TV Themes

For your consideration ...































We'll narrow things down next week, once we begin our final elimination rounds ... several themes already have over 100 votes ... so anybody currently sitting with under 50 probably isn't going to make the final countdown! 

But before we close the polls, we'll give you a final alphabetical listing of qualifying titles and ask you to vote one more time for your favorites.

We'll also have more information regarding Scott Shannon counting down your favorites on The True Oldies Channel ... so, as they say in Televisionland ... Stay Tuned!!! 

Hey Kent,
All the lists of favorite TV themes coming in are sure bringing back the memories! I have my favorites, too. Sticking with the "theme" of Forgotten Hits, I would like to see the lists narrowed down to TV themes that became hits on the radio, and found their way on record shelves.
- John LaPuzza

Well, John, we're giving you the best of BOTH worlds ... because with over 7000 votes now cast I'd say this poll is a hit with our readers ... and they are LOVIN' sending in lists of their favorites.

But I agree that there should be at least SOME type of chart representation ... and that's why I contacted Randy Price of "Super Charts" fame.   

Based STRICTLY on pop chart performance, here are some of the Biggest TV Themes in Pop Music History.  (We tried to hold the list to a television era of 1955 - 1985 ... but even that became a bit difficult once we started to review some of the titles NOT on the list).  As explained yesterday, when compared to the poll that we're conducting, it's really not a fair list since MOST television themes were never commercially released as pop singles ... but it DOES give you a good representation as to how these songs performed on the pop charts during this era.  (Think about it ... how many TV themes do you hear on the radio today???)

Special Thanks to Chart Guru Randy Price for compiling the bulk of this  list.  (Please note:  We have made a couple of minor modifications, based on the criteria established in putting together our own TV Themes Favorites Countdown ... as well as some of the votes and comments that we have received.)  

By expanding our criteria (as we did yesterday), this would allow for songs like "My Life" by Billy Joel, "Thank You For Being A Friend" by Andrew Gold and "Who Are You" by The Who to make the list ... but is that really fair from a TV Theme rankings standpoint?  These were already proven chart its BEFORE they were ever considered for use on television.  Then again (as illustrated yesterday) "Who Are You" is the PERFECT theme for "CSI" ... much as "Love And Marriage" was the perfect theme for "Married ... With Children" ... so we finally caved and let these tracks in.)

However, by limiting the range from 1955 - 1985, we would have locked out some serious contenders like "I'll Be There For You" from "Friends" (a HUGE radio hit), "Closer To Free" from "Party Of Five" and old standbys like "Dragnet", simply because their release dates fall outside our chart range ... and these songs had a major impact on the charts. As such, (and with Randy's permission) you'll see that we've bended the rules a little bit here and there in an effort to present a more "fan friendly" list.  

And it doesn't end there ... in fact, it actually gets even MORE complicated than that!!!  

We received votes for tracks like "Think Of Laura" by Christopher Cross, from the soap opera "General Hospital" ... not really a television theme, but a significant part of a story arc.  (If we allowed that one, we'd have to allow "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters for its use in "Family Ties" or "Rubber Duckie" because of its repeated use in "Sesame Street".  Then we'd be adding "Rock Around The Clock" back to the list because it was used to kick off the first couple of seasons of "Happy Days".  (What next?  "Blueberry Hill" because Ritchie Cunningham used to sing it all the time?  And then what ... all the songs featured on the jukebox at Arnold's?!?!?)  

Significant as these tracks may be, they were NOT the theme song of these various programs ... in fact, each of these programs already had their own theme songs.  (We received an email telling us about a BBC Series called "Stranger On The Shore" that used the Mr. Acker Bilk #1 Hit as its theme song.  Hey, we're having a hard enough time here pulling this list together from all of the AMERICAN television shows on the list!!!  lol)  Randy originally had "Tracy's Theme" from "Philadelphia Story" in the countdown ... but further research shows that this was used for just a single episode of the series.  The same could be said of the #1 Hit "Let Me Go, Lover" by Joan Weber for its repeated use in "Studio One".  

