Review: Television's Greatest Hits Vol. 2
A look at the more notable themes of the second volume of a collection of TV show theme songs.
After TeeVee Toons released its first volume of notable TV shows themes from the 1950's and 1960's, the record label followed up with Television's Greatest Hits Volume 2.
This volume included themes of notable shows from those same decades, many from popular shows but others from lesser-known or obscure shows that happened to be performed by noteworthy musicians.
The collection was originally released on a two-record or two-cassette tape collection, then released on CD several years later. I only own the CD version, so I can't say for sure how many of the themes were cut down for time constraints.
However, as with the first volume, the collection featured themes that were lifted directly from a show recording and themes that were specifically performed for the collection. As for the collection of themes on the second volume, compared to the first, there are fewer themes that people may remember, but the ones people will likely remember might rank among the most loved themes of all time.
Here are what I would call the most notable themes on the collection, whether it's an iconic theme, a theme composed by a noteworthy performer or a theme that became popular and charted, even if the show itself didn't gain popularity.
Pink Panther: The 1964 movie of the same name, and the sequels that followed, were usually accompanied by animated segments with the Pink Panther himself -- shorts that featured little to no dialogue. The Pink Panther cartoons, instead of dialogue, featured music by Henry Mancini, which will forever be associated with the movies and cartoons. The cartoons eventually made their way to television, which included shorts featuring Inspector Clousseau, the main character in the movie, though those cartoons relied on dialogue to advance the plot.
George of the Jungle: Though the cartoon series itself didn't last long — as was the case with many Saturday morning cartoons — the theme is one such cartoon fans should know pretty well. The show parodied Tarzan and the theme explains not only the premise of the cartoon, but raises the question about a man swinging on jungle vines and how he can avoid crashing into trees. It's worth noting that Weird Al Yankovic covered the theme song, which was released on his third album back in 1985.
Jonny Quest: Another Hanna-Barbera cartoon that aired in prime time, only this one was a science fiction series in which 11-year old Jonny Quest and his father Dr. Benton Quest, who headed a research intelligence team, investigated spies and dealt with the occasional unearthly monster. The theme on the collection appears to have been taken from a recording of the show, though the sound effects were removed. The cartoon made its way to Saturday mornings in reruns, though edited in some cases because the prime-time edition featured scenes that made it clear that the villains died.
Spider-Man: The first animated series featuring the iconic comic book character created by Stan Lee includes a theme song that is the type that will get stuck in your head once you hear it. The title character appeared in multiple cartoons through the years but never had a theme song that is as widely known since — though fans of The Spectacular Spider-Man series released in 2008 might argue that show's theme belongs in the discussion. (I'll let you all look that one up.)
Peanuts: The theme that's most associated with the series of animated specials based on the popular comic strip is titled "Linus and Lucy." Though the theme was first featured during the Christmas play sequences in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (which most people may remember for the different dances by the characters), it was more often utilized when siblings Linus and Lucy Van Pelt first appeared on the scene during the specials. While most people are familiar with the Christmas special, a number of Peanuts specials — not all based on a holiday — were produced from the 1960 to the 1980s.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Fred Rogers' Children's Corner originally aired on a Pittsburgh TV station starting in 1955, but it made its way to PBS in 1967 and took on a new title. The show featured Rogers exploring different themes all based around the same idea that children are often asking questions about their place in the world but they all are unique in their own ways and it's OK to ask questions. The theme here is taken from a recording of a show, complete with Rogers singing the lyrics.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: After her stint on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Moore got her own series in which she portrayed a single mother who worked an associate producer at WJM-TV News in Minneapolis. The show was produced by Moore herself, along with Grant Tinker. The original theme from the first season is featured on the collection, with the ending lyric "you might just make it after all." Starting with the second season, the lyric was changed to "you're gonna make it after all," which might have been a nod to how the show became a huge hit. The theme song, titled "Love Is All Around," has been covered by multiple artists.
