dum dum dum dum dum etc

August 12, 2011 3:01 PM

TarzanFilter: how come the old tv series has 2 different theme tunes ?

- It's puzzled me as to what the name of the first tune is , because to me it's much better.

Does anyone know ?

posted by sgt.serenity to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

The theme song is often the first thing to get retooled in any TV show. It's an incredibly easy and inexpensive fix, so if the numbers show a drop-off during the opening titles (because they don't suck the viewers in), changing the music is always worth a try.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:50 PM on August 12, 2011

If it was broadcast in other countries, the original music copyrights might have been a problem, so the local broadcaster edited in different music.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:52 PM on August 12, 2011

It looks like the second theme was composed by Nelson Riddle, who began scoring the series in the second season. I couldn't find a specific statement anywhere to that effect, but Riddle or the producers may simply have wanted to replace the theme to go with the other music.

The first one seems to be known as "Tarzan's March" (or "March of Tarzan"), by Sydney Lee (also sometimes co-credited to Walter Greene, the first composer on the series). I think you're right, and it seems to have been sampled and covered a few times whereas I can't find evidence that Riddle's version has. I also think it sounds just a little bit like "Apache", especially in that cover version.
posted by dhartung at 12:51 PM on August 13, 2011