The classic television landscape is filled with great themes from TV shows such as Mission: Impossible, The Avengers, Route 66, and Hawaii Five-O. However, there are a plethora of awesome themes from lesser-known TV series as well. We wanted to highlight five of them today. Best of all, you can click on the videos and listen to these opening themes on the Cafe's YouTube channel without even leaving this page.
1. Coronet Blue - Larry Cohen's short-lived 1967 series was about an amnesiac (Frank Converse) whose only clue to his identity were the words "coronet blue." He spent 13 episodes trying to discover what those words meant. The catchy title song, which reminds me of "Secret Agent Man," was penned by Earl Shuman and two-time Oscar nominee Laurence Rosenthal. Lenny Welch, who provides the vocals, scored a top 5 hit in 1963 with a cover of "Since I Fell for You."
2. The Protectors - Robert Vaughn and Nyree Dawn Porter (The Forsyte Saga) starred in this 1972-73 British series about a trio of international troubleshooters. The title song "Avenues and Alleyways" was a UK hit for Lou Christie, who sings over the closing credits. I prefer the opening instrumental version.
3. UFO - Composer Barry Gray wrote some great themes for Gerry Anderson's marionette TV series (e.g., Thunderbirds, Stingray). So, it was only natural that Anderson would turn to Gray for his first live-action show in 1970. I love how the snazzy music is perfectly synchronized with the rapid editing.
4. The Loner - Jerry Goldsmith had already received one of his 18 Oscar nominations when he composed the theme to Rod Serling's 1965-66 TV Western. The show starred Lloyd Bridges as a former Union officer roaming the West and dealing with issues such as racial prejudice, redemption, and resignation.
5. Man In a Suitcase - This jazzy theme is probably the least-known on this list, but it was composed by Ron Grainer. He was responsible for memorable title tunes for TV series such as The Prisoner and Doctor Who as well the scores for movies like To Sir, With Love (though he didn't write the title song). Incidentally, the Man In a Suitcase theme was later used for the 1996-2000 British entertainment show TFI Friday.
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Cool stuff. Man, I really dig that UFO theme. I'm going to have Coronet Blue stuck in my head the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteI love all of these themes but especially “Man in a Suitcase”. What an awesome blast from the past, Rick!
ReplyDeleteToto, I liked that one well enough to buy it from iTunes!
DeleteI'm partial to the "Yancy Derringer" (1958-59) theme. There are several versions actually, but this short one is nicely stated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIkaH4JWcao
ReplyDeleteI have LOVED "The Loner" theme for years. One of my favorite tv themes of all time. The others were fun to check out too.
ReplyDeleteJerry Goldsmith wrote some incredible music!
DeleteWhat, no Peter Gunn?
ReplyDeleteGreat themes all! I just started watching CORONET BLUE and am really enjoying it and that crazy theme song Yes, very much in the vein of "Secret Agent Man." I read on IMDb trivia that CORONET BLUE was produced in 1965 and shelved for two years, then ran as a summer replacement. It may have been picked up but Frank Converse was already contracted to N.Y.P.D.
ReplyDeleteMAN IN A SUITCASE is a great show with a great theme. My personal favorite Ron Grainer soundtrack is THE OMEGA MAN, the 1971 Charlton Heston vs. Anthony Zerbe classic.
These are all new to me. My fave is the "UFO" theme. I'm going to see if I can download it as a ringtone.
ReplyDelete