Not too long ago, I came across a Watch Mojo list of the the Top 30 Greatest TV Show Themes of All Time. While I agreed with some of them, many I did not. So I decided to make my own list. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t go with the Top 30. There were too many great themes that fell in the 50-31 range. That being said, I decided to count down my Top 50 Greatest TV Themes of All Time.
When I get to #30, I will post my #30 along with the Watch Mojo #30, and so on. For now, sit back and enjoy 20 themes that “bubbled under” the Top 30. Today, we’ve reached #43.
Nine notes. Nine notes that are still recognizable today. Broken into two parts – 4 notes, then 5 notes. “Dum da dum dum” (Pause) “Dum da dum dum da.” Those notes were immediately followed by a stern narrator who informed listeners, “Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
The theme was composed by Walter Schumann (maybe – more on that in a sec) for the radio show, and was also used on the subsequent television series and later syndication of the TV series under the name “Badge 714”. The theme is in two parts: an opening signature “Main Title” and the “Dragnet March” which was used over the opening/end credits.
There is some dispute about the authorship of the Main Title. Wiki states: After the theme became a chart hit, the publishers of the score for the 1946 film version of the Killers, composed by Miklos Rozsa challenged the authorship of the copyright of the Dragnet “Main Title”. They contended that Walter Schumann had visited the sound stage in 1946 when Miklós Rózsa was recording “The Killers”, and had reused the melody of a cue for that film known as “Danger Ahead”. A settlement between publishers resolved the case by allowing both composers and publishers to share the royalties for the short opening signature “Main Title”, which became known as “Danger Ahead” after that. The “Dragnet March” remained the exclusive composition of Schumann.
Theme theme song is iconic and was a hit for Ray Anthony & His Orchestra in 1953. His version sold over 500,000 copies in the US and made Ray Anthony a household name. It was available as both a 45 rpm 7-inch vinyl record and a 78 rpm 10-inch shellac record. It went to #3 on the Billboard Best Selling Singles Chart.
In 1987, The Art of Noise also had a hit with the song that was used in the 1987 movie (based on the TV show). This version won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance!
Next week we’ll climb to #42. It’s a TV theme that offers up some great advice about how to live life.
See you, next week.
Iconic for sure!
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very recognizable and well-fitted to the show’s opening, though I didn’t know it was released as a single let alone a hit.
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