So with MUCH agonizing consideration, here's what we've come up with as our Pop Chart List:  (kk)

1. THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT - Bill Hayes (Cadence) (1955)  Other versions charted by Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford
2. THEME FROM "GREATEST AMERICAN HERO" (Believe It Or Not) - Joey Scarbury (Elektra) (1981)
3. TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) - MFSB ["Soul Train"] (Philadelphia Int'l) (1974)
Actually "Soul Train" had its own theme ... but THIS is the track most closely associated with the show ... so we let it go.
4. MIAMI VICE THEME - Jan Hammer (MCA) (1985)
5. WELCOME BACK - John Sebastian (Reprise) (1976)  ["Welcome Back Kotter"]
6. DRAGNET - Ray Anthony & His Orchestra (Capitol) (1953)
7. MY LIFE - Billy Joel  (Columbia)  1979 ["Bosom Buddies"]
8. THEME FROM S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage (ABC) (1976)
9. NADIA'S THEME [The Young And The Restless] - Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin Jr. (A&M) (1976)
This song had life in a movie, as a TV theme and as part of The Olympics!!!
10. SECRET AGENT MAN - Johnny Rivers (Imperial) (1966)

11. PETER GUNN - Ray Anthony & His Orchestra (Capitol) (1959)  Other versions charted by Duane Eddy and Art Of Noise
12. LOVE AND MARRIAGE - Frank Sinatra  (Capitol) 1955 ["Married With Children"]
13. HAPPY DAYS - Pratt & McClain (Reprise) (1976)
14. HAWAII FIVE-O - The Ventures (Liberty) (1969)
15. THE ROCKFORD FILES - Mike Post (MGM) (1975)
16. I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - The Rembrandts  (1995) Atco  
[Friends"]
17. THE THEME FROM HILL STREET BLUES - Mike Post featuring Larry Carlton (Elektra) (1981)   
18. FAME - Irene Cara (RSO) (1980)   
19. THEME FROM DR. KILDARE (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight) - Richard Chamberlain (MGM) (1962)    
20. WHO ARE YOU - The Who ["CSI"] (MCA) (1978)

21. QUENTIN'S THEME - The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde ["Dark Shadows"] (Ranwood) (1969)
22. A SWINGIN' SAFARI - Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra ["The Match Game"] (Dot) (1962) 
23. THEME FROM THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (Good Ol' Boys) - Waylon [Jennings] (RCA) (1980)
24. ACTION - Freddy Cannon ["Where The Action Is"] (Warner Bros.) (1965)
25. BATMAN THEME - The Marketts (Warner Bros.) (1966)  26. CLOSER TO FREE - The BoDeans  (Slash)  1996 ["Party Of Five"]
27. THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - Andrew Gold ["The Golden Girls"] (Asylum) (1978)
28. DIFFERENT WORLDS - Maureen McGovern ["Angie"] (Warner/Curb) (1979) 
29. LONG LONESOME HIGHWAY - Michael Parks ["Then Came Bronson"] (MGM) (1970)
30. DISCO LUCY (I Love Lucy Theme) - The Wilton Place Street Band (Island) (1977)   

31. MR. LUCKY - Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (RCA Victor) (1960)
32. BARETTA'S THEME ("Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow") - Rhythm Heritage (ABC) (1976)
33. (Theme From) MAGNUM P.I. - Mike Post (Elektra) (1982)
34. MAKING OUR DREAMS COME TRUE - Cyndi Grecco ["Laverne & Shirley"] (Private Stock) (1976)
35. ZORRO - The Chordettes (Cadence) (1958)
36. SPANISH FLEA - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass ["The Dating Game"] (A&M) (1966) 
37. BONANZA - Al Caiola & His Orchestra (United Artists) (1961)
38. MOONLIGHTING (Theme) - Al Jarreau (MCA) (1987)
39. YAKETY SAX - Boots Randolph ["Benny Hill"] (Monument) (1963)
Wow! When people were voting for "The Benny Hill Show", I thought it was because of "Mah-Na, Mah-Na" ... but "Yakety Sax" was more accurately the theme for this one!
40. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - Lalo Schifrin (Dot) (1968)

