A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Welcome Back Kotter

A to Z – TV Theme Songs – Welcome Back Kotter

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“Welcome Back Kotter”, is a really fun show we watched when it originally ran on TV, and we still watch it now in re-runs. Lots of wisecracking humor and great actors.

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From a Wiki article:

Welcome Back, Kotter is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial class called the “Sweathogs.” Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series aired on ABC from September 9, 1975, to May 17, 1979.^[1]

The show stars stand-up comedian and actor Gabriel “Gabe” Kaplan as the main character, Gabe Kotter, a wisecracking teacher who returns to his alma mater, James Buchanan High School in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, to teach a remedial class of loafers, the Sweathogs. The rigid vice principal, Michael Woodman (John Sylvester White), dismisses the Sweathogs as witless hoodlums and only expects Kotter to contain them until they drop out or are otherwise banished. As a former remedial student and a founding member of the original class of Sweathogs, Kotter befriends the current Sweathogs and stimulates their potential. A pupil-teacher rapport is formed, and the students often visit Kotter’s Bensonhurst apartment, sometimes via the fire escape window, much to the chagrin of his wife, Julie (Marcia Strassman).

The popular theme song, “Welcome Back”, written and recorded by John Sebastian, former frontman for The Lovin’ Spoonful, became a No. 1 hit in the spring of 1976.

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Other great shows: (The) Waltons, Wonder Woman, Wagon Train

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Queen For A Day

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Queen For A Day

 

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“Queen For a Day” was a very early game show, and we watched it all the time when I was a kid. Looking back now it seems so bizarre in it’s whole way from the host, to the contestants, and the voting.

Here’s how it went:

The goofy host would holler at the audience, he’d talk about commercials, make rude remarks about a contestant’s looks. Well, so weird.

The contestants were women, and were asked to tell the most horrifying sob story ever, then beg to be Queen for a Day, and say what prizes she wanted. Then the audience would vote for the most awful by clapping which was registered on an ‘applause meter’.

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From a Wiki article:

Queen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners’ and viewers’ fascination with big-prize giveaway shows.^[1] Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months later and ran until 1957. The show then ran on NBC Television from 1956 to 1960 and on ABC Television from 1960 to 1964.^[2]

The show became popular enough that NBC increased its running time from 30 to 45 minutes to sell more commercials, at a then-premium rate of $4,000 per minute.^[2]

The show opened with host Jack Bailey asking the audience—mostly women—”Would YOU like to be Queen for a day?” After this, the contestants were introduced and interviewed, one at a time, with commercials and fashion commentary interspersed in between.

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Other great shows: Quincy, (Jonny) Quest

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – One Day At A Time

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – One Day At A Time

 

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“One Day At A Time”, is a really good show, which we watched in it’s original run, and now see a lot in re-runs. It follows the situations of a single mother and her two teen daughters. I always liked this song, too.

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From a Wiki article:

One Day at a Time is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from December 16, 1975, to May 28, 1984. It starred Bonnie Franklin as a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters, played by Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli, in Indianapolis.

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Other great shows – Outer Limits, Ozzie and Harriet

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – M*A*S*H

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – M*A*S*H

 

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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We watched this TV series I’m sure several times as it ran originally and later in re-runs. It’s still on our channels today.

We did see the movie, which was good, and the TV series was taken from that, but with some changes in a few actors and scenes.

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From a Wiki article:

M*A*S*H (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker‘s 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series, which was produced with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the “4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital” in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53).

Its final episode, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen“, was the most-watched television broadcast in American history from 1983 until 2010,^[3] and remains both the most-watched finale of any television series and the most-watched episode of a scripted series.^[4]

Suicide Is Painless” is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Michael Altman (lyrics) for the 1970 film M*A*S*H.  An instrumental version is likewise the theme music for the TV series based on the film, playing over the opening and closing credits.

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Other great shows: Mama’s Family, (the) Munster’s, Mad About You, My Three Sons

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Laverne & Shirley

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Laverne & Shirley

 

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“Laverne & Shirley” was a favorite of ours. Once in awhile there will be another round of re-runs on our channels, and we always will watch them, too.

I really like the opening song, and it’s fun to sing along to.

Laverne, played by Penny Marshall, and Shirley, played by Cindy Williams, were best friends and room-mates. They remind me a lot of the friendship between Lucy and Ethel (I Love Lucy), in that they always had funny situations they got into.

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From a Wiki article:

Laverne & Shirley (originally Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney)^[1] is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley followed the lives of Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, two friends and roommates who work as bottle-cappers in the fictitious Shotz Brewery in late 1950s Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From the sixth season onwards, the series’ setting changed to mid-1960s Burbank, California. Michael McKean and David Lander co-starred as their friends and neighbors Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman, respectively; along with Eddie Mekka as Carmine Ragusa, Phil Foster as Laverne’s father Frank DeFazio, and Betty Garrett as the girls’ landlady Edna Babish.

