Kendall Rivers starts us off:
Seems like the art of the opening credits\theme song is truly lost. I get that networks like the two second title card thing because it allows more commercials, but don't they realize that part of what can make a show super successful and overall memorable far after its off the air is a catchy and iconic opening credits? Look at Sanford and Son for example: there's not a person in the world who wouldn't instantly recognize that tune by Quincy Jones if they heard it even if they had never actually seen the show.
It’s short-sighted on the networks’ part. They talk about wanting to “enhance the viewer’s experience,” which is fine, but a good opening title will do just that. Who skips past the MASH opening titles? Or GOLDEN GIRLS or CHEERS? Or THE SIMPSONS that you’ve seen a billion times?
A good opening title sequence and theme is like hearing your favorite song. You know you’re going to settle in for a good time. Doesn’t that enhance the viewer’s experience?
But let’s be real. One of the main reasons networks’ discourage opening titles is that they’ve already cut so much program time by adding extra commercials and promos that producers need those extra seconds to try to tell their story.
How do extra commercials and promo clutter enhance the viewing experience I wonder?
You’ve hit on a sore subject.
Brian Phillips asks:
Have you or David Isaacs ever written for an advertising firm? Do you know of any writers that have come from the world of advertising?
I don’t think David ever did, but I tried. During my flailing days as a Top 40 disc jockey I applied at the J. Walter Thompson Agency. I was given some copy to write as a test. Obviously, I failed it because I never heard from them again.
The fact that I was relieved, even then, told me I was not meant to become a Mad Man. So thank you JWT for not hiring me.
Janet queries:
My FQ involves streaming. Specifically, so many streamers -- particularly the free ones -- pick up classic series for streaming, which I very much enjoy.
My question, however, is do the actors, directors, writers, etc., ever see royalties from this given that streaming didn't even exist when they signed their original contracts?
If they’re older vintage series before 1977 then no. Nothing. After ’77 a number of Guilds established residuals in perpetuity. And then there was the WGA strike a number of years ago to (presumably) guarantee that writers would share in the revenue from streamers. Other Guilds followed suit. There were all these fancy formulas in place.
But here’s the truth: it’s a joke. We don’t get shit — certainly not what we’re entitled to considering the number of plays these shows get. Between writing and directing, I have close to 200 episodes running on various streaming channels. I make practically nothing. Like I said, it’s a joke.
Another sore spot.
And finally, from Darwin's Ghost:
Friday question. I'm sure you've heard the old saying about never meet your heroes. Have you ever met someone you admired and he or she turned out to be a piece of shit? Obviously I know you can't name names, but I'd like to know if that's happened to you.
Wow. We’re hitting all my sore spots in one post.
The answer is yes. I won’t reveal the name. But the good news is it has only been that one.
Happily, 99% of the people I’ve looked up to — be it writers, actors, directors, baseball announcers, disc jockeys, musicians, comedians, whatever — have been lovely people. They’ve served as my mentors and inspiration and I feel blessed that I got to meet, and in some cases, work with some of my idols. You can't ask for much more than that.
My play, THE FARCE DAY OF CHRISTMAS is playing this weekend at the Best Medicine Rep in Gaithersburg, MD. It’s the closing weekend. Come see it!
56 comments :
Name of "Sanford and Son" theme song: "The Streetbeater"
What do I win?
Hugh Wilson, best known as creator of WKRP, had a successful advertising career before becoming a writer and producer.
I wonder if saving on royalties to the performer/writer of the title song comes into play.
'Look at Sanford and Son for example: there's not a person in the world who wouldn't instantly recognize that tune by Quincy Jones if they heard it even if they had never actually seen the show.'
Errrr.... it's a show which is unknown outside of North America so I suspect that tune would mean zero to everyone outside of North America. So, count me for one.
>>Who skips past the MASH opening titles? Or GOLDEN GIRLS or CHEERS? Or THE SIMPSONS that you’ve seen a billion times?