41. THEME FROM BEN CASEY - Valjean (Carlton) (1962)
42. ROUTE 66 THEME - Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra (Capitol) (1962)
43. THEME FROM THE MEN - Isaac Hayes (Enterprise) (1972)
44. THE BALLAD OF JED CLAMPETT - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys ["The Beverly Hillbillies"] (Columbia) (1963)
45. (Theme From) MY THREE SONS - Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra (Dot) (1961)
46. THE PINK PANTHER THEME - Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (RCA Victor) (1964) 
47. THE BALLAD OF PALADIN - Duane Eddy ["Have Gun Will Travel"] (RCA Victor) (1962) 
48. GENTLE ON MY MIND - Glen Campbell ["The Glen Campbell Good-Time Hour"] (Capitol) (1967/68)
49. 77 SUNSET STRIP - The Big Sound Of Don Ralke (Warner Bros.) (1959)
50. BLUE STAR (The "Medic" Theme) - Felicia Sanders (Columbia) (1955)

Keep those votes comin', folks!!!  The Elimination Rounds start on Monday!!!  (kk)

More Of Your Favorite TV Themes (3)

MEGA-Thanks to Scott Shannon for telling his listeners coast-to-coast about our TV Theme Favorites Poll. (In fact, Scott is so big on the idea that he's going to count down the winners on his show!!!) We'll give you more details and let you know when to listen once the votes have been tabulated.  

 

Meanwhile, please continue to bombard us with our favorites. (The second day polls blew the first day away ... with over 4000 cast on Tuesday, we're closing in on 7000 votes right now! And I've got to tell you ... I'm learning about TV Shows I've never even heard of before!!!)

It really doesn't matter how many you want to vote for ... we've had several pick the single, all-time favorite ... and we've had at least three or four people submit lists of their Top 100!!!

 

All this means is you're going to get the most accurate results possible ... so don't miss out on YOUR chance to VOICE YOUR CHOICE!!!

 

Here are some of your comments from the past few days ... please note: titles shown are just suggestions and are in no way attempts to influence your votes ... sometimes we all just need a little reminding of what's out there to spark a few personal memories ... so keep your votes coming ... we're frantically tabulating every day!!! (In fact, this has left little time for anything else!!! As such we've fallen WAY behind on your other comments, so we apologize.)

But that's OK ... because the response to THIS little series has been phenomenal! That being said, let's make this the ULTIMATE TV THEME COUNTDOWN! (kk)  

 

 

 

definitely 'JUSTIFIED' !

Linette :D 

 

Here's an interesting side note on the Scooby Doo theme:

There were two different versions of the theme -- one for each of the two original seasons.

The second season / version was sung by Austin Roberts, whose biggest hit was "Rocky" in 1975.

T. Jay Dexter 

 

For all the young pups;

1. Boston Blackie

2. Ramar of The Jungle

3. Skyking

4. Tugboat Annie

5. 77 Sunset Strip

6. The Real McCoys

7. December Bride

How people have forgotten to mention "The Sopranos" theme is amazing ... that jam smokes.

We had a TV before most folks in the early fifties, probably due to having a criminal in the family maybe ... we sure as hell couldn't afford one ... I just remember it magically appearing one day.

I do remember being up early and turning it on and sitting two inches from the screen to watch the snow, before the old indian chief came on in the test pattern. It looked like somebody was welding inside.

Funny how the cycle has come full circle now that I'm ancient, I've gone back to sitting at nearly arms length from my 60" flat screen with the volume cranked. Anybody out there that knows of a magical youth elixir, hook me up.

