Five Awesome TV Series Themes (You May Have Never Heard)

The classic television landscape is filled with great themes from TV shows such as Mission: Impossible, The Avengers, Route 66, and Hawaii Five-O. However, there are a plethora of awesome themes from lesser-known TV series as well. We wanted to highlight five of them today. Best of all, you can click on the videos and listen to these opening themes on the Cafe's YouTube channel without even leaving this page.

1. Coronet Blue - Larry Cohen's short-lived 1967 series was about an amnesiac (Frank Converse) whose only clue to his identity were the words "coronet blue." He spent 13 episodes trying to discover what those words meant. The catchy title song, which reminds me of "Secret Agent Man," was penned by Earl Shuman and two-time Oscar nominee Laurence Rosenthal. Lenny Welch, who provides the vocals, scored a top 5 hit in 1963 with a cover of "Since I Fell for You."



2. The Protectors - Robert Vaughn and Nyree Dawn Porter (The Forsyte Saga) starred in this 1972-73 British series about a trio of international troubleshooters. The title song "Avenues and Alleyways" was a UK hit for Lou Christie, who sings over the closing credits. I prefer the opening instrumental version.



3. UFO - Composer Barry Gray wrote some great themes for Gerry Anderson's marionette TV series (e.g., Thunderbirds, Stingray). So, it was only natural that Anderson would turn to Gray for his first live-action show in 1970. I love how the snazzy music is perfectly synchronized with the rapid editing.



4. The Loner - Jerry Goldsmith had already received one of his 18 Oscar nominations when he composed the theme to Rod Serling's 1965-66 TV Western. The show starred Lloyd Bridges as a former Union officer roaming the West and dealing with issues such as racial prejudice, redemption, and resignation.



5. Man In a Suitcase - This jazzy theme is probably the least-known on this list, but it was composed by Ron Grainer. He was responsible for memorable title tunes for TV series such as The Prisoner and Doctor Who as well the scores for movies like To Sir, With Love (though he didn't write the title song). Incidentally, the Man In a Suitcase theme was later used for the 1996-2000 British entertainment show TFI Friday.

James Coburn is Our Man Flint

It's somewhat of a backhanded compliment to call Our Man Flint the "best James Bond spoof." It is that, but it's also a very clever secret agent film in its own right. Unlike the broadly comedic Austin Powers films or Get Smart, Our Man Flint replicates the elements of a 007 outing and exaggerates them ever so slightly. Let's be honest, the majority of the Bond movies are far from serious dramas. So, it's impressive that Flint can negotiate that tight gap between James Bond and Austin Powers.

The film opens with a series of natural disasters that aren't natural at all--they are being caused by a weather-control device. A peace-loving organization called GALAXY claims responsibility and threatens more disasters if its demands are not met. When world leaders converge, they universally agree that there is only one man for the job: Derek Flint (James Coburn). This comes as bad news to Cramden (Lee J. Cobb), the head of the Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage (Z.O.W.I.E.), who dislikes Flint for his refusal to follow orders.

Cramden on the Z.O.W.I.E. phone.

Thus, Cramden is initially relieved when Flint refuses to help. However, when a curvaceous enemy operative tries to assassinate Flint, the super secret agent accepts the mission. He has one stipulation, though: He works alone.

Much of the film's humor derives from Flint's mastery of...well... everything. He can fence with two opponents simultaneously. He practices martial arts one on five. He dances with the Russian ballet. He can trace bouillabaisse on scent alone to the only restaurant in the world with that unique recipe. And he lives with four women that attend to his every need (e.g., shaving him, picking out his clothes, managing his business affairs, etc.). At one point, a frustrated Cramden explains: "Damn it, man, is there anything you don't know?"

Based on his earlier performances in The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963), and Charade (1963), I never would have cast James Coburn as a suave secret agent. That's one of the many reasons I'm not a casting agent. Although Coburn was fine in those aforementioned films, he didn't seem like star material. Yet, Our Man Flint capitalizes on the "Coburn cool" and the actor dominates the screen physically and with his laid-back personality. Coburn also looks impressive in the fight scenes and that's not surprising since he learned martial arts from Bruce Lee.

