tv intro party
October 3, 2014 12:29 PM   Subscribe

Has your day been woefully free of potentially irritating nostalgic sitcom earworms? Worry no more, because they're all here, just waiting for you to press play.

(brought to you by today's most frustrating askme)
posted by poffin boffin (58 comments total) 32 users marked this as a favorite
 
That door/paint thing is driving me insane.
posted by davebush at 12:31 PM on October 3, 2014 [10 favorites]


This could be the start of a Very Special Creepypasta.

'This' being the content of the AskMe mentioned in the post.
posted by ian1977 at 12:35 PM on October 3, 2014


I am grimly working my way through the entire site.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:35 PM on October 3, 2014 [15 favorites]


yasss
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:35 PM on October 3, 2014


A great find - nice post!
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:36 PM on October 3, 2014


Perfect Strangers theme song is MAJESTIC.

Standing talllll on the wings of my dreams!

HELL YES.
posted by ian1977 at 12:36 PM on October 3, 2014 [11 favorites]


Dear John...could there be a more depressing intro to a comedy.
posted by ian1977 at 12:39 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Oh yeah: "The Golden Girls
Originally Aired: 1985-1992"
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:40 PM on October 3, 2014


The original intro to Alice makes a nice little self-contained story.
posted by bondcliff at 12:45 PM on October 3, 2014


Has your day been woefully wonderfully free of potentially irritating nostalgic sitcom earworms?

Yes it has, thanks for asking!
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:47 PM on October 3, 2014


Yo, that Alf is creepier than I remembered!
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:48 PM on October 3, 2014


Okay, now how about those little tunes they play in sitcoms right before a segment begins. Usually just a short exterior shot of the house or building, before we're taken inside to where the action takes place.

My wife and I are currently subjected to multiple viewing of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That (because kids), and the show employs an 80s-style tune like that. We're pretty sure it's a knock-off from the one used for Golden Girls, but I haven't been able to verify this.
posted by Kabanos at 12:48 PM on October 3, 2014


Kabanos, it's a similar flowing little ditty but it's not the same tune as the Golden Girls one, which I was instantly able to recall from the place in my head where calculus was supposed to be.
posted by tchemgrrl at 12:51 PM on October 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


Okay, now how about those little tunes they play in sitcoms right before a segment begins.

Interstitial music, right? Also omg I always remember the 8-10 note thing from the Golden Girls because my gramma and I would hum it when we wanted to get out of an annoying conversation with her canasta buddies in Florida.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:52 PM on October 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


"Loving" is the most 80's of all of those. OMG.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:54 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Interstitial music

Thank you for at least giving me a name for this.
[searches for ilovetvinterstitials.com…}
posted by Kabanos at 12:55 PM on October 3, 2014


omg Airwolf!
posted by Kabanos at 12:56 PM on October 3, 2014


ian1977, you know about the Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now game?
posted by leotrotsky at 1:02 PM on October 3, 2014 [7 favorites]


"Watch! Out! 'Cause here we come!" EDIT: direct links don't play well.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:04 PM on October 3, 2014


FYI, leotrotsky's link is an automatic download, for those who uh, don't want that.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:06 PM on October 3, 2014


It's the late 90's. I'm at a ska show. The band starts playing some groovy song. It's the Love Boat theme. Singer gives it all he's got. The crowd goes bananas!. It was awesome.
posted by hot_monster at 1:07 PM on October 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


Every time I don't perform the One Day at a Time song at karaoke a little part of me dies.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:09 PM on October 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


"Okay, now how about those little tunes they play in sitcoms right before a segment begins."

Checkout Nothing: A supercut of Seinfeld shots with no people in them.
posted by mbrubeck at 1:09 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Dammit, I can't get WKRP to work.

I'm not too disappointed though, seeing as how I pulled the trigger on this last week.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:11 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Ah, the Disney line-up of my childhood

Gummi Bears
DuckTales
Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers
Talespin

Good times. You've gotta love the world building of Talespin. Cliff Guns!
posted by leotrotsky at 1:11 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


I had the Love Boat theme as sung by Charo as my ringtone for about 3 days maybe 6-7 years ago? The receptionist at my office STILL BURSTS RANDOMLY INTO SONG and drives everyone crazy and the love boat is pretty much dead to me now, but dead in the sense of lurking ominously in the chthonian depths, still, ever patient, ever vigilant, murmuring half voiced whispers in the darkness

do not open that door for that way madness lies

help me
posted by poffin boffin at 1:12 PM on October 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


leotrotsky....Get out of the city!

Balki almost accomplished his dream of building a quonset hut. but instead he is going to buizw a quogget hot
posted by ian1977 at 1:13 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Cousin! That makes me happier than a tick on a sheepdog!
posted by leotrotsky at 1:17 PM on October 3, 2014


Ha!

Im going to play again. Watch and learn.
posted by ian1977 at 1:20 PM on October 3, 2014


That Zoom Intro for the 70's is wrong; the melody is all wrong, they rap and those kids are dressed in late 80's/early 90's styles. There's a kid wearing a SKATING HELMET while RIDING A RAZR SCOOTER, fer pete's sake! Death to false Zoom!

Zoom classique
posted by KingEdRa at 1:22 PM on October 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


The A-Team's exuberant idiocy is so perfectly summed up by its intro and theme.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:27 PM on October 3, 2014


After Robin Williams died, I got into a bit of a "Mork and Mindy" rewatch kick. I found myself simultaneously comforted by the nostalgia of hearing the familiar sounds of my youth (link on the site doesn't appear to be working), while also wondering how in the world we ever had the patience to sit through this week after week before getting to any actual show content.
posted by The Gooch at 1:29 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


I looked through the "Awesome 80s" pages and good lord I watched shocking amounts of TV as a kid.
posted by desjardins at 1:33 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yeah but thanks to the intro songs you could go pee or get a snack and know how much time you had left.
posted by ian1977 at 1:34 PM on October 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


The love of TV themes in general and Perfect Strangers in particular in this thread is making up for the crazy-making that happened when guesses I knew were wrong in the AskMe were posted.

"You don't know why the paint fight happened in the opening credits of The Facts of Life without looking it up and I'm the dummy?!?"
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:37 PM on October 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


I wanna make some or all of the Johnny Quest (60's page 2) intro my ringtone.
posted by achrise at 1:37 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


They have 3-2-1 Contact but not the Bloodhound gang theme. Shucks!
posted by Renoroc at 1:37 PM on October 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


MCMikeNamara: ""You don't know why the paint fight happened in the opening credits of The Facts of Life without looking it up and I'm the dummy?!?""

I apologize. It took me a minute to remember that, but it has come back to me now.

I even remember the Molly Ringwald credits.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:39 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Discovery of the day: illustrated Perfect Strangers fan fiction (I skimmed - no incest)
posted by desjardins at 2:04 PM on October 3, 2014


Missing the lesser-known Flinstones intros. *sob*
posted by Melismata at 2:10 PM on October 3, 2014


Allow me to add The Protectors (1972-3) to the list. I was three when it aired, yet the five note theme and the shot of the car wiping out into the woods are seared into my brain.
posted by schoolgirl report at 2:44 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ahhhh Scarecrow & Mrs. King. I was so obsessed with this show in the 80s, I learned to play the theme song on my synthesizer. My poor parents. Yeah, the 80s...
posted by ikahime at 3:11 PM on October 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


There was also a paintbrush fight in the opening credits of Family Matters, but I don't think that is it because I remember the doorway...
posted by synecdoche at 3:17 PM on October 3, 2014


I loved the very early Mannix featuring A FANCY COMPUTER FROM THE FUTURE!

Also: Wild Wild West in the early days vs. Wild Wild West in later years. Is the lady too overcome by his charms to stab him in the first one? He clobbers her in the second one. Oof.

I never noticed that the intro in color has the American flag as a background.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 3:32 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Here's that Mannix intro. I'm annoyed that the site with all the intros uses Flash or something to stream the videos.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 3:35 PM on October 3, 2014


they forgot the 60's match game theme which was my favorite as a kid - bert kaempfert's swinging safari, which was stolen from spokes mashiyane
posted by pyramid termite at 3:49 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


:-(
The themes won't play for me.

And sadly, they're missing Nurses. It was in the same town as Empty Nest and Golden Girls.

It didn't have a song, just a voice over, but I would like remind everyone of the greatness that was Street Hawk.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 4:30 PM on October 3, 2014


do not open that door for that way madness lies

help me
Come aboard. We're expecting you....
...while also wondering how in the world we ever had the patience to sit through this week after week before getting to any actual show content.
In all honesty I preferred the intros and theme songs to most of the shows. There was always that magical interlude after the intro when it faded to black and then changed to a cereal ad where I could imagine what would happen in this episode. Would Hunter shoot somebody? No, he'd shoot ten guys while driving a burning car into a helicopter! Alf would take Mr. Tanner back to Melmac and there'd be an inverted episode where he's the freak and Alf's behavior is considered to be perfectly normal. Unsolved Mysteries would show us footage of a real UFO! Maybe this time Starsky And Hutch would cross over with Three's Company in an epic two-part adventure full of car chases and ridiculously contrived misunderstandings... When the show came back from the break it was often a letdown after that.
posted by Kevin Street at 4:39 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The best thing about the Wild Wild West credits was how the pictures kept being updated throughout the episode.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:47 PM on October 3, 2014


The themes won't play for me.

Are you on a tablet or phone (specifically, Apple)?

I downloaded an app called Photon which is a browser that will let you run flash stuff on your apple mobile devices. It's a bit of a pain, but it does work.

