It is times like these when I am so glad to be easily entertained (i.e. distracted) and thankful that I oftentimes use this forum to focus on casual topics that hopefully put a smile on someone’s face. Writing about inconsequential yet amusing subjects certainly soothes my soul. I don’t ignore the bigger issues in the world, and occasionally feel introspective enough to address such things, but for the most part I feel like there are people way smarter and more dialed in who get paid alot of money to participate in those heavier debates (not that it does much good). Anyway, if you need to catch up just click on Part 6 and it’ll take you everywhere you need to go.

40 Family Feud (Family Feud)

My maternal grandmother was really into game shows back in the day. As I grew up I became too cool for such hooey, with the exception of Jeopardy!, which I perceived as classy & erudite. However, middle age has mellowed my pomposity, and I’ve rediscovered Family Feud in recent years. I suppose comedian & current host Steve Harvey helps the cause. He’s funny, and doesn’t creepily snog every female contestant like Richard Dawson did 45 years ago. 

39 Final Frontier (Mad About You)

Tell me why I love you like I do

Tell me who can stop my heart as much as you

Let’s take each other’s hand as we jump into the final frontier

I’m mad about you baby

I am thankful to have grown up in the 1980s for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that I enjoyed some really great television shows during my formative years. By the time the 1990s rolled around I had other priorities. College. Employment. Adulthood. Y’all understand. I truly believe that the 90s saw the world become more cynical & morose, what an old friend would call “the spirit of the age”, which was reflected in entertainment. Having said that, hindsight allows me to realize that a) I also became more cynical & morose because we all lose our innocence once childhood ends, and b) there were still some very good programs on TV back then, one of which was this nearly forgotten gem starring Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt as NY City newlyweds. The theme song is a laid back, quasi-jazzy tune about marriage.

38 I’m Always Here (Baywatch)

I’ll be ready

No, don’t you fear

Forever and always

I’m always here

At one point Baywatch was the most popular television show in the world. That seems kind of silly now because no one believes it was ever actually good. At best it was frivolous escapism, which is perfectly valid yet unworthy of high praise. The ode to lifeguards, “beach life”, and breast implants somehow stayed on the air for over a decade and at its zenith had over a billion viewers on a weekly basis. The theme song is a real banger written & performed by Survivor frontman Jimi Jameson.

37  Go Speed Racer Go (Speed Racer)

Go Speed Racer

Go Speed Racer

Go Speed Racer, GO!!

Amongst the plethora of animated fare available in my childhood, Speed Racer wasn’t really on my radar. As a matter of fact, I developed more of a twisted appreciation for it when I was a little older, based on the ability to mock the bad transition from the original Japanese to the dubbed American dialogue, which oftentimes doesn’t sync well, much like old Godzilla movies from the 1950s & 60s.

36 Come On Get Happy (The Partridge Family)

Hello world, here’s a song that we’re singin’

Come on, get happy

A whole lotta lovin’ is what we’ll be bringin’

We’ll make you happy

Fictional bands have been a tried & true television trope for decades, with some of them achieving real life success. The show only aired for four seasons and got canceled before I turned two years old, but syndicated reruns breathed new life into a bunch of old TV programs when I was a young boy. The band itself didn’t really become anything, but lead singer David Cassidy achieved teen idol status and had a fruitful career negatively impacted by alcoholism. 

35 This Is It (One Day at a Time)

While you’re here enjoy the view

Keep on doing what you do

Hold on tight we’ll muddle through

One day at a time

In the 1970s a sitcom about a single mother raising two daughters was considered edgy. The fact that it was created by Norman Lear, who also gave us All in the Family, Sanford & Son, and The Jeffersons, dictated a certain level of expectation. In retrospect the show’s three greatest contributions to pop culture were actress Valerie Bertinelli (the former Mrs. Eddie Van Halen), building super Dwayne Schneider (one of the most memorable television characters of all time), and a bangin’ theme song.

34 Charles in Charge (Charles in Charge)

Charles in charge of our days and our nights

Charles in charge of our wrongs and our rights

Scott Baio is most fondly remembered for portraying Fonzie’s cousin Chachi Arcola on Happy Days. His film career never really took off, but he starred in another sitcom that, while never approaching the greatness of his previous gig, is fondly remembered by many 80s kids. 

33 The Price is Right (The Price is Right)

If you grew up in the 70s/80s/90s and had to stay home from school because you were sick, you inevitably watched The Price is Right with your Mom/Grandma/babysitter. Actually, that might still be a thing, although kids nowadays have alot more choices in that scenario. From my limited viewing in recent years it doesn’t feel like the show has the same charm since Drew Carey took over hosting duties from Bob Barker in 2007, but that may have more to do with the difference between being a young boy in grade school vs. seeing things thru the prism of middle age. At any rate, many elements of the program remain unchanged, including the theme song.

32 Moon Over Parma, Five O’Clock World, Cleveland Rocks (The Drew Carey Show)

Moon over Parma, bring my love to me tonight

Guide her to Cleveland, underneath your silvery light

We’re going bowlin’, so don’t loose her in Solon

Moon over Parma, tonight

Up every morning just to keep a job 

I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob

Sounds of the city pounding in my brain 

While another day goes down the drain

It’s a five o’clock world when the whistle blows

All the little kids goin’ up on the skits go

Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!

Jumpin’ Jane Jean, and moonin’ James Dean go

Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!

Hey, speaking of Drew Carey…

Full disclosure: while Carey’s eponymous sitcom aired for nine seasons from 1995-2004, I vaguely recall being mostly checked out by the middle of that run. I cannot remember if there was something else on in the same time slot or if there might’ve been another reason why my interest waned, but it was never really one of my favorites. That being said, credit must be given for the rare feat of having THREE pretty cool theme songs. I don’t know if any other television program has ever done that. For the first couple of seasons & the last couple of seasons Carey himself crooned Moon Over Parma (a suburb of Cleveland). For a few years the 1960s pop hit Five O’Clock World by The Vogues was utilized. And finally, for the majority of the show’s run, a 1997 Presidents of the United States of America cover of the 1979 song Cleveland Rocks served as the theme.

31 Night Court / Barney Miller / Charlie’s Angels

We have previously talked about Mike Post, who wrote several well regarded television theme songs. Another person that needs to be mentioned is Jack Elliott, a renowned jazz musician whose work with Judy Garland and Andy Williams led to him composing three noteworthy TV themes. Of the three, I was really only a fan of Night Court. Cop/detective stories never really frosted my cupcake, but my father enjoyed Barney Miller. And even as an uninterested young lad whose loins had yet to be set ablaze by the allure of beautiful women, I remember how popular Charlie’s Angels became for a couple of years. 

We shall return for Part 8!! Stay tuned!!