Top Ten TV Theme Songs from the 1950s

From the January 10, 2023, ListVerse by  Sally Morem.

I am just listing them.  For lots of information and a place to click on to hear it, go to the site.

10. The Lone Ranger (1949-1957)

9.  Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1958)  Ohhh, Annette.

8.  Bonanza  (1959-1973)

7.  American Bandstand  (1952-1989)

6.  Peter Gunn  (1958-1961)

5.  Dragnet  (1951-1959)

4.  Rawhide  (1959-1966)   Ahh, the Blues Brothers.

3.  The Twilight Zone  (1959-1964)

2.  I Love Lucy  (1951-1957)    You've got som 'splain' to do.

1.  Perry Mason  (1957-1966)

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Who's The Leader Of The Club That's Made For You And Me?"  Answer below.  --  RoadAnza

"Mickey Mouse Club"

December 2022 Deaths: Hughes, McGrath, Alley, Noss, Harris and Pele

DOROTHY PITTMAN, HUGHES, 84

**  A pioneering black feminist, child welfare advocate and lifelong community activist who toured the country speaking with Gloria Steinem in the 1970s and appears with her in one of the most iconic photos of the second-wave feminist movement.

Died December 1.

BOB McGRATH, 90

**  Actor, musician and children's author known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on "Sesame Street."

Died December 4.

KIRSTIE ALLEY, 71

Two-time Emmy-winner whose roles on "Cheers" and the "Look Who's Talking" films made her one of the biggest stars in comedy in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Died December 5.

STEPHEN "tWITCH" NOSS, 40

**  Beloved dancing DJ on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and former contestant on "So You Think You Can Dance."

Died December 13.

FRANCO HARRIS. 72

**  Hall of Fame running back who caught the "Immaculate Rcception," considered the most iconic play in NFL history.

Died December 20.

PELE, 82

**  Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became a global sports giant.

Died December 29.

November 2022 Deaths: Clary, Cara and McVie

ROBERT CLARY, 96

**  A French-born survivor of Nazi concentration camps during World War II who played a feisty POW in the improbable 1960s sitcom "Hogan's Heroes.

Died November 16.

IRENE CARA, 63

**  Oscar, Golden Globes and two-time Grammy winning singer-actor who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie "Fame" and then belted out the era-defining "Flashdance...What a Feeling" from 1983's "Flashdance."

Died November 25.

CHRISTINE McVIE, 79

**  British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as "You Make Loving Fun," "Everywhere" and "Don't Stop."

Died November 30.

October Deaths in 2022: Carter, Jordan and Lewis

**  ASH CARTER, 68

A former defense secretary whom opened combat jobs to women and ended a ban on transgender people serving in the military.

Died October 24.

**  LESLIE JORDAN, 67

Emmy-winning actor whose very Southern drawl made him a comedy and drama standout in TV series including "Will and Grace" and "American Horror Story.

Died October 24.

**  JERRY LEE LEWIS, 87

Untamable rock 'n' roll pioneer whose outrageous talent, energy and ego collided on such definitive records as "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin'On" and sustained a career otherwise upended by personal scandal.

Died October 28.

Deaths in Oct. 2022: Fuller, Lynn, Lansbury and Coltrane

CHARLES FULLER, 83

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of the searing and acclaimed "A Soldier's Play" who often explored and exposed how social institutions can perpetuate racism.  

Died October 3.

LORETTA LYNN, 90

The Kentucky coalminer's daughter whose frank songs about life and love as a woman in Appalachia pulled her out of poverty and made her a pillar of country music.  

Died October 4.

ANGELA LANSBURY, 96

British actor who kicked her heels in the Broadway musicals "Mame" and "Gypsy" and solved endless murders as crime novelist Jessica Fletcher in the TV series "Murder, She Wrote."  

Died October 11.

ROBBIE COLTRANE, 72

Comedian and character actor whose hundreds of roles included a crime-solving psychologist on the TV series :Cracker and the gentle half-giant Hagrid in the "Harry Potter" movies.

Died October 14.

What?  No More Hagrid?

Deaths in Sept. 2022: Ehrenreich, Shaw, Lewis and Godard

BARBARA EHRENREICH, 81

Author, activist and self-described "myth buster" who is notable works as "Nickel and Dimed" and "Bait and Switch" challenged conventional thinking about class, religion and the very idea of an American Dream.  Died September 1.

