Nice little read on Andy Griffith and the music on his show. Though I've seen the show many times - at least the episodes when Barney/Don Knotts was still a regular - they still make me laugh. This show and The Beverly Hillbillies were my intro to bluegrass with my dad's listening to The Grand Ole Opry on radio Saturday nights was my intro to country music back in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Thinking back on it, there's was a wealth of various music genres on the radio and t-v- back then. Ain't much like that today.

[nodepression.com]

I saw the Dillards (aka The Darlings) live in a small Jr. High school auditorium in Santa Monica around 1979 - one of the most memorable shows I've ever seen!

The Dillards

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Along those lines, there's the original theme song to Petticoat Junction:



Come ride the little train that is rolling down the tracks to the junction.
Forget about your cares, it is time to relax at the junction.

Lotsa curves, you bet
Even more, when you get
To the junction
(Petticoat Junction)

There's a little hotel called the Shady Rest at the junction.
(Petticoat Junction)
It is run by Kate, come and be her guest at the junction.
(Petticoat Junction)
And that's Uncle Joe, he's a movin' kind of slow at the junction,
Petticoat Junction.

Petticoat Junction opening and closing themes: [www.youtube.com]

Then there's the spinoff, Green Acres:



Green Acres opening and closing theme: [www.youtube.com]

Things got rockin' with the Munsters theme(s):



Munsters opening theme (season 1): [www.youtube.com]

Munsters opening and closing theme (season 2): [www.youtube.com]

There was also the folksy theme song of the first season of Gilligan's Island:



Gilligan's Island opening theme (season 1): [www.youtube.com]

Then again, there was plenty of jazz-related themes on TV throughout the decade and into the 70s:



Bewitched opening and closing themes (season 1, 1964): [www.youtube.com]



That Girl, season 1 opening theme (1966): [www.youtube.com]

That Girl, season 1 closing theme (1966): [www.youtube.com]



The Odd Couple theme song: [www.youtube.com]

The Odd Couple opening theme, season 2 (1971): [www.youtube.com]

Meanwhile, Peyton Place opted more a more traditional, lush orchestral arrangement:



Peyton Place opening and closing theme: [www.youtube.com]

How can you stop there when discussing opening themes?
Not even mention the Barney Miller or Night Court bass lines?


Fun fact- The Munster opening was a play off Donna Reed's opening.... "give Momma dat kiss"


Another fun fact- Did you know PJ used (basically) the exact same script 3 years part for their Christmas special? Not juts the same plot, but the exact same lines.



In closing bless ME-TV for bringing Kolchak back to the airwaves. I watch him stalk weekly. He is too fun. His show 12000% gave birth to X-Files. Kolchak could/should have been written as Mulder's Dad... maybe its not too late

Quote
Leonioid
bless ME-TV for bringing Kolchak back to the airwaves. I watch him stalk weekly. He is too fun. His show 12000% gave birth to X-Files. Kolchak could/should have been written as Mulder's Dad... maybe its not too late

And still another fun fact:

Gil Mellé, who composed the theme for Kolchak: The Night Stalker,
also did the theme for Rod Serling's the Night Gallery --
the first all-electronic theme on television!



Night Gallery opening, season 1: [www.youtube.com]

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stonehearted

Quote
Leonioid
bless ME-TV for bringing Kolchak back to the airwaves. I watch him stalk weekly. He is too fun. His show 12000% gave birth to X-Files. Kolchak could/should have been written as Mulder's Dad... maybe its not too late

And still another fun fact:

Gil Mellé, who composed the theme for Kolchak: The Night Stalker,
also did the theme for Rod Serling's the Night Gallery --
the first all-electronic theme on television!



Night Gallery opening, season 1: [www.youtube.com]

cool

I did not know that...
I love the whistling theme to Kolchak It makes me happy when it comes on... I don't know why.


Night Gallery STILL scares the sht out me... I find it almost too spooky to watch!
It has aged well... and man it is scary! There is not much comic relief in Night Galley

Quincy Jones - The Streetbeater aka Sanford & Son Theme




Quincy Jones: "Bud Yorkin came over my house around 1970 and he said we just bought the rights of a show from England called Steptoe and Son. Sanford and Son was taken from the English TV show. He said, 'I'd like you to write the theme for it.' I said, 'who's in it?' And he said Redd Foxx. I said, 'man, you can't put Redd Foxx on national TV [laughs]. I had worked with Redd Foxx 30 years before that at the Apollo. We used to do the Chitlin Circuit. I used to write this music for him to come out with. Yorkin said, 'No, it's gonna be a great great show. And it was. Foxx took his sense of humor and took it all the way to the top. I wrote that song in about 20 minutes too. We had four musicians, Recorded it in about 20 minutes. It's amazing. Looking back, it's a trip."

