PERFORMING ARTS

Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring

by Jