MURDER, SHE WROTE still going strong

April is a busy month for mystery writer-turned-sleuth Jessica Fletcher. Some twelve years after its cancellation, Murder, She Wrote is still doing brisk business -- including a new DVD box set and a brand-new novel. (No surprise, really, when you consider that CBS did not cancel the long-running series due to lack of interest, but because advertisers wanted younger viewers.)

In fact, 2008 will see two brand-new hardcover Jessica Fletcher mysteries: In April, Murder, She Wrote: Murder on Parade (NAL Hardcover), followed this October with Murder, She Wrote: A Slaying in Savannah. Penned by "Jessica Fletcher with Donald Bain," the two titles in 2008 means there will soon be thirty original novels in print starring Cabot Cove’s favorite mystery solver.

Meanwhile, the original 1984-1996 series starring Angela Lansbury continues its march to DVD. Season Seven was released last October. Season Eight comes out April. (Updates at TVShowsOnDVD.com)

Not bad for a show that was replaced with something nobody even remembers.

Mystery TV Themes: THE LONE RANGER

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

Celebrating its 75th anniversary January 30, the story of The Lone Ranger has been told on radio, TV, film, and in animation and comics. The title character is the lone survivor of an ambush of Texas Rangers, found by the Indian Tonto. Wearing a mask to hide his indentity, he dedicates himself to "making the West a decent place to live." The series began on radio in Detroit in 1933, and was so popular it led to several stations banding together for the Mutual Broadcasting System. The radio drama lasted until 1956.

The series made the jump to TV in 1949, airing on ABC. The Lone Ranger was portrayed by Clayton Moore (1949-52, 1954-57), and John Hart (1952-54). The part of Tonto was played the whole run by Jay Silverheels.

The show's theme was taken from the overture to "William Tell," a four-hour French opera composed by Gioacchino Rossini. It premiered at the Paris Opera in 1829.

The Lone Ranger links:
TV Guide
The Museum of Broadcast Communications
Radio Hall of Fame
Lone Ranger Fan Club
Wikipedia

"William Tell" links:
Wikipedia
Classics For Kids

OPENING CREDITS


1956 THEATRICAL TRAILER


More themes:
PERRY MASON
HART TO HART
BATMAN 1966 (w/ THE ODD COUPLE)
BARNEY MILLER
MANNIX

TV on DVD: Mission: Impossible, Hulk

More news from our friends at TVShowsOnDVD.com:

Incredible Hulk Plans Revealed for Last 3 Seasons of Bixby/Ferrigno Series
Mission: Impossible Leonard Nimoy's 'Paris' Coming to DVD with 4th Season!

Related:
Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

TV on DVD

The folks at TVShowsonDVD.com have a lot of updates for fans of classic detective/mystery TV:

Perry Mason
Studio Celebrates 50 Years of Perry with Anniversary DVDs
New Details, Extras, for 50th Anniversary Edition DVDs!
Fans Wonder If Anniversary DVDs Mark End of Season Sets

Matlock
From NBC to ABC to CBS...Now Matlock Comes to DVD!
'Is The Pilot Telefilm Included on The 1st Season DVDs?'

Murder, She Wrote
Universal Delivers Package Art For 8th Season Set!

Burke's Law
Release Date, Promo Trailers for Season 1, Volume 1 DVDs!

B.L. Stryker
Press Release Arrives for 1st Season of Burt Reynolds Series

Mannix
Does the Washington Post Pull Some Weight? Mannix Heads to DVD!

I Spy
Image Re-Issuing Series In Newly Remastered Season Sets!

Mystery TV Themes: PERRY MASON

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

PERRY MASON
This fictional defense attorney, created by best-selling pulp writer Erle Stanley Gardner in the 1930s, appeared in some 80 novels and short stories, several films, and a long-running radio drama before hitting the small screen in 1957. Raymond Burr's portrayal lasted from 1957-1966, and he returned to the role for more than 25 made-for-TV movies from 1985-93.

"The Perry Mason Theme" (a.k.a. "Park Avenue Beat") was composed by Fred Steiner. He graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a degree in composition in 1943. He went on to write for radio and television, including scores for episodes of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, Hogan's Heroes, Rawhide, The Untouchables, The Andy Griffith Show, and Tiny Toon Adventures. (This past May, he received an honorary doctor of music degree from his alma mater.)

Perry Mason summary, episode guide at TV.com
Perry Mason at Thrilling Detective
Perry Mason DVD news at TVSHowsOnDVD.com

OPENING CREDITS


More themes:
NBC MYSTERY MOVIE
PETER GUNN
ROCKFORD FILES
S.W.A.T.
SIMON & SIMON

Mystery TV Themes: HART TO HART

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

HART TO HART
For five seasons (1979-84) and several TV movies in the 1990s, Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers starred as millionaire husband-and-wife amateur sleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, aided by their trusted employee Max and their faithful dog Freeway. The series was created by Sidney Sheldon and got a creative boost from the writer/director talents of creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz.

The catchy theme was created by Mark Snow, whose credits also include T.J. Hooker and The X-Files. In an interview with ASCAP, Snow said of his early work: "I listen now to things I did before—like the Hart To Hart theme—and it's painful! This wah-wah guitar, fours on the bass drum and a disco beat..."

HART TO HART on DVD
Season One
Season Two

Episodes of HART TO HART available FREE online at AOLIn2TV
HART TO HART summary, episode guide and more at TV.com
Hart To Hart DVD news at TVShowsOnDVD.com

Mark Snow bio at Encore: The Ultimate Mark Snow Site

The Mystery Site reviews HART TO HART: The Complete First Season
TVDVDreviews HART TO HART: The Complete First Season

OPENING CREDITS


Hart aber Herzlich (German Intro)


More themes:
LONE RANGER
MAGICIAN
MANNIX
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
MONK

Mystery TV Themes: BATMAN (1966)

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

BATMAN (1966)
With its colorful BAM! ZOW! approach, this swingin' Sixties vision of the Dark Knight was a camp parody of the Batman mythos, owing little to the dark pulp origins of the character, created in the 1930s and inspired by masked vigilantes The Shadow and The Spider. (My comics friends may never forgive me for featuring it.)

The oft-copied, oft-parodied snazzy theme song was written by Neal Hefti, an important composer and arranger of the big band bebop era who went on to write for film and TV in the 1960s and '70s. Hefti began arranging professionally in his teens, and went on to work as trumpeter, composer and arranger for the likes of Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Frank Sinatra. In the '50s, Hefti led a big band of his own, which featured wife Frances on vocals.

Working with film and TV in the 1960s, Hefti's credits include How to Murder Your Wife, Barefoot in the Park -- and the original film The Odd Couple. The score for the latter was repeated for the classic sitcom, which ran from 1970-1975.

BATMAN (1966) on TVGuide.com
THE ODD COUPLE (1970) on TVGuide.com

BATMAN (1966) episode guide, summary at TV.com
THE ODD COUPLE (1970) episode guide, summary on TV.com

BATMAN (1966) DVD news at TVShowsOnDVD.com
THE ODD COUPLE (1970) DVD news at TVShowsOnDVD.com

BATMAN OPENING CREDITS


THE ODD COUPLE OPENING CREDITS


More themes:
BONES
CAPTAIN AMERICA
CHARLIE'S ANGELS
CHECKMATE
DAN AUGUST
HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
HART TO HART
IT TAKES A THIEF
JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE
KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER