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Prof. Toru Tanaka

(2,733 posts)

35. Great choice!

Sat Jun 21, 2025, 10:57 AM

Jun 21

Like you posted, it is easy to remember the visual shots which were perfectly timed to the music. The dancer in the club interspersed with the ocean waves sunset shot is outstanding. And the camera rapidly zeroing in to the hotel balcony as Jack Lord turns his head for a close-up is swag at its best!

It is hard for me to give a second place nod as there have been a lot of good tv show themes through the years. And a lot of those were cop shows like Hawaii Five-0.

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stillcool Sequoia Sequoia

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Highlight:

What was your all time favorite opening theme song from a television show--any genre. Mine was the theme song from "The [View all] debm55 Jun 21 OP

Cheers! FalloutShelter Jun 21 #1

Thank you FalloutShelter. It's where everyone knows your name. debm55 Jun 21 #2

I think Palantir is using that now. nt eppur_se_muova Jun 21 #26

Yep, that's mine too Walleye Jun 21 #11

I agree. OLDMDDEM Jun 21 #60

Mine too! arkielib Jun 22 #191

Miami Vice. They had the best music. Srkdqltr Jun 21 #3

Car 54 Where Are You? murielm99 Jun 21 #4

Thank you very much murielm99 debm55 Jun 21 #5

Hawaii Five-O stillcool Jun 21 #6

Thank you very much, stillcool. I loved that theme song. Now i have an earworm debm55 Jun 21 #8

Great choice! Prof. Toru Tanaka Jun 21 #35

Bad Sisters... MiHale Jun 21 #7

Thank you very much MiHale debm55 Jun 21 #9

I like that one too! Jilly_in_VA Jun 21 #48

Hawaii Five-0 Ritabert Jun 21 #10

Thank you very much Ritabert . Loved the opening song and the background clips. Earworm. debm55 Jun 21 #62

Sanford and Son was real funky! MuseRider Jun 21 #12

HHAHAHAHAHHHA. Yes it was. I'm coming Elizabeth Thank you MuseRider debm55 Jun 21 #15

Composed by the great Quincy Jones! (n/t) PJMcK Jun 21 #33

WOW! MuseRider Jun 21 #36

The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the Avengers (not the comic book Avengers). marble falls Jun 21 #13

Thank you very much, marble falls. I love your choices. Especially the Avengers. debm55 Jun 21 #16

Although the show fell apart without Emma Peel MurrayDelph Jun 21 #32

Yes it did. I stopped watching after she left. debm55 Jun 21 #47

WKRP in Cincinatti. Omnipresent Jun 21 #14

Thank you very much Omnipresent. I agree and thank you for your choice. debm55 Jun 21 #18

Written by the show's creator, simply because he learned he'd make $500 every time it aired. rsdsharp Jun 21 #74

from my childhood didn't realize that KarenS Jun 21 #17

Thank you very much , KarenS, debm55 Jun 21 #19

I remember that well didn't know Johnny Cash sang it either Walleye Jun 21 #20

I always liked the instrumental from "Hill Street Blues" Walleye Jun 21 #21

Thank you very much Walleye. I agree. debm55 Jun 21 #25

Petter Gunn theme Earl_from_PA Jun 21 #22

I agree with you Earl_from_PA, Loved that song. Also Manchini is from Pittsburgh. my home town. debm55 Jun 21 #28

YAY! MuseRider Jun 21 #34

Hands down the best theme song ever chicoescuela Jun 21 #103

I think mine would have Cloudhopper Jun 21 #23

Thank you very much Cloudhopper. I liked it to. debm55 Jun 21 #29

Mission Impossible, by Lalo Schifrin, who I recently learned is still alive. eppur_se_muova Jun 21 #24

5/4 time PJMcK Jun 21 #31

The original version with the bongos accompaniment was the best one. Prof. Toru Tanaka Jun 21 #40

Thank you very much eppur_se_muova. I remember the original version.and watched it. debm55 Jun 21 #44

Schifrin's Working Title Was... ProfessorGAC Jun 21 #125

Welcome Back Kotter patphil Jun 21 #27

Thank you very much patphil. I believe it was done by the Lovin Spoonful. debm55 Jun 21 #42

John Sebastian wrote and sang it after the breakup of the Lovin' Spoonful. patphil Jun 21 #160

Thank you patphil for that information. debm55 Jun 22 #173

Several favorites PJMcK Jun 21 #30

Thank you very much PJMcK. Your choices are fantastic. debm55 Jun 21 #38

Theme Linder Jun 21 #37

Thank you very much Linder. debm55 Jun 21 #39

CSI Miami - Won't get fooled Again - The Who BOSSHOG Jun 21 #41

Thank you very much BOSSHOGG. Love the song. The program was not as good as the original, though debm55 Jun 21 #64

