Favorite TV Themes from Yesteryear

**shan** · 11-29-2011, 02:31 AM

Originally Posted by Vash01

Do you know what network will be showing it?

I'm hoping Netflix has it!

**Ares** · 11-29-2011, 02:38 AM

It's been just over 10 years since the finale, so I guess it can be considered yesteryear

Xena!

Full Theme

I miss that show.

**Ozzisk8tr** · 11-29-2011, 02:45 AM

Originally Posted by skateboy

Okay, I am now a Skippy fan! ("Skippy the bush kangaroo... Skippy our friend ever true!")

I was always amazed how Skippy could communicate with humans, rescue people in distress, diffuse bombs, capture terrorists etc. He was almost as smart as your typical Australian Wombat. What's a wombat you say?

**Cyn** · 11-29-2011, 03:19 AM

The best late night TV theme ever composed.

No one's come close to the legend that was Johnny Carson. When I was a kid, I cannot imagine watching TV for so many years without this being a part of my life.

**attyfan** · 11-29-2011, 03:24 AM

I liked this one:

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

Addams Family

**Karina1974** · 11-29-2011, 03:27 AM

Someone already mentioned "The Last American Hero", "The Fall Guy" et.al., but here's some others I spent my formative years watching. TV intros were the first music videos IMO.

Simon and Simon

Hill Street Blues

Taxi

Dukes of Hazzard

Night Court

BJ and the Bear

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

Black Sheep Squadron

Mork and Mindy

Happy Days

Laverne & Shirley

**Tinami Amori** · 11-29-2011, 04:24 AM

**Grannyfan** · 11-29-2011, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by Cyn

The best late night TV theme ever complased.

No one's come close to th elegend. When I was a kid, I cannot imagine watching TV for so many years without this being a part of my life.

Same here. I especially loved it in the early days from New York. Such interesting guests. Can't imagine people like Oscar Levant or Bob & Ray getting many guest spots these days without movies to plug.

I believe the theme music was written by Paul Anka.

**okb1947** · 11-29-2011, 05:19 AM

to the quetion of "what's a wombat?" I cite the inimitable Ogden Nash:

THE WOMBAT LIVES ACROSS THE SEAS
AMONG THE FAR ANTIPODES.
HE MAY EXIST ON NUTS AND BERRIES--
OR, THEN AGAIN, ON MISSIONARIES.
HIS DISTANT HABITAT PRECLUDES
CONCLUSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS MOODS--
BUT I WOULD NOT ENGAGE THE WOMBAT
IN ANY FORM OF MORTAL COMBAT.

**DAngel** · 11-29-2011, 05:54 AM

The X-files

This used to be my favourite show

Out of this world

Catchy song... 21 Jump Street

**Marge_Simpson** · 11-29-2011, 06:51 AM

Batman! I loved that show when I was a kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jgE-...eature=related

**Vash01** · 11-29-2011, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by shan

I'm hoping Netflix has it!

Yes, Netflix has all three seasons. I watched them all couple years ago on Netflix, then I lucked out and found the full three seasons set for $20 at Costco. I have already started my Roswell marathon for the holidays but I am not sure I have the patience to go through the entire thing. I may just watch my favorite episodes.

**Flatfoote** · 11-29-2011, 11:41 AM

You are all bringing back lots of memories. Seems like most TV shows don't have theme songs anymore, let alone an opening credit montage.

One of the funnest days at work (several years ago) was when I'd brought in a cassette tape collection (yea, I said cassette tapes, I told you it was several years ago, LOL). The collection was of TV Theme songs. It went from pretty much the beginning of TV, to present time. There were about 10 of us sitting around a table packaging product, so we set a radio in the middle and played the tapes. We had a blast trying to be the first one to guess the theme song/show. At one point, it was the Green Acres song, and this one guy who was a great big guy, at least a couple of hundred pounds, big/stocky, tall, and very flamboyantly openly gay. His name was Mike but he was often called "Big Mike." He took over the Eva Gabor portion of the song, and he was just a riot singing it in his best Eva expression. It was so funny seeing this great big husky stocky guy belting out....."New York is where I'd rather stay....." in an effemanite voice, as he pantomined a perfect Eva swoon.

