I never knew Henry Mancini had composed the theme song for the NBC Mystery Movies. He really did some great stuff. And so many TV shows had such terrific theme songs in the past. TV has really gone down the crapper in recent years though. The shows are all boring and politically correct b.s. and instead of great theme songs they just show more commercials than ever.
@enoorkoiv Banacek was never on the SUNDAY Mystery Movie line up though, it was on the "cloned" version of this, the WEDNESDAY Mystery Movie. Just to be clear.
@regertz Columbo was good, but so were McCloud and McMillan and Wife. Those were the main three, although they had some others like Hec Ramsey and Banacek over the years.
What an elegant theme song that was. Brings back memories of great shows. No one makes evocative music like that for TV anymore, they just jump to the chase.
I remember this song not only from the Sunday night Movies but it was on the 'complimentary 8-track' of my parents 1978 Chrysler Cordoba......'with fine corinthian leather'.
I always remembered this song. I thought it was a real cool. I liked all the detective shows on this program. McMillan and HIs Wife w/ Rock Hudson was my favorite then my next choice was Columbo. Actually Peter Falk bothered me a little but the scripts were really well done and he was a good actor but I just wished someone would shoot at him for a change. Or maybe he shot someone I think the writers were a litlle stuck on being too cerebral. Even at age 14 I felt that way!!
this just sounds so soft and classic,i watched these when i was 10 or 11 mccloud was and still is my favorite.instead of knowing it was 9 o clock and sunday nite and i hadnt finished my homework yet i wish i know what the next 40 years would be like then..
@SirReal1958 Yep, "McCloud." Dennis Weaver was a good actor, especially in the movie "Duel." For me, I only got to watch McCloud in the Summer time. Other than that, when the guy with the flashlight came on along w/ the Sunday Mystery Movie music, it meant it was time for bed, or I was out of bed getting a drink of water. The living room was always dark, generating only light from the TV screen. Very nostalgic. Lol I suddenly feel like watching the Screen Gems logo commercial.
I love this theme music. I nearly drove myself crazy trying to locate it. I remember hearing it as a child when my dad would be watching tv. I tried searching for all the popular shows of that era, but never came across it until today. THANKS!!!
this and the movie of the week song are great,brings back those days when i watched these on late night...well at least it was late for a kid like me.thanks for download!
Reminds me of my days on Portsmouth Hospital Broadcasting in the 1970's and 1980's. Aged 18-29 and like all Dj's girlfriends present. Love this stuff, nice to hear it again.
OMG I love the movies of the week. I got a bunch of the out of print classics I've been looking for, forever from a great website that carries a huge library of them. if your interested shoot me an email and i'll get you the information.
On Sunday nights back in the 70s we would go to church and then rush home and have grilled cheese sandwiches while we watched the Mystery Movie. Miss those great shows.
Born in the early 80's so I basically missed all of this but I have been on a Columbo kick lately (one of my favorite shows; get well Pete) and in the credits the theme song is mentioned. Though I haven't heard it till now. Great music and from reading the comments it kinda makes me want to experience life in those days. I thought the 80s were great but I'm realizing that as time goes on TV, and lots of other things in life just aren't as good as they once were.
Sunday nights mom would stop. Sit down and watch columbo, and this was the theme that let me know that the WEEKEND was over. And I was back to school Monday morning. Sweet days!!
Viewers, if you want to see another great rendition of this, click on the Mystery Movie Theme EX-42 on this page. I think you'll find it very interesting. The media has gotten lazy. I also miss the Moog too. A lot of great music came out of it without computers. I gotta wonder--if it wasn't for the great big publicity machine a lot of today's stars would be forced to make an HONEST living somehow. I got ideas but they'd never get past the censors. Its only marketing today.
Cool find here on YouTube after surfing around for other Mancini clips! Thanks for posting. I'd totally forgotten about this theme song. He was SO good at writing these very musical charts for that genre!
I remember hearing this tune on the radio when I was 6 years old. Been searching for it ever since, for 22 years! Thanx a million for the upload, you made my day!
Thank God for Henry Mancini, the 70s, and the Moog Synthesizer... my Sunday nights were spent being spooked because of the ghostly whining of the Moog... it was great!! Sweet memories!!
Yesterday, we had Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, Elmer Bernstein and Lalo Shifrin composing TV music. Today, the best we have is: "Men men men men manley men men men, (men men men men manley men, who who who who who who) men men men men, manley men men men, ah hah....(no offense to the show itself).
@rolex452 We also had another great, Leonard Rosenman, who composed the theme music to Marcus Welby, MD one of my favorite TV themes. There were so many sophisticated, memorable TV themes in the 1960s and 70s. Nothing memorable on TV these days. Thank goodness I was born when I was born and able to enjoy and appreciate those years. They were great years.
@rolex452 Did you hear the music written by Bear McCreary? That's one talented contemporary TV music writer I'd consider at least compareable to the old masters :-)
@rolex452 So true --- This theme, Route 66, Mannix, Mr. Lucky, Mission Impossible and so many more. Even the cartoons back then had better music than the prime time shows of today..just think of Johnny Quest. What TV themes today are memorable and hummable...none.