Three, if you will pardon my self indulgence AltairIV Jun 21 #43

Excellent choices, AltairIV. thank you so much. debm55 Jun 21 #45

"Saint Elsewhere" nt Laffy Kat Jun 21 #46

I really liked that too. MuseRider Jun 21 #55

Thank you Laffy Kat , Loved the song, and program. Did not like the ending. debm55 Jun 21 #65

No one liked the ending. Laffy Kat Jun 21 #73

Taxi. Buckeye_Democrat Jun 21 #49

Thank you very much, Buckeye_Democrat. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #85

Laverne and Shirley Sun-Moon Jun 21 #50

We used to sing and dance to that in college. Thank you very much Sun-Moon. debm55 Jun 21 #71

Saint Elsewhere (theme music written and performed by Dave Grusin). LastDemocratInSC Jun 21 #51

Thank you LastDemocratinSC, I loved song and watched the program every week . Hated the ending. debm55 Jun 21 #88

Andy Griffith show. 33taw Jun 21 #52

Thank you 33aw. I loved the whistling , debm55 Jun 21 #70

Did you know there are lyrics to the song, sung by Andy Griffith, himself? Brother Buzz Jun 21 #107

Thank you very much, Brother Buzz, that is very interesting. Thank you for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #136

The Monkees! (n/t) Moostache Jun 21 #53

Thank you very much Moostache. Hay, Hay were the Monkees. debm55 Jun 21 #69

Addams Family, Get Smart, Munsters, Sopranos and Dexter. So many more good ones too😁 TommieMommy Jun 21 #54

Thank you very much TommieMommy for your list. debm55 Jun 21 #68

"The Man in the High Castle". generalbetrayus Jun 21 #56

Thank you very much generalbetrayus and your girlfriend. I liked the Dick van Dyke show theme. debm55 Jun 21 #67

"And Your Bird Can Sing", on The Beatles Saturday-morning cartoon show, circa 1967. Mister Ed Jun 21 #57

Thank you very much, Mister Ed. I agree it is a great song. Thank you for sharing the video. debm55 Jun 21 #61

Every Saturday morning on WEWS channel five, at 10:00am. One of the few shows I've ever made a point not to miss ... marble falls Jun 22 #164

Wings. boonecreek Jun 21 #58

Thank you boonecreek, That is beautiful debm55 Jun 21 #59

The Dick Van Dyke Show DUgosh Jun 21 #63

Agree. thank you DUgosh. was Dick going to fall or not over the otterman? debm55 Jun 21 #66

Five O'Clock World on The Drew Carey Show LogDog75 Jun 21 #72

Thank you very much LogDog75. My Uncle Chuck sang in the group The Vogues. They were from Turtle Creek, PA Their music debm55 Jun 21 #84

Firefly. area51 Jun 21 #75

What a beautiful song. Thank you area51 for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #82

The Mary Tyler Moore Show. rsdsharp Jun 21 #76

Thank you very much rsdsharp. I loved the theme song and the program. debm55 Jun 21 #81

As a kid, "Route 66" probably because I had a crush on KitFox Jun 21 #77

Thank you very much KitFox for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #80

Theme song rso Jun 21 #78

Thank you very much rso. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #79

H.R. Pufnstuf The Madcap Jun 21 #83

HAHAHHAHAHAH. Thank you very much The Madcap for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #90

That created a devil of an earworm for me decades ago. Ilsa Jun 21 #153

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Ziggysmom Jun 21 #86

Thank you very much for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #93

Law & Order, Hill Street Blues, Homicide: Life on the Streets. So many good ones. LoisB Jun 21 #87

Thank you , very much, LoisB, Those are some of my favorites too. debm55 Jun 21 #91

Barney Miller. Diamond_Dog Jun 21 #89

Thank you very much Diamond_Dog. I loved the show and theme song. Thanks for sharing. debm55 Jun 21 #92

Love BM theme ILikePie92 Jun 22 #184

MASH johnp3907 Jun 21 #94

Thank you jonh3907, I was glad they took out the suicide line from the original movie version debm55 Jun 21 #137

mash. AllaN01Bear Jun 21 #95

M*A*S*H IA8IT Jun 21 #101

hotlips "" AllaN01Bear Jun 21 #119

Sweet Loretta IA8IT Jun 21 #122

Thank you very much IA8IT debm55 Jun 21 #140

________ debm55 Jun 21 #139

Thank you very much IA8IT, My mother in law was a M.A,S,H nurse in Italy during WWII, Ahw she never talked about the debm55 Jun 21 #138

Black Sheep Squadron and magnum PI cpamomfromtexas Jun 21 #96

Thank you very much cpamomfromtexas. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #143

Perry Mason Chipper Chat Jun 21 #97

Thank you very much, Chipper Chat.for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #144

That is easy, and I think I MUST have overlooked someone else posting this first DFW Jun 21 #98

I love the theme for the Rockford Files, Thank you for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #145

One that I haven't seen mentioned yet - The Banana Splits Wiz Imp Jun 21 #99

Thank you very much for sharing with us. Wiz Imp debm55 Jun 21 #146

Another one - Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Wiz Imp Jun 21 #100