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Interesting how a thread topic can lead to all sorts of connections re music or shows we all remember. I still dig watching Sanford and Son. Though it didn't last long, Redd Foxx had a variety show after leaving Sanford. The show was funny and offbeat. Foxx's party albums were a staple among the adults in my family when I was growing up. They'd go to put one of his albums on and shoosh us kids out of the room. Some of Foxx's old comedy stuff was on YouTube. It may still be. I can tell you - he's hilarious - but, if you're sensitive about things, there's nothing PC about his humor.

Quote
dmay
Interesting how a thread topic can lead to all sorts of connections re music or shows we all remember. I still dig watching Sanford and Son. Though it didn't last long, Redd Foxx had a variety show after leaving Sanford. The show was funny and offbeat. Foxx's party albums were a staple among the adults in my family when I was growing up. They'd go to put one of his albums on and shoosh us kids out of the room. Some of Foxx's old comedy stuff was on YouTube. It may still be. I can tell you - he's hilarious - but, if you're sensitive about things, there's nothing PC about his humor.

I still watch Redd Fox on Sanford and Son and quite often I am laughing out loud. It can be a very funny show and it has held up (with me) a lot better than most shows from back then. Watching some/most of those shows I now realize in retrospect they a lot of them were more "agenda pushing" than pure entertainment. They are not much fun for me to watch these days.

I am surprised how some sitcoms I used to enjoy turn out to be nothing but thinly veiled propaganda with a laugh track. Maybe they helped change the world for the better... but in this world those shows are dumb, they were playing us.... pushing agendas.
I used to enjoy watching the show "Coach" back in the day and I was excited it came back on recently but it is nothing but BS agenda pushing. I am done with it. I turned it off the other night and that is that.

I think the reason Stanford and Sons is still so funny is what you said... there was not much PC in Redd Foxx... he spoke the truth... and the truth is still the truth 40 years later.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-02-12 04:07 by Leonioid.

And then there were the shortlived and semi-obscure spinoffs from Sanford and Son.

Grady (1975/76)- I sort of remember this one.

"Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady, leaves Watts to move in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. The series never found a solid audience, and was canceled after just ten episodes. Whitman Mayo returned to Sanford and Son and would go on to star in the revival series Sanford Arms (see below).

Sanford Arms (1977) - Name sort of rings a bell, but huh???? I do remember actor Theodore Wilson from Good Times and That's My Mama, but definitely not this.

"Redd Foxx left Sanford and Son to star in a variety show for ABC. The producers planned to continue the series with Demond Wilson as Lamont, but Wilson left the project in a dispute over his expected salary as the star of the series. The producers decided to continue the project with a new character. The new lead character was Phil Wheeler (Theodore Wilson), a widower and old Army buddy of Fred Sanford's.The attempt to continue a popular series without its two main stars turned out to be a failure. The ratings were low and the show was cancelled after four episodes.".

Sanford (1980/81)- I don't remember this at all.

"Background. In 1977, after six seasons of Sanford and Son, Redd Foxx left NBC show to star in a variety show for ABC. His new show, The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, was cancelled after four months.Sanford premiered in March 1980 as a midseason replacement. Demond Wilson refused to reprise his role as Fred's son, Lamont. His absence was explained by having Lamont away working on the Alaska pipeline. The events of the series Sanford Arms—where Fred and Lamont had moved to Arizona after selling the property to Fred's Army buddy Phil Wheeler—were ignored.".

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
Leonioid
In closing bless ME-TV for bringing Kolchak back to the airwaves. I watch him stalk weekly. He is too fun. His show 12000% gave birth to X-Files. Kolchak could/should have been written as Mulder's Dad... maybe its not too late

Darren McGavin has passed away unfortunately, but he DID do an episode of the X-Files, where he played the father of The X-Files themselves:

[x-files.wikia.com]

Some fun production notes too:

-McGavin is, indeed, something of a "father" to the X-Files having played intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak in two TV movies and a one season show, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, an acknowledged influence for Chris Carter, when creating The X-Files.
-Darren McGavin was originally spearheaded by Chris Carter to portray Agent Mulder's father during season 2, but scheduling problems didn't allow it.

Quote
Leonioid
How can you stop there when discussing opening themes?
Not even mention the Barney Miller or Night Court bass lines?

Just read an interview with Cliff Burton's (Metallica's legendary deceased bassist) 93-year old father, Ray, and he said that the Barney Miller theme is what got Cliff interested in playing the bass back in the '70s. Gotta love trivia.

Another interesting fact about Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

The final episode of the series, The Sentry, has Lieutenant Irene Lamont played by Kathie Browne...



...in real life married to Darrin McGavin. It may strike you how good their onscreen rapport and chemistry is in that episode. Well, that's why.

