Different themes at the start and finish

[kingskip]

Happy Days had Rock Around the Clock for the opening theme in Seasons 1 and 2 and the familiar Happy Days theme for the closing theme, but then made Happy Days the opening theme as well in Season 3 for the rest of the series.

 

[azumanga]

Happy Days had Rock Around the Clock for the opening theme in Seasons 1 and 2 and the familiar Happy Days theme for the closing theme, but then made Happy Days the opening theme as well in Season 3 for the rest of the series.

In the first two seasons when it was used solely as a closing theme, it also had a different set of lyrics than when it became an opening theme.

Pratt and McClain's 1976 hit version of the theme used both versions of the theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu-gHMplMCs

 

[Thomps2525]

The Hogan's Heroes opening theme begins with drums; the closing theme begins with two additional lines of music.

"I see noth-ing! I hear noth-ing!"

 

[sshuffield70]

When "The Joker's Wild" went into first-run syndication, it originally featured the two themes that the show used during the CBS years: "The Savers" (by Perrey and Kingsley) was used during the open, while "Joker's Jive" (an original composition by Alan Thicke that replaced "The Savers" during the CBS run) was used during the close.

After a year of this, the show debuted new opening and closing themes that were composed by Hal Hidey.

Several other game shows (especially during the '80s) had similar themes (usually involving different arrangements) for the open and the close.

In addition to "The Joker's Wild", "Bullseye", and "Hot Potato" did the same thing. The open for "Bullseye" was based off of Santa Esmerelda's cover of "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" which had been used for the pilot. The close was an original piece. The "Hot Potato" close started the same as the open, but four measures in changes to a disco-ey type tune.

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

Another great example of this is "Little House On The Prairie".....one theme tune for the opening, and a totally different theme tune for the close.

I should have thought of this sooner....but didn't ;D.

 

[bmasters1981]

When "The Joker's Wild" went into first-run syndication, it originally featured the two themes that the show used during the CBS years: "The Savers" (by Perrey and Kingsley) was used during the open, while "Joker's Jive" (an original composition by Alan Thicke that replaced "The Savers" during the CBS run) was used during the close.

After a year of this, the show debuted new opening and closing themes that were composed by Hal Hidey.

Several other game shows (especially during the '80s) had similar themes (usually involving different arrangements) for the open and the close.

In addition to "The Joker's Wild", "Bullseye", and "Hot Potato" did the same thing. The open for "Bullseye" was based off of Santa Esmerelda's cover of "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" which had been used for the pilot. The close was an original piece. The "Hot Potato" close started the same as the open, but four measures in changes to a disco-ey type tune.

I've heard that song, and I think it's one of the best game show themes I have ever heard.

 

[hubcity]

The opening theme for "The Powerpuff Girls" was an instrumental by James L. Venable, who co-scored the series; its end theme is an (almost) entirely different vocal piece by Bis, a Scottish indie-pop band; the end theme's final notes are a quote of the title theme's main motif.

 

[LKellerIII]

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet

There was the treacly and corny beginning theme with the announcer introducing the "whole Nelson family," but then Ozzie, who was a bit hipper than he seemed on air, mixed it up with different ending themes over the years. My favorite was this great jazz tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM-uuzjPyb8

I was never a Nelson fan, but when the show was in reruns in the late 60s, I'd tune in the ending just to hear that. I've done some internet searching to see if a longer version still exists that can be downloaded or purchased, but apparently not.

 

[dtuba]

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.

Wow! I've been a fan of WKRP since forever, and I never knew that about the end credit song. I just thought it sounded like gibberish, and not *actual* gibberish.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

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.

Wow! I've been a fan of WKRP since forever, and I never knew that about the end credit song. I just thought it sounded like gibberish, and not *actual* gibberish.

So if WKRP's closing theme was just "gibberish," was it spared from the entire music rights situation--or has generic music (or even just a muted background) replaced that too?

 

[ajc_trw]

The Monkees second season changed the end credits music to "For Pete's Sake"

House played House's theme as the closing credits ran.

Many shows currently and recently running on network TV have different songs as their closing, but you wouldn't know unless you saw them on VOD (Verizon) or in syndication. House being one of the many including NCIS LA, Bones, Arrested Development and others.

 

[firepoint525]

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

They also had a different drummer in those later years. They never explained how they went from a dark-haired kid to a blonde one (unless I missed it).

 

[rnigma1]

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

They also had a different drummer in those later years. They never explained how they went from a dark-haired kid to a blonde one (unless I missed it).

Jeremy Gelbwaks, who played Chris Partridge in season 1, later claimed that he quit the show because his father's job transferred him out of the L.A. area.

 

[stdjsb25]

When WGN and TV Land both reran the show and when the butchered first season was released on DVD, the closing theme was kept intact.

 

[Legend City]

When WGN and TV Land both reran the show and when the butchered first season was released on DVD, the closing theme was kept intact.

Lyrics are approximately: Went to the bartender, ba ta da da to eah, vo goo a solada don ednter...


Love it.

 

[rnigma1]

And the opening theme to WKRP was sung by Steve Carlisle. It was released as a single, with some custom versions for a few radio stations... instead of "I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati" at the end, Steve would sing, for example, "I'm at FM 99 in Tallahassee..."

 

[Thomps2525]

In the late 1980s and early '90s, KRPN was an oldies station in Roy, Utah. When they gave the top-of-the-hour ID, they said "W...KRPN, Roy, Utah." Listeners were fooled into thinking the station was "WKRP in Roy, Utah." Sneaky!

Dighton mentioned the Little House On The Prairie theme. The series' original closing credits showed Melissa Gilbert's character (Laura Ingalls) running down a flower-covered hillside. As she leaped up, the picture froze. For reasons I never knew, the close eventually got shortened by a few seconds. The new version froze the picture while Laura was running with both arms extended to the side. The leap was a much better image to end with. Why was it changed?

 

[RobertAnthony]

Speaking of game shows, if anyone remembers The New Treasure Hunt, the opening was something like out of a circus. The closing was a version of "True Grit" which also was used whenever a prize which wasn't the $25,000 check was unveiled. It was also used after the first game on The Dating Game from 1978-1980.

For the 1981 version, Treasure Hunt, open was the same, but the close was different...a variation on the theme for the pilot of Dollar a Second, which was seen as part of a couple of marathons on Game Show Network.

 

[rbjones]

"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.

Family Matters actually used two different instrumental themes at the end of the show throughout the years- neither of which had anything to do with the opening theme. The first one was kind of s "soaring" melody, which went along with the camera shot panning further and further from the house into the air. The second theme was a more jazzy theme, which I believe was used in the last couple of seasons.

 

[rbjones]

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.

Yes, the open to "Emergency" in syndication is the one that was only used the final season. If you look carefully at where Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early are when it shows them in the opening credits, it shows them in a room that is separate from the "nurses" station. That was only used in the final season (it may have even been in the next to last season as well)- before that, the communications equipment was in the same area with the nurses station.

The first few episodes of "Emergency" do use the same exact theme that is used for the closing credits through the entire run. After a few episodes, the theme changes to a more "toned-down" version of the theme song where it kind of builds throughout the opening. I actually like that theme/opening much better than the one used in syndication and near the end of the series.