Sorry, make that Lanigan's Rabbi and not Hannigan's Rabbi. It played during the 1976-77 season. I think it replaced Quincy M.E. and was the last show added to the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie rotation.
You Folks are making me Feel VERY OLD !! Why Because I REMEMBER all the things you've mentioned here. AND well too I JUST turned 50 !!! But THANKS for the memories folks....Carry On Old Timers !!!!
Be glad you're ONLY 50, mg1221 ! Curious about the 'crazy' electronic sound in this? It's called a theramin, and dates to the 20s, it's a moog forrunner.
Mancini was pure genius ! ! ! !
I'm building a theramin playlist today if anyone's interested in hearing more of this 'otherworldly' sound. Eventuall it will play nonstop for an hour.
I've got over 200 more playlists of beautiful music like this by specific artist and year.
Thank You, No I did not know that. See even at this age we still learn something new everyday. LOL I still love to hear the music from the past and SOME of the T.V.Shows were pretty good, A few of which have already been mentioned. I only dream of a day when this old world will finally be at peace with itself and it's people.
Okay thank you....What about Ennio Marricone, He was pretty cool too. I've heard some of his other music. Meaning beside the stuff from his Spaggetti Westerns. And it's pretty nice.
@chkjns Nope, it's a synth, probably a Moog. If you know anything about theramins, first of all, there's no way to hit notes that pure, and secondly, there is an electronic "hum" in the undertones of theramins. Has to be a synth.
With technology comes "Instant Satisfaction," so shows are just thrown out, and genres are sucked dry. Police Dramas, Reality Shows, Lawyer shows, when they find something they just crank it out FAST. Some are good, and others are just well, "not good." The theme song has also disappeared since more time is squeezed in to sell commercial time. Mmm, I guess I'm showing my age...Rat Patrol, Green Hornet, Star Trek, Time Tunnel and the like.
hollywood is gone,all they turn out is crap ,everything is a reality show or some other garbage.what was the last tv show you liked and remember today.i remember this show in my teens they could produce 4 different ones of these a month all good.i know i dont have the talent for it but nither does anyone else.
Very true, I can't argue that--I'm a comedian in the business and I've been in it some time. I RARELY comment but I have to agree. I miss that old theme. It's cool that I can just call it up. Must be like 37 years since I heard that theme-Mancini=classic! I'm watcing a cl;assic right now, "Murder by Death" What a panic! You'd love it, DVD too. Best G
funny pardon the pun, but everyone has asways told me i should have been a comedian.maybe should have pewople today remember nothing from the past hell i used to watch jackie gleason with my grandmother when he was in miami.then laugh in with my dad i still rember those shows like i watched them last nite.nice hearing from you
Some people are just born talented and Henry Mancini is one of these talented people. Long live his music and work! Work of Art really. Super cool composer and equally good unforgettable music!
ttenchantr, I put your flashlight on ebay haha. Hey, buffebob my later father had a cadillac eldorado so I can relate.
I would always take a flashlight with us when driving with him. I also remember watching it on NBC on Sunday Nights with lights dimmed in the family room, and watch it with Mom and Dad before bedtime. Great Memories for sure
It was used when "The N.B.C. Sunday Mystery Mvie Theme" premiered in 1971, and was recorded on Mancini's "Big Screen, LIttle Screen" album shortly thereafter.
When you bought a new Cadillac in 1977 they gave you an 8-track tape which was a selection of "Music for Cadillac " This was one of the songs featured. I always enjoyed the song , but never quite understood why it was included. But then again, I was only 15. Good Memories! Thanks for posting it.
I was 15 in 1977 when my late father bought a new Cadillac Seville. I remember hearing this song on the tape on my way to high school. Fond memories indeed.
@macparkjw - my '79 Lincoln came with a super hi-tech quad 8-track! These types of songs just really displayed those sound systems to the max! I still have my demo. One sonfghad a harp flourish that just wrapped all the way around the car's interior.
@chkjns Thats Right!!! Quad , I forgot all about that. Thanks for the reminder.
Hey, I was looking at your page. Man you've got some great inclusions there! Ray Conniff. Great taste man. I'm glad you commented on my post, now I can enjoy your page. :)
@macparkjw - Always glad to have another satisfied customer! You just subscribed to 11,000 songs on over 500 playlists by year, artist or genre. Conniff created his unique sound by overdubbing his horns with human voices, a really amazing idea! He threw jazz & swing into most of his arrangements.
Mancini & Conniff are 2 of my top 5 musicians - they changed the musical landscape of the world!
@nancyfloressantos - 1971, according to wiki.The movies aired on Sundays & Wednesdays & feature over a dozen different major lead characters from 1971-1977. Seems like only yesterday I heard this song on TV every week . . . . Best known of the movies were Columbo, McCloud, & McMillan& Wife.
Nice to hear from you! I'm off to Palm Springs for a hot weekend, forcast is about 112°. Neat to be less than 5 hours away!
My father bought a 73 Buick that had the eight track too. Brough back a lot of memories. And the Buick used to get about 6 miles to the gallon by the time I got to drive it!
when i went to college mecloud and mysterey movie were winding down,never see mcloud on repeats i think mybe a&e along time ago sure would be better then saved by the bell.when i attend college a big one in ny they had 6 computers on campus,now you get a laptop as a freshman just as well i would have listen to this allday
Thanks for letting me hear this much-missed song once again. Henry Mancini had the midas touch as a composer and arranger - Blake Edward called him lightning in a bottle. His legacy is underappreciated by too many!