BERNARD SHAW, 82

CNN's chief anchor for two decades and a pioneering black broadcast journalist best remembered for calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 as missiles flew around him in Baghdad.  Died September 7.

I sure remember watching him report the war while at a bowling alley.

RAMSEY LEWIS, 87

A renowned jazz pianist whose music entertained fans over a more-than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country's most successful jazz musicians.  Died September 12.

JEAN-LUC GODARD, 91

The iconic "enfant terrible" of the French New Wave who revolutionized popular cinema in 1960 with his first feature "Breathless," and stood for years among the film world's most influential directors.  Died September 13.

Deaths in August 2022-- Part 9: Scully, Newton-John, Dozier, Heche and Gorbachev

AUGUST

VIN SCULLY, 94

**  A Hall of Fame broadcaster who called thousands of games involving the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers during his 67 years in the booth.  Died August 2.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, 73

**  Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as "Physical" and "You're the One That I Want" and won countless hearts as everyone's favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of "Grease."  Died August 8.

Next to Linda Ronstadt, my second female singer heart throb.

LAMONT DOZIER, 81

**  He was the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote or produced "You Can't Hurry Love,"  "Heat Wave" and dozens of other hits, making Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond.  Died August 8.

I'm a huge Motown fan.

ANNE HECHE, 53

**  Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with chapters of personal turmoil.  Died August14.

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, 91 

**  As the last leader of the Soviet Union, he set out to revitalize it but ended up unleashing forces that led to the collapse of communism, the breakup of the state and the end of the Cold War,  Died August 30.

I wish he was the Russian leader now and not the current person.

Deaths in July 2022-- Part 8: Abe, Sirico, Sorvino, Trimble, Dow, Nichols and Russell

SHINZO ABE, 67

**  Japan's longest-serving prime mnister, he was also perhaps the most polarizing complex politician in recent Japanese history.  Died July8.

TONY SIRICO, 79

**  He played mobster Paulie Walnuts in "The Sopranos" and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including "Goodfellas."  Died July 8.

PAUL SORVINO, 83

**  An imposing actor who specialized in playing crooks and cops like Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas" and NYPD Sgt. Phil Cerreta on "Law and Order."  Died July 25.

DAVID TRIMBLE, 77

A former Northern Ireland first minister who won the Nobel Peace Prize for playing a key role in helping end Northern Ireland's decades of violence.  Died July 25.

TONY DOW, 77

**  As Wally Cleaver on the sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," he helped create the popular and lasting image of the American teenager of the 1950s and '60s.  Died July 27.

I still like to watch those reruns.  And, then there was good old Eddie Haskell.

NICHELLE NICHOLS, 89

**  She broke barriers for black women in Hollywood as communiations officer Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek" TV series.  Diedd July 30.

Huge "Star Trek" fan.  I remember when I was a freshman at NIU and my roommate had a little 13-inch black and white TV and every day after dinner, about ten guys would crowd in the room to watch reruns of the show.

BILL RUSSELL, 88

**  NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years-- the last two as the first black head coach in any major U.S. sport -- and marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr.  Died July 31.

So, the movie "Goodfellas" lost three people within three months last summer.  And, then there was that other Sonny guy in "The Godfather" who died.  Not a good year to be a movie actor who played a mobster.

Deaths in June-July 2022-- Part 7: Siragusa, Williams, Freeman and Caan

JUNE

TONY SIRAGUSA, 55

**  Charismatic defensive tackle who was part of one of the most celebrated defenses in the NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens.  Died June 22

HERSCHEL "WOODY" WILLIAMS, 98

**  The last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, whose heroics under fire over several crucial hours of the Battle of Iwo Jima made him a legend in his native West Virginia.  Died June 29.

The Greatest Generation.

*********************************

JULY

BRADFORD FREEMAN, 97

**  Last survivor of the famed American Army unit featured in the oral history book and miniseries "Band of Brothers."  Died July3.

The Greatest Generation.

JAMES CAAN, 82

**  The curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as Sonny Corleone of "The Godfather" and to TV audiences as both the dying football player in "Brian's Song" and the casino boss in "Las Vegas."  Died July 8.

His death in "The Godfather" was a real bloody mess.