Alex Valdez 

 

Hey Kent,

Here's my top 10 favorites (not in any real order except #1 is my all-time favorite)

1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

2. The Pink Panther (used in the cartoon, so I'd say it's legit for this list)

3. Laverne And Shirley

4. Love Boat (I secretly like Dionne Warwick's final season theme better than Jack Jones - guilty pleasure)

5. The Jeffersons

6. Bob Newhart Show

7. Rhoda - Season 2's theme sucked, but 3/4/5 were all 70's bliss, and the first season's intro is so perfect for the show

8. WKRP In Cincinnati

9. Miami Vice

10.M*A*S*H

AJK - The Youngest Oldies Freak Around 

 

Wow! It's just too hard, I love so many. I'll Come up with a few.

First, I do know of 'Johnny Staccato' -- I own the series. It's very cheap at Amazon.

It's pretty darn good actually. Another series that uses Jazz as a big part of it, much like Peter Gunn and a couple others from around the same time. I believe John Williams did the score?

Regarding Scoobydoo, there were 2 or 3 different themes. So which one are folks liking? I vote for the one from the series from 1969.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FysobubtDcI

Perry Mason, The Untouchables, My Three Sons, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest, The Outer Limits, Gilligan's Island, Bandstand -- the Les Algart big band version, Where the Action Is, Peter Gunn, The Brady Bunch, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, Rockford, Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver, Hawaiian Eye, Surf Side 6. OK, I'd better stop. Speaking of The Beverly Hillbillies, anyone know who sang the theme song on the tv show? It's sure not Flatt or Scrugs on the vocal.

And how about PEARL PEARL PEARL! That one was also used in the show. It's about Jed's Nephew's Mom.  

Bill  

 

I would like to vote for:

Funeral March of the Marionettes

Rockford Files

Mary Tyler Moore

Mickey Mouse Club

Star Trek (all 4 shows)

ty

The Great and Wonderful Malcolm Collins 

 

Gunsmoke!

Davie Allan  

 

Kent,

What about that short but haunting theme from Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges?

Dave

Hoffman Estates  

Hi kk,

Dann sends his votes for his favorite TV theme songs ...
1. Bonanza
2. Mission: Impossible
3. The Twilight Zone
4. Batman Theme
5. Addams Family
6. Andy Griffith Show
7. The Flintstones
8. Gilligan's Island
9. Get Smart
10. Beverly Hillbillies
11. Hawaiian Eye
12. Hill Street Blues
13. Leave it to Beaver
14. Love American Style
15. Match Game
16. Dating Game
17. The Monkees
18. Route 66
19. Sanford and Son
20. Mister Ed
21. Car 54, Where are You
Dann
ranking-the-60s.com  

 

Here's my two cents worth. If you know me and you've ever read the lists on my blawg (dontgetthewrongidea.blogspot.com) then you know I can get a little carried away.

For what it's worth, my Top 100 TV Theme Songs:

Ed Marimba 

 

