Taxi opening and closing

[lightmajor1]

@Wattingers DITTO! He nailed it! I would watch this on Nick at Nite as a kid and just wait until the end so I could hear that melody. I just dl'd it from iTunes the other day. I whistle this theme periodically during any given day. Timeless

[jpmnewyork]

That theme, combined with that scene, for some reason always made me feel incredibly sad...but it also drew me in and wouldn't let go. Especially this version of the theme...they re-recorded it a few times, but this particularly arrangement is the one that got to me every time, and amazingly still does. I don't know what it is about it. Melancholy, hypnotizing, unsettling and reassuring all at once. And I always get ticked when I see the shortened version. How dare they!

[Milesco]

@jpmnewyork Great description, jp. I feel the same way -- I always found this theme to be kinda lonely and depressing. Yet, as you said, it sorta drew me in, too, because of its sophisticated jazz sound and electric piano. It seemed to fit in with the grungy, "lonely-in-a-crowd" zeitgeist of New York in the '70s.

Using a tune like this is risky for a sitcom. Not the typically upbeat melody that one would normally expect. Might turn many viewers away. [to be continued...]

[Milesco]

@Milesco [continued] ...But on the other hand, because this atypical theme is so different and intriguing, it might draw in other viewers who might otherwise not have bothered to try a new sitcom. (There were many on the schedule lineup in those days.) Fortunately, I fell into the latter group and was rewarded with an original and well-written series.

[Wattingers]

@jpmnewyork Wow!  I agree with every word you have said! Doesn't often happen with comments I see written on the internet!

[rubberguard83]

holy shit! pass the china white!

[WildBill6942]

I always wondered how Judd Hirsch got top-billing. Nothing against him but I this show was a collaboration of talent.

[iloveheavyd]

Never realized it was a loop. I mean, the cut is so obvious. Ah, the young, naive me. Still is one of my favorite songs, not just theme songs.

[RightWingHunter666]

The Great Bob James. Great Intro... great show.

[mrguystarr]

I actually remember riding in those checkerbox taxis as a kid, that's a slice of NYC that you don't have anymore... loved the show ....

[marcusdolby1]

This and the MASH theme makes me feel SO rotten, I dont think a more depressing song exists.

[MIZARC215]

@ 1:07 Is that the twin towers to the far left???

[MJYoshiMewGirl]

@MIZARC215 I think so, at least it looks like it.. :P

[MIZARC215]

Oh man!, thanks for posting

[nufto]

time for bed.

love the taxi theme!

[nickstoli]

One of the best comedies ever... until they added Simka. Then that was it. Not Carole Kane's fault, she's a brilliant actress, it's just that the character of Simka was awful.

[Anglynn74]

I have the long version of this song, great tune

[crossbronx63]

Man I love this theme and this show

[dvdtrr]

Thank God for the Jews! Lots of great TV, music and movies!

[inwood211]

one day i have to take a cab ride over the 59th st bridge and see how long it takes because in that shot there was absolutely no traffic but it was a gorgeous take sure it was 1977 looped over and over with Tony driving

[johnissoevil]

You wouldn't think a theme like that would fit a sitcom, but the truth is, this theme is perfect for a show like Taxi.

[projectmolcos]

Does John Charles Walters exist?

[mdumas43073]

@projectmolcos Nope. See the entry for "John Charles Walters Company" on Wikipedia.

[riceQkiwi]

abc 009

[riceQkiwi]

abc;009

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

You cannot unhear, at 1:43, the 1979-87 Blue Mountain music.

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

I'd think this to be a two-hit scare combo: the groan of one Mr. Walters and then the Paramount "Blue Mountain" music.

[Squab1972]

RIP Jeff 

[gameshowguy2000]

Which season was this? I don't remember the opening credits zooming up during the theme song.

[thesafekind]

@gameshowguy2000 It's season 2. They added the zooming credits that season (and from then on) to help disguise the fact that they were looping the same taxi footage over and over.

[gameshowguy2000]

@thesafekind

Well, I thought in the seasons in which Jeff Conaway was no longer a cast member they didn't use the zooming for the opening credits; at least that's how I saw it when I watched it.

[thesafekind]

@gameshowguy2000 They still use the zooming in the season 4 credits, at least on the DVD. I think they may not have used the zooming when the titles were shortened for syndication though.

[megamanj2004X]

@thesafekind - That's what I always thought. I distinctly remembered the zooming credits in the opening titles at some point in the run. I hated how they shortened this show's opening credits in syndication.

[kbirdus]

@gameshowguy2000 zooms were used for almost all the seasons in the original run. But when they shortened the theme for syndication, they removed the zooms. You almost never see the original length theme in syndication.

[TheMashwatcher585]

R.I.P. jeff

[76carmel]

Okay New Yorkers, did you notice the cab going over the Queensboro Bridge? Have you noticed the cab didn't quite get over the bridge?

[thesafekind]

@76carmel They had only a short bit of footage of Tony Danza driving the cab, so they looped it.

[YentonianCarlos]

@76carmel

Or the buildings in the background not getting any further away either.

[cb19882000]

awesome show danny devito said something about a reunion movie

[boofdfast]

"Good Night, Mr. Walters........... Grrrrrrrr." Friggin CLASSIC. Love this theme song and the show. So many talented stars and future greats on an EPIC show. Love the shots of Manhattan, NY, too. :)

[jnadle1]

Was this season 2 intro carried over into season 3?

[thesafekind]

@jnadle1 Yes. The same footage was used for all the seasons and the only changes were with cast changes (so they changed the names in season 4 because Jeff Conaway left).

[ShaDeed329]

Somebody's gotta bring this back!

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

The logo you see is the 2003 Paramount CGI Mountain, but it has the 1979 jingle!!

[ksteve99]

what font do they use for the title?

[qr11k]

@ksteve99 Helvetica

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

@qr11k

I think he's talking about the "Taxi" logo.

[MariluHennerArtist45]

@ClassicTVMan1981X It looks slightly similar to Pioneer BT.

[qr11k]

@ksteve99 It's Helvectica fonts.

[emoviebuff87]

R.I.P Andy Kaufman!!!!

[mjknlr]

@emoviebuff87 You think he's dead? Ptsh.

[emoviebuff87]

@mjknlr u have proof that he isn't?