Thank you very much. for sharing with us, Wiz Imp debm55 Jun 21 #147

Firefly Harold Shea Jun 21 #102

Thank you very much for sharing with us Harold Shea debm55 Jun 21 #148

The Twilight Zone, of course. Ocelot II Jun 21 #104

Thank you very much Ocelot II, Now I have an earworm. debm55 Jun 21 #150

Knots Landing! emulatorloo Jun 21 #105

Thank you very emulatorloo. Better late then never.Thanks for sharing. debm55 Jun 21 #151

Rocky and Bullwinkle Show Kablooie Jun 21 #106

Thank you very much Kablooie. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #154

Miami Vice. Enter stage left Jun 21 #108

Thank you very much, Enter stage left. debm55 Jun 21 #155

Mr Ed 3751 Jun 21 #109

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAAHH. Thank you very much, 3751. A horse is a horse of course of course. debm55 Jun 21 #157

Welcome to DU LetMyPeopleVote Jun 22 #190

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Kid Berwyn Jun 21 #110

I agree. Thank you very much Kid Berwyn debm55 Jun 22 #166

It's about time Maninacan Jun 21 #111

I was going to use this pfitz59 Jun 21 #127

Thank you Maninacan. I remember that song. debm55 Jun 22 #174

"Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale.. Permanut Jun 21 #112

Thank you Permanut.for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #175

Maverick Brother Buzz Jun 21 #113

Thank you very much, Brother Buzz debm55 Jun 22 #176

"Batman" just sticks in my mind. Not the show, just the opening music... CTyankee Jun 21 #114

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHa. I remember that two. Thank you CTYankee. debm55 Jun 22 #177

This message was self-deleted by its author Wiz Imp Jun 21 #115

I enjoyed the theme music for Succession. pandr32 Jun 21 #116

Thank you very much., pandr32 for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #168

In no certain order: Niagara Jun 21 #117

Great selection, Niagara. They are great. Thank you for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #172

We Used to be Friends for Veronica Mars. PufPuf23 Jun 21 #118

Thank you very much, PufPuf23 debm55 Jun 22 #171

Mr. Lucky Zorro Jun 21 #120

Thank you so very much, Zorro. It is so very relaxing. Thank you for sharing. debm55 Jun 21 #135

Bonanza, Gilligan's Island SWBTATTReg Jun 21 #121

Thank you very much for sharing, SWBTATTReg. debm55 Jun 21 #134

Hogans Heroes JMCKUSICK Jun 21 #123

Thank you John, debm55 Jun 21 #124

The original "Lost in Space"...loved it, and Doctor Smith, he was such a big scaredy cat wanker... wcmagumba Jun 21 #126

I agree with you wcmagumba about the theme song. I didn't like Dr. Smith or the Robot debm55 Jun 21 #129

I didn't actually "like" Dr. Smith but the cartoonish evil was well done (imo) and the Robot was goofy fun to me... wcmagumba Jun 21 #132

Rawhide Sequoia Jun 21 #128

Thank you very much Sequoia for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #133

Fave open Squeaky41 Jun 21 #130

Thank you very much, Squeaky41 for sharing with us debm55 Jun 21 #131

Hard to believe no one mentioned two classics. Morbius Jun 21 #141

Thank you very much Morbius for sharing with us debm55 Jun 21 #142

Hogan's Heroes TomSlick Jun 21 #149

Thank you very much TomSlick for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 22 #170

Mission Impossible. Best of any! demosincebirth Jun 21 #152

Thank you very much for sharing with us, demosincebirth. debm55 Jun 21 #156

My choice is more about this voice: Ilsa Jun 21 #158

Thank you very much, lisa. for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 21 #159

Peter Gunn Figarosmom Jun 21 #161

Thank you very much Figarosmom for sharing with us. Love that theme debm55 Jun 22 #165

Not all time, but I'm enjoying the song from Mobland iemanja Jun 22 #162

Thank you very much for sharing with us, iemanja debm55 Jun 22 #169

I had an album of Mike Post and his tunes. OldBaldy1701E Jun 22 #163

Thank you very much OldBaldy1701E for sharing with us debm55 Jun 22 #167

The Courtship of Eddie's Father terip64 Jun 22 #178

I loved that show. And Harry Nilson. The television was playing in the background and one of Harry's songs was playing . debm55 Jun 22 #180

Me and My Arrow was used a lot for commercials. terip64 Jun 22 #185

Gone Fishing The Wizard Jun 22 #179

Thank you very much. The Wizard. Someone posted a version of Andy singing the song. debm55 Jun 22 #181

Every Doctor Who theme VMA131Marine Jun 22 #182

Thank you very much for sharing with us. VMA131Marine. debm55 Jun 22 #186

James Garner's ILikePie92 Jun 22 #183

I agree. Thank you very much ILikePie92 debm55 Jun 22 #188

Three for you roscoeroscoe Jun 22 #187

Thank you very much roscoeroscoe. Those themes were great. debm55 Jun 22 #189