Quote
keefriff99

Quote
Leonioid
In closing bless ME-TV for bringing Kolchak back to the airwaves. I watch him stalk weekly. He is too fun. His show 12000% gave birth to X-Files. Kolchak could/should have been written as Mulder's Dad... maybe its not too late

Darren McGavin has passed away unfortunately, but he DID do an episode of the X-Files, where he played the father of The X-Files themselves:

[x-files.wikia.com]

Some fun production notes too:

-McGavin is, indeed, something of a "father" to the X-Files having played intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak in two TV movies and a one season show, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, an acknowledged influence for Chris Carter, when creating The X-Files.
-Darren McGavin was originally spearheaded by Chris Carter to portray Agent Mulder's father during season 2, but scheduling problems didn't allow it.

THANKS! That is very interesting!


Holy Moly, I did not know that. I knew Chris Carter was a fan of Kolchak and took some inspiration...but after watching Kolchak in the last year or so I realize he took a lot more and that IS AWESOME he might have/could have been Mulders Dad.


Kolchak has a lot of the same humor as the xfiles sometimes does.
And I didnt realize there are only 20 eps... One season? I would swore there were more

-----

I didn't realize Darren McGavin was in an Xfiles Ep... and I am a fan of the show, although I was a Johnny come lately only jumping on board after it was reruns. But man it is such a deep show that goes in so many directions... and I not really much of a fan of the alienconspiracy/his sisters story/etc etc although I have seen a lot of them.... but it always feels like I missed a critical episoide and now I have no fkg idea who the what HUH? Should I know that guy? ... So I have mostly enjoy the stand alone eps.... especially the ones written/produced by Vince Gilligan, that guy hits my sense of humor on the bulls eye

------

I have almost purchased the entire X-files series, so I could watch it correctly... and maybe I will.

I cant believe I missed the Darren McGavin ep... I bet it has many many easter eggs.


------

OK OK... I had to go look and see if I stole (knew and forgot) (I would happily admit it) that about McGavin, but I looked on IMDB where I get a lot of trivia and it not there.

and I have never read that wiki page, not that I recall anyway. And I dont recall it coming from somewhere else, just me enjoying watch Kolchak over the last year... then again it is not excatly a creative leap... hell it is kind of a no-brainer. THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT! Schedule Scmhedule. They missed the boat.

Quote
keefriff99

Quote
Leonioid
How can you stop there when discussing opening themes?
Not even mention the Barney Miller or Night Court bass lines?

Just read an interview with Cliff Burton's (Metallica's legendary deceased bassist) 93-year old father, Ray, and he said that the Barney Miller theme is what got Cliff interested in playing the bass back in the '70s. Gotta love trivia.

Nice!

One time when I thought I might/could play... I actually bought a bass and it was the first bass riff I played (that and Night court) There is nothing cooler than banging out cool ass riffs like those.


But in the end... I aint got no rhythm, it is just a fact. Still have the bass though

Another good one. A bit on the easy listening side, and a bit melancholy for a funny tv series,
but makes me want to sit back in a massive La-Z-Boy recliner, pop open a beer, and smoke an expensive cigar (even though I don't smoke tobacco )
Bob James - Angela (Theme From "Taxi")




_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
stonehearted
Another interesting fact about Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

The final episode of the series, The Sentry, has Lieutenant Irene Lamont played by Kathie Browne...



...in real life married to Darrin McGavin. It may strike you how good their onscreen rapport and chemistry is in that episode. Well, that's why.

Browne was a regular on TV in the '60s and '70s. She had a part on Star Trek wearing... a pretty interesting outfit.

Quote
stonehearted
Another interesting fact about Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

The final episode of the series, The Sentry, has Lieutenant Irene Lamont played by Kathie Browne...
https:/ /images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTQ2MDU4MzA1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTEzNDczMjE@._V1_.jpg[/img]
...in real life married to Darrin McGavin. It may strike you how good their onscreen rapport and chemistry is in that episode. Well, that's why.
http:/ /img.veehd.com/4690626_l1.jpg[/img]

Very attractive, very happy for both of them.

Kolchak should have gone on a lot longer... dumbass network goofs.
The fact it stands up so well in reruns is the proof in the pudding.

Quote
dmay
Nice little read on Andy Griffith and the music on his show. Though I've seen the show many times - at least the episodes when Barney/Don Knotts was still a regular - they still make me laugh. This show and The Beverly Hillbillies were my intro to bluegrass with my dad's listening to The Grand Ole Opry on radio Saturday nights was my intro to country music back in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Thinking back on it, there's was a wealth of various music genres on the radio and t-v- back then. Ain't much like that today.

[nodepression.com]

Nice clips!
The article skipped the theme song that most of us knew in it's "whistle form"

Fishing Hole (Andy Griffith)
[youtu.be]

Pretty serious bluegrass pickin by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on
The Beverly Hillbillies opening and closing songs..

Oddly, I still find myself humming or singing that song more often than I'd like to admit..

video: [youtu.be]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-02-12 07:41 by MisterDDDD.