Television's Greatest Hits: 65 TV Themes! From the 50's and 60's

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Television's Greatest Hits: 65 TV Themes! From the '50s and '60s
Compilation album by
Various
Released1985
LabelTVT Records
Various chronology
Television's Greatest Hits: 65 TV Themes! From the '50s and '60s
(1985) 		Television's Greatest Hits, Volume 2: 65 More TV Themes from the '50s & '60s
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Television's Greatest Hits: 65 TV Themes! From the '50s and '60s is a compilation album of television theme songs released by Tee-Vee Toons in 1985 as the first volume of the Television's Greatest Hits series. It was initially released as a double LP record featuring 65 themes from television shows ranging from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s.[1]

The album catalog was later acquired by Bicycle Music Company. In September 2011, Los Angeles-based Oglio Records announced they were releasing the Television's Greatest Hits song catalog after entering into an arrangement Bicycle. A series of 9 initial "6-packs" including some of the songs from the album has been announced for 2011.[2]

Releases[edit]

The album's content varied from the original 1985 LP and cassette releases to the later CD re-release. Don Pardo "hosted" the original LP and cassette versions with spoken segments at the start of the album and at the end of each side, resulting in five tracks exclusive to the analog formats:

  • The first track on the first record/tape, side one, begins with a musical sample of Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" from the Peer Gynt suite,[3] which is interrupted by Don Pardo beginning the "broadcast day."
  • Side one concludes with a faux test announcement of the Emergency Broadcast System, leading into the "Duck and Cover" song (from the 1951 Civil Defense education film of the same name.)
  • Side two concludes with easy-listening music and Pardo making announcements of the "station" having technical difficulties and to please stand by. This was also sampled on Hexstatic's album Rewind.[4]
  • Side three (the first side on the second record/tape) concludes with a medley of news themes and announcer voices, led off by Pardo announcing a faux news bulletin interrupting the "broadcast" over a music sample of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, specifically the "Scherzo" movement.[5]
  • Side four (and the whole album) concludes with Don Pardo signing-off the "broadcast day" with a recording of the United States national anthem (enhanced with explosion and firework sounds near the end), and then fades on a test pattern tone (signaling the "station" has gone off the air.)

Track listing[edit]

NOTE: An asterisk (*) designates a track that was re-recorded for either a later season of the TV show, a single/album by the theme song artist or this album. A double asterisk (**) denotes a track exclusive to the record and cassette versions only, and, except for the Japanese release on CBS/Sony, do not show up on any CD version.

