While not in vogue these day, TV shows historically had theme songs and opening credits at the start of each episode which explained the show. Maybe this is why the 70's and 80's were so much better. What are some of your favorites?

Here are some of mine in no particular order.

Dukes of Hazzard
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Dallas
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Magnum P.I.
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Bosom Buddies
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One Day At A Time (probably my favorite)
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Fall Guy
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BJ and the Bear
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Simon and Simon
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Peter Gunn


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK-b5PLhrEI

Heres some junkyard funk for yas.........


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIK9yffjRK8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAfQQTVOuI

Opps don't know how this got in here......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5e9yCB-hiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS0VQOHX7lM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUX3TPKVf_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DouX9Ubw-Xw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIYQ6PBRQGw

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

Obvious choice from the 60s: Gilligan's Island. I mean, everyone knows that silly opening song, even if they didn't watch the show. (Sorry, no video) And you were instantly brought right up to date with the show if you just listened to those lyrics :)

Star Trek - heck, boldly splitting an infinitive is part of our vernacular now.

Brady Bunch

Kudos to the Dallas pick - great theme. The current TV reincarnation is, IMHO, fading fast.

It was only a soso soap opera, but "Falcon Crest" (right after Dallas at 9pm on Fridays) had this wonderfully over-the-top theme music.

Loved it when "Happy Days" had the original "Rock around the Clock" theme..

No Contest


http://youtu.be/HR3faBgMI7c

Dallas' was great, but it's Jerrold Immel's other soap theme that's my favorite.


http://youtu.be/2IcLrCMbKsw

A few other cool ones came to mind...

Rockford Files...can still hear that harmonica :)

Remington Steele

Guess I lost track of the fact that we really don't have any signature themes in TV these days. Perhaps that's in the same vein as the loss of the great musical scores/epic themes like those of John Williams for Star Wars or Jerry Goldsmith for the early Star Trek movie...

heck, for a delightfully silly, goofy theme, I remember the ol Match Game theme from the mid-70's. One of the game shows from that era that made no secret of its total silliness, embraced it, had fun with it, made no apologies for it - and the irony is that it was not intended to be an inherently comedic show - as a "reboot" of its 50's era namesake it was intended to be a straight-up game show, but once the silly questions started they realized they had something and stuck with it. Gene Rayburn was the perfect host for that.

There was a great funky theme for the original $10,000 Pyramid on CBS, very 70's, very funky, and a great theme. Also my absolutely all-time favorite game show as a kid - even got to try out for it when it was the $25,000 Pyramid out in L.A. back in 1981...made it past the first round of tryouts with no problem, but couldn't stay for the second round the following week..mom's vacation was over :( A great regret.

If Achilleslaststand is going to through in HR Puff and Stuff then I am putting these three in the ring.

Land of the Lost
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Banana Splits
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The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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heck, for a delightfully silly, goofy theme, I remember the ol Match Game theme from the mid-70's. One of the game shows from that era that made no secret of its total silliness, embraced it, had fun with it, made no apologies for it - and the irony is that it was not intended to be an inherently comedic show - as a "reboot" of its 50's era namesake it was intended to be a straight-up game show, but once the silly questions started they realized they had something and stuck with it. Gene Rayburn was the perfect host for that.

That might be the best game show ever.

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Achilleslastand,
So where is the Sammy Davis theme song that belongs to the opening of Baretta?
C. T.

This thread would not be complete with out mentioning Bonanza. Still have that song stuck in my head!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYpbpqxf4o

This thread would not be complete with out mentioning Bonanza. Still have that song stuck in my head!

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Fun thread, Kerry. Seconds on Sopranos and Simon and Simon. Here's a fun, more recent one that's perhaps a bridge to the short-to-nonexistent themes we have today.


http://youtu.be/iPcJkoDOago

I don't watch much network TV these days but here is one current show that still uses a theme song, but it is still not near as long as the old shows were.