A lot of the intros are on YouTube, I think.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 5:23 PM on October 3, 2014


OH MY GOD THEY FORGOT MANIMAL!!!
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 5:27 PM on October 3, 2014


Okay, they messed up on Rocky & Bullwinkle, having only (under "Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends", a title that was only used for DVDs decades later) a clip showing the last 5 seconds of the show open and the entire first segment open... fortunately, bigger cartoon pedants than I exist on the web, including one who put up an 8-minute clip-o-rama of Show Opening/Closing, Segment Opening/Closing and various interstitials from one episode of Rocky and his Friends (the show's original title). But that was from Season 2, the first season Closing & Credits are here.

After Bullwinkle had fully stolen the show, they retitled it "The Bullwinkle Show" with a notably shorter Opening and Closing.

From the 15-minute syndicated Monday-Friday strip "The Rocky Show", Opening and Closing.

And once you start getting into the variations of segment intros/outros (with variations of music), that way goes Moose Madness.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:14 PM on October 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had completely forgotten about Renegade! What a terrible, wonderful, cheesy, good-bad show. Now I need to get a Hulu plus subscription so I can rewatch them and see if they're as awesome as I remember.
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:33 PM on October 3, 2014


A lot of the intros are on YouTube, I think.

YES their youtube channel was how I found the website.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:42 PM on October 3, 2014


Wow. Thanks for Manimal, potsmokinghippieoverlord. I would like to claim that I had forgotten all about it but sadly this is not remotely true.

Some of the versions they've got up are listed as being from a pilot, but I think there are more non-standard versions than they say. Remington Steele must have been from the pilot or mayyyybe first season? Because it's different in both words and delivery from the one I still pathetically have memorised down to exact intonation and pauses, and the reruns just truncated the normal version. Also I swear there was a first season or pilot episode of Knight Rider that had voice-over - like from the dude who gave him KITT or whatever? 'One man CAN make a difference, Michael.'

I was disturbed to see how much trivial crap came spilling out of my brain at the slightest stimulus - word-perfect renditions of theme songs for shows I had no memory of even existing, character names, visuals...

Recently I went down a rabbithole looking for a quote I use a lot but had no clue where it was from, and it turned out a lot harder to track down than I expected. Having found it*, I ended up watching as much as I could stand of a Moonlighting episode. This amounted to about 10 minutes, consisting of a 40-minute-long theme song, 87 minutes of car chase and shootout that was meant to set up the week's plot but would now be more than adequately done in 30 seconds, and an eternity of the fifth circle of 'hilarious' 'banter' between Maddie and David, which was two-thirds repeating what the other person had said ('Did you say something?' 'Did I say something?' 'DID YOU SAY SOMETHING??'). Oh, and there was some intro before the show started, some sort of direct address to the audience? To fill more time? Because apparently they had no one writing the show?

I tried showing it to my offspring, who is a storyteller type person, just in the spirit of WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY and I had to fast forward and just point at the time elapsed thingy.

*The quote was 'Beg to differ with you, bro'. When I finally tracked down the source, which was neither of the first two things I'd thought it might be, I came to the realisation that I had for 20 years or so been using (fairly frequently) a quote from a show I hadn't seen. Apparently my best friend was recapping shows for me - very well, considering how well I remembered the details/events/dialog of this episode once I found it, but nothing at all of anything visual. Or possibly I was on the phone with her listening to the show while she watched. I spent most of junior high and high school forbidden to watch tv because grades, so this probably happened a lot.
posted by you must supply a verb at 7:57 AM on October 4, 2014 [2 favorites]


Some of the versions they've got up are listed as being from a pilot, but I think there are more non-standard versions than they say. Remington Steele must have been from the pilot or mayyyybe first season?

Yes, the pilot credits for Remington Steele (which are the ones listed) do not give away the fact that Pierce Brosnan is going to show up and take over the role of Laura Holt's imaginary boss. They are updated in the second episode and I think remain that way for the rest of the first season. I do think they updated them quite a bit for a show that was only on 5 seasons.

For even more Remington Steele minutae, check out my tumblr: hatsoflauraholt.tumblr.com which I hope to start updating again soon.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:56 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


I distinctly remembering realizing, at some point during the run of Remington Steele, that Brosnan would go on to be James Bond.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 12:41 PM on October 6, 2014


I distinctly remembering realizing, at some point during the run of Remington Steele, that Brosnan would go on to be James Bond.

Yeah, I vaguely remember there was A Thing where they were going to cancel the show and he'd been offered Bond and they were like orly? And they didn't cancel it and he couldn't take Bond and the show sucked so so hard by that point and it was heartbreaking but it was so nice when he finally got the role later because it was his dream and all.

For even more Remington Steele minutae, check out my tumblr: hatsoflauraholt.tumblr.com which I hope to start updating again soon.

I love you alot.

For Christmas one year I asked for (and received) only: One (1) Walkman and one (1) Laura Holt flat cap. Later I got a fedora-thing.

Also I miss Henry Mancini theme music.
posted by you must supply a verb at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


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