It's called a theremin. It's a device that was actually invented in the 30's. The sound is made holding an object (your hand) near a metal rod. Moving your hand closer or away from the rod changes the pitch. Do a youtube search for theremin.
Thanks so much for his blast from my favorite past. It reminds me of great family time, steak (our Friday night meal) and wonderful, treasured memories.
Yeah, really. About the only damn shows that I like on ABC now are just four of them. America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Life on Mars, and Lost are the only shows (currently) that I truly give a damn for on there now. As for the other networks, very few of their shows are worth watching, except if they have Law and Order or CSI in the title and maybe 30 Rock.
With shit like this happening, msaya, we need to storm Capital Cities, ABC, and Disney, kick the jabronis out, and make a new empire from scratch. The sleazy smutfests, tweenybopper psuedo-comedy (just where in the hell ARE the damn cartoons, anyway), stereotyping and racial profiling, psuedo-educational, a.k.a., "edutainment," bullshit must stop NOW! We need to buy 100% of their stock, have votes of no confidence in them, and get rid of the lobbyists from all fronts and start from scratch.
Well, ivorbigunzz, my point is, in essence, television is a bunch of lying ass, psuedo-educational, psuedo-moral bullshit that lacks the innovation of the old days nine times out of ten. Can you name a television show that is far more impacting on our culture now than you can from the old days? Television is simply lacking the innovation and the simple basics of the old days. I want comedies like Police Squad and not ones like Will and Grace, Friends, Samantha Who, Desperate Housewives, etc.
Well, "Will and Grace" actually DID have a fairly significat impact on our culture -- if you'll think about it. (I'll grant you the other examples, though.)
Will and Grace, Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, The Boondocks, Futurama, and King of the Hill had no real cultural impact in and of themselves. They only parroted what their friends in the other parts of the media and in culture itself were already trying to sell to the public and they were just the popular people that were also the right people for simply doing the job of spreading the message to the masses for easier consumption of their stereotypical bullshit, midknightryder13.
Hey NotJust-I agree with you on some points but let's talk about some sitcoms from the '60s. The sitcom JULIA , (68-71) starring Diahann Carroll, the first to star an African American woman who was not type-casted (in the series she portrayed a nurse whose husband was a fighter pilot killed in Viet Nam). My favorite was GREEN ACRES (65-71) which never even hinted to the problems that were so prevalent during the 60's. "Feel good" shows have, rightly or wrongly, been a mainstay of TV history.
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"Will and Grace" was ground-breaking beause it was the first sitcom that had a gay character as a lead FROM THE FIRST EPISODE. Today, that doesn't seem like a big deal -- but in the mid 90's it was. (Recall that Ellen's sitcom was cancelled after she and her character came out.)
And if you look at the first few seasons Will DOESN"T have a love interest, ever. That changed because the audience couldn't understand why Will couldn't find a date in NYC. There was even a "Let Will date" campaign.
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Will and Grace, ground breaking? Bullshit! It only parroted values that were learned from, among others, the Socialists, Communists, Fascists, humanists, secular humanists, hedonists, anarchists, and the Nazis. As I said before, it was an overhyped series and as for Ellen, she burned that damn bridge by herself. However, she WAS smart in ending the series and her talk show, well, it is probably going to be over within a few years, possibly anywhere from one to three years.
escuchando esta melodía tan fantástica me hace sentir menos capitidisminuído.
jamiletin 1 month ago
And all together with the great organ player Clare Fisher who also played on the tune from Cade's County together with Henri Mancini.
10nus58 6 months ago
I never knew Henry Mancini had composed the theme song for the NBC Mystery Movies. He really did some great stuff. And so many TV shows had such terrific theme songs in the past. TV has really gone down the crapper in recent years though. The shows are all boring and politically correct b.s. and instead of great theme songs they just show more commercials than ever.
ridgerunner721601 6 months ago
Tonight, starring Peter Falk as Columbo.
tallpaul521 6 months ago
"Tonight, starring Richard Boone, as 'Hec Ramsey'"
SoloPilot6 6 months ago
Still miss George Peppards Banacek...
enoorkoiv 6 months ago
@enoorkoiv Banacek was never on the SUNDAY Mystery Movie line up though, it was on the "cloned" version of this, the WEDNESDAY Mystery Movie. Just to be clear.
michaelkochlegal 6 months ago
good night Lt.Columbo
have a good trip
shotb1963 7 months ago
@shotb1963 Goodbye Lt. Phillip Columbo
VanWADebbie 7 months ago
Always enjoyed the "MM" though Columbo was the only one I'd go to some trouble to see.
regertz 7 months ago
@regertz Columbo was good, but so were McCloud and McMillan and Wife. Those were the main three, although they had some others like Hec Ramsey and Banacek over the years.
ridgerunner721601 2 months ago
"Tonight, Starring George Peppard as Banacek"
tyrese3745 7 months ago
@tyrese3745 Nope. Banacek was on the WEDNESDAY Mystery Movie lineup, not the more famous SUNDAY lineup that this song was the theme for.
michaelkochlegal 6 months ago
@michaelkochlegal It's still the same thing. They used the theme for the Wednesday movie, right?
tyrese3745 6 months ago
"Tonight, Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in McMillan & Wife"
tyrese3745 7 months ago
"Tonight, Starring Dennis Weaver as McCloud"
tyrese3745 7 months ago
What is the difference between this and Cade's County theme?