Influential Figures We Lost in April 2022-- Part 5: Harris, Gottfried, Hatch, Mower and Judd

APRIL

ESTELLE HARRIS, 93

**  She hollered her way into TV history as George Costanza's short-fused ,other on "Seinfeld" and voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the "Toy Story" franchise.  Died April 2.

Serenity Now!!

GILBERT GOTTFRIED, 67

**  Actor and legendary standup comic known for his scorched voice and crude jokes.  Died April 12.

ORRIN HATCH, 88

**  The longest-serving Republican senator in history who was a fixture in Utah politics for more than four decades.  Died April 23.

DR. MORTON MOWER, 89

**  A former Maryland-based cardiologist who helped invent and automatic implantable defibrillator that helped countless heart patients live longer and healthier.  Died April 25.

NAOMI JUDD, 76

**   Her family harmonies with daughter Wynonna turned them into the Grammy-winning country stars, the Judds.  Died April 30.

Loved their songs.

Influential Figures Lost in March 2022-- Part 4: Delgado, Gurt, Cavazos, Young and Albright

MARCH

EMILIO DELGADO, 81

**  Actor and singer who for 45 years was a warm and familiar presence in children's lives and a rare Latino face on American TV as fix-it shop owner Luis on "Sesame Street.  Died March 10.

WILLIAM HURT, 71

**  His laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of 1980s leading men in movies such as "Broadcast News," "Body Heat" and "The Big Chill."  Died March 13.

LAURO CAVAZOS, 95

A Texas ranch foreman's son who rose to become the first Latino to serve in a presidential cabinet as US Secretary of Education during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.  Died March 15.

DON YOUNG, 88

**  The Alaska congressman was the longest-serving Republican in the history of the US House.  Died March 18.

MADELINE ALBRIGHT, 84

**  A child refugee from Nazi and then Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe who rose to become the first female Secretary of State and a mentor to many current and former American statesmen and women.  Died March 23.

Influential Figures Lost in 2022: Poitier, Saget, Hickman and Bellecourt

From the January 1, 2023, Chicago Tribune by Bernard McGhee, AP.

JANUARY

SIDNEY POITIER, 94

**  Transformed how black people were portrayed on screen.  First black actor to win an Oscar for best lead performance. Died January 6.

To Sir.

BOB SAGET, 65

Actor.comedian known for his role on the sitcom "Full House" and wisecracking host of "America's Funniest Home Movies."  Died January 9.

DWAYNE HICKMAN, 87

Actor remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as Dobie Gillis.  Died January 9.

And that beatnik friend of his.

CLYDE BELLECOURT, 85

A leader of Native American struggle for civil rights.  Died January 11.

Remembering Ed Asner-- Part 4: 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' 'Roots,' 'Elf' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

He also played Axel Jordache in the 1976 "Rich Man, Poor Man" TV miniseries.  He played the role of the clan's tyrannical, German-born patriach.

Then came the role of Captain Thomas Davies in "ROOTS."  Here he played the morally conflicted Captain Davies who commanded the slave ship that brought LeVar Burton's Kunta Kinte to America.  He earned another Emmy for the three nights he was on that show.

SANTA CLAUS in "ELF"

He played Santa Claus in the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy.  It was a relatively small role, but a climatic one where he was marooned in New York's Central Park by a lack of Christmas spirit with Buddy the Elf aiding him.

MR. WEINER in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

In a 2001 episode.

--CootAs

Remembering Ed Asner-- Part 3: He Is Best Remembered As Lou

LOU GRANT IN "MARY TYLER MOORE" and "LOU GRANT"

Ed Asner's most iconic role was that of veteran newsman Lou Grant -- a character who originated as the blustery but lovable, spunk-hating news director of the 1970 sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

The "everyman" role earned Asner three Comedy Emmys and led to the hour-long dramatic series "Lou Grant," which ran on CBS from 1977 to 1982.  Asner's portrayal of the hard-nosed city editor of the Los Angeles Tribune earned him two Emmys for playing the same character in both a comedy and a drama.

"He radiates warmth, generosity and caring, someone who who reflects a toughness over a mound of Jell-O, a nice degree of intelligence but a working intelligence as opposed to an arrogant one," he said about his character in 1977.

One of my all-time favorite scenes was the one already alluded to earlier.  His interview with Mary Tyler Moore in the first episode of the sitcom had him looking at her and saying, "You know, you've got spunk."Then Mary took it as a complimet until he added, "I hate spunk."  Now, that was just too funny and the way her face changed was, well, just too funny.