Featuring regular physical comedy, Laverne & Shirley became the most-watched American television program by its third season; in total, it received six Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination.^[2][3][4][5]

In the opening credits, Laverne and Shirley recite “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated,” a Yiddish-American hopscotch chant, which then leads into the series’ theme song, “Making Our Dreams Come True” performed by Cyndi Grecco. In the final season without Cindy Williams, the chant is recited by a group of schoolchildren. The hopscotch chant is from Penny Marshall’s childhood.^[8]

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Other great shows: Lost, Lone Ranger, Leave It to Beaver, Land of the Lost, Lost in Space, Life of Riley

Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Kojak

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Kojak

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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I remember watching this show, if not every week, then quite often. It was interesting though I can’t really remember all that much about it now.

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From a Wiki article:

Kojak was an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired on CBS from 1973 to 1978.

In 1999 TV Guide ranked Theo Kojak number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.^[1]

The show revolved around the efforts of the tough and incorruptible Lieutenant Theodopolus (“Theo”) Kojak (Telly Savalas), a bald, dapper, New York City policeman, who was fond of Tootsie Pops and of using the catchphrases, “Who loves ya, baby?” and “Cootchie-coo!” Kojak was stubborn and tenacious in his investigation of crimes—and also displayed a dark, cynical wit, along with a tendency to bend the rules if it brought a criminal to justice.

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Other great shows: Knots Landing, Knight Rider, Kate & Allie, Kung Fu, King of Queens

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Julia

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Julia

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“Julia” is a show I watched back then all the time. It was different, and most times funny. It starred the fabulous Diahann Carroll. I love her singing, as I used to have a record album of her songs. I don’t believe she sang any on the TV show, though. The two little boys were fun to watch what all they got up to on the show, too.

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From a Wiki article:

Julia is an American sitcom. It is notable for being the first weekly series to star an African-American woman in a non-stereotypical role. The show starred actress and singer Diahann Carroll, and ran for 86 episodes on NBC from September 17, 1968, to March 23, 1971. The series was produced by Savannah Productions, Inc., Hanncarr Productions, Inc., and 20th Century-Fox Television.

In Julia, Carroll played widowed single mother, Julia Baker who was a nurse in a doctor’s office at a large aerospace company.  Her son Corey’s best friend was Earl J. Waggedorn, whom Corey almost always addressed and referred to precisely by his full name, though other characters (particularly his mother) would refer to him simply as Earl. The Waggedorns lived downstairs in the same apartment building, with father, police officer Leonard (Hank Brandt), stay-at-home mother Marie (Betty Beaird), and two sons, Earl and an infant whose first name is never revealed.

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Other great shows: The Jeffersons, Jeopardy, Joanie Loves Chachi,

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z Blog Challenge 2022 – TV Theme Songs – I Love Lucy

A o Z Blog Challenge 2022 – TV Theme Songs – I Love Lucy

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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This show I would say is my favorite of all time. I never get tired of watching it. For some reason we do not get re-runs on any of our channels, though we used to. I sure wish they’d put it back on.

This show seems to be a kind of blueprint for every sit/com that came along after. They were also innovative in the way they filmed the shows, using film.

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From a Wiki article:

I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The series followed the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocted plans with her best friends, Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley), to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy is depicted trying numerous schemes to mingle with and be a part of show business. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version of the show continued for three more seasons, with 13 one-hour specials, which ran from 1957 to 1960.

The show was the first scripted television program to be shot on 35 mm film in front of a studio audience, and won five Emmy Awards and received numerous nominations

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Other great shows: I Dream of Jeannie, In The Heat Of The Night

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Hazel

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Hazel

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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“Hazel” is a funny show, and we watch it in re-runs all the time. It’s about Hazel being the live in maid to the Baxter family. She pretty much runs the house. She is brash, loud, and nosey, up in everybody’s business. She says what’s on her mind at all times. Lots of funny situations she gets everyone into. And … she seems to run everywhere instead of walking. I don’t know why.

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From a Wiki article:

Hazel is an American sitcom about a spunky live-in maid named Hazel Burke (played by Shirley Booth) and her employers, the Baxters. The five-season, 154-episode series aired in prime time from September 28, 1961, to April 11, 1966

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Other great shows: Happy Days, Hogan’s Heroes, Honeymooners

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Dennis the Menace

A to Z 2022 – TV Theme Songs – Dennis the Menace

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My theme for this year will actually be a theme! It will be …

• TV Theme Songs

I’ll be showing short videos of the opening theme songs of old TV shows, and saying a few words about them. They are all shows I’ve watched in the past and enjoyed. Maybe you’ve seen some of them too, and will enjoy this look back at some favorites.

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From a Wiki article:

Dennis the Menace is an American sitcom based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip Dennis the Menace. It preceded The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings on CBS from October 1959 to July 1963. The series stars Jay North as Dennis Mitchell; Herbert Anderson as his father, Henry; Gloria Henry as his mother, Alice; Joseph Kearns as George Wilson; Gale Gordon as George’s brother, John Wilson; Sylvia Field as George’s wife, Martha Wilson; and Sara Seegar as John’s wife, Eloise Wilson.

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This is a really funny show I watched when I was a kid, and we also watch it now every day in re-runs.

Dennis is a happy go lucky child who while trying to help out the grown-ups, seems to only cause chaos with everyone. Lots of funny situations for everyone. He talks a lot, and his greeting to his next door neighbor, Mr. Wilson, is a loud ‘Hello, Mr. Wilson, which makes the older neighbor cringe.

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Also great shows = Dark Shadows, Dick Van Dyke Show, Dragnet

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

© 2022 BS