I do. No matter how great an opening song / title sequence is, eventually I'll start FF'ing through it. It develops the same burn-out factor as hearing 'Hey, Jude'over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
"Meeting your heroes" is why I so rarely watch chat shows. It's not that the actors/entertainers turn out to be nasty, it's that they barely rank as average schlubs. It's always a letdown.
Most comedians only have their carefully crafted and memorized routines to fall back on.
Actors are of course enlarged by every facet of movie-making magic. As much as I try to re-calibrate my mind that Actor Z is not her character, the drab and vaguely articulate reality is still a disappointment.
The very few exceptions that are naturally witty and colourful are a treat when they happen.
But let’s be real. One of the main reasons networks’ discourage opening titles is that they’ve already cut so much program time by adding extra commercials and promos that producers need those extra seconds to try to tell their story.
How do extra commercials and promo clutter enhance the viewing experience I wonder?
It's interesting to me that commercial-free channels/streaming services don't have theme songs on several of their shows nowadays. I guess they have the same concerns as broadcast/basic cable channels, which is weird considering they were the last outlets to give us 90-second theme songs and more than 50 minutes of content per hour.
Never been a fan of the pop-up ads during shows or "squeezed" credits. To me it distracts from the experience, although I'm clearly in the minority. Do viewers really need to be reminded yet again of the Big Bang Theory marathon on TBS, esp. when they're gonna promote it again during the commercial break?
"How do extra commercials and promo clutter enhance the viewing experience I wonder?"
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Half of MeTV's ad space is devoted to mashups of their moldy old shows like Gilligan's Island and Andy Griffith.
I thought I once read on this very blog that one of the main reasons networks forego opening theme songs anymore is this irrational fear they have that it will cause viewers to change the channel because they think they don't to have to keep sitting through the same opening over and over again week after week?
The only opening themes I can think of that I would most likely skip through are the ones for Sid & Marty Krofft shows - not only were they incredibly expository, but in many cases, they could be over two minutes long.
My question is: when a show goes into syndication or onto streaming services, why do they sometimes miss episodes?
I noticed that a couple of my favorite Wings episodes aren’t on Paramount+.
Thanks for answering my question. Obviously I'd love to know who it is. Can you at least tell us his or her profession - writer, actor, baseball player, etc?
But now the main business - I saw Spielberg's WEST SIDE STORY and it is magnificent! I think even a cynic like you will love it. He has totally knocked it out of the park. I've not seen the stage musical or the 1961 movie, so I can't compare it to those. On its own terms, it's a masterpiece. Rachel Zegler as Maria is a born movie star. I know you'll probably prefer Natalie Wood, but Zegler does her own singing here.
I'll be amazed if this doesn't sweep the Oscars, which of course is why it's been released in time for awards season. But it deserves to win.
I'm guessing the advent of fast-forwarding and skipping technologies are part of what led to the demise of TV theme songs. When I'm watching a show with extensive opening credits on my DVR, I zip right past them. Even the best theme songs get tiresome after you've already heard them a dozen times. (By the same token, I think that's why oldies networks repeat the same awful commercials 8,000 times a day -- even while forwarding over them, you're bound to pick up on their message eventually.)
In terms of theme songs, Chuck Lorre's "B Positive" actually went against the grain for its second season. In the show's debut season, it used a medical-set theme song that was somewhat grotesque and may have turned some viewers off. With the series changing its primary set to the seniors' home, the theme was retained -- but this time, it was performed by the terrific Annaleigh Ashford (a Tony Award winner)... and this version of the theme added lyrics!
They're crazy to eliminate theme songs. People love them, buy albums of them, seek them out on YouTube. You only need to hear a few notes of PERRY MASON or KOJAK to be carried back to the past. They're as much a part of our lives as the music we heard on the radio. I'm not proud of it, but I can still sing CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?
Did you know the music for WINGS was adapted from a Schumann song?
