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Author	Topic: need help with TV themes

dantoris Oscar® Winner	Who composed the opening themes for the following shows: 21 Jump Street Just Shoot Me Knight Rider Major Dad Simon & Simon And can any confirm the following? Airwolf - Sylvester Levay Touched By An Angel - Mark Litchman Tour of Duty - Joseph Conlan The Young Riders - John Debney Many thanks in advance. NP: Star Trek: First Contact - "39.1 Degrees Celsius" ***/*** [This message has been edited by dantoris (edited 06 April 2000).]
posted 04-06-2000 12:10 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	AIRWOLF: Sylvester Levay, yes. KNIGHT RIDER: the original? Stu Phillips and Glen Larson (I don't think Larson ever really did these themes, he just wanted the credit so he would get the residual payments -- same reason Gene Roddenberry wrote that absurd "lyric" for the original STAR TREK theme, so that he could share the credit and the royalties.) JUST SHOOT ME: just watch it, and find out. (They probably crowd all the credits into the right-hand corner so they can run more ads, and they tend to run by so fast you'll have to tape it and go almost frame-by-frame till it shows up.) SIMON & SIMON: The IMDb says Joseph Conlan did the score, but I SUSPECT he cowrote the theme with sometimes collaborator Barry DeVorzon. I'd have to watch an old episode to find that out. I have no means to do so, and less interest. Alas. I'm lost on the others, sorry. [This message has been edited by H Rocco (edited 06 April 2000).]
posted 04-06-2000 12:17 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	Well, of course I meant the original Knight Rider. You didn't think I meant TEAM Knight Rider did you? At least, I would hope you didn't think I meant that one.
posted 04-06-2000 12:23 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	And Shirley Walker did the Flash theme, right?
posted 04-06-2000 12:25 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Oscar® Winner	Well, "Knight Rider 2000" had a very good theme by Jan Hammer...kind of haunting, actually, with that piano....
posted 04-06-2000 12:28 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	heh, I never saw the subsequent RIDERs, so who knew. Your tastes did seem to be skewing more 'eighties, though. I thought Danny Elfman did the FLASH theme, and Shirley Walker the scores.
posted 04-06-2000 12:46 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Oscar® Winner	But...the 80's are the best!
posted 04-06-2000 12:49 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	The 80s had so many cool themes: The A-Team, Hunter, Magnum, P.I., Tour of Duty, Airwolf, and countless others. Of course, there are some shows that have great themes, but they have dialogue and sound effects over the music! ARGH!!
posted 04-06-2000 01:00 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	I'm with ya, but my own taste skews more seventies. Just a factor of what we each grew up with, I suspect. Either theme from STARSKY & HUTCH (one by Schifrin, one by Mark Snow), or Barry DeVorzon's (I think it was him) tremendous SWA*T. And so on.
posted 04-06-2000 01:04 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	And of course, the majority of shows these day don't even have an opening long enough to sustain a real theme (like Just Shoot Me). Through the title against a background picture of New York or LA for ten seconds, play a little guitar, then fade out.
posted 04-06-2000 01:18 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	My favorite TV theme recently was for ACTION, the little song for the main title sequence (remember that ACTION was made originally for HBO -- not sure that Fox, where it finally aired, or any of the networks endorses actual title sequences anymore. I read in TV GUIDE about how the original title sequence for WINGS was considered a masterpiece in the field, yet NBC rarely if ever ran it, because it took up too much time that could otherwise be used for advertising.) "Everybody wants to be a friend o'mine ... even a dog can shake hands!" I want that preserved. (from the song for ACTION)
posted 04-06-2000 01:28 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	Yes! The first (two?) seasons of Wings was the long montage sequence with the Piper flying and the cast. Later, they just showed the title on the silver flying wings pin (while clouds moved by in the background), played a little bit of the piano theme, and then cut to the first scene. I like actual opening titles went out of style sometime in mid-90s, though some shows still hang onto them. I think. Mostly one-hours. [This message has been edited by dantoris (edited 06 April 2000).]
posted 04-06-2000 01:36 PM PT (US)

Jack Oscar® Winner	21 Jump Street-Liam Sternberg Knight rider-Glen Larson & Stu Phillips Major Dad-Stephen Dorff Simon & Simon-Barry DeVorzon Airwolf-Levay is correct
posted 04-06-2000 04:22 PM PT (US)

dantoris Oscar® Winner	Wow! And here I was, thinking Stephen Dorff only acted!! Just kidding. Thanks, Jack.
posted 04-06-2000 04:59 PM PT (US)

Timmer Oscar® Winner	The BEST t.v. themes are from the 60's and 70's......Without doubt!! 60's The Saint,Thunderbirds,Captain scarlet,Danger Man,The Avengers,Man From uncle,Marcus welbyM.D.,...... 70's Joe 90,UFO,Department S,the persuaders,The prisoner,orson Welles Great Mysteries,Columbo,Mission Impossible,geeeez!,the list goe's on...... It's late here, I'm tired, There's ton's more??!! i just can't think of them right now!! NP : Norfolk Rhapsody - R.V.Williams
posted 04-06-2000 05:04 PM PT (US)

Al Oscar® Winner	Yes, but one of the greatest T.V. show themes is that of THE A-TEAM. Mike Post and Pete Carpenter had a classic there. Of course, Goldsmith dominated at T.V. themes. Dr. Kildare's theme is more moving than many film scores! Other great themes I love? Mancini's NEWHART and Zimmer's THE CRITIC. Hows about Highway To Heaven? Who composed that theme?
posted 04-06-2000 05:58 PM PT (US)

Jack Oscar® Winner	Highway to Heaven was David Rose.
posted 04-06-2000 07:07 PM PT (US)

Al Oscar® Winner	Thanks. I had been wondering about that one.
posted 04-06-2000 08:49 PM PT (US)

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