Obit: Earle H. Hagen at 88; Emmy-winning TV music composer

[CrankyYankee]

From the L.A. Times:

"...He composed music for about 3,000 TV series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."

Hagen also composed the themes for “The Andy Griffith Show,” "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and "I Spy", among others.
According to the Times story, Hagen is the person doing the whistling on the Griffith theme.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-hagen28-2008may28,0,1985685.story

 

[LKellerIII]

"...He composed music for about 3,000 TV series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."

I thought I had caught Mr. Yankee in a minor faux pas, since I know the theme from Mike Hammer is a song called Harlem Nocturne often performed by big bands in the 1940s. But it turns out Hagen did write it -purposely in the Duke Ellington style. Hagen was also a trombone player and performed in a number of big bands, including Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Ray Noble.

Quite a guy

 

[Stanislav]

"...He composed music for about 3,000 TV series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."

I thought I had caught Mr. Yankee in a minor faux pas, since I know the theme from Mike Hammer is a song called Harlem Nocturne often performed by big bands in the 1940s. But it turns out Hagen did write it -purposely in the Duke Ellington style. Hagen was also a trombone player and performed in a number of big bands, including Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Ray Noble.

Quite a guy

He really was, and even just the list of TV themes shows his range as a composer. Not only are the mentioned theme songs all very different from one another in style, but all were SO appropriate for the shows in question.

I personally lament the decline of TV theme songs over the last couple decades. You look at all the hit shows from the 50s, 60's and 70's (and some that weren't hits) and so many of them have memorable theme songs that we in our collective memories can sing/whistle/hum along to to this day with the slightest cue. (As Dave Barry once said about Baby Boomers: "If you asked 100 of them at random their own blood type, I doubt more than 2 or 3 of them would know, but all 100 could sing you the entire theme song to "Gilligan's Island" from memory.") ;D

 

[LKellerIII]

"As Dave Barry once said about Baby Boomers: "If you asked 100 of them at random their own blood type, I doubt more than 2 or 3 of them would know, but all 100 could sing you the entire theme song to "Gilligan's Island" from memory."

Good (or catchy) music stays in the memory, there's no question. I can see myself many years from now (hopefully) in the hospital on life-support, with my family gathrered around me. I can't remember their names, but I keep whistling the theme from Andy Griffith over and over again until they can't stand it anymore, and pull the plug...

And I'm O positive.

 

[Tim L]

A good example of the theme music sticking in one's head over the years..CBS's "The Good Guys" (1968-70) with Bob Denver and Herb Edelman..It was never thought as a great show or a ratings blockbuster (Though I thought it could have stayed on another year or two)..But I still remember the theme music after about 40 years..