Those few hours before first break just flew by, we were having so much fun. In fact, when break time came and "Big Mike" turned off the cassette player and called "BREAK!" The girl across the table from me said, "awwww....do we have to?" LOL.

**Jot the Dot Dot** · 11-29-2011, 12:33 PM

Deleted

**Susan1** · 11-29-2011, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by nubka

Back in the 60's, I always liked Mickey the best, but I've now switched to Peter!

My older cousin was madly in love with Davey Jones. She would get as close to the television as she could get and pretend that we was singing just to her...

Mickey was my favorite too! On his birthday (which I'm sure we saw in 16 magazine), we sang Happy Birtday to him. My friend Shauna did not sing the "dear" part because her favorite was Davy. What were we - 10, 11? (The things I remember from my childhood could fill a very large book.)

**Susan1** · 11-29-2011, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Karina1974

Someone already mentioned "The Last American Hero", "The Fall Guy" et.al., but here's some others I spent my formative years watching. TV intros were the first music videos IMO.

Laverne & Shirley

When this theme song became a full length hit on the radio, I used to get teared up hearing it. ??? (Hey, I had an aunt who used to say we cry at dog food commercials!)

**Bev Johnston** · 11-29-2011, 05:06 PM

Not a show from way back when, but one of the many reasons I love Psych is because of the perky theme song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwIt...eature=related

**Cyn** · 11-29-2011, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Jot the Dot Dot

And a song that was a Bob Dylan/Rick Danko colaberation, that found a new audience: Absolutely Fabulous: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYvbL_AAIoY

This was my favorite version of the AbFab theme

.

Then, of course, there's this gem from the first two seasons of one of the greatest sitcoms of the late 80s/early 90s (too bad it went to shit the last few years it was on the air).

******

I tried to find the original opening theme/music from the early years of SNL on youtube, but it was MIA

.

This has nothing to do with TV themes, but yesterday I was cleaning out boxes in my office, and I found a videotape on which I'd recorded the 15th Anniversary show of Saturday Night Live (recorded in Fall 1989, which was technically on 14 years, but that season would have ended in 1990, so I figure they considered it the 15th Anniversary).

At any rate, it has tons of some of the freaking funniest clips from the early years with the original cast as well as when they changed it up and added the likes of Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Billy Crystal, Dennis Miller, Christopher Guest, Martin Short, Jon Lovitz, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Nora Dunn, Victoria Jackson, Kevin Nealon, and Mike Myers.

For me, those years were the heyday of SNL - it didn't get any better than that. The few years I've tried to watch it over the past 15 or so years, it's been worse than a trip to the dentist for a root canal w/out novocaine.

**Cachoo** · 11-29-2011, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Flatfoote

You are all bringing back lots of memories. Seems like most TV shows don't have theme songs anymore, let alone an opening credit montage.

One of the funnest days at work (several years ago) was when I'd brought in a cassette tape collection (yea, I said cassette tapes, I told you it was several years ago, LOL). The collection was of TV Theme songs. It went from pretty much the beginning of TV, to present time. There were about 10 of us sitting around a table packaging product, so we set a radio in the middle and played the tapes. We had a blast trying to be the first one to guess the theme song/show. At one point, it was the Green Acres song, and this one guy who was a great big guy, at least a couple of hundred pounds, big/stocky, tall, and very flamboyantly openly gay. His name was Mike but he was often called "Big Mike." He took over the Zsa Zsa portion of the song, and he was just a riot singing it in his best Zsa Zsa expression. It was so funny seeing this great big husky stocky guy belting out....."New York is where I'd rather stay....." in an effemanite voice, as he pantomined a perfect Zsa Zsa swoon.

Those few hours before first break just flew by, we were having so much fun. In fact, when break time came and "Big Mike" turned off the cassette player and called "BREAK!" The girl across the table from me said, "awwww....do we have to?" LOL.

I'd love to see Big Mike in full costume doing that--sounds like you had a fun group to work with at that time. I don't have anything to compare but I was in a college classroom when one student mentioned Saturday morning cartoons and "Conjunction Junction" was mentioned and the entire class starting singing except for a foreign student who was at first startled then laughed at us. Nice moment. http://youtu.be/mkO87mkgcNo

**Marge_Simpson** · 11-29-2011, 06:28 PM

Munster's theme song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHr0...eature=related

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