A HORSE IS A HORSE, OF COURSE OF COURSE...

Anyone over a certain age, or anyone who watches a lot of old TV show re-runs knows those words are the opening lyrics to the 1961 to 1966 hit TV show “Mr. Ed”.  For those not in the know, the program, was about a talking horse and his owner, Wilber Post, played by Canadian actor Alan Young (Mr. Ed was voiced by western movie star Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane).  That theme song was one of thirteen that Fox News recently voted as unforgettable.  What was # 1 on that list?  The theme from “All In The Family” (“Boy the way Glenn Miller played.  Songs that made the hit parade.  Guys like us, we had it made.  Those were the days.”)  But there were (and are) plenty more TV theme songs that get permanently stuck in our heads. 

Even though there were no words to them, the themes from “The Twilight Zone” and “Seinfeld” will forever be classics.  The same with the whistling theme from the “Andy Griffith Show” (that one also made Fox’s list at # 2) and who could even forget Vic Mizzy’s theme to “The Addams Family” with those fingersnaps. 

              

QUESTIONS

1.  The original opening lyrics to this TV theme was:  “Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.  Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a help.  Wouldn’t you like to get away?”  The theme was later edited to start where those lines leave off.  What’s the name of this famous TV program set in a Boston bar?                 

      

2.  A flying hero in a red suit (definitely NOT Superman) was the premise of this 1981-83 hit TV series.  The theme song became a Top 5 hit.  The opening lyrics are:  “Look at what’s happened to me.  I can’t believe it myself.  Suddenly I’m up on top of the world.  It should’ve been somebody else.”  Can you name this theme?  It’s definitely one of the (HINT ALERT) ‘Greatest’.

                

3.  The opening lyrics for this TV theme song are:  “Baby, if you’ve ever wondered.  Wondered, whatever became of me…”  What’s the name of the TV show that theme came from?  HINT ALERT:  Think Dr. Johnny Fever, Les Nessman and flying turkeys.   

                  

4.  Anyone who’s ever watched television should know this theme:  “Now sit right back and you’ll hear a tale.  A tale of a fateful trip.  That started from this tropic port.  Aboard this tiny ship.”  C’mon, if you’ve ever watched television, you know this theme song.  What’s the name of the TV series it’s from?   

    

5.  This hit TV series that aired from was about the adventures of Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe Rachael and Ross.  The opening lyrics to the famous theme song are:  So no one told you life was gonna be this way.  Your jobs a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s D.O.A.  It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear.  When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year, but…”.  This theme made the Top Twenty on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 chart in 1995.  What’s the name of the TV show and the name of the theme song?  Plus, for absolutely no extra points whatsoever, what group recorded the hit?

             

ANSWERS

1.  It’s the theme song from “Cheers”.  The more familiar lyrics are: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.  And they’re always glad you came.  You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same.  You wanna be where everybody knows your name.”  That theme made # 10 on the Fox News list of “13 TV Theme Songs You Can’t Get Out of Your Head”.  The TV show was based on a real Boston bar named The Bull and Finch, located on Beacon Hill (exterior shots for “Cheers” were shot there) and for the final episode, Jay Leno (a Boston boy) broadcast the “Tonight Show” live from that bar along with “Cheers” cast members, some of whom were slightly inebriated.  “Cheers” aired from 1982 to 1993, and will continue in syndication forever.  

2.  Joey Scarbury took the “Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)” to # 2 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in 1981.  The most familiar section of the song is:  “Believe it or not, I’m walking on air.  I never thought I could feel so free.  Flying away on a wing and a prayer.  Who could it be?  Believe it or not, it’s just me.”  On an episode of “Seinfeld”, Jason Alexander’s character, George Constanza, recorded his own version for his home answering machine.  Here’s what George sang on his outgoing message:  “Believe it or not, George isn’t at home.  Please leave a message at the beep.  I must be out or I’d pick up the phone.  Where could I be?  Believe it or not, I’m not home.”                                

    

3.   “WKRP In Cincinnati” was the name of the TV series as well as the name of the theme song.  It was written and sung by Steve Carlisle, who took a full length version of that theme to # 65 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in 1981.  The series ran from 1978 until 1982.  Producers tried to catch ‘lightning in a bottle’ a second time with “The New WKRP In Cincinnati”, starring only a few of the former series cast members (General Manager Arthur ‘Big Guy’ Carlson, salesman Herb Tarlek and newsman Les Nessman).  That series began its TV run in 1991 and ended in 1993, so it only lasted two seasons before being cancelled.                                          

    

4.  It was supposed to be a three hour tour, but instead it lasted three TV seasons (1964-1967).  Yep, it’s the “Gilligan’s Island” theme.  Every week, the theme gave the viewer the entire plot of the series.  Even though it seems like the show has never been off television (and that may well be true), they only filmed 99 episodes.  These days, you need at least 100 episodes to survive in syndication.  “Gilligan’s Island” made # 8 on Fox News list of unforgettable TV themes.  During the show’s first season, the theme only mentions “Gilligan, The Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife.  The movie star…and the rest.  Here on Gilligan’s Isle”.  For the final two seasons, “The Professor and Mary Ann” replaced “and the rest”.                          

5.  OK, let’s give the answers in the order the questions were asked.  The TV series was “Friends”.  The theme song was titled “I’ll Be There For You (Theme From “Friends”)”.  The Rembrandts sang the TV theme and the full length hit song, which climbed to # 17.

“Friends” is another show that has done well in syndication.  Local TV stations (or networks) buy the rights to air these shows and usually air them daily.  The original “Friends” series aired from 1994 until 2004 and made all six cast members multi-millionaires.