Hardtofindvideos2 7 months ago
@Hardtofindvideos2 They both have the western motif and beat, and the wailing synthesizer, they're just arranged differently.
michaelkochlegal 6 months ago
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michaelkochlegal 6 months ago
What an elegant theme song that was. Brings back memories of great shows. No one makes evocative music like that for TV anymore, they just jump to the chase.
thylacine95 8 months ago
Tonight,starring Dennis Weaver as McCloud.How cool was that?
thecoolestdad 8 months ago
beautiful music....henry mancini was in a class all by himself...
boomer2663 8 months ago 2
I remember this song not only from the Sunday night Movies but it was on the 'complimentary 8-track' of my parents 1978 Chrysler Cordoba......'with fine corinthian leather'.
daddyoscott 9 months ago 4
@daddyoscott Love it!
LWOPP 8 months ago
Whenever the theme would finish off with "Tonight, starring Peter Falk as Columbo", you knew it was going to be a GREAT evening!
dittoheadAZ 9 months ago 3
@dittoheadAZ Exactly..the tag line was great..announcing the star that night.
tallpaul521 9 months ago
@dittoheadAZ Or Quincy. Or that Alice Cooper episode of Snoop SIsters.
steveasat2 3 months ago
Mancini was a master..
I love the Yamaha synthesizer used here in this score...
That was an amazing organ
a911cto 10 months ago 2
"Tonight, Starring Peter Falk As...Columbo!"
tvnutboy 10 months ago
Hay folks, that was from the Glenn Ford series " Cade's County ".
jeannebrookervin 11 months ago
Great theme and a great era of TV Shows.
upington10 11 months ago
I just bought the CD :))
Thanks for this great piece of genius on You Tube!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
laurenhopesheba 11 months ago
I always remembered this song. I thought it was a real cool. I liked all the detective shows on this program. McMillan and HIs Wife w/ Rock Hudson was my favorite then my next choice was Columbo. Actually Peter Falk bothered me a little but the scripts were really well done and he was a good actor but I just wished someone would shoot at him for a change. Or maybe he shot someone I think the writers were a litlle stuck on being too cerebral. Even at age 14 I felt that way!!
Cldfsn0200 1 year ago
Na minha infância escutava muitas músicas de Mancini!! O resgate do passado com as músicas dele é fabuloso!
Marcoacpinto 1 year ago
When i hear this song I think of Columbo and the rest of the mystery shows.
luvtrns4evr 1 year ago
that has got to be a theremin in this song..... how cool is that ??
ProfessorIgor 1 year ago
this just sounds so soft and classic,i watched these when i was 10 or 11 mccloud was and still is my favorite.instead of knowing it was 9 o clock and sunday nite and i hadnt finished my homework yet i wish i know what the next 40 years would be like then..
neweast1 1 year ago
@odavid45 This is absolutely gorgeous!
It makes me think that I should have been born in the late 50's to enjoy this music! Thanks my angel. I loved it!
Besos! :-)
adri1430 1 year ago
Way back in 1971 when I was 13, I'd turn on NBC. When I heard this theme, I was always waiting to watch "McCloud".
SirReal1958 1 year ago 3
@SirReal1958 Yep, "McCloud." Dennis Weaver was a good actor, especially in the movie "Duel." For me, I only got to watch McCloud in the Summer time. Other than that, when the guy with the flashlight came on along w/ the Sunday Mystery Movie music, it meant it was time for bed, or I was out of bed getting a drink of water. The living room was always dark, generating only light from the TV screen. Very nostalgic. Lol I suddenly feel like watching the Screen Gems logo commercial.
cvjucla3 1 year ago 3
theremin yay
deviantstingray 1 year ago
guy with the flashlight is lookin for ya...
irish89055 1 year ago
Le chic du chic!
hanola7 1 year ago
I love this theme music. I nearly drove myself crazy trying to locate it. I remember hearing it as a child when my dad would be watching tv. I tried searching for all the popular shows of that era, but never came across it until today. THANKS!!!
powermixstudio 1 year ago
@powermixstudio Have you listened to the sunday night mystery movie upload ? that's the original one we always heard growing up in the seventies.
bjroberts65 1 year ago
The woman in the picture has gorgeous feet!!!......Henry Mancini is GOD!!!
bjroberts65 1 year ago
@bjroberts65 but skinny legs...
irish89055 1 year ago
@irish89055 Dude there ain't nothing wrong with those legs...Are you kidding me!!!
bjroberts65 1 year ago
My favorite Mancini!
MingnonDunn 1 year ago
this and the movie of the week song are great,brings back those days when i watched these on late night...well at least it was late for a kid like me.thanks for download!
auggdogrules 1 year ago
I'm 52 and first heard this in 1968 aged 10 on pilot Columbo Film as the Mystery Movie Theme. Fab Henry Mancini. Nice to hear it again.
