View Full Version : Leave It To Beaver "Theme Song"


CosmicCharlie
03-04-2019, 01:59 PM
New to me ... Seems it was a common song way back when

"The Toy Parade"

"The Toy Parade" by Dave Kahn, Melvyn Leonard and Mort Greene -
Leave it to Beaver Lyrics
Hey! Here they come with a rum-tee tum they're having a toy parade.
A tin giraffe with a fife and drum is leading the kewpie parade.
A gingham cat in a soldier's hat is waving a Chinese fan,
A plastic clown in a wedding gown is dancing with Raggedy Ann.
Fee fie fiddle dee dee they're crossing the living room floor
Fee fie fiddle dee dee they're up to the dining room door.
They call a halt for a choc'late malt or cookies and lemonade
Then off they go with a ho ho ho right back to their toy brigade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYaDR0WV-vs

stevea
03-04-2019, 02:21 PM
Thanks for posting those. I'd read there were lyrics but I never knew what they were.

After listening, I think it's good they went with instrumental versions (there are 4 versions of the closing theme throughout the series: the original version from seasons 1 and 2, a jazzed up version with whistling for about half of season 3, the jazzed up version without whistling for the rest of season 3 and seasons 4 and 5, and the totally new version for season 6).

I like 3 of the 4--dislike the version with the whistling.

MichaelMartinD
03-08-2019, 10:06 AM
Wow, thanks for posting this! I had no idea the theme tune had words. Here is another instrumental version I found, with a big band, and it even includes the jazzy version of the theme at the end. It is shockingly good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr-SmzPaU3w

stevea
03-08-2019, 07:02 PM
This is an interesting site, with tons of TV themes. Some are the originals in varying quality (like LITB), some are rerecordings for whatever reason.

Some are flat out wrong (season 2 of Happy Days, for example, had the "rock Around the Clock" theme on the original airings and some syndicated versions). Some are longer than I've ever heard (for example, the first Newhart theme posted appears to be the Henry Mancini original, but longer than ever aired).

https://www.televisiontunes.com/l-theme-songs.html

CosmicCharlie
03-08-2019, 08:01 PM
OFF Topic

I Dream of Jeannie season 1 Theme was dropped - ? new one was much better

just a bad choice ?

stevea
03-08-2019, 10:56 PM
I agree about the IDOJ theme. The theme change after the first season was an improvement.

Maybe Sidney Sheldon decided to go to a new composer when the show switched to color.

MichaelMartinD
04-28-2019, 02:49 PM
I recently got a great CD of TV themes from the '50s. It has the instrumental big-band version of the LITB theme and it is terrific.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000021QP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It appears to be out of print but there are used copies.

MA
04-28-2019, 02:51 PM
This is an interesting site, with tons of TV themes. Some are the originals in varying quality (like LITB), some are rerecordings for whatever reason.

Some are flat out wrong (season 2 of Happy Days, for example, had the "rock Around the Clock" theme on the original airings and some syndicated versions). Some are longer than I've ever heard (for example, the first Newhart theme posted appears to be the Henry Mancini original, but longer than ever aired).

https://www.televisiontunes.com/l-theme-songs.html

Which ones are the originals, and which ones aren’t?

stevea
04-28-2019, 06:02 PM
It's been awhile since I've been on there, some themes just sound a little off.

One thing: most CDs that have had TV themes in the past ALWAYS got it wrong on Happy Days' most familiar theme, season 3 and beyond. They always use the record released by Pratt and McLain, which isn't the TV theme at all. That was probably done by unnamed studio musicians.

Schmoopie
07-05-2019, 10:59 PM
A while back at work my coworker who sits behind me was humming the theme song. She said that when she was on the phone with a client she could hear it in the background and she'd gotten it stuck in her head but she couldn't remember the name of the show. I was kind of surprised that I recognized it the moment she started humming it, which I thought was funny.

stevea
05-14-2021, 09:03 AM
On today's two episodes on MeTV the closing theme was REALLY sped up. Did anyone else notice?

1960'sTVfan
05-14-2021, 10:50 AM
OFF Topic

I Dream of Jeannie season 1 Theme was dropped - ? new one was much better

just a bad choice ?

I actually like both versions of the I Dream Of Jeannie theme song. The theme song for the 1st season in black and white is a good fit for those episodes and the theme song for seasons 2-5 in color is also a good fit for those episodes.

vitoscotti
05-20-2021, 09:13 PM
Hugh Beaumont was a conservative minister. Possible theme song for his next show.

https://omny.fm/shows/what-s-right-what-s-left1/tue-hr-2-051821?t=32m1s.

MichaelMartinD
05-21-2021, 09:13 AM
Here are two interesting versions of the theme song from YouTube.

This is the jazzy version from Season 6. Here you get to hear it in its entirety without the voiceover.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViD_uismST8

Here is original theme with words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYaDR0WV-vs