Author Topic: Music, Maestro! (Read 3411 times)

TimK2003 · « **on:** May 27, 2008, 10:16:25 PM »

Listened to one of my CDs full of game show themes over the holiday weekend, and brought out some musings regarding this particular aspect of the game shows.

Pertaining to shows mostly from the past, here are a few questions I'd like to throw out (and I know the mileage may vary by production company).

1) Who would be the person at the production company who would make the decision on what tune(s) would become the show's theme or become part of the show's music package? (Not to be confused with "who created the theme music?").

2) Were most themes created after the composers knew a little about the show's premise, or did the production company listen to dozens of tunes already "in the can" and pick the one(s) best suited for the show?

3) Were there any well known themes that were close to being themes for other shows? (Sorta along the same vein as "What well-known hosts were considered for other shows but did not make the cut?)

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2008, 10:35:27 PM »

In the case of Griffin shows, Griffin. In the case of Stewart shows, "in the can" themes were used.

Kevin Prather · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2008, 11:07:05 PM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'186919\' date=\'May 27 2008, 07:16 PM\']
3) Were there any well known themes that were close to being themes for other shows? (Sorta along the same vein as "What well-known hosts were considered for other shows but did not make the cut?)
[/quote]
The Card Sharks theme WAS the Double Dare theme.

DjohnsonCB · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2008, 10:09:20 AM »

[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'186924\' date=\'May 27 2008, 11:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'186919\' date=\'May 27 2008, 07:16 PM\']
3) Were there any well known themes that were close to being themes for other shows? (Sorta along the same vein as "What well-known hosts were considered for other shows but did not make the cut?)
[/quote]
The Card Sharks theme WAS the Double Dare theme.
[/quote]
And the theme for Second Chance was previously used as the theme for IGAS '76.

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2008, 11:30:07 AM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'186919\' date=\'May 27 2008, 10:16 PM\']
3) Were there any well known themes that were close to being themes for other shows? (Sorta along the same vein as "What well-known hosts were considered for other shows but did not make the cut?)
[/quote]
Santa Esmeralda's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (as heard in the Kill Bill soundtrack) was used as the theme music on the Bullseye pilot.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2008, 11:39:42 AM »

Well, as far as pilots are concerned, why commission a whole music package until the show is sold? Ergo, the Santa E. on the pilot only. Since the pilot is not aired, no royalties to pay to Santa (or the Animals, for that matter.)

DrBear · « **Reply #6 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:03:18 PM »

And the theme for Snap Judgment was the theme for the Bill Cullen TPIR.

Chief-O · « **Reply #7 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:40:34 PM »

And the theme for "Double Talk" was used on "Blankety Blanks".

alfonzos · « **Reply #8 on:** May 28, 2008, 04:33:01 PM »

...and the theme for Personality was reused for Three on a Match. In fact, many themes from Cullen's TPiR were used as bumper music on ToaM.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #9 on:** May 29, 2008, 06:11:13 PM »

There were lots of examples where themes from a cancelled show would show up as prize music on another of that company's shows. '78 Jeopardy on Wheel of Fortune is a great example; and another famous for this would be Chuck Barris. Looking at the CD of game show themes from his shows, many of the prize cues actually were supposed to be themes from other shows/pilots. Interestingly, when one of them aired on GSN, the theme wasn't the same as the CD said (ooops!)

There are other cases where a show would only have one piece of music, and different parts of it would be used for different cues. Now You See It '74 would seem to fit (although they did add that second unidentified piece as a closing theme early in the run and used that thereafter for some commercial cues).

Tattletales in '74 used the end part of the theme for audience prizes (heard in a couple of studio master episodes floating around), and Wheel of Fortune used the end of "Changing Keys" when someone solved a puzzle for a few years after making that their main theme. I didn't even know it was the end until the entire theme played over the credits in an '84 episode (long before we had it on CD).

As for who makes these decisions, don't know for sure but I would imagine the show's music director/co-ordinator would have a say in it. After all, that's one reason they were hired, right?

MisterX · « **Reply #10 on:** May 29, 2008, 09:08:51 PM »

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'187023\' date=\'May 29 2008, 06:11 PM\']
Interestingly, when one of them aired on GSN, the theme wasn't the same as the CD said (ooops!)

[/quote]
In the case of the Newlywed Game from the 70s, it's because of clearance issues that GSN used the '97 version over the episodes. Sometimes you'd hear the '97 and '70s version out of sync.

In the case of Cop-Out, I would guess the theme on the CD (I'm guessing the Chuck Barris Presents Themes From TV Game shows) was used on a second pilot episode. This is based on the photo on the LP record (which the CD originally came from) that shows 1 contestant sitting next to Geoff Edwards, and four celebrities (Richard Dawson, and three others).

chris319 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 30, 2008, 04:31:10 AM »

Many times a show's theme incorporated the title of the show as a musical motif: The Price Is Right, Tattletales, Cobert's To Tell the Truth, Paris' I've Got A Secret, CBS Card Sharks, etc. The composer would have to at least know the title of the show.

At G-T old man Goodson approved the music, in cahoots with Bob Israel or Edd Kalehoff.