MrDayday58 1 year ago
Reminds me of my days on Portsmouth Hospital Broadcasting in the 1970's and 1980's. Aged 18-29 and like all Dj's girlfriends present. Love this stuff, nice to hear it again.
MrDayday58 1 year ago
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MrDayday58 1 year ago
Bring back old memories!!! Thanks
delrioa 1 year ago
makes you insane and want to buy a boat not a caddy.
neweast1 1 year ago
brings back those great late night tv shows,thanks!
auggdogrules 1 year ago
This is a gorgeous song !
DISCOVEGASGUY 1 year ago
Oh the sweet memories this brings back!
LakotaDreams 1 year ago
I remember hearing this on radio 20 years ago, been searching for it ever since. Thanx for the upload!!
ELVISHAGA 1 year ago
OMG I love the movies of the week. I got a bunch of the out of print classics I've been looking for, forever from a great website that carries a huge library of them. if your interested shoot me an email and i'll get you the information.
guerrette 1 year ago
This is the best version I herd in a long time.
alexiskisses4u 1 year ago
On Sunday nights back in the 70s we would go to church and then rush home and have grilled cheese sandwiches while we watched the Mystery Movie. Miss those great shows.
bongojava21 1 year ago
Born in the early 80's so I basically missed all of this but I have been on a Columbo kick lately (one of my favorite shows; get well Pete) and in the credits the theme song is mentioned. Though I haven't heard it till now. Great music and from reading the comments it kinda makes me want to experience life in those days. I thought the 80s were great but I'm realizing that as time goes on TV, and lots of other things in life just aren't as good as they once were.
Thanks for the upload!
Custom09 1 year ago
Sunday nights mom would stop. Sit down and watch columbo, and this was the theme that let me know that the WEEKEND was over. And I was back to school Monday morning. Sweet days!!
TheSpelldoctor 1 year ago
The Theramin sounds nice
ninelivecat 1 year ago
Viewers, if you want to see another great rendition of this, click on the Mystery Movie Theme EX-42 on this page. I think you'll find it very interesting. The media has gotten lazy. I also miss the Moog too. A lot of great music came out of it without computers. I gotta wonder--if it wasn't for the great big publicity machine a lot of today's stars would be forced to make an HONEST living somehow. I got ideas but they'd never get past the censors. Its only marketing today.
Allen7350 1 year ago
Man I love the 70's and like I was only born in 1971 so don't remember most of it
ninelivecat 1 year ago
Car, boat...I'd do her in either one!
pericles20 1 year ago
I can't keep my eyes off the girl in the car, lol.
pericles20 1 year ago
@pericles20
I think it's a boat...
prgoza 1 year ago
Cool find here on YouTube after surfing around for other Mancini clips! Thanks for posting. I'd totally forgotten about this theme song. He was SO good at writing these very musical charts for that genre!
JukeboxTenor 1 year ago
I remember hearing this tune on the radio when I was 6 years old. Been searching for it ever since, for 22 years! Thanx a million for the upload, you made my day!
ELVISHAGA 1 year ago
Thank God for Henry Mancini, the 70s, and the Moog Synthesizer... my Sunday nights were spent being spooked because of the ghostly whining of the Moog... it was great!! Sweet memories!!
MeIancholyMan 1 year ago 5
@MeIancholyMan Are you sure it's a Moog and not an Arp Soloist on this one ?
pianist007 4 months ago
Yesterday, we had Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, Elmer Bernstein and Lalo Shifrin composing TV music. Today, the best we have is: "Men men men men manley men men men, (men men men men manley men, who who who who who who) men men men men, manley men men men, ah hah....(no offense to the show itself).
rolex452 1 year ago 24
@rolex452 We also had another great, Leonard Rosenman, who composed the theme music to Marcus Welby, MD one of my favorite TV themes. There were so many sophisticated, memorable TV themes in the 1960s and 70s. Nothing memorable on TV these days. Thank goodness I was born when I was born and able to enjoy and appreciate those years. They were great years.
68lincoln 1 year ago
@rolex452 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha a ha ha ha ha .......
UBZUKI 1 year ago
@rolex452 Did you hear the music written by Bear McCreary? That's one talented contemporary TV music writer I'd consider at least compareable to the old masters :-)
Fnorder23 1 year ago
@rolex452 Fred Steiner, who composed Perry Mason died last week.
VanWADebbie 7 months ago
@rolex452 So true --- This theme, Route 66, Mannix, Mr. Lucky, Mission Impossible and so many more. Even the cartoons back then had better music than the prime time shows of today..just think of Johnny Quest. What TV themes today are memorable and hummable...none.
tallpaul521 6 months ago
i always lie that ghostly like whistle.
georgelee43211 1 year ago 3
Can anyone name ALL the shows that used this opening under 'Mystery Theatre'?
I know The Name of the Game, McCloud, McMillan and Wife, Columbo, Quincy ME, Banacek, The Snoop Sisters and Hec Ramsey. Were there any others?
ryoushii 2 years ago
There was also Art Carney in Hannigan's Rabbi. I think they showed that one possibly only twice.
OreckBoy1 1 year ago
Sorry, make that Lanigan's Rabbi and not Hannigan's Rabbi. It played during the 1976-77 season. I think it replaced Quincy M.E. and was the last show added to the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie rotation.