Another reason for the lack of theme songs (except for legacy revivals like "Hawaii Five-O" and "S.W.A.T.") is the virtual demise of the record industry. There's a long list of hit singles that were TV themes--in addition to the above two, there were also "Miami Vice," "Batman," "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," "Secret Agent Man," "Rawhide," "Taxi," "Love Is All Around" and of course (ahem) "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," among others. Every radio play was just another plug for the series, and the show probably dipped its beak as well. To those of us of a certain age, it's a disappearing art form.
• While some streaming services allow the option of skipping a show's opening, I never do. It's part of the show. I think there are some that do get tired of show openings, but also the services and nets would rather you not become too attached to them nowadays because they don't want them to exist, though a handful of shows really do still use them.
• Krofft openings were sixty seconds. They might have seemed like two minutes because most themes were more likely to be about thirty seconds. Krofft and Hanna-Barbera usually used the Sherwood Schwartz model of setting up the premise in the theme song, then you were on your own for the rest of the run. Some of the Filmation and Ruby-Spears openings read like commercials themselves, presumably to tell kids to watch.
• Like you said Ken, themes are not largely gone to enhance the viewer experience. TV is not free. You watch commercials as a payment to get the shows. Not only have prices gone up, but the real incentive is quarterly earnings and bonuses, ever since Jack Welch created the bonus system in the '80s and execs are motivated either by bonuses generated by annual profits or cost-cutting to hit the numbers.
• Theme songs and scoring are different in compensation than the rest of the show. That's one reason you do not see some series as much as others -- it is not just becaise of popularity. Music fees are capricious and negotiations complicated. It is why Quick Draw McGraw never made it to DVD -- the background music cues. The theme songs are cash cows for the composer and lyricist, even if you never hear the lyrics on the show. That is why Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the Star Trek theme in order to get half the rights from Alexander Courage. Somehow Johnny Carson did the same with Paui Anka's "Johnny's Theme" even though Anka originally wrote it for Tutti Camarata and Annette Funicello.
I found these Gene Roddenberry lyrics on a website. Feel free to sing along.
Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand'ring in star-flight
I know
He'll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.
The web site adds: Without Courage's knowledge, Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the theme, not in the expectation that they would ever be sung, but in order to claim a 50% share of the music's performance royalties. Although there was never any litigation, Courage later commented that he considered Roddenberry's conduct unethical. Roddenberry was quoted as responding, "Hey, I have to get some money somewhere. I'm sure not gonna get it out of the profits of Star Trek."
Several TV shows have lyrics for one reason or another, including Bewitched, Leave it to Beaver, Mission Impossible, The Andy Griffith Show and I Dream of Jeannie.
I'm not 100% sure if it's true or not, but supposedly the theme song to Batman with Adam West provided extra royalties for the composer just for the name "Batman" used over and over again in it. Lyrics are lyrics!
I just remembered that "The Dick Van Dyke Show" theme song has lyrics written by Morey Amsterdam and DVD himself often sings them whenever he performs in public. I'm thinking of him warbling them right now...
Greg: Morey Amsterdam wrote lyrics for the Dick Van Dyke Show theme. I believe. I've only seen the written lyrics, not heard it.
There was some point in Show Business History--something is telling me it might have been when all the short films the Three Stooges made for the movies became very popular on television-- that a phrase started being introduced into contracts. It went something like "technologies to be invented" or "media to be invented", to keep performers and writers from being skunked over earnings like that. And I think that was why Peggy Lee sued Disney over not being paid for her songwriting contributions to Lady & the Tramp when it was first on videocassette. The production company claimed there was no mention of videocassettes in her contract!
To flip one of today's questions: Did you ever find yourself bracing up to meet or work with a famous SOB who turned out to be sweetheart? Or somebody whose work you hated but was smart and engaging in person?
The classic sitcom theme may be dead, but original scores for television is maybe stronger than ever. HBO has a litany of great original music on their shows. The opening music for "Succession" comes to mind. So TV composers are definitely still in business and still making great work.