Side A (LP and Cassette versions)
  1. Peer Gynt: Morning Suite**
    Talking Voices (performed by): Don Pardo
    Music Composed by Edvard Grieg
  2. Captain Kangaroo ("Puffin' Billy")*
    Music Composed by Edward White[6]
  3. The Little Rascals ("Good Old Days")
    Music Composed by Roy Shields
    First appeared in the 1930 Our Gang/Little Rascals short "Teacher's Pet"[7]
  4. The Flintstones ("Meet the Flintstones")
    Background Vocals sung by The Skip-Jacks[8]
    (Music & Lyrics) Written by Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna & Joseph Barbera
  5. The Woody Woodpecker Show
    Music Composed by George Tibbles & Ramey Idriss
  6. The Bugs Bunny Show ("The Bugs Bunny Overture (This Is It!)") Written by Jerry Livingston & Mack David
  7. Casper the Friendly Ghost - Written by Jerry Livingston & M. David
  8. Felix the Cat - Written by Winston Sharples
    Vocals performed by Ann Bennett[9]
  9. Popeye - Written by Sammy Lerner
    Music Arranged by Winston Sharples[10]
  10. Yogi Bear - Written by H. Curtin, W. Hanna & J. Barbera
  11. Magilla Gorilla - Written by H. Curtin, W. Hanna & J. Barbera
  12. Top Cat
    Written by H. Curtin, W. Hanna, J. Barbera & Evelyn Timmens
  13. The Jetsons ("Meet George Jetson")
    Written by H. Curtin, W. Hanna & J. Barbera
  14. Fireball XL5 - Music Composed by Barry Gray
    Lyrics Written by Charles Blackwell
    Vocals sung by Don Spencer[11][12]
  15. Howdy Doody
    Lyrics Written by Buffalo Bob Smith & Edward Kean[13]
    Talking Voices: Buffalo Bob Smith
    Background Vocals: "A Choir of 40-Children"
    Music based on the vaudeville song "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay",[14] originally credited as composed by Henry J. Sayers
  16. Test of the Emergency Broadcast System - Duck and Cover**
    EBS Voice: Don Pardo[15]
    "Duck and Cover" Songwriting Credited to Civil Defense Department
Side B
  1. The Beverly Hillbillies ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett")*
    Performed by Flatt & Scruggs featuring Jerry Scoggins[1]
    Written by Paul Henning
  2. Petticoat Junction* - Written by P. Henning & Curt Massey
    Vocals sung by Curt Massey[16]
  3. Green Acres - Vocals Performed by Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor[1]
    Written by Vic Mizzy
  4. Mister Ed - Vocals Performed by Jay Livingston[1]
    Music Composed by Jay Livingston
    Lyrics Written by Ray Evans
  5. The Munsters* - Music Composed by Jack Marshall
  6. The Addams Family - Written & Arranged by Vic Mizzy
    Background Vocals: Vic Mizzy[17]
    Finger Snaps[18] & Additional Voices:[17] Ted Cassidy
  7. My Three Sons* - Music Composed by Frank De Vol
  8. The Donna Reed Show ("Happy Days")* -
    Music Composed by John Seely[19]
  9. Leave It to Beaver ("The Toy Parade")* -
    Music Composed by Dave Kahn, Melvyn Leonard & Mort Greene
  10. Dennis the Menace* -
    Music Composed by John Seely & William Loose
  11. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis* -
    Music Composed by Lionel Newman
    Lyrics Written by Max Shulman
    Vocals performed by Judd Conlon's Rhythmaires[20]
  12. The Patty Duke Show ("Cousins")
    Written by Robert Wells, Sid Ramin & Harry Geller[21]
    Vocals performed by The Skip-Jacks[8]
  13. The Dick Van Dyke Show* - Music Composed by Earle Hagen
  14. Gilligan's Island ("The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle")* -
    Written by George Wyle & Sherwood Schwartz
  15. McHale's Navy* - Music Composed by Axel Stordahl
  16. I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie")* -
    Music Composed by Hugo Montenegro & Buddy Kaye
  17. I Love Lucy* - Music Composed by Eliot Daniel & Harold Adamson
  18. The Andy Griffith Show ("The Fishin' Hole")*
    Performed by Earle Hagen[1]
    Music Composed by E. Hagen & Herbert W. Spencer[22]
  19. Please Stand By** - Voices: Don Pardo
Side C
  1. Star Trek ("Theme from Star Trek")* - Written by Alexander Courage
    Monologue Voice narrated by William Shatner[23]
    Soprano Vocals sung by Loulie Jean Norman[24]
  2. Lost in Space ("Lost in Space Main Title: Season 3")* - Music Composed by Johnny T. Williams
  3. The Twilight Zone* - Music Composed by Marius Constant
  4. Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Funeral March of a Marionette")*
    Music Composed by Charles Gounod[25]
  5. Superman ("Superman March")
    Written[26] & Arranged[27] by Leon Klatzkin
    Narrator Voiced by Bill Kennedy[28][29]
  6. Batman ("Batman Theme")* - Written by Neal Hefti
    Contains replayed elements from "To the Batmobile", as performed by Nelson Riddle with Adam West & Burt Ward,[30] with Dialog written by Lorenzo Semple Jr.[31]
  7. Flipper* - Music Composed by Henry Vars
    Lyrics Written by William "By" Dunham
  8. Combat! - Music Composed by Leonard Rosenman
  9. The Rifleman* - Music Composed by Herschel Burke Gilbert
  10. Bonanza* - Performed by Al Caiola[1]
    Music Composed by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
  11. Branded - Written by Dominic Frontiere & Alan Alch
  12. F Troop - Written by William Lava & Irving Taylor[32]
  13. Rin Tin Tin - Music Composed by Stanley Keyana[33]
  14. Daniel Boone* - Music Composed by Lionel Newman
    Lyrics Written by Ken Darby[34]
    Lyrics Credited to Vera Matson[35]
  15. The Wild Wild West* - Music Composed by Richard Markowitz
  16. The Lone Ranger (Music taken from "William Tell Overture")
    Music Composed by Gioachino Rossini
    Music Arranged by Ben Bonnell[36]
    Orchestra conducted by Daniel Perez Castaneda[37]
    Narrator Voices: Gerald Mohr & Fred Foy[38]
    Sampled Voice ("Hi-Yo Silver"): Earle W. Graser[39]
  17. The Roy Rogers Show ("Happy Trails")
    Written by Dale Evans & Foy Willing[40]
  18. We Interrupt This Program - News Medley**
    Additional Voices: Don Pardo
    Featuring Music Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Side D
  1. Mission: Impossible* - Music Composed by Lalo Schifrin
  2. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - Music Composed by Jerry Goldsmith
  3. Get Smart* - Music Composed by Irving Szathmary
  4. Secret Agent ("Secret Agent Man")* - Performed by Johnny Rivers
    Written by P. F. Sloan & Steve Barri
  5. Dragnet ("Theme and March")* - Performed by Ray Anthony[1]
    Written by Walter Schumann
    Music based on the "Main Title", from the 1946 film "The Killers", composed & performed by Miklós Rózsa[41]
  6. Perry Mason ("Park Avenue Beat")* -
    Music composed by Fred Steiner
  7. Adam-12 - Written by Frank Comstock
  8. The F.B.I. - Music Composed by Bronisław Kaper
  9. Hawaii Five-O ("Hawaii Five-O Theme")* - Performed by The Ventures[1]
    Music Composed by Morton Stevens
  10. 77 Sunset Strip* - Written by Jerry Livingston & Mack David
  11. Surfside 6 - Written by Jerry Livingston & M. David
  12. Ironside* - Music Composed by Quincy Jones
  13. Mannix* - Music Composed by L. Schifrin
  14. The Mod Squad - Music Composed by Earle Hagen
  15. The Tonight Show ("Johnny's Theme")* -
    Music Composed by Johnny Carson & Paul Anka
  16. The Late Show ("The Syncopated Clock")[1]* -
    Music Composed by Leroy Anderson
  17. WTV Toons Sign-Off - The Star-Spangled Banner** -
    Voices: Don Pardo
    Music Composed by Francis Scott Key