1	The Fishin' Hole (Andy Griffith Show)
2	Route 66 Theme (Route 66)
3	George of the Jungle
4	Car 54, Where Are You?
5	Ballad of Jed Clampett (Beverly Hillbillies)
6	Rawhide
7	Peter Gunn
8	Secret Agent Man (Secret Agent)
9	Green Acres Opening Theme
10	Park Avenue Best (Perry Mason)
11	Mr Ed
12	Meet the Flintstones (The Flintstones)
13	Theme from the Monkees
14	Petticoat Junction Theme
15	The Jetsons Theme
16	Mr. Lucky
17	The Streetbeater (Sanford & Son)
18	F Troop Theme
19	Woke Up This Morning (The Sopranos)
20	Hawaii Five-O
21	The Ballad of Davy Crockett (Disneyland - Davy Crockett Indian Fighter)
22	Mission Impossible
23	The Mickey Mouse March (The Mickey Mouse Club)
24	Movin' On Up (The Jeffersons)
25	Ballad of Paladin
26	The Rebel, Johnny Yuma (The Rebel)
27	Welcome Back (Welcome Back, Kotter)
28	WKRP in Cincinnati
29	It's Howdy Doody Time (Howdy Doody)
30	Dramatic Twilight (The Twilight Zone)
31	Johnny's Theme (The Tonight Show)
32	Bandstand Boogie (American Bandstand)
33	77 Sunset Strip
34	The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle (Gilligan's Island)
35	Love Is All Around (Mary Tyler Moore Show)
36	Theme from My Three Sons
37	Top Cat Theme
38	Dick Van Dyke Show Theme
39	Suicide is Painless (M*A*S*H)
40	Zorro
41	Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers)
42	In the Street (That 70s Show)
43	Barney Miller Theme
44	Happy Days
45	The Addams Family Main Theme
46	I'll Be There For You (Friends)
47	The Munsters Theme
48	Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street (Sesame Street)
49	Bonanza
50	Batman Theme
51	Theme from Hill Street Blues
52	Making Our Dreams Come True (Lavern & Shirley)
53	Best Friend (The Courtship of Eddie's Father)
54	Maverick Theme
55	Falling (Twin Peaks)
56	Moonlighting
57	Good Times
58	Fresh Prince of Bel Air
59	Family Affair Theme
60	Wild Wild West Main Theme
61	Miami Vice
62	The Rockford Files
63	The Outer Limits Theme
64	Bugs Bunny Overture
65	I Love Lucy
66	How Do You Talk to an Angel (The Heights)
67	This Is It (One Day at a Time)
68	Daniel Boone Theme
69	Angela (Taxi)
70	Funeral March of a Marionette (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
71	Theme from Star Trek (Star Trek)
72	Spiderman Theme Song
73	Hogan's Heroes March
74	Those Were the Days (All in the Family)
75	Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Baretta)
76	There's a New Girl in Town (Alice)
77	Theme from Magnum P.I.
78	Night Court Opening Theme
79	Dragnet Main Title
80	When We're Singin' / Come On, Get Happy (The Partridge Family)
81	Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs (Frasier)
82	The X Files
83	The Brady Bunch
84	Thank You For Being a Friend (Golden Girls)
85	In Living Color
86	Good Ol' Boys (Dukes of Hazzard)
87	Bewitched
88	Get Smart Theme
89	The Tra La La Song (Banana Splits)
90	The Patty Duke Theme (Patty Duke Show)
91	Three's Company, Too
92	We've Got a Gorilla for Sale (Magilla Gorilla)
93	Jeannie (I Dream of Jeannie)
94	Mannix Theme
95	The Facts of Life
96	Love, American Style
97	Believe It or Not (The Greatest American Hero)
98	A Different World
99	The Love Boat
100	Theme from The Fugitive

I’ll throw a load on here off the top of my head. I’m sure I’m forgetting some gems or can’t remember a few more obscure ones. I have four genres of shows in no particular order:

Drama:

The Untouchables

Twilight Zone

Peter Gunn

Secret Agent (Man)

Route 66

Perry Mason

Fugitive

Mission Impossible

Man From UNCLE (2^nd year with Guitar)

Hawaiian Eye

Western

Paladin (Have Gun Will Travel)

Johnny Yuma - The Rebel

Davy Crockett

Rawhide

Bonanza

Branded

Maverick

Rifleman

Daniel Boone

Cheyenne

Comedy:

Monkees

Andy Griffith

Munsters

Addams Family

Dick Van Dyke

Gilligan

Bevery Hillbillies

Batman

Make Room For Daddy / Danny Thomas

My Three Sons

Cartoon / Kids stuff!

Popeye

Banana Splits (Tra La La)

Pink Panther

Mighty Mouse

Merry Melodies (Warner Bros.)