A former neighbor of mine worked regularly as a stunt actor on B-Westerns and TV cop dramas, including the original run of HAWAII FIVE-0. When asked whether Jack Lord lived up to his reputation as a pompous ass, my neighbor replied that Lord's wife inflated his ego every morning by harping on him (Lord) to never forget for even a second that he alone was the show's star.
Most of those MeTV mashups are silly and dumb. But the best one combined "Star Trek" and "The Odd Couple." It was on YouTube.
I suspect another reason for no themes or abbreviated openings is to keep viewers from reaching for the remote before the episode starts.
Although I'm a huge fan of the Kirk/Spock Star Trek, I lost a lot of respect for Roddenberry when he ripped off Mr Courage. And I like theme songs and full credits, both fast disappearing, alas.
One strange thing about opening themes is that some shows in syndication have alternate music. For example, I've seen some old, 50's "Dragnets" that don't have the normal da da Da da theme. I've also seen it with "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Bonanza," et al. I wonder if these altered openings are cheaper to buy than the originals. Not all syndicators do this, however. I have seen "Bonanza" with its famous, traditional opening as well.
Many years ago I met a well known writer of television shows. I won't mention his (or her or its) name. But it turns out that he has had a varied career not limited to just writing sitcoms. Granted, we are really only acquaintances but he appears to be a nice guy. We disagree on politics, but I don't hold that against him. (Or her or it) He's entitled to his (or her) opinion. After all this is still America. ...For now.
M.B.
Michael Nesmith died Friday at 78, so it's somewhat appropriate that TV theme music be one of the topics today. I've long thought that the "Friends" theme--"I'll Be There For You"--sounded like a ripoff of the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
I used to like the "Mary Tyler Moore" opening and theme, especially the one with the revised lyrics first heard in 1971. But now it's so hokey.
After 57 years, I've yet to see someone in real life stand in the middle of a busy intersection, do a pirouette, and toss a damn tam o'shanter in the air. Although I'm surprised that the showbiz-loving Katie Couric didn't attempt to sign off the "CBS Evening News" that way.
The very early episodes of "WKRP" had a good opening, with realistic, videotaped shots of Cincinnati (no tam o'shanter tossing) intercut with an unseen driver trying to find something suitable on the car radio. I'm sorry the show soon eliminated that montage.
"Frasier" had my favorite openings.
Friday question:
Ken, who is your favorite Marx brother?
Sid Caesar??
I'm sure advertizers (old school, anyway) are grateful, if not smug, that no theme song makes room for their own jingle/theme-sone/bumper, etc. PLus, the more successful ad campaigns probably get synergy from hit TV shows - and are happy for pay more more them.
RIP Mike Nesmith , my faviurite Monkee.
"Pleasant Valley Sunday." Music by Carole King, lyrics by Gerry Goffin. Demo version by Carole is on Youtube.
I wonder if "Seinfeld" started the de-emphasis of theme songs. Where other shows started with a song an a cast montage, "Seinfeld" episodes opened with a bass-and-cymbals riff over a Jerry comedy club performance, and the cast list appeared in the corner as the story began. Now, some themes are only 20 seconds (think "Big Bang Theory"), and "Mom" avoided royalty issues by just using a few measures by a Russian classical composer.
I disagree about streaming, in that I've seen a number of shows use lengthy openings and music. "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and "Game of Thrones" had a long opening sequence, "Schmigadoon!" of course had to have a 1950s-musical-style overture, and even "Ted Lasso" uses part of a song written by the Mumford and Sons guy.
Finally, I've always wondered about that old woman in the "MTM" credits, the one in the rain hair net who's staring at Mary as she tosses her hat in the air. Anybody ever know who she was?
The Chuck Lorre shows have brief intros and themes, and the Young Sheldon intro is annually updated to account for the star aging. But the Conners opening is stuck in 2018, and the kids don't even look like that anymore.
There was only one time I met a B, maybe even call him a Z-list, celebrity and he started getting a little snotty. Told him I was not there to put up with his Hollywood diva bullshit; he quieted down real fast and apologized.
