Tag Archives: music

TUBE TUNES Is Now a Proud Member of The Throwback Network

TUBE TUNES: The Television Theme Music Podcast is now a proud member of The Throwback Network family of retro-themed podcasts. You can find a full list and descriptions of all of the podcasts on the network by clicking here. Whether your interest lies in movies (Throwback Reviews), running (The Average Runner), or just shooting the breeze (any of Zerbinator’s fun podcasts fit that bill), I’m sure you’ll find a podcast that suits you. And if you like retro video games (who doesn’t?), you’ll find all of your favorites here, including the grandaddy of them all, Ferg’s wonderful Atari 2600 Game by Game podcast. Please check them out. In the meantime, I’ll see you back here soon when the next episode of TUBE TUNES is released on January 18. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. Don’t miss it. Be here. Aloha.

-Mark

TUBETUNE logo 04 is a proud member of
The Throwback Network

S01E04: From CHECKMATE to Spielberg – The TV Theme Music of John Williams

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In this episode (my most popular episode to date), presented in stereo for the first time, the TV theme music of award-winning film composer John Williams is explored. Mr. Williams is best known as the musical composer for nearly 100 movies, notably those of director Steven Spielberg, for whom he has composed every movie except for two (“The Color Purple” and “Bridge of Spies”). His prolific musical legacy includes the well-known scores to “Jaws,” all seven “Star Wars” movies, all four (soon to be five) Indiana Jones movies, “E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” the first two “Jurassic Park” movies, the first three “Harry Potter” movies, “The Witches of Eastwick,” and many others. This survey includes the following themes to 14 series that aired beginning in 1960:

CHECKMATE (1960-1962) [opening] [closing]
ALCOA PREMIERE (1961-1963) [opening] [closing]
WIDE COUNTRY (1962-1963) [opening] [closing]
BOB HOPE PRESENTS THE CHRYSLER THEATRE (1963-1967) [opening] [closing]
KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATRE (1963-1965)[1963-64 opening] [1963-64 closing] [1964-1965 opening]
GILLIAN’S ISLAND (1963 pilot only) [opening] [closing]
LOST IN SPACE (1965-1968) [1965-67 opening] [1967-68 opening]
THE TAMMY GRIMES SHOW (1966) [opening] [closing]
THE TIME TUNNEL (1966-1967) [opening]
LAND OF THE GIANTS (1968-1970) [1968-69 opening] [1969-70 opening]
THE COWBOYS (adaptation of his movie theme; 1974) [opening]
NBC NEWS (“The Mission”; 1985-present) [opening]
AMAZING STORIES (1985-1987) [opening] [closing]
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (2006-present) [opening]

Also included in this podcast are four vintage commercials for everyone’s favorite soft drink.

Many thanks to Zerbinator for helping me get this podcast off the ground, and for his continued support. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here. And I’d also like especially to thank him for providing the opening and closing theme music for TUBE TUNES; all of his fantastic music can be found here. Thanks, Burford.

Next Episode: “S01E05: Who Loves Ya, Baby? Detectives of the 1970s (Part 1)” (available January 25, 2016)

S01E03: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 2)

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S01E02 and S01E03 of TUBE TUNES together explore the histories and theme music of eleven kooky sitcoms that aired in a typical week 50 years ago (December 1965). Episode 2 covers six of the sitcoms, and Episode 3 covers another five. Included in both episodes are the iconic theme tunes of each show, brief biographies of the theme composers and lyricists for each series, a rundown of the stars, synopses and broadcast histories of each show, and trivia about all of them.

The series explored in “S01E02: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 1)”: I DREAM OF JEANNIE, GET SMART, MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, MY MOTHER, THE CAR, F TROOP and THE MUNSTERS. Vintage commercials included: Top Brass Hair Creme and Levi’s Jeans.

The series explored in “S01E03: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 2)”: GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HOGAN’S HEROES and THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS SHOW. Vintage commercials included: Post Raisin Bran and Adams Gum.

Many thanks to Zerbinator for helping me get this podcast off the ground, and for his continued support. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here. And I’d also like especially to thank him for providing the opening and closing theme music for TUBE TUNES; all of his fantastic music can be found here. Thanks, Burford.

Next Episode: “S01E04: From CHECKMATE to Spielberg – The TV Theme Music of John Williams” (available January 3, 2016)

S01E02: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 1)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

S01E02 and S01E03 of TUBE TUNES together explore the histories and theme music of eleven kooky sitcoms that aired in a typical week 50 years ago (December 1965). Episode 2 covers six of the sitcoms, and Episode 3 covers another five. Included in both episodes are the iconic theme tunes of each show, brief biographies of the theme composers and lyricists for each series, a rundown of the stars, synopses and broadcast histories of each show, and trivia about all of them.

The series explored in “S01E02: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 1)”: I DREAM OF JEANNIE, GET SMART, MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, MY MOTHER, THE CAR, F TROOP and THE MUNSTERS. Vintage commercials included: Top Brass Hair Creme and Levi’s Jeans.

The series explored in “S01E03: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 2)”: GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, HOGAN’S HEROES and THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS SHOW. Vintage commercials included: Post Raisin Bran and Adams Gum.

Many thanks to Zerbinator for helping me get this podcast off the ground, and for his continued support. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here. And I’d also like especially to thank him for providing the opening and closing theme music for TUBE TUNES; all of his fantastic music can be found here. Thanks, Burford.

Next Episode: “S01E03: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 2)” (available December 13, 2015)

S01E01: Go West, Old Man – Adult Westerns of the 1950s (Part 1)

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This episode of TUBE TUNES explores the rise of the adult westerns in the 1950s by focusing on ten of them (Part 2 will cover another ten or so in a later episode). Included are the iconic theme tunes of each show, brief biographies of the theme composers and lyricists for each series, a rundown of the stars, synopses and broadcast histories of each show, and trivia about all of them.

The series explored in this episode: GUNSMOKE, THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP, CHEYENNE, HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL, SUGARFOOT, WAGON TRAIN, MAVERICK, WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE, BRONCO, and THE TEXAN. A few vintage commercials (Budweiser Beer, Great American Soups, Hershey Chocolate, and Sergio Valente Jeans) are also interspersed throughout the podcast.

Thanks to Zerbinator for helping me get this podcast off the ground and running. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here. And I’d also like especially to thank him for providing the opening and closing theme music for TUBE TUNES; all of his fantastic music can be found here. Thanks, Burford.

Next Episodes: “S01E02: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 1)” and “S01E03: A Wacky Week in 1965 (Part 2)” (available December 13, 2015)

S01E00: Introduction

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TUBE TUNES is the first podcast that takes an in-depth look at the history of American television through the theme music that began and ended most every series from TV’s earliest days in the late 1940s through to the present day. Biographies of the composers, lyricists and performers are included in each bi-weekly episode. Also featured are brief biographies of the series’ stars, a look at the series’ broadcast history, a synopsis of each show, and fun facts about all of them. And full audio clips of the theme music itself accompany each episode.

I’ve arranged each episode to cover a certain “theme” (pardon the pun), such as a genre of shows (westerns, crime dramas, sitcoms, etc.) or maybe a look (and listen) at a specific composer. Also included in every episode are vintage audio clips of commercials, psa’s, promos and jingles, interspersed throughout the podcast. And eventually a mystery theme tune will be added to future episodes to give my intrepid listeners an exercise in memory.

I hope you enjoy the podcast!

Next Episode: “S01E01: Go West, Old Man: Adult Westerns of the 1950s (Part 1)” (available December 1, 2015)