OreckBoy1 1 year ago
Well, Tony Curtis as McCoy, really strange character...
Nutriamx 1 year ago
Wikipedia has a brief history and capsulation of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie
MeIancholyMan 1 year ago
Mancini was a true musical genius.... Proud to say he called Pittsburgh, Pa. home !!
Mastophales 2 years ago 2
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britelite2657 2 years ago
I play this theme when at the start of my radio jazz show.
JediMichael2003 2 years ago
brings back the memories for sure...
Rando123a 2 years ago
You Folks are making me Feel VERY OLD !! Why Because I REMEMBER all the things you've mentioned here. AND well too I JUST turned 50 !!! But THANKS for the memories folks....Carry On Old Timers !!!!
mesquiteguy1221 2 years ago 2
Be glad you're ONLY 50, mg1221 ! Curious about the 'crazy' electronic sound in this? It's called a theramin, and dates to the 20s, it's a moog forrunner.
Mancini was pure genius ! ! ! !
I'm building a theramin playlist today if anyone's interested in hearing more of this 'otherworldly' sound. Eventuall it will play nonstop for an hour.
I've got over 200 more playlists of beautiful music like this by specific artist and year.
chkjns 2 years ago
Thank You, No I did not know that. See even at this age we still learn something new everyday. LOL I still love to hear the music from the past and SOME of the T.V.Shows were pretty good, A few of which have already been mentioned. I only dream of a day when this old world will finally be at peace with itself and it's people.
mesquiteguy1221 2 years ago
I've got the theramin playlist up to 66 minutes now - it's a theramin 'cyberalbum' to share with the world.
My playlists are for people just like you who appreciate music from the past.
chkjns 2 years ago
Okay thank you....What about Ennio Marricone, He was pretty cool too. I've heard some of his other music. Meaning beside the stuff from his Spaggetti Westerns. And it's pretty nice.
mesquiteguy1221 2 years ago
@chkjns Nope, it's a synth, probably a Moog. If you know anything about theramins, first of all, there's no way to hit notes that pure, and secondly, there is an electronic "hum" in the undertones of theramins. Has to be a synth.
michaelkochlegal 6 months ago
I am 44 join the club
bigjoetube 2 years ago
LOL Yeah I know the feeling. I'm 50. WOW how time do fly when were having SUCH fun !!!
mesquiteguy1221 2 years ago
Uuuufff que gran tema, me hace vibrar.
Sergioh62 2 years ago
one of his best ever.
dixgun 2 years ago
I always loved this theme on tv in the
70s while the detective searches for clues with his flashlight . it was the theme played before an episode of COLUMBO
laurence132 2 years ago 2
With technology comes "Instant Satisfaction," so shows are just thrown out, and genres are sucked dry. Police Dramas, Reality Shows, Lawyer shows, when they find something they just crank it out FAST. Some are good, and others are just well, "not good." The theme song has also disappeared since more time is squeezed in to sell commercial time. Mmm, I guess I'm showing my age...Rat Patrol, Green Hornet, Star Trek, Time Tunnel and the like.
alohakakahiaka 2 years ago 27
Yes, the theme songs have dissappeared, but I am also in a way happy that todays shows tend to have only 5 second title screens.
There is nothing more nerving then watching your favorite show in a marathon and having to listen to a boring 2 minute theme song again and again.
georgemargaris 2 years ago
@alohakakahiaka I couldn't agree more!
Sewnknit 1 year ago
@alohakakahiaka Hey you said that dude noone else did thats whats in your mind not ours hehe )) friend
britelite2657 1 year ago
hollywood is gone,all they turn out is crap ,everything is a reality show or some other garbage.what was the last tv show you liked and remember today.i remember this show in my teens they could produce 4 different ones of these a month all good.i know i dont have the talent for it but nither does anyone else.
neweast1 2 years ago 2
Very true, I can't argue that--I'm a comedian in the business and I've been in it some time. I RARELY comment but I have to agree. I miss that old theme. It's cool that I can just call it up. Must be like 37 years since I heard that theme-Mancini=classic! I'm watcing a cl;assic right now, "Murder by Death" What a panic! You'd love it, DVD too. Best G
georgegalloearth 2 years ago
funny pardon the pun, but everyone has asways told me i should have been a comedian.maybe should have pewople today remember nothing from the past hell i used to watch jackie gleason with my grandmother when he was in miami.then laugh in with my dad i still rember those shows like i watched them last nite.nice hearing from you
neweast1 2 years ago
heh mcloud, mcmillan n wife and clodumbo
britelite2657 2 years ago
Wow!!
Getting the chills. . . Those great memories.
citizenkong 2 years ago
You bet! if only Hollywood would come back with some REAL good shows like that along w/ a sound like this,.. that just blows you away!!!!!
thanks, Henry.
DrZyio 2 years ago
brings back my younger years.......
Rando123a 2 years ago
Some people are just born talented and Henry Mancini is one of these talented people. Long live his music and work! Work of Art really. Super cool composer and equally good unforgettable music!
SexySheerah 2 years ago 2
Such a great tune to have stuck in your head.
tcbluecollarguy1 2 years ago 3
It`s better than the garbage they play on MTV and VH 1.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
I have this albumn. It has a number of other Mancini hits.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago 2
I can`t get this tune out of my head!