Theme song to Firefly was good.
Dick Van Dyke sings the DVD show theme when he does interviews.
I can still sing the theme songs from "3 Girls 3" and "Love, Sidney".
The opening title sequence for "Only Murders In the Building" has a great tune and really cool animation that actually adds to the story by providing clues to the mystery. And the opening title sequence for "The Flight Attendant" has quasi 1960s spy thriller music and awesome animation that not only looks cool but provides context for the characters and the plot.
@Johnny M "The classic sitcom theme may be dead, but original scores for television is maybe stronger than ever."
Really? Because I hardly hear any music on any show on TV these days - especially sitcoms, which is part of the reason I have such problems with a lot of sitcoms these days, specifically single-cam sitcoms: no laughter, no music, they seem so ghastly and droll.
It is said that Paul Anka offered to let Johnny Carson write new lyrics to one of Anka's songs so it could be republished as "Johnny's Theme." That deal ended up being worth a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year to Anka.
• Sony, or a predecessor, seems to have lopped off the end credits of all the old Columbia films that air on broadcast TV.
Shows, films, and recordings that are edited, time-compressed — or are otherwise-altered after their first airings or release — should not be re-issued under their original titles. To do so is a form of fraud, and a disservice to the creators and/or future audiences.
Unions should insist that
A tacked-on notification of alterations is inadequate
Alterations are financially damaging to the careers and reputations of the original participants
Members be recompensed when such changes are substantial: e.g. the colorized Van Dyke or Lucy episodes are new works
• Gene Roddenberry was, of course, not the first one “to boldly go where no man has gone before” when it comes to
splitting infinitives
stealing, or horning-in on, the song-writing credits of others
Eric Carmen and Andrew Lloyd Webber melodies benefitted from a certain amount of grave-digging. Hardly a new practice, the Lardner Kaufman Tin Pan Alley comedy, June Moon (1929), had characters swiping from classical compositions — a TV version of the show featured Sondheim as an actor
Break-out Disney+ stars Lennon and Harrison also found better luck borrowing from dead composers (Happy Xmas (War is Over)) than from live ones (My Sweet Lord; Come Together) For Harrison, also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_in_the_Way_She_Moves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0FJUVo-BaM
As for horned-in credits besides Roddenbery’s, Jolson, Presley and innumerable modern era performers got/get questionable credits/royalties on songs they performed
“I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street” are among the many melodies and credits Fats Waller sold for quick cash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller#Career
Friday Questions
• Of all the ball games you’ve broadcast, which play(s) or game(s) would you most want to have “rewritten?”
• Thirty-something, time-traveling, and equipped with a smart phone full of Wikipedia pages, what entertainment-related event(s) would you most want to change? (Keeping in mind, for example, if — amorously hopeful — you warn off Carole Lombard from Bond Tours, we might get a fascist leader 75 years earlier)
My all-time favorite TV Theme Story:
When Maverick premiered in 1957, its theme music was a straight instrumental, composed by staff man David Buttolph.
When ABC picked Maverick up for Season 2, Warner Bros decided to add a lyric to Buttolph's bouncy melody, to go along with all their other TV themes.
Paul Francis Webster, one of Hollywood's top lyricists, got the assignment, and came up with a poem - which fit Buttolph's melody as a glove fits a palm.
The lyrics didn't appear with the music on Maverick until Season 2 - a full year came between their respective creations.
I've heard - but can't confirm - that Buttolph and Webster didn't meet in person until long after the Maverick theme started running in full on the series.
How they split the money - no one knows (from what I've heard about Warners, it probably wasn't much anyway ...).
Let the game begin. What idol of Ken's had clay feet? As a longtime reader, I'm going to guess it was a she.
I have at least 7 CDs, each with 65 TV themes. And I know about 70% of the instrumentals without looking. (The ones with lyrics are easier.)