An impressive Coburn kick!

Gila Golan.

The only other actors with significant roles are Lee J. Cobb as Cramden and Gila Golan as a GALAXY agent. Cobb, a very fine actor, gives an exaggerated performance as Cramden and, for the most  part, it's an effective contrast to Coburn. Golan, an attractive actress with an inexplicably short resume, creates a worthy adversary for Flint. (Of course, it's inevitable that she will succumb to his charm.)

The homages to the James Bond films are both obvious and subtle. There's a quick reference to SPECTRE and the availability of 0008. In lieu of Bond's attache case or gimmicky Aston Martin, Flint only has a lighter--however, it has "82 different functions--83 if you wish to light a cigar." Composer Jerry Goldsmith contributes an excellent title theme which is cleverly employed throughout the film.

Flint with two of his ladies.

I suppose there are some viewers who may bristle at the film's sexist attitude. Yes, Flint essentially has a harem and refers its occupants as his "girls." Also, some of the women on Galaxy Island--especially the feisty ones--are reprogrammed as "pleasure units." However, these elements are exaggerated to the extent that Our Man Flint film becomes a satire of the more offending sexist films of the 1960s (to include the Bond pictures).

One can also gripe that Flint loses steam in the last half-hour after the hero reaches Galaxy Island and the villains are revealed as misguided peace lovers. It's interesting to note the similarities in the climaxes between Our Man Flint and the later 007 entry You Only Live Twice (1967).

Our Man Flint was a resounding success with moviegoers and critics. A sequel, In Like Flint, followed in 1967 with Coburn and Cobb reprising their roles. It's sillier, but still very entertaining with another memorable Goldsmith theme. According to some sources, there were discussions about a third film to be called F for Flint (which became an alternate title for In Like Flint). I suspect that Coburn had no interest in being typecast and that nixed future theatrical installments. In 1976, ABC tried to a launch a TV series with the telefilm Our Man Flint: Dead on Target. It transformed Derek Flint into a private eye and featured a miscast Ray Danton in the title role.

Lastly, here are two famous bits of Our Man Flint trivia--you know, in case these topics pop up during a trivia tournament. The names of Flint's female companions are: Sakito, Gina, Anna, and Leslie. Flint's personal code book is based on a mathematical progression of 40-26-36.

31 Days of Halloween: The Twilight Zone's "The Invaders"

Originally shown on January 27, 1961, episode #51 "The Invaders" was a very different Twilight Zone. Written by Richard Matheson and directed by Douglas Hayes, it starred Agnes Moorehead. Her co-star was Jerry Goldsmith's music. Richard Matheson did a total of sixteen Twilight Zone episodes and "The Invaders" is my favorite. This is Matheson's version of the classic "things that go bump in the night" but with a twist.

Rod Serling's Twilight Zone has some of the finest music ever composed for TV. The reason for this was due, in part, to the nature of the show, and also to the judgment of the head of the CBS music department, Lud Gluskin. Gluskin chose composers who could work in a pressure cooker of tight budgets, limited time, and small orchestral ensembles, which ranged from four to thirteen. Look at who he had to chose from; Jerry Goldsmith, Franz Waxman, Nathan Van Cleave, Bernard Herrmann, Leith Stevens, Fred Steiner, and Lynn Murray. For "The Invaders," he chose Jerry Goldsmith .

Along with the black & white camera work work of George T. Clemens and the fine acting of Agnes Moorehead , Jerry Goldsmith's music had to carry much of the dramatic action, because this show had no dialogue until the very last moments. A bold and daring move for a half hour TV show at the time.

Goldsmith's music for "The Invaders" tells the story of a woman who lives alone on the prairie in primitive conditions and her confrontation with some otherworldly aliens who have landed their ship in her attic, and move around her house.

Like the Bernard Herrmann score for Psycho, much use is made of somewhat daring (for the time) effects of the strings. Goldsmith expands it by using piano, harp, organ, and celeste to describe the battles between the woman and the invaders.

How does it end? I won't tell you. Does it work? I think so. You can see for yourself at http://www.cbs.com/ classic TV shows, Twilight Zone season 2.