--SpunkyCoot

Remembering Ed Asner-- Part 1: A Varied and Long Career

From the September 3, 2021, Chicago Tribune "Remember Asner by revisiting his must-see roles" by Nardine Saad, L.A. Times.

With a storied six-decade career, the late Ed Asner packed his repertoire with dozens of beloved characters and many, many cameos and guest appearances.  

Of course, most of us always remember him for playing Lou Grant on the show of that name and the "Mary Tyler Moore Show."  But he also had a string of Broadway credits and began his TV career in anthology series like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Route 66" then "Thunder Alley" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

He was a seven-time Emmy Award winner and died recently at age 91 and worked until near the end.

--CootNer

Top Ten TV Theme Songs from the 1960s

From the December 16, 2022, ListVerse by Sally Morem.

This sure brought back the memories.  Go to the site for more information and a link to the video.  Sure brought back some memories for me.

10.  Mr. Ed   (1961-1955)

9.  I Dream of Jennie  (1965-1970)

8.  Get Smart  (1965-1970)

7.  Bewitched  (1964-1972)

6.  Gilligan's Island   (1964-1967)

5.  The Jetsons  (1962-1963)

4.  The Beverly Hillbillies   (1962-1971)

3.  The Addams Family   (1964-966)

2.  Hawaii  Five-O  (1968-1970)

1.  Mission Impossible  (1966-1973)

How many of you were like that bus scene on "Planes, Trains & Automobiles?"

--Cooter

A Chicago Christmas-- Part 7: The Marshall Field's Elf

In 1946, Marshall Field's introduced Uncle Mistletoe, a "black-browed, winged sprite, wearing a cape and top hat," to compete with Montgomery Ward's popular creation, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Uncle Mistletoe lived with his wife, Aunt Holly, in Cozy Cloud Cottage on the eighth floor of the iconic department store.

Uncle Mistletoe's popularity soared with the 1948 debut of his holiday television program, "The Adventures of Uncle Mistletoe."

Uncle Mistletoe occasionally appears in ornament form on "The Great Tree" in Marshall Field's' (well, now Macy's) Walnut Room.

--CootUnc

A Chicago Christmas-- Part 4: 'Suzy Snowflake'

If you grew up in Chicago back in the 50s and 60s, you definitely can remember hearing and seeing this song on the TV.  It wouldn't be Christmas without her.

Suzy Sbowflake is a happy snowflake who sings and dances the joys of wintertime and taps on window panes across Chicago every holiday season.

Suzy first appeared in a song made famous by Rosemary Clooney in 1951.  WGN-TV has screened the stop-motion animated short "Suzy Snowflake" every holiday season since 1953.

Go to YouTube and check it out.

--CootFlake

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 5: Warren G. Harding Elementary and Miss Shields

WARREN G. HARDING ELEMENTARY

3211 165th Street, Hammond.

The original wood-framed school building constructed in 1927 where Jean Shepherd attended from 1928-1933 was demolished in 1948 to make way for a new school, and even that building was torn down to make way for a more modern elementary school which opened in 2006.

This new school still bears the name the name of the 29th president, and, of course, there's a flagpole out in the schoolyard.

During a March 10, 1982, guest appearance on the late-night talk show of fellow famous Hoosier David Letterman, Shepherd said his elementary school "was named after the worst president in history."

HOME OF SHEPHERD'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER MISS SHIELDS

51 Lawndale Street, Hammond.

Shepherd made many references to his teacher growing up, Miss Ruth Shields, in his books and broadcasts, and she plays a key character in "A Christmas Story."

--CootPutYourEyeOut.

75 Years of Sitcoms-- Part 6: The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Office and Black-Ish

**  THE SIMPSONS

(1989- present)  Fox

Elizabeth Taylor voiced baby Maggie's only spoken word which was "Daddy."

**  SEINFELD

(1989-1998)  NBC

The show about nothing was really something with hilariously interconnected subplots in 180 episodes.

**  THE OFFICE

(2005-2013)  NBC

Everybody recognizes the exaggerated characters in this workplace comedy set in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

**  BLACK-ISH

(2014-2022)  ABC

Who on the show has famous parents in real life?  That would be Tracee Ellis Ross (Diana Ross) and Rashida Jones (Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton), who plays her sister.

--CootHaHa