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
I can hear my mom scream at me "Get ready for bed, you have school tomorrow!"
lol!
livinintraffic 2 years ago 4
So very true!!!
OreckBoy1 2 years ago
This theme is very famous in Japan as the theme of Columbo.
It is that famous Lieutenant Columbo of Peter Falk.
ze4037 2 years ago 2
That's funny, since the song synomonous with Columbo is "This Old Man".
vividwatch47 1 year ago
LOVE IT.
bjroberts65 2 years ago 4
I miss Henry Mancini ;'(
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
ttenchantr, I put your flashlight on ebay haha. Hey, buffebob my later father had a cadillac eldorado so I can relate.
I would always take a flashlight with us when driving with him. I also remember watching it on NBC on Sunday Nights with lights dimmed in the family room, and watch it with Mom and Dad before bedtime. Great Memories for sure
misparky 2 years ago
Where's my flashlight?
ttenchantr 2 years ago
This song just brings back memories of watching Columbo with my father. It is sort of sad to me in a way. Times lack that will never be again.
64fleetwoodcadillac 2 years ago 4
Was this exact theme used for the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie back in 1977?
epgrove1961 2 years ago
It was used when "The N.B.C. Sunday Mystery Mvie Theme" premiered in 1971, and was recorded on Mancini's "Big Screen, LIttle Screen" album shortly thereafter.
vividwatch47 2 years ago
You can never get tired of listening to Henry Mancini's music, it is timeless.
franklindavid 2 years ago 5
MUCH MUCH THANKS FOR THIS POST
bjroberts65 2 years ago 6
I miss playing in a band.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
Great combination of classical instruments and oscillators.
Microsloth 2 years ago 8
When you bought a new Cadillac in 1977 they gave you an 8-track tape which was a selection of "Music for Cadillac " This was one of the songs featured. I always enjoyed the song , but never quite understood why it was included. But then again, I was only 15. Good Memories! Thanks for posting it.
macparkjw 2 years ago 14
You're right. I had forgotten about that -- my parents got a new Cadillac and that was the first time I heard this song someplace other than on TV.
midknightryder13 2 years ago
YES,
64fleetwoodcadillac 2 years ago
I was 15 in 1977 when my late father bought a new Cadillac Seville. I remember hearing this song on the tape on my way to high school. Fond memories indeed.
buffedbob 2 years ago
@macparkjw - my '79 Lincoln came with a super hi-tech quad 8-track! These types of songs just really displayed those sound systems to the max! I still have my demo. One sonfghad a harp flourish that just wrapped all the way around the car's interior.
Enough to give you chills, goosebumps, whatever!
chkjns 1 year ago
@chkjns Thats Right!!! Quad , I forgot all about that. Thanks for the reminder.
Hey, I was looking at your page. Man you've got some great inclusions there! Ray Conniff. Great taste man. I'm glad you commented on my post, now I can enjoy your page. :)
macparkjw 1 year ago
@macparkjw - Always glad to have another satisfied customer! You just subscribed to 11,000 songs on over 500 playlists by year, artist or genre. Conniff created his unique sound by overdubbing his horns with human voices, a really amazing idea! He threw jazz & swing into most of his arrangements.
Mancini & Conniff are 2 of my top 5 musicians - they changed the musical landscape of the world!
chkjns 1 year ago
@chkjns In what year was this recorded?
nancyfloressantos 1 year ago
@nancyfloressantos - 1971, according to wiki.The movies aired on Sundays & Wednesdays & feature over a dozen different major lead characters from 1971-1977. Seems like only yesterday I heard this song on TV every week . . . . Best known of the movies were Columbo, McCloud, & McMillan& Wife.
Nice to hear from you! I'm off to Palm Springs for a hot weekend, forcast is about 112°. Neat to be less than 5 hours away!
chkjns 1 year ago
My father bought a 73 Buick that had the eight track too. Brough back a lot of memories. And the Buick used to get about 6 miles to the gallon by the time I got to drive it!
bigjoetube 1 year ago
when i went to college mecloud and mysterey movie were winding down,never see mcloud on repeats i think mybe a&e along time ago sure would be better then saved by the bell.when i attend college a big one in ny they had 6 computers on campus,now you get a laptop as a freshman just as well i would have listen to this allday
neweast1 2 years ago
thanks for the info however im a 48 year old computer idiot its amazing ive gotten this far.ill try ebay thanks
neweast1 2 years ago
Your welcome. No one is an idiot learning the Internet, you`re just not fluent.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
great spot can you get this on cd anywhere
neweast1 2 years ago
I got mine on EBay
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
It's available as a Spanish import.
vividwatch47 1 year ago 2
Mancini... Pure Genius!
hardlines4 2 years ago
Thanks Serge!
