The Cellar - Shows with Cool Theme Songs

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Shows with Cool Theme Songs

Reading the cult TV thread got me to thinking, especially after I overlooked "Peter Gunn". What shows had great theme songs that would grab your attention without even knowing about the show?

In no particular order, my list is:

Streets of San Francisco
Secret Agent
Hawaii Five-O
Peter Gunn
Mannix
12 OClock High (very pretentious orchestrated)
Johnny Quest
Captain Scarlet
Star Trek
Room 222
MASH
Mod Squad
Dr. Who
The Rat Patrol
Battlestar Galactica
Hill Street Blues
A-Team

If you want to check a few out, here is a link

I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the Quinn Martin shows had theme songs that sounded the same, but I just loved the style.

Peter Gunn gets special attention since in 1958, it just seems inconceivable that a TV show from that time could have such a cool theme song.

Honorable Mention

I'll leave Masterpiece Theatre out since it was an existing piece of classical music. Here is an interesting tidbit.

Quote:

This now instantly recognizable music was originally written for the court of Louis XV, King of France. The blood-stirring piece is Jean-Joseph Mouret's (1682-1738) "Rondeau" from his Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper.

In 1962 my future wife and I went to one of the Club Med villages in Italy. We were in these little straw huts and every morning we were summoned to breakfast by that theme. It was just magic ... I wanted to use it for Masterpiece Theatre but there was no way I could bear to put a French piece of music on something that was supposed to be English. I went through all kinds of English composers and nothing worked. So, it became the theme. The nice little twist on that is that about five years ago someone from the New York Times went to a Club Med in Mexico and commented on what a classy joint it was because they used the music of Masterpiece Theatre to summon people to meals...

Christopher Sarson, founding father of Masterpiece Theatre and its executive producer from 1970 to 1973.
From Masterpiece Theatre: A Celebration of 25 Years
(Courtesy Bay Books, San Francisco, 1999).

Barney Miller
Taxi
The Avengers
Mission: Impossible
I Spy
Spider Man
Get Smart

Definitely Mission: Impossible ... which is one of my three downloaded ringtones for my cell phone (the others are Linus and Lucy and The Great Escape)
I also second The Avengers

Wiseguy (by Mike Post)
The Rockford Files (also by Mike Post. He also did the A-Team theme. Very distincitve style)
Twin Peaks (especially the version with the Julee Cruise vocals ... haunting and really set the tone)
Xena: Warrior Princess
The Outer Limits (do not attempt to adjust your television set)
Law and Order
Oz
Masterpiece Theatre
The Monkees
Perry Mason
UFO
Space: 1999
The Lone Ranger
Alien Nation (I have the CD. I play it loud in my car on occasion)
Dark Shadows
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Funeral March for a Marionette. Even the TITLE is good)

I used to have tapes (long since turned to magnetic dust) of lots of TV themes, taped, in good junior high school fashion, by putting the microphone of the tape recorder up to the TV speakers.

Thanks for reminding me of The Rat Patrol. I loved that show!! Hans Gudegast before he changed his name and became a soap star. That one confused me for QUITE a while.)

S.W.A.T.
Sanford & Son
The Jeffersons
Welcome Back Kotter
I dream of Genie
What's Happening
The Waltons
LaVerne & Shirley
Happy Days
Kight Rider
Twilight Zone
Get Smart
Miami Vice

Baretta
E.R.

As much as I love CSI, I find the theme song annoying. I like the song itself ... how can you not? But I think it's cheating to use it as a theme.

It's Garry Shandling's Show

("This is the theme for Garry's show, the theme for Garry's show.
Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song...")

LOL fun!

I second Mission: Impossible, Johnny Quest, Hawaii Five-O and Law and Order.

I'll add:

Cheers
X-Files

From the world of Soap Operas: (daytime)Young and the Restless, Bold and the Beautiful and the old version of As The World Turns.
(nighttime): Dallas, Dynasty

Magnum, P.I.
Trapper John, M.D.

Andy Griffith. I like to whistle harmonically.

Quote:

Originally posted by Radar

Happy Days

Which one?

Rock around the clock - Bill Haley and his Comets

For a really far out theme song, I always think of Alien Nation. The vocals are sung opera-like in an invented alien language.

"Believe it or not" from the Greatest American Hero is good, but I couldn't stand the show. Its very 80's

Jeopardy had the catchiest theme song until I heard it several million times and couldn't stand it anymore. My favorite version has the maniacal bongo drumming in the background.

My favorite website for this kind of thing is http://www.80stvthemes.com/
It has much more than just theme-songs.

Peter Gunn was written by Henry Mancini, so there is very good reason it is so memorable and ahead of its time. The man was a certifiable musical genius.

FWIW, I always liked the "Get Smart" theme.

Barney Miller (I *love* bass)
Little House on the Prairie
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (prior to the backbeat thing started in season 5 (I think))
Star Trek: The Next Generation (my autistic son was singing it before he could talk)
Star Trek: Enterprise (It's been a long road....)
Hawaii Five-O
Magnum PI (I love this one)
The Jeffersons
I dream of Jeannie
Cheers
Greatest American Hero
Batman
Miami Vice
Quantum Leap (my cell phone ring tone)

.........I was right there with ya til you said Enterprise ( long road) .....I like the show ( though not as much as DS9) but the theme tune sucks.....its too....cheesy, yes thats the word, cheesy and its all written in the smug key....y'know the one. for songs too full of cheddar to be sung in an ordinary key.....and adding the up tempo beat in season two did not help one iota.....it's just too cheesy

Now DS9's theme tune was awesome