Reception[edit]

Alongside Television's Greatest Hits Volume II, the compilation was described by CD Review as "organized as a theoretical average viewing day". CD Review jokingly commented that the compilation would be "highly effective during interrogations" by the FBI.[42]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Eder, Bruce. "Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Original TV Soundtracks". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  2. ^ "Television's Greatest Hits - TV Theme 6-packs". Oglio Records. September 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  3. ^ "Don Pardo's "WTV Toons Sign On" Sample of Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood"". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. ^ Hexstatic (1 August 2000). "Rewind (album): download and streaming in high quality". Qobuz. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Don Pardo's "We Interrupt the Program...News Medley" Sample of Ludwig Van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9: Scherzo"". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - Captain Kangaroo (Puffin' Billy)". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 16 September 2012.
  7. ^ Edwards, Bobb (3 April 2012). "Leroy Shield". Find a Grave.
  8. ^ a b MeTV Staff (15 December 2015). "10 Fascinating Factoids about 'The Patty Duke Show'". MeTV.com.
  9. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - Felix The Cat". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 20 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Popeye the Sailor TV Series (1960-62): Full Cast and Crew" - Series Music Department". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Theme Time...Fireball XL5". So It Goes... 6 September 2015.
  12. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - Fireball XL-5". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 26 July 2013.
  13. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (24 August 2010). "Edward Kean...Dies at 85". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Kittrels, Alonzo (28 January 2017). "It's Howdy Doody Reminiscing Time". The Philadelphia Tribune.
  15. ^ "Television's Greatest Hits...Duck and Cover..." YouTube: Wiley-k209z-back. 24 September 2013.
  16. ^ Massey, Curt (16 February 2014). "Petticoat Junction Theme". YouTube: Behind the Scenes Photos.
  17. ^ a b Shaw, James (11 August 2016). "Original Addams Family Theme..." Otaku no Culture.
  18. ^ "The Addams Family Theme Song". Movie Theme Songs & TV Soundtracks. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  19. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - The Donna Reed Show". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 27 July 2013.
  20. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 27 July 2013.
  21. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - The Patty Duke Show". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 27 July 2013.
  22. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - The Andy Griffith Show". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 29 July 2013.
  23. ^ "Star Trek: The Original Series…Opening and Closing Theme". YouTube: TeeVees Greatest. 27 April 2016.
  24. ^ Bernstein, Adam (31 May 2008). "Alexander Courage...'Star Trek'". Washington Post.
  25. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - Alfred Hitchcock Presents". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 31 July 2013.
  26. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits - Superman". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 31 July 2013.
  27. ^ "The Adventures of Superman". The Media Management Group. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  28. ^ "Bill Kennedy - Biography". IMDb.
  29. ^ "14 fascinating facts about 'Adventures of Superman'"". Decades.com. 29 April 2016.
  30. ^ "TeeVee Toons Inc's "Batman" Sample of Nelson Riddle, Adam West & Burt Ward's "To the Batmobile"". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  31. ^ Riddle, Nelson (1989). "Batman: Original TV Soundtrack (CD, Album, Reissue)". Mercury.
  32. ^ "TV's Greatest Hits: F Troop". YouTube: The-Peacekeeper-j3l. 1 August 2013.
  33. ^ Television's Greatest Hits Band. "Rin Tin Tin". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  34. ^ Jon Burlingame, p. 76, TV's Biggest Hits: The Story Of Television Themes From "Dragnet" To "Friends", Schirmer Books, 1995, ISBN 0-02-870324-3
  35. ^ "Vera Matson". Discogs. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  36. ^ Pavlik, John V. (2017). Masterful Stories: Lessons from Golden Age Radio. Routledge. ISBN 9781315530758.
  37. ^ Jensen, Steve (2004). "The Music of The Lone Ranger". Intersound, Inc. / Cinedisc.
  38. ^ "The Gerald Mohr Collection". One's Media. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  39. ^ Mills, Rych (24 July 2020). "Flash From the Past: Radio's Masked Man had a Kitchener identity". The Record.
  40. ^ "Happy Trails..." The 1951 Club / Wordpress. 25 April 2015.
  41. ^ "Miklós Rózsa and Walter Schumann's "Dragnet Theme" Sample of Miklós Rózsa's "Main Title"". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  42. ^ Taylor, Andrew (March 1987). "New Releases Spotlight". CD Review. 3 (7): 80. Retrieved June 12, 2017.

External links[edit]

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