Beginnings of television programs serve a number of purposes. They set the
mood for a program (the pompous "Dum, Dee, Dum, Dum" theme music known as
the "Dragnet March" composed by Walter Schumann heralded each episode of the
police drama DRAGNET); they tell a story ("Come and listen to story about a
man named Jed..." at the beginning of the sitcom THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES);
they educate ("There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to
man..." dramatically delivered by host Rod Serling on the beginning of each
episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE); but most importantly, beginnings saves the
script writer from writing about one minute of dialog each week. No matter
what form the beginning takes, be it music, lyric or narration or a
combination of all three formats, it gives us a sense of what is to come and
prepares us for the fun and excitement that most surely will follow. This
compilation of beginnings is restricted only to "Narration" format. For
those who enjoy the full lyrics to their theme songs and enjoy an occasional
sing-along, I recommend the book TV Theme Song Sing Along Book Vol. I &
II, compiled by John Javna (St. Martin's Press, 1984/1985) or check out
the
TV
Resources section of this website under "Theme
Songs" for links to popular sites on the web.
