TV Themes: Marvel Super Heroes

My wife and I finally got to see the Iron Man movie yesterday -- and LOVED it. In honor of the hilarious post-credits teaser of things to come, here are some classic (if lovably goofy) 1960s TV intros from Marvel superhero cartoons ...

IRON MAN


THE HULK


THE MIGHTY THOR


CAPTAIN AMERICA


THE SUB-MARINER

Win a MONK galley!

TV writer/producer and novelist Lee Goldberg is giving away two signed galleys of his upcoming Monk tie-in original novel, Mr. Monk Goes to Germany. Check out the details at his blog, A Writer's Life.

Buy Monk books and DVDs at the StudioWell store

Related links:
Q&A: LEE GOLDBERG (Monk, Diagnosis Murder)
MONK hits 100
Official MONK on DVD
MONK back for season seven in July
Mystery TV Themes: MONK

Mystery TV Themes: Agatha Christie's Great Detectives

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple
(Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot To Marple)
Set in 1930s London, and starring Agatha Christie's two most famous sleuths, this 2004 Japanese animation series was based on Christie's original novels and stories. Detective Hercule Poirot and his trusted assistant Arthur Hastings, and Miss Jane Marple investigate several complicated cases. The great detectives are joined in their adventures by newly developed characters Mabel West (Marple's inquisitive sixteen-year-old great-niece), and Oliver, a curious ... duck. (Well, it is a cartoon.) Despite these additions, it is said that the series was relatively faithful to the source material.

Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot To Marple links:
Official site
MICO Program Finder
Wikipedia

MAIN TITLES


More opening themes:
ALIAS
THE AVENGERS (w/ THE NEW AVENGERS)
BARNEY MILLER
BATMAN 1966 (w/ THE ODD COUPLE)
BONES
S.W.A.T.
THE SAINT
SIMON & SIMON
STARSKY & HUTCH
T.J. HOOKER

MONK therapist Stanley Kamel found dead

Actor Stanley Kamel, who played Dr. Charles Kroger on USA's hit series Monk, was found dead of a heart attack in his Hollywood Hills home Tuesday. He was 65. Kamel's numerous TV appearances over the years include West Wing, Six Feet Under, Melrose Place, The Golden Girls, Days of Our Lives, Murder One, and Beverly Hills, 90210.

From the "garbage strike" episode:


Meanwhile, Monk's NBC debut this past Sunday did not find many viewers -- in fact, all five TV networks found Sunday night's viewership its lowest since Christmas Eve 2006.

TV Themes: THE AVENGERS w/ THE NEW AVENGERS

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

THE AVENGERS (1961-1969)
THE NEW AVENGERS (1976-77)
"Crimes against the people and the state have to be avenged by agents extra-ordinary ... " One of British television's most famous exports, the quirky '60s spy show The Avengers starred Patrick Macnee as gentleman government agent John Steed, working with a variety of partners to keep Great Britain safe from a variety of outlandish threats. Although his most famous co-Avenger was Mrs. Emma Peele (Diana Rigg, 1965-1967), he also worked with Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry, 1961), Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman, 1962-64), and Tara King (Linda Thorson, 1968-69). In the short-lived revival The New Avengers, it was Steed with Mike Gambit and Purdey (Gareth Hunt and Joanna Lumley, 1976-77).

Composer Laurie Johnson wrote the opening theme to The Avengers (starting with the Emma Peel episodes), as well as for The New Avengers, for which he also served as co-producer. Born 1927, Johnson studied at the Royal College of Music and later taught there. In the 1950s, he worked with big bands and recording orchestras, before turning his attention to composing scores for film, television, the theatre, concert halls and the recording studio. His film scores include Dr. Strangelove (1964) and The First Men In The Moon (1964).

THE AVENGERS MAIN TITLES (1965)


THE AVENGERS MAIN TITLES (1967)


Playlist: THE AVENGERS 1960s (Chessboard Intro, Main Titles 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969)


THE NEW AVENGERS MAIN TITLES (1976)


Listen to the themes: Mark Little's MyThemes.TV
Additional music and sound files: The Avengers Sound Page

Laurie Johnson Official Site
Laurie Johnson bio at The Avengers Forever
Exhaustive cast and series info at The Avengers Forever
Patrick Macnee's Official Homepage

More themes:
THE ROCKFORD FILES
S.W.A.T.
SIMON & SIMON
STARSKY & HUTCH
T.J. HOOKER

MONK hits 100

This new season, Monk airs its landmark 100th episode. The series anchors USA Network's "Characters Welcome" brand, which has helped make the channel the No. 1 basic cable network -- in fact, the L.A. Times reports that the channel brought in nearly $700 million in profit last year; by comparison, corporate sibling NBC made about $300 million. LA Times: USA enjoying the view from the top

Press: USA Network Starts Summer Off With a Bang, Continues With Year-Round Originals in Fall 2008

Related:
Official MONK on DVD
MONK on NBC April 6
Mystery TV Themes: MONK

Official MONK on DVD

TVShowsonDVD shares the official DVD info for season six of Monk and season two of Psych:
Monk Universal Formally Announces 6th Season DVDs for July
Psych Official Season 2 Announcement Gives Details & Extras

Both four-disc sets come out July 8, with a bevy of bonus materials.
Buy Monk books and DVDs at the StudioWell store

Related:
MONK on NBC April 6
MONK back for season seven in July
Mystery TV Themes: MONK