we watched the Bell Telephone Hour together, or the Hallmark Hall of Fame. God, they did wonderful stuff. Julie Harris in "Victoria Regina", or Julie Harris and Lynne Fontanne in "Anastasia", or the Lunts in "The Magnificent Yankee". I don't know who produced them, but there was a production of "The Fantastiks" with Bert Lahr as one of the fathers, and "The Tempest" with Richard Burton as Caliban. If I remember correctly, Lee Remick played Miranda and Maurice Evans was Prospero. And maybe I'm wrong, but I think a lot of these things were presented with limited commercials. They usually only had 1 sponsor, so you didn't get an endless parade of ads for products. If you watch the Carol and Julie at Carnegie Hall show, they were sponsored by Lipton and I think there were only 2 or 3 breaks for Lipton commercials while "the girls" changed costumes. Holy shit - THAT was a special. I think it was probably one of the best musical shows ever put on t.v. And before that, Julie had done the glorious "Cinderella" special written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Even the Leslie Ann Warren remake a few years later was pretty good.

 

Now, we get these horrendous "live" Broadway shows, which we've discussed on this forum before, with their endless commercials, horrific casting and bad production values and it's really disheartening to see how unspecial specials have become.

[N13]

Anne Bancroft did a fantastic special. Funny, and thoroughly enjoyable. That gal could sing! Ima, Ura, etc. was from this as was Either, Either. You can see some of it on Youtube

[Ajac]

I also like the specials sponsored by Kraft with corresponding recipes in the TV Guide. Always knew the day after Mom would put something weird on the dinner table. Loved the Andy Williams and King Family Christmas stuff.

I did watch the Paul Lynd Halloween special from the 70's With special guests Whitchie Poo and Kiss recently and have to say that was pretty bad. I guess not every special from the past was great.

I guess over time tastes change.... Do you think in the 30 years in the future people will fondly reminisce about the wonderful Kardashian Show, Duck Dynasty,Grease live or Two Broke Girls?

[actor61]

Anne Bancroft did a fantastic special. Funny, and thoroughly enjoyable. That gal could sing! Ima, Ura, etc. was from this as was Either, Either. You can see some of it on Youtube

Did you know that Bancroft was the original choice to play Fanny in "Funny Girl" on B'way? It was also offered to Carol Burnett and Eydie Gorme before Streisand finally landed the role.

[+ WilliamM]

Did you know that Bancroft was the original choice to play Fanny in "Funny Girl" on B'way? It was also offered to Carol Burnett and Eydie Gorme before Streisand finally landed the role.

 

Mary Martin was considered first, but was so obviously not Jewish, it did not work out.

[Moondance]

Lots of great memories here. Thanks to all who posted. But it's the theme to Perry Mason that's the most memorable to me--not because I watched the show (too young), but because I can remember being in bed at night--but not asleep--hearing it on the TV in another room. It always sounded scary to me--a musical reflection of the phrase spine-tingling.

 

I just looked it up and apparently it's called "Park Avenue Beat." The composer, Fred Steiner, set out to write a theme that would project two primary aspects of Mason's character — sophistication and toughness. The Los Angeles Times said, "The piece he came up with pulsed with the power of the big city and the swagger of a beefy hero played to perfection by actor Raymond Burr."

[+ pitman]

Lots of great memories here. Thanks to all who posted. But it's the theme to Perry Mason that's the most memorable to me--not because I watched the show (too young), but because I can remember being in bed at night--but not asleep--hearing it on the TV in another room. It always sounded scary to me.

 

I just looked it up and apparently it's called "Park Avenue Beat." The composer, Fred Steiner, set out to write a theme that would project two primary aspects of Mason's character — sophistication and toughness. The Los Angeles Times said, "The piece he came up with pulsed with the power of the big city and the swagger of a beefy hero played to perfection by actor Raymond Burr."

 

Before Perry Mason, Burr was cast most notably as a film noir villain. I'm assuming most people on this board know he was also a Friend of Dorothy.

 

From his Wikipedia page -

 

Burr appeared in more than 50 feature films between 1946 and 1957,[15] creating an array of villains that established him as an icon of film noir.[7]:34 Film historian Alain Silver concluded that Burr's most significant work in the genre is in these ten films: Desperate (1947), Sleep, My Love (1948), Raw Deal (1948), Pitfall (1948), Abandoned (1949), Red Light (1950), M (1951), His Kind of Woman (1951), The Blue Gardenia (1953) and Crime of Passion (1957).[16]:357 Silver described Burr's private detective in Pitfall as "both reprehensible and pathetic",[16]:228 a characterization also cited by film historian Richard Schickel as a prototype of film noir, in contrast with the appealing television characters for which Burr later became famous.[17]:43

 

"He tried to make you see the psychosis below the surface, even when the parts weren't huge," said film historian James Ursini. "He was able to bring such complexity and different levels to those characters, and create sympathy for his characters even though they were doing reprehensible things."[7]:36

[Moondance]

Before Perry Mason, Burr was cast most notably as a film noir villain. I'm assuming most people on this board know he was also a Friend of Dorothy.

And on that note ...

 

[+ purplekow]

Lest we forget

[+ purplekow]

http://www.billboard.com/photos/6715284/50-tv-theme-songs-on-billboard-charts-hannah-montana-friends-cheers-the-x-files

 

Listing of 50 TV show themes that charted on Billboard's Top 100 and the peak it reached. Jed Clampett was #1 for three weeks. Also #1 for Theme from SWAT; Welcome Back Kotter; Theme from Dukes of Hazzard; Miami Vice Theme; How Do You Talk to an Angel from The Heights

 

Biggest Hit was indeed the Rembrandt's with The Friends Theme I'll Be There for You 8 weeks as #1

[Ajac]

Before Perry Mason, Burr was cast most notably as a film noir villain. I'm assuming most people on this board know he was also a Friend of Dorothy.

 

From his Wikipedia page -

 

Burr appeared in more than 50 feature films between 1946 and 1957,[15] creating an array of villains that established him as an icon of film noir.[7]:34 Film historian Alain Silver concluded that Burr's most significant work in the genre is in these ten films: Desperate (1947), Sleep, My Love (1948), Raw Deal (1948), Pitfall (1948), Abandoned (1949), Red Light (1950), M (1951), His Kind of Woman (1951), The Blue Gardenia (1953) and Crime of Passion (1957).[16]:357 Silver described Burr's private detective in Pitfall as "both reprehensible and pathetic",[16]:228 a characterization also cited by film historian Richard Schickel as a prototype of film noir, in contrast with the appealing television characters for which Burr later became famous.[17]:43

 

"He tried to make you see the psychosis below the surface, even when the parts weren't huge," said film historian James Ursini. "He was able to bring such complexity and different levels to those characters, and create sympathy for his characters even though they were doing reprehensible things."[7]:36

I don't think he had dialogue but I will always remember him in rear window. I may like guys but Grace Kelley in that movie always gets me a bit confused.

[AdamSmith]

Lots of great memories here. Thanks to all who posted. But it's the theme to Perry Mason that's the most memorable to me--not because I watched the show (too young), but because I can remember being in bed at night--but not asleep--hearing it on the TV in another room. It always sounded scary to me.

 

I just looked it up and apparently it's called "Park Avenue Beat." The composer, Fred Steiner, set out to write a theme that would project two primary aspects of Mason's character — sophistication and toughness. The Los Angeles Times said, "The piece he came up with pulsed with the power of the big city and the swagger of a beefy hero played to perfection by actor Raymond Burr."

Watched it religiously.

 

Title formula, from the novels:

 

[Moondance]

I don't think he had dialogue but I will always remember him in Rear Window.

You don't think he had dialogue!? Time to watch Rear Window again--well worth your time!

 

 

I may like guys but Grace Kelly in that movie always gets me a bit confused.

Well, yeah. Whoever said a gay man doesn't appreciate fine aesthetics?

[Ajac]

You don't think he had dialogue!? Time to watch Rear Window again--well worth your time!

 

 

 

Well, yeah. Whoever said a gay man doesn't appreciate fine aesthetics?

Wow I have seen it so many times and forgot the dialogue in the flash bulb scene... Memory isn't what it use to be.

Virginia Mayo in Walter Mitty another amazing Blonde that would have totally made me identify as Bi.

[+ WmClarke]

I may like guys but Grace Kelley in that movie always gets me a bit confused.

"Larrrrs Thorwald."

 

Always loved how she said his name.

[+ azdr0710]

The first Grace Kelly scene in "Rear Window" in which she arrives to visit him, waking him up. Zowee!