Different themes at the start and finish

[johnbasalla]

Which shows had one musical theme at the beginning of the show, and a completely different one at the end of the same episodes? For this discussion I am NOT talking about programs like "Lost In Space", where the first two seasons had one theme, and the third had a new one, ... nor am I talking about themes where the lyrics change from the beginning of the episode to the end, but the music is the same. Same goes for shows that have a singing theme at the start, but an instrumental version of the same tune at the end. All of these No Goes can be covered in future posts.

Here's the ones I know off the top of my head:
"EMERGENCY" - At the start, they had this soft bass guitar underneath the faux-actualities of the paramedics communicating with the hospital (ie: "He's in sinus rhythm"..."Can you send me some EKG?"). At the end of the show, it's this dramatic, upbeat full band music (one of my all-time favorites).

"THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW" - At the start (at least how I'm seeing it on Antenna TV), they have a quick, little bouncy theme whose title I have no clue. At the end of most episodes, it's a rendering of the 1920s dance band song "The Love Nest".

 

[Wright County Guy]

"All in the Family" with "Those Were the Days" at the beginning and "Remembering You" at the end.

 

[ercjncpr]

Which shows had one musical theme at the beginning of the show, and a completely different one at the end of the same episodes? For this discussion I am NOT talking about programs like "Lost In Space", where the first two seasons had one theme, and the third had a new one, ... nor am I talking about themes where the lyrics change from the beginning of the episode to the end, but the music is the same. Same goes for shows that have a singing theme at the start, but an instrumental version of the same tune at the end. All of these No Goes can be covered in future posts.

Here's the ones I know off the top of my head:
"EMERGENCY" - At the start, they had this soft bass guitar underneath the faux-actualities of the paramedics communicating with the hospital (ie: "He's in sinus rhythm"..."Can you send me some EKG?"). At the end of the show, it's this dramatic, upbeat full band music (one of my all-time favorites).

"THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW" - At the start (at least how I'm seeing it on Antenna TV), they have a quick, little bouncy theme whose title I have no clue. At the end of most episodes, it's a rendering of the 1920s dance band song "The Love Nest".

Love nest was used at the beginning and end of the B&A live shows. When they went to film, the opening changed

 

[anotherguyTN]

WKRP - The main theme (Baby, if you've ever wondered...) at the beginning and just gibberish at the end.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Season 1 of the 60's "Dragnet" had a different closing theme. The final (I think) season of "Rawhide" used a different closing theme, too. "Cheers", of course, had the slower instrumental version of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" as its closing theme. While "What's My Line?" had various opening themes over the years, they were consistent with using "Rollercoaster" as a closer.

 

[ajmcwhorter]

BOSOM BUDDIES had Billy Joel's "My Life" for opening credits and something else for the closing credits.

Many shows like FALL GUY, GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, etc. had a singer Joey Scarbury, Lee Majors, etc. sing the title theme but the closing credits were instrumental versions or the actual recordings with the singers voices taken out.

BUCK ROGERS had slightly different versions of the opening and closing credits. The closing credit music was slowed down considerably and I think during the theatrical movie version there was actual lyrics with a singer??

 

[johnbasalla]

Good catch on "Dragnet 1967/1968. That closing marching theme is right up there with the "Emergency" closing theme in being one of my favorites.

 

[onairb]

That Dragnet march is called 'Danger Ahead', and dates back to the original TV version (and possibly radio).
The Fall Guy had a very 'countrified' theme, with lots of steel guitar, tinkling piano, and Lee majors' laid-back, almost comatose vocals(At least he acquitted himself better here than he did as Col. Austin singing the mushy 'Sweet Jaime' song on The Six Million Dollar Man'.
The closing theme arrangement for Fall Guy , while not an Oliver Nelson composition like the famous 'Six Mil' theme, had a lot of the same sense of driving, 'time to kick some butt' urgency of the earlier show.
Of course, 'Six Mil' started with TV movies on ABC in 1973, and the first couple featured a sappy soft-rock tune by Dusty Springfield, which was dropped in favor of the now-classic tune(and the Dusty song was even erased when those first episodes went into syndication.) Might have been interesting if 'Six Mil' had kept Dusty's song, while also using Nelson's instrumental.