Flintstones

Mickey Mouse Club

Huckleberry Hound

Wally Gator

Speed Racer

Ken  

Just wanted to throw a couple of themes your way. Coincidentally these both have a judicial background. Night Court (which is pretty hip. Been done as a jazz thing a few times) and Perry Mason which is not hip at all.

Hil  

Here are my choices for favorite TV Themes: 

The best theme song ever was The Naked City. Nothing even close to that.

Then -

The Untouchables

Route 66

My Three Sons

Charlie's Angels

M*A*S*H

Mr Ed

Carol Burnette Show

Jim B 

 

I'm casting my vote for Beverly Hillbillies and all the derivative incarnations of their songs. Any show that inspires all that much music has to be the best one. Munsters gets 2nd place & almost every TV Western as runners up. They STILL run thru my head. (Make it stoppppp!) WWII may've had the Greatest Generation but there can never be another era where the entire country was watching the same shows every night for years & years like us Baby Boomers did. We share that commonality that can never be repeated. Good contest ...Thanx! (Rollin', rollin', rollin')

Pttibg

 

Hi kk,

It’s hard to pinpoint just one All Time Great TV Theme Song. I have three that come to mind. If I had to choose just one I’d have to go with Different Worlds by Maureen McGovern from the 70’s TV sitcom Angie starring Donna (Saturday Night Fever) Pescow & Robert (Airplane) Hayes.

The one that is clearest in my mind is The Theme From Playhouse 90 by Alex North. I can still see myself and my sisters heading up the stairs every time I heard this music. Playhouse 90 came on at 8 o’clock in Chicago which meant it was the bewitching hour and bedtime for us Buckaroo Baby Boomers.

The third TV Theme comes from Brooklyn Bridge, which was a great short lived sitcom around 1991 starring Marion Ross of Happy Days fame. The opening featured a short 1 minute 5 second song “Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge” sung by Art Garfunkel. What a great tune. You just wanted to hear much more. There is no extending version of his song. I have his “Up Till Now” Cd which has the same 1 Minute 5 second version. The song was written by Marvin Hamish and Marylyn & Alan Berman. 

Jerry

 

Hi Kent,

I thought I would add my two cents ...

I have been looking on a site called televisiontunes.com ... this site appears to have just about everything from A to Z. A couple of the themes I tried to listen to are no longer available.

I was just thinking about T.V. shows that I always liked and I wondered if part of the reason was their theme song. I admit I couldn't always remember the songs so this site really helped.

These are a few I came up with ...

In no particular order ...

Hill Street Blues

Highway to Heaven

Wide World of Sports

Greatest American Hero

Moonlighting

Bat Masterson

Bob Newhart Show

St. Elsewhere

Wagon Train

Little House on the Prairie

Thanks

Stacee  

 

Crikey Kent ... I had to scroll right down before I found Hawaii Five-O and Mission Impossible ... both huge hit shows here in Australia and where the themes are still big favourites.

Just as an aside to Gilligan's Island ... the words to Australia's national anthem fit perfectly into the Gilligan's Island theme and make great alternate lyrics ... I kid you not ... which amuses a lot of people down under- those with a perverse sense of humour anyway!

Regards,

Murray 

 

hi kk:

