Classic TV Game Show Themes
Encyclopedia
Classic TV Game Show Themes is a compilation CD released by Varèse Sarabande
in 1998. The CD contains 20 tracks, each the theme to a current or classic game show. The disc was authorized by Game Show Network
, and featured liner notes provided by the channel.
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
in 1998. The CD contains 20 tracks, each the theme to a current or classic game show. The disc was authorized by Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
, and featured liner notes provided by the channel.
Track listing
- Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
- "Changing Keys" (Opening Theme From 1983 to 1989) - Merv GriffinMerv GriffinMervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
(2:02) - Jeopardy!Jeopardy!Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
(Opening Theme From 1984 to 1991) "Think!" - Merv GriffinMerv GriffinMervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
(2:10) - What's My Line?What's My Line?What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
- "Rollercoaster" (Closing Theme From 1950 to 1967) - Milton DeLuggMilton DeLuggMilton DeLugg is an American composer and arranger.-Biography:A talented accordionist, he appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies . He quickly became a successful arranger and composer...
& Lou BuschLou BuschLouis Ferdinand Busch was a music producer, musician and songwriter who was best known for performing as a pianist under the nickname Joe "Fingers" Carr.-Biography:...
(2:54) - I've Got A SecretI've Got a SecretI've Got a Secret is a panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?...
- "Plink Plank Plunk" (Opening Theme From 1952 to 1967) - Norman Paris* (2:26) - Password (Opening Theme From 1971 to 1974) - Robert A. Israel (1:01)
- To Tell The TruthTo Tell the TruthTo Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
(Opening Theme From 1969 to 1978) "You Don't Know How to Tell the Truth" - Robert A. Israel & Paul AlterPaul AlterPaul Alter was a former American television director, specializing in game shows for Mark Goodson Productions...
(2:00) - Tic-Tac-DoughTic-Tac-DoughTic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
(Opening Theme From 1978 to 1986) "Crazy Fun" - Hal Hidey (1:48) - The Joker's WildThe Joker's WildThe Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
(Opening Theme From 1977 to 1986) "The Savers" - Hal Hidey (2:12) - G.E. College Bowl (Opening Theme From 1959 to 1970) - Don ReidDon ReidDon Reid is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round of the 1995 NBA Draft. In his career, Reid played for the Pistons, Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic in 8 NBA seasons...
(1:20) - The Wizard of OddsThe Wizard of OddsThe Wizard of Odds is an American game show hosted by Alex Trebek that aired on NBC from July 16, 1973 to June 28, 1974 in which people from the studio audience vied in a number of rounds, primarily games revolving around statistical questions...
(Opening Theme From 1973 to 1974) "It's the Wizard of Odds" - Alan ThickeAlan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
(3:28) - The Dating GameThe Dating GameThe Dating Game is an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s...
(Opening Theme From 1966 to 1980) - Chuck BarrisChuck BarrisCharles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
& David Mook (2:31) - The Newlywed GameThe Newlywed GameThe Newlywed Game is an American television game show that pits newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other. The program, originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir The Newlywed Game is an American...
(Main Theme From 1966 to 1980) - Chuck BarrisChuck BarrisCharles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
(2:12) - The $25,000 Pyramid (Opening Theme From 1982 to 1988) "Tuning Up" remake - Bob Cobert (1:14)
- The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right (U.S. game show)The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
(Opening Theme From 1972 to 2007) - Robert A. Israel (1:08) - Match GameMatch GameMatch Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
(Opening Theme From 1973 to 1982) "The Stars Are Out" - Robert A. Israel (1:26) - Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
(Main Theme From 1988 to 1994) "The Feud" - Robert A. Israel** (1:45) - Card SharksCard SharksCard Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
(Opening Theme From 1978 to 1981) "Double Dare" - Edward Woodley KalehoffEdd KalehoffEdward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
(1:00) - JackpotJackpot (game show)Jackpot! is a television game show seen in three different runs between 1974 and 1990. Geoff Edwards hosted the original version of this Bob Stewart production from January 7, 1974 until September 26, 1975 on NBC. A second version, produced in Canada, aired from September 30, 1985 to December 30,...
(Main Theme From 1985 to 1990) - Bob Cobert (1:50) - GoGo (game show)Go is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart and aired on NBC from October 3, 1983 to January 20, 1984. The show featured two teams, each composed of four contestants and a celebrity. The teams had to construct questions one word at a time to convey a word or phrase to their...
(Opening Theme From 1983 to 1984) "Hollywood Minute" - Bob Cobert (2:28) - Chain ReactionChain Reaction (game show)Chain Reaction is an American game show created by Bob Stewart, in which players compete to form chains composed of two-word phrases.The show aired three separate runs: Bill Cullen hosted the original series on NBC from January 14 to June 20, 1980...
(Main Theme From 1986 to 1991) "Thru Train" - Bob Cobert (2:01)
- Credited to Paris, although the theme was composed by Leroy AndersonLeroy AndersonLeroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...
.- The liner notes for "Family Feud" incorrectly list the theme being used from 1976-1985.