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I'm surprised The Rembrandts' opening for Friends hasn't been mentioned. Also, although M*A*S*H theme made more sense for the movie, it was still very recognizable and a good song in itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg

Hawii Five Oh

Achilleslastand,
So where is the Sammy Davis theme song that belongs to the opening of Baretta?
C. T.

That is a very good question.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRa9uhiAPBs

If Achilleslaststand is going to through in HR Puff and Stuff then I am putting these three in the ring.

Land of the Lost
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Banana Splits
w1RFRoleEd0

The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
ANK0BtXg7c4

As a youngster I had a huge crush on Holly from T.L.O.T.L.

Someone mentioned Gilligan's Island earlier. I have the complete series on DVD and here is the song from the original pilot. This song was written by Sherwood Schultz himself, but he opted to hire a professional after the show was picked up by the network. The professional version is the one we all came to know. You'll notice some of the castaways are also different.

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Someone mentioned Gilligan's Island earlier. I have the complete series on DVD and here is the song from the original pilot. This song was written by Sherwood Schultz himself, but he opted to hire a professional after the show was picked up by the network. The professional version is the one we all came to know. You'll notice some of the castaways are also different.

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Never head this before and have to say I like it better.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEYQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2Jx 2jEPvh88&ei=7E4rU6jRAsW62AWAgIGwAw&usg=AFQjCNFQo-3X58-tpSbRnSiWXFaq5U5vkg

Much Better!
C. T.
That is a very good question.....

Can't believe this one hasn't been posted yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC6-E5XV_yE

Or this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzaxUF0k18

Guess I lost track of the fact that we really don't have any signature themes in TV these days.

Challenge accepted!


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JTF nailed a few of my faves from my childhood in the first post, but here are three others that get me amped up just hearing to this day. How can you not love the disco beat of the "CHiPs" intro?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0esAgO-zE

Airwolf


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY5ogQ-kZrY

Knight Rider


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbnCQnDnfjs

I thought I was going to die if someone didn't put up Bonanza and Game of Thrones - but Gilligan's Island is in a class by itself.

One more, only because this show is the best thing on TV right now (and this music is crazy)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5PzJGJQ6bM

Each season they did a different spin or treatment of this tune.
This is from season 1.
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It's "Harlem Nocturne" . . .
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One of my favorite shows . . .
Starring one of my favorite actors.
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It ain't ALL about cops and robbers and gumshoes . . .
Although there was almost certainly some gum or dog droppings stuck to someone's shoe in one of the episodes of this Canadian Classic . . .
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And the show closed with the abbreviated version of this tune every week . . .
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The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson

I might have liked Corner Gas because it was like a Canadian Version of this, with a little Red Green thrown in for good measure.
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I only recently encountered this one. I thought it was jaw-droppingly good.
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Airwolf : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY5ogQ-kZrY

Woops, posted before everything loaded.

The Love Boat

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEv7xjdr48

All in the Family and The Jeffersons. The Jefferson theme has been sampled lately and has also been a part of a hilarious scene from Tropic Thunder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEGGQ958K_s

This is from an era when truck drivers also fought crime in their spare time. How come we don't have any crime fighting truckers these days?

Movin' On

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I thought I was going to die if someone didn't put up Bonanza and Game of Thrones - but Gilligan's Island is in a class by itself.

Completely agree. Of course I'm a huge fantasy geek so naturally GoT is like crack for me. :)

Lavern and Shirley
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Happy Days
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Three's Company
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Did anyone mention MASH?

I only recently encountered this one. I thought it was jaw-droppingly good.
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Indeed. Makes all the money spent on THX surround systems worthwhile.

Kick-A bass line.

Barney Miller Theme Song HQ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roHYXrLhmHc)

This is a great thread, btw.

Another classic from the 70s:


http://youtu.be/QVS3WNt7yRU

Surprised no one has mentioned Taxi......
Wonderful show with great characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1QJ8ijnNxM