put me down for the tv themes of the jetsons, star trek, the original series, mr. ed, have gun will travel, rawhide, mission impossible, petticoat junction, car 54 where are you?, addams family, perry mason.......i don't watch tv much if at all these days...i haven't been turned on to any shows that match the old ones...i could very well be uninformed but it seems "no theme, weak plots" are not today's exceptions.... curmungeon and proud, john b. krug Hi Kent, It’s funny that I was talking with several friends last week coming up with lists of favorite TV themes. As Moe Howard said; “You must be psychic!” Anyway here’s my list: 1) Hawaii 5-0 … not only the best song but the best visuals 2) I Spy … just very cool! 3) Mission Impossible … ditto 4) Combat! ... who can resist a great march? 5) Friends … Rickenbacker driven power pop at its best 6) Mr. Ed … best lyrics … 50 years later I can’t get it out of my head 7) High Chaparral … great western theme 8) Perry Mason … As overly dramatic as you can get 9) Dundee and the Culhane … no one remembers the show but the song was good 10) The Munsters … perfectly captured the show Mark     Instrumental themes such as "Due South" move the mind. "M*A*S*H" although the music is iconic, the movie theme and it's lyrics in the TV episode #1 of "Suicide is Painless" bring a less known but maybe a more memorable depth in appreciation. Thanks, Tommy     When I was making my own fake radio station charts (very seriously) in the 60's I actually incorporated a top TV shows segment as well. I attached a copy here, but did not scan properly. You can vaguely make out the Top 10 TV shows list. Here's what I listed as my Top 10 TV shows in January, 1967 as an 11 year old: 1. The Monkees 2. Batman 3. Rango 4. Captain Nice (Have no memory of this one???) 5. The Green Hornet (I really don't remember watching this much at all!) 6. Hogan's Heroes 7. Mr. Terrific (Were shows 4 and 7 real or did I make my own sitcoms too?) 8. Garry Moore Show 9. Gomer Pyle USMC 10. Bonanza Each week, the shows changed a little. In February, #1 and #2 were still solid in their positions, but others included Tarzan, the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and That Girl. That Girl had a great theme song too! Clark Besch     Hello Kent, Your humble reader from Boston, "America Strong" not just "Boston Strong" ... yes, we are a great city but so are most American cities. Thank everyone for the love, prayers and support. My favorite themes, going way back I admit, are 'The Mickey Mouse Club Theme', 'Around The Corner(beneath the berry tree)' by the Weavers on the Beanie & Cecil show, perhaps dating myself here ha ha. How about 'Palladin', and of course "Return with me to those wonderful days of yesteryear, Hi-Yo Silver Away" the William tell Overture. Just a few, many many western themes, 'Johnny Yuma', and perhaps my all time favorite and what a superb message; "Happy Trails To You", carefree, innocent, youthful! Great idea once again, what marvelous memories we all share, to comfort and sustain us. Charlie Fraser OFD     Hmm ... that's one I hadn't considered ... after eliminating some titles of hit songs that later became TV themes, I never really thought about "The Lone Ranger" ... but "Hi-Ho Silver, Away!!!" playing out over "The Williams Tell Overture" was as big a part of The Lone Ranger's legacy as anything else. Someone else wrote in asking about "Love And Marriage" from "Married ... With Children". Funny because this track was a big hit for Frank Sinatra way back when ... but it also served as the PERFECT theme to this raunchy sitcom nearly thirty years later. Is that enough "grace time" to cut them some slack??? 'Cause if it is, I'D probably vote for it, too ... just for the pure genius of using it! With that thought in mind, I've reconsidered a few things ... Look at "Who Are You" from CSI ... could they have picked a more PERFECT song for this series? And we've already allowed votes for "The Match Game" (31 in fact as of this morning) ... and that's really just the Billy Vaughn hit "A Swingin' Safari". As such, I've reinstated the 19 votes earned so far for "The Golden Girls" ("Thank You For Being A Friend"), as well as the one vote cast for "Bosom Buddies" ("My Life") and the two votes cast for "With A Little Help From My Friends" from "The Wonder Years" ... let's face it, these two aren't going to win anyway ... so why not!!! (Let's not forget that "Happy Days" opened with "Rock Around The Clock" for the first few years until they finally got their own theme song ... and, as part of an early '70's rock-and-roll revival revolution that was a brilliant choice, too! For the record, however, we are only counting the tune "Happy Days" in conjunction with this series ... and it's doing really well ... as of this morning, 63 votes) Speaking of which, this tune (and many, many others) also became HUGE hits on the pop charts. So we've enlisted Chart Guru Randy Price to make us a list of The Top TV Themes based strictly on chart data. The only problem with this list is that not every TV theme was released as a full-length, hit single ... so it makes it impossible to compare to the lists we're already compiling. It simply isn't a fair comparison. But just because we figure some of you folks (like me!) were curious, we've decided to run Randy's Top TV Themes List anyway ... so be sure to check the website again tomorrow for a very special Saturday Posting. We'll also list several more of you favorite suggestions!!! (kk) Kent ... 1 = Hawaii Five - O 2 = Rawhide 3 = American Bandstand 4 = Johnny Yuma - The Rebel 5 = Happy Days 6 = All In The Family 7 = Have Gun Will Travel 8 = Welcome Back ( Kotter ) 9 = Twilight Zone 10 = Odd Couple Frank B.     How does one pick a top 10 when there have been SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many good ones over the years. I'm not sure if Justified or True Blood meet the criteria, as I believe they can be bought from the artists. They are very good theme songs, though. The Little Rascals Laurel & Hardy Mr. Ed Have Gun Will Travel Welcome Back, Kotter Adams Family Munsters Twilight Zone Alfred Hitchcock Lone Ranger Officer Joe Bolton's whistling theme Barney Miller Peter Gunn 77 Sunset Strip Andy Griffith Mission Impossible One Step Beyond True Blood Justified Lassie Beverly Hillbillies The Untouchables Popeye Bourbon Street Beat Woody Woodpecker F Troop I could go on and on… KK(the OTHER one!) haha Kevin Kiley     Greetings! I suppose I am allowed to vote for only one theme. Of course, I can’t just vote and leave. I have to explain my vote. When I was a kid, most boys my age would spend their free time outside playing unpleasant games that involved athletic skill. I preferred to stay inside playing records. If I wasn't lip-synching into a hairbrush in front of a mirror while the records played, I was pretending to be a disc jockey. There I would sit at my desk, my hairbrush carefully propped up like a desk microphone while I did “Top Twenty Countdowns” using the records we owned (“Where Did Our Love Go” was almost always Number One), gave news and weather reports, and even made up commercials. Every radio or TV program needs a theme song. I used different songs until the spring of 1969, when I finally found the perfect song to close my program. To this day, when I burn CDs for my car, I will almost always put the song at the end of each disc in tribute to my days as a make-believe deejay. That song, which gets my vote, is “Hawaii Five-O”. My honorable mentions in no particular order: “Generation” (from “American Dreams”) “Branded” (or its parody, “Stranded at the end of the toilet bowl…”) “Wait Till Your Father Gets Home” “Route 66 Theme” (“Route 66”) “Nanny” (“Nanny and the Professor”) “The Nanny Named Fran” (“The Nanny”) “Room 222” “Fireball” (“Fireball XL5”) “Lotsa Luck” “Ballad of Paladin” (“Have Gun – Will Travel”) “Mr. Ed” (I can’t leave out the two songs Ed wrote: “Pretty Little Filly” and “Empty Feedbag Blues”) “Secret Agent Man” “Top Cat” “Car 54, Where Are You?” “Cousins” (“The Patty Duke Show”) “The New People” “The Ugliest Girl in Town” “My Mother the Car” “Kimba the White Lion” “The Mighty Hercules” (sung by Johnny Nash!) “The Big World of Little Adam” “Hullabaloo” The individual themes to the Marvel Superhero cartoons of the late 60’s Sadly, “Puffin’ Billy” from “Captain Kangaroo” and “Early One Morning” from “The Friendly Giant” do not qualify. Let me know when you want to take a vote on the worst TV themes J MF Ping Please join us for a special Saturday Post ... and (hopefully) our Sunday Comments Page.  Then next week we'll start the final elimination rounds on your television favorites.  So stay tuned ... ALWAYS something new, fun and interesting coming up in Forgotten Hits!!!  (kk)