 

[bpatrick]

"Family Matters" used Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World"
as its opening theme for a few weeks, before "As Days Go By" became
the permanent opening theme; it used a different instrumental theme
for the closing.

 

[ixnay]

Captain Planet had an instrumental with narrator voiceover for an opening, but the closing had a different song with vocals ("Captain Planet, he's a hero/taking pollution down to zero"). That closing was topped off with this chant...

We're the Planeteers!
You can be one too!
'Cause saving our planet is the thing to do!
Looting and polluting is not the way!
Hear what Captain Planet has to say!
Captain Planet: "The power... is yours!

ixnay

 

[bmasters1981]

Many shows like FALL GUY, GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, etc. had a singer Joey Scarbury, Lee Majors, etc. sing the title theme but the closing credits were instrumental versions or the actual recordings with the singers voices taken out.

So did Hardcastle and McCormick.

 

[MHB]

"Chico and the Man."

I always liked the closing theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKRyDMAFORs

 

[radiorob2.0]

Here's the ones I know off the top of my head:
"EMERGENCY" - At the start, they had this soft bass guitar underneath the faux-actualities of the paramedics communicating with the hospital (ie: "He's in sinus rhythm"..."Can you send me some EKG?"). At the end of the show, it's this dramatic, upbeat full band music (one of my all-time favorites).

The open used in the syndication package of "EMERGENCY" was used one season. It's been years but I believe the closing music was also the opening music for several years.

 

[ajmcwhorter]

Many shows like FALL GUY, GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, etc. had a singer Joey Scarbury, Lee Majors, etc. sing the title theme but the closing credits were instrumental versions or the actual recordings with the singers voices taken out.

So did Hardcastle and McCormick.

Interesting thing about Hardcastle & McCormick is during Season One they had the song DRIVE as the theme, season two it was BACK TO BACK. Then Season 3 it went back to DRIVE.

 

[firepoint525]

Gilligan's Island and The Beverly Hillbillies had the same opening and closing themes, but with different lyrics for each. With so many closing themes being talked over by announcers (usually telling us what was coming up next) during "classic TV," I wonder why anyone even bothered to write a closing theme song (or do anything other than just use an instrumental version of the opening theme). Most of these we never got to hear, until the shows aired as reruns.

Diff'rent Strokes had the same opener and closer, but with an extra "hmmm" on the end of the closer.

 

[bmasters1981]

Many shows like FALL GUY, GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, etc. had a singer Joey Scarbury, Lee Majors, etc. sing the title theme but the closing credits were instrumental versions or the actual recordings with the singers voices taken out.

So did Hardcastle and McCormick.

Interesting thing about Hardcastle & McCormick is during Season One they had the song DRIVE as the theme, season two it was BACK TO BACK. Then Season 3 it went back to DRIVE.

Indeed! I have all three of the releases of that ABC series, and you're right. I also seem to recall, however, that "Drive" resumed around the middle or towards the end of #2, with the episode "Too Rich and Too Thin," 1/14/85.

 

[jwk1979]

When WGNAmerica aired the Canadian sitcom "Corner Gas" a few years ago, the opening theme and the closing theme were two didferent songs.

 

[azumanga]

With so many closing themes being talked over by announcers (usually telling us what was coming up next) during "classic TV," I wonder why anyone even bothered to write a closing theme song (or do anything other than just use an instrumental version of the opening theme). Most of these we never got to hear, until the shows aired as reruns.

Which was the main reason why the closing theme to WKRP was used as it was -- the writer submitted a rough draft of the recording, as he had the music ready, but not the lyrics, having substituted a bunch of gibberish in its place. But when they figured that CBS would mute the music while the announcer talks about what's next, they decided not to bother with writing the lyrics, and used the closing theme as is.

 

[Jimme]

Two queens of comedy used a song with lyrics at the start and just a melody (no lyrics) version of the same basic song at the end.
Can you guess the shows?

Your clues are (no Googling) Curtis McGibbon and the frequently referenced Ramada Inn.

 

[Kurt Toy]

Season 1 of The Partridge Family had an upbeat and in my opinion catchy organ-and-brass driven tune in the closing credits.