DRAGNET (#6 in 2013)
This one takes a bit of a tumble.
Dragnet finished at #6 in our 2013 poll … but falls to #34 in our 2020 search for your all-time favorite television theme songs.
Yes, it's another oldie but goodie ... and our voters seemed to skew a little to the younger side this time around ... (you'll still see plenty of '60's and '70's favorites ... but you'll also find some tunes from the 1990's and even (GASP!) the new millennium!!!)
Still, those four opening notes seem to be etched in the minds of most of us, especially since the show was revived a couple of times (and even made into a movie, albeit not in the most serious manner.)
The brainchild of Jack Webb (who starred as Sgt. Joe Friday in two TV incarnations), “Dragnet” parodies date back to Stan Freberg and Buchanan and Goodman in the early-to-mid ‘50’s. Webb’s matter-of-fact approach to the narrative was just the other side of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone delivery. (Naturally, Dan Aykroyd portrayed BOTH actors on Saturday Night Live.)
The title theme became a #1 Hit for Ray Anthony back in 1951. It first aired from 1951 – 1959 … and was revived again in 1967, when it ran until 1970. This clips gives you a feel for the tone of the whole series … as well as the ‘50’s theme and the 1967 revival … IN COLOR!!!
