Mystery TV Themes: THE MAGICIAN

Spotlighting the great themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

THE MAGICIAN
For one season on NBC, 1973-74, Bill Bixby starred as the crime-fighting The Magician. He portrayed Anthony Blake, a man once wrongfully imprisoned, now an illusionist / escape artist who put his wealth and skills to the aid of other victims of injustice.

The theme was written by the versatile Patrick Williams, who has composed well over 150 scores for film and TV, plus records and concert works. With 22 Emmy nominations (winning four), 13 Grammy nominations (winning two), a CableACE award, and the prestigious Richard Kirk Lifetime Achievement Award from B.M.I., Williams was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music. His many TV themes and scores include The Streets of San Francisco and Lou Grant. An accomplished recording artist and arranger with a proficiency in composing for symphony orchestras as well as jazz bands, Williams is Artistic Director for the Henry Mancini Institute.

Patrick Williams bio at The Henry Mancini Institute
Television Chronicles: The Magician



More themes:
ALIAS
AVENGERS (w/ NEW AVENGERS)
BARNEY MILLER
BATMAN 1966 (w/ THE ODD COUPLE)
BONES

Mystery TV Themes: SIMON & SIMON

Spotlighting the great themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

SIMON & SIMON
The popular P.I. show (1981-88) followed the adventures of brothers who—despite having almost nothing in common—ran a small detective agency. Ambitious A. J. (James Parker) liked fine wine, tailored suits, and classic cars. Laid-back Rick (Gerald McRaney) liked pickup trucks, cowboy hats and cigars.

The theme was written by Joseph Conlan, who has scored for a variety of films and TV movies, including NCIS, Forever Knight, and Tour of Duty.

Buy Simon & Simon on DVD from the StudioWell store


Related links:
Simon & Simon theme at Classic TV Links
Joseph Conlan at IMDB
The Simon & Simon Appreciation Site
Simon & Simon at TV.com
Jameson Parker's official site



More themes:
Mystery TV Themes: JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE
Mystery TV Themes: THE HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
Crime TV Themes: THE EQUALIZER
Mystery TV Themes: PETER GUNN
Mystery TV Themes: STARSKY & HUTCH

Mystery TV Themes: JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE

Spotlighting the great themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE
This legal drama, which aired on ABC 1967-1969, starred Carl Betz as Clinton Judd, a flamboyant attorney based in Houston who took on controversial cases across the country, defending everyone from 1960s flower children to corporate tycoons.

The jaunty theme was written by Alexander Courage, who began as an orchestrator/arranger at MGM studios, working on such films as Show Boat, The Band Wagon, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He frequently served as orchestrator for Andre Previn, John Williams, and Jerry Goldsmith. His TV credits include the original Star Trek, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Daniel Boone, and The Waltons.

Judd, For The Defense theme courtesy Mark Little's MyThemes.TV

Alexander Courage at Wikipedia
Judd, For the Defense at ClassicThemes.com

Judd, For The Defense at The Classic TV Archive
Judd, for The Defense at TV.com
Judd, for The Defense at Wikipedia

DOCUMENTARY ON THE CAREER OF ALEXANDER COURAGE

PART ONE


PART TWO


PART THREE


PART FOUR


More themes:
Mystery TV Themes: THE HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
Mystery TV Themes: THE EQUALIZER
Mystery TV Themes: PETER GUNN
Mystery TV Themes: STARSKY & HUTCH
Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

Mystery TV Themes: HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW

Spotlighting the great themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

THE HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
Created in the 1920s, these popular mystery solving teens were updated for the 1977-79 ABC series starring Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson as brothers Joe and Frank Hardy and Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew. (In the third and final season, Drew was played by Janet Louise Johnson.)

The haunting theme is credited to both producer Glen A. Larson and composer Stu Phillips. Over the years, the duo have also worked their magic on such classic series as Quincy M.E., Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider.

As a television and film music composer, Phillips has also scored episodes of The Monkees, The Six Million Dollar Man, McCloud, The Fall Guy, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Automan. In the 1950s and '60s, Phillips conducted the Capitol Records studio orchestra Hollyridge Strings, creating easy listening versions of songs from the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Now semi-retired, Phillips has been orchestrating classical music by Beethoven and Rachmaninoff.

Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew theme courtesy PamelaSueMartin.net
Official Stu Phillips site
Pamela Sue Martin :: Nancy Drew
The Unofficial Nancy Drew Home Page
The Hardy Boys Unofficial Home Page
Nancy Drew Sleuth Unofficial Website
The Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew Archive
Episode Guide at TV.com





More themes:
Mystery TV Themes: THE EQUALIZER
Mystery TV Themes: PETER GUNN
Mystery TV Themes: STARSKY & HUTCH
Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
Mystery TV Themes: BONES

Crime TV Themes: PETER GUNN

Spotlighting the great themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

PETER GUNN
One of the most ubiquitous melodies of all time -- and most-requested since we began this series -- the cool jazz theme for Peter Gunn (1958-61) was written by the great Henry Mancini (1924-1994), award-winning American composer, conductor and arranger. Among his television themes was the haunting theme to The NBC Mystery Movie, and his film scores included the suspense classic Charade and the Pink Panther series.

Created by Blake Edwards, Peter Gunn starred Craig Stevens as the title private eye. As described by Thrilling Detective: A highly-innovative and influential show, it also boasted Mancini's hit theme song, as well as witty dialogue, snazzy clothing and elaborate (for television) camerawork. A sort of Miami Vice for its time, but with far more substance and very good, sometimes excellent, writing.

Episode guide at epguides.com/PeterGunn

OPENING TITLES


More themes:
STARSKY & HUTCH
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
BONES
THE ROCKFORD FILES
ALIAS

Mystery TV Themes: STARSKY & HUTCH

Spotlighting the great opening titles and themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

STARSKY & HUTCH
This buddy-cop show (1975-79), produced by Aaron Spelling, starred Paul Michael Glaser as the brash Detective Dave Starsky and David Soul as the thoughtful Detective Ken Hutchinson, chasing bad guys in Starsky's iconic red Gran Torino. The original theme (1975-76 arrangement), which highlighted the grittier side of the series, was written by Lalo Schifrin (Mission: Impossible). The second theme (1976-78 arrangement), highlighting the more playful aspects of the series, was written by jazzman Tom Scott. The third theme, credited to Mark Snow (Hart to Hart, T.J. Hooker), sported a more dramatic edge.

MAIN TITLES SEASON ONE (Lalo Schifrin)


MAIN TITLES SEASON TWO (Tom Scott)


MAIN TITLES SEASON THREE (Mark Snow)


Starsky & Hutch themes courtesy Mark Little's MyThemes.TV
Official Sony Starsky & Hutch site
Episode guide and more at TV.com

Watch episodes free online at Hulu

More themes:
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
BONES
THE ROCKFORD FILES
ALIAS
NBC MYSTERY MOVIE

Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

Spotlighting the great opening themes from mystery/crime TV shows ...

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
In this influential spy series (1966-73, 1988-90) a super-secret government agency called the "Impossible Missions Force" is given secret anonymous covert missions, often relying on high-tech equipment and elaborate deceptions. The original series won several awards, with a rotating cast that included Steven Hill, Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Leonard Nimoy, and more. Fifteen years after the original, Jim Phelps (Graves) was pulled out of retirement to assemble a new team of agents.

One of the most copied tunes of all time, the familiar theme to Mission: Impossible was created by composer and conductor Lalo Schifren. Best known for his music for film and television—ranging from Dirty Harry, Enter the Dragon and Rush Hour to Mannix, Medical Center, Starsky & Hutch and Planet of The Apes—the composer and pianist has also had historic impact in the jazz and classical worlds. See his bio here.

Mission: Impossible theme at Mark Little's MyThemes.tv
Episode guide(s) at TV.com.
History of the series at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
Mission: Impossible DVD news at TVShowsOnDVD.com

MAIN TITLES (Original Pilot)


MAIN TITLES (Season Five)


MAIN TITLES (1980s Revival)





More opening credits:
DRAGNET
EQUALIZER (w/ CALLAN)
GET SMART
HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
HART TO HART