Now, my memory isn't too good nowadays, but I seem to recall that the actual pilot show was called CYBORG. That had an all-Mellé score, no songs, right? Universal did produce several 90 minute special episodes sometime after that, though I'm not sure exactly how they fit in. My feeling is that they were made just before the weekly show started, though maybe they were done once it had already got underway. What were those titles? "Wine, Women and War" was one, and maybe "The Solid Gold Kidnapping"(?) was another. Again, great Gil Mellé scores, though this time there was a title song by, I believe... can't remember...eh, Stu Phillips? That must be the Dusty Springfield-sung theme song you mention over at FSM - "He's my maaan, six million dollar maaaaaan!"

I don't think Gil Mellé did any of the regular 60 minute shows, but they had some great music by Oliver Nelson, JJ Johnson and Luchi DeJesus. All that period was brilliant music-wise for kids growing up. Just look at Universal's roster of TV composers (it's a pity no record label can seem to get a foot in there.) Universal would hand out assignments to Mellé, Nelson and others, and the results would be spectacular on series like NIGHT GALLERY and COLUMBO.

I recently saw a compilation cd with music by Robert Colbert (DARK SHADOWS) at the Virgin super-store in NYC of his music for KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER.

All Universal music releases. If the label can do this, although I don't know who put out the cd (even if this is a legit), there is hope for Melle, Goldenberg, Cacavas, Nelson, and others often overlooked by small private speciality film music enterprises.

It's a legit CD - Varese put it out roughly a year and a half ago. (In this particular case, it features suites of Colbert's work for Dan Curtis, mainly from the tv movies - STRANGE CASE OF DR. JECKYLL AND MR HYDE, DRACULA, TRILOGY OF TERROR and a suite from the feature film BURNT OFFERINGS.)

Whatever, it would indeed be great if the floodgates were eventually opened, releasing all those buried treasures - amazing scores from the likes of Mellé, Goldenberg, Oliver Nelson, Morton Stevens, Leonard Rosenman, Lalo Schifrin ... I won't go on, because the list is endless.

"Wine, Women and War" opted for a typical take on the James Bond-influenced style of the tv spies shows of the era - hence the awful title song.

Is The Joe Franklin Show syndicated or is it primarily only heard in the NYC area? I know who Franklin is, but don't think that his show is carried by anyone here in the Heartland.

You can check out Joe Franklin's website:
http://www.joefranklin.com. to see the two shows he's on and where it's picked up. Gil Melle asked me the same question.

As far as the tapes go, email me for more info.
Jim