The "Dragnet" and "Hillbillies" episodes you ask about are ones that are now Public Domain. However the theme songs are still under Copyright. So yes, it's cheaper to substitute some generic melody for the theme.
@Liggie, the old lady in the MTM opening is Hazel Frederick. She passed away in 1999 at the age of 91, and was a minor local celebrity in Minneapolis. She just happened to be out shopping that day, captured on film forever, and even met MTM in 1996, while promoting her autobiography.
The woman was Hazel Frederick, who was simply a bystander in downtown Minneapolis in 1969 when that segment was filmed. Although the show's opening montage changed over the years, Ms. Frederick's image at the end remained during the entire seven-year run. She and Mary Tyler Moore later reunited, and Moore called her, "My co-star." Ms. Frederick died at 91 in 1999, and you can Google further information about her.
I remember seeing a couple of Stanford and Sons as a kid, but I just looked up that iconic theme song on Youtube and have to admit it isn't ringing any bells.
I remember when the theme songs were a big deal, but I am happy to skip most of them now. Including the classics. I do still sit through "MTM" and "DVD."
I always assumed that songs were eliminated, to provide some extra time for the show itself, not advertising. The episodes were given a specific time-frame, including intro, aside from commercials - correct? I would rather have an extra minute of story, than listen to a tune every week. I think "Frasier" handled that perfectly, by putting the theme over the closing credits.
Hey Ken! With CBS' Fall 2021 CSI(: VEGAS) revival and Fox' THE MASKED SINGER, The Who's "Who Are You" was the opening theme for two unrelated series, both in primetime, airing concurrent new seasons, airing on the same night, on different networks, in different genres. I can't remember or even imagine such an odd distinction happening before; the closest I can think of is concurrent companion series sharing themes (LAW & ORDERs, maybe the long-forgotten ALLY McBEAL/ALLY?). I'm surprised CSI: VEGAS was even allowed to use The Who's original recording again, since I'd think the MASKED SINGER license would have prevented anyone else from using it, at least while they're in new episodes. Care to weigh in?
Steven: We still ended up with a fascist leader 75 years (and four days) after losing the lovely Lombard. Keep Carole doing bond rallies and aiding the war effort -- then imagine her in her AARP years as a favorite guest of Paar, Carson and Letterman -- but just get everyone off that plane before it leaves Las Vegas!
My author pal Robert Matzen and I each explored possible Lombard lives post-Jan. 16, 1942 at https://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/727816.html
@Johny M That's all well and good but how many of those HBO scores are really well known besides the niche of viewers who watch them? Or are considered iconic?
@Honest Ed Well that's your loss. I highly suggest you watch it if you like real comedy.
Someone mentioned hit songs that were TV themes, and cited "Where Everybody Knows Your Name". This song was never a radio hit, and I can prove it (beyond checking my Whitburn to see if it charted!):
Back when "Cheers" was just getting noticed, I was a Music Director in name only at a Southern California Top 40 (CHR) radio station. This meant that one of the few things which as "Music Director" I was allowed to do was to take futile calls from record promotors who had no idea that I couldn't get them to replace the soap in the men's room (there's a war story behind how that station was owned and operated, but that's for another day).
One day I got a call from an independent promotion agency whose rep told me they had been hired by the music publisher and/or authors of the theme from "Cheers". And would we be interested in adding "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" (performed by the writer)?
I knew this was a smalltime promotion effort and was probably the last thing in which an "urbanized" CHR station like mine would be interested. Also, I had never watched the show, if you can believe that! So I made up some (probably true) spiel about how sorry, it wasn't really our thing.
The song never got airplay in L.A. but I want you to notice something: find me anyone today who can't sing the chorus of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name". A song that got Zero Radio airplay.
Proving I think that not every well-known anthem was ever on the radio as a "hit". Similarly, hit Radio has long missed a lot of opportunities to add songs that the civilians have grown to love in other forms of media, like TV, or another Radio format.
MeTV is running old cartoons. I have not been this entertained in years
Ken, thanks so much for answering my question!
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