The Monkees: A rock and roll band formed specifically for television, the quartet of Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork did more than have just a hit TV series. The band had 11 top 40 hits, which included three No. 1 songs: "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm A Believer." Interestingly, the theme song itself didn't get released until a year into the series, per the collection's liner notes, and that version added a line that didn't appear in the theme. For the collection, the theme as it was heard on television appears.
The Partridge Family: Another made-for-TV band, this one focused on Shirley Partridge, the mother of fledging musicians whose garage tape charted and made the family famous. In real life, Shirley Jones and her real-life stepson David Cassidy provided the vocals for the songs released (studio musicians backed them up). Two songs reached No. 1: "I Think I Love You" and "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted." However, the original title song to the TV series, “Come On Get Happy,” never got released on an album — that is, until it came out on this collection.
The Brady Bunch: In the category of theme songs that set the premise for the show, this one may be one of the most remembered. Florence Henderson and Robert Reed were Carol and Mike Brady, a widow and a widower, each with three kids (she with three daughters, he with three sons) who married and combined families. The theme's lyrics were written by Sherwood Schwartz, who also wrote another iconic theme: Gilligan's Island.
Jeopardy: One might argue that the game show really hit its stride in the 1980s when it made a comeback with Alex Trebek as host. But the show originally premiered in 1964 with Art Fleming as host and Don Pardo as announcer. The opening theme is not featured on the collection — instead, it's the "Think Music" that plays when contestants are coming up with the question for "Final Jeopardy" to determine the winner for the day.
Rawhide: There was no shortage of TV Westerns during the 1950s and 1960s, but the most iconic theme might belong to this one. Rawhide launched the career of Clint Eastwood, who portrayed Rowdy Yates, who rode the trail to round up "them doggies" for eight seasons. The theme song was performed by Frankie Laine, whose hits ranged from "That's My Desire" to "You Gave Me A Mountain." The song was later featured in "The Blues Brothers" movie and the lead actors, Dan Akroyd and Jon Belushi, would feature another TV theme song in this collection as they turned the movie into a music act that paid tribute to jazz and soul.
The Rebel: The series in question focused on a former Confederate soldier who roams the post-Civil War west while dealing with the psychological trauma from fighting the war. The collection's liner notes indicate that this was one of Elvis Presley's favorite shows (the lead actor, Nick Adams, was a friend of Presley). Though the TV series itself lasted just three seasons, the theme song was recorded by one of the most influential musicians of all time. You've probably heard of him: Johnny Cash.
Peter Gunn: There may be no better example of a TV theme song that became iconic despite the series itself never doing that well in the ratings. The show featuring the detective named in the title lasted just three seasons, but the theme song composed by Henry Mancini went on to be featured on a soundtrack album that went all the way to platinum status — a feat not achieved by any other TV soundtrack album until Miami Vice in 1985. The theme has been covered my multiple bands through the years, to include Akroyd and Belushi's Blues Brothers.
Outer Limits: The opening featured the ominous words about how there was "nothing wrong with your television set" and led into the eerie theme song that immediately sets the mood for the show. The 49-episode series usually involved contact with extraterrestrial life. But while The Twilight Zone gained popularity, Outer Limits didn't quite reach the same status and was gone after two seasons. Even so, ABC utilized the theme as a background score in later series. While this show may not be as well known as The Twilight Zone, the theme is still notable.
Medical Center: Multiple shows featuring dedicated doctors made their way to TV screens in the 1960s, but this one ran for the longest of any such show that premiered in that decade. Medical Center came along in 1969 and lasted until 1976, ranking only behind Marcus Welby M.D. in terms of popularity. The theme song is an appropriate one, an up-tempo beat that includes what sounds like an ambulance siren just as the credits show an old-style ambulance headed down a city street.
ABC's Wide World of Sports: Before ESPN, there was this Saturday afternoon show that featured sports events that, at the time of its premiere, wouldn't normally draw attention of viewers, such as drag racing, darts, rugby and ping pong (no kidding). It's perhaps best known for the announcer inviting viewers to witness "the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat," the latter accompanied by the same scene of ski jumper Vinco Bogietas crashing into the wall. The series debuted in 1961 and remained on the air until 1997, by which point ESPN has cemented its position as a top cable TV network.