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
5 stars brought back lots of memories for me..........
paultinsel 2 years ago
takes me back to what seem like happier times.
neweast1 2 years ago 3
Thanks for letting me hear this much-missed song once again. Henry Mancini had the midas touch as a composer and arranger - Blake Edward called him lightning in a bottle. His legacy is underappreciated by too many!
chkjns 2 years ago
I bought this CD on Ebay yesterday.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
Sorry, invented in 1918 or 1920 depending on the source.
robc935 2 years ago
It's called a theremin. It's a device that was actually invented in the 30's. The sound is made holding an object (your hand) near a metal rod. Moving your hand closer or away from the rod changes the pitch. Do a youtube search for theremin.
robc935 2 years ago 2
Thank you for the imformation. (You really DO learn something new everyday -- at least I do.)
midknightryder13 2 years ago
I believe there is one being used on the related videos to the right. NBC Sun Night Mystery Movie Theme EX-42
4,626 views
LarryFX1
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
The spacey sound on "The N.B.C. Mystery Movie Theme" is actually a Yamaha organ (not a syntheizer according to other reports).
vividwatch47 2 years ago
Henry Mancini and John Williams: American Treasures.
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
So was Jerry Goldsmith. Sadly, only John Williams is still with us.
vividwatch47 1 year ago 2
I loved playing Mancini tunes in my high school band. I miss those days. happier days. I played the trumpet.
I enjoyed the Mystery Movies too.
Thanks Henry. RIP
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
Thanks so much for his blast from my favorite past. It reminds me of great family time, steak (our Friday night meal) and wonderful, treasured memories.
jamooreem 2 years ago
Down memory lane but great.
rhctam 2 years ago
This brings back so many memories, such as when TV was GOOD!
perrypearl 3 years ago 5
Yeah, really. About the only damn shows that I like on ABC now are just four of them. America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Life on Mars, and Lost are the only shows (currently) that I truly give a damn for on there now. As for the other networks, very few of their shows are worth watching, except if they have Law and Order or CSI in the title and maybe 30 Rock.
notjustanotherface 2 years ago
Yes & unfortunately there are now just 2 episodes left of "Life on Mars" since they're cancelling it.
msaya 2 years ago
With shit like this happening, msaya, we need to storm Capital Cities, ABC, and Disney, kick the jabronis out, and make a new empire from scratch. The sleazy smutfests, tweenybopper psuedo-comedy (just where in the hell ARE the damn cartoons, anyway), stereotyping and racial profiling, psuedo-educational, a.k.a., "edutainment," bullshit must stop NOW! We need to buy 100% of their stock, have votes of no confidence in them, and get rid of the lobbyists from all fronts and start from scratch.
notjustanotherface 2 years ago
My word, you do have a strong grasp of the English language.Sadly its hard to understand your rant.
ivorbigunzz 2 years ago
Well, ivorbigunzz, my point is, in essence, television is a bunch of lying ass, psuedo-educational, psuedo-moral bullshit that lacks the innovation of the old days nine times out of ten. Can you name a television show that is far more impacting on our culture now than you can from the old days? Television is simply lacking the innovation and the simple basics of the old days. I want comedies like Police Squad and not ones like Will and Grace, Friends, Samantha Who, Desperate Housewives, etc.
notjustanotherface 2 years ago
Well, "Will and Grace" actually DID have a fairly significat impact on our culture -- if you'll think about it. (I'll grant you the other examples, though.)
midknightryder13 2 years ago
Will and Grace, Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, The Boondocks, Futurama, and King of the Hill had no real cultural impact in and of themselves. They only parroted what their friends in the other parts of the media and in culture itself were already trying to sell to the public and they were just the popular people that were also the right people for simply doing the job of spreading the message to the masses for easier consumption of their stereotypical bullshit, midknightryder13.
notjustanotherface 2 years ago
Hey NotJust-I agree with you on some points but let's talk about some sitcoms from the '60s. The sitcom JULIA , (68-71) starring Diahann Carroll, the first to star an African American woman who was not type-casted (in the series she portrayed a nurse whose husband was a fighter pilot killed in Viet Nam). My favorite was GREEN ACRES (65-71) which never even hinted to the problems that were so prevalent during the 60's. "Feel good" shows have, rightly or wrongly, been a mainstay of TV history.
USMMA86 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
"Will and Grace" was ground-breaking beause it was the first sitcom that had a gay character as a lead FROM THE FIRST EPISODE. Today, that doesn't seem like a big deal -- but in the mid 90's it was. (Recall that Ellen's sitcom was cancelled after she and her character came out.)
And if you look at the first few seasons Will DOESN"T have a love interest, ever. That changed because the audience couldn't understand why Will couldn't find a date in NYC. There was even a "Let Will date" campaign.
midknightryder13 2 years ago
What does this have to do with the Mystery Movie theme?
VanWADebbie 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Will and Grace, ground breaking? Bullshit! It only parroted values that were learned from, among others, the Socialists, Communists, Fascists, humanists, secular humanists, hedonists, anarchists, and the Nazis. As I said before, it was an overhyped series and as for Ellen, she burned that damn bridge by herself. However, she WAS smart in ending the series and her talk show, well, it is probably going to be over within a few years, possibly anywhere from one to three years.
notjustanotherface 2 years ago
It is interesting that I answer YOU with specific examples and you reply with what we referred in debate as 'glittering generalities'.
No matter -- I believe we have gotten way OT here and so I will stop discussing this with you.
midknightryder13 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
..and just who was the shithead the voted me down? Show yourself, you cowardly son of a bitch, so that I can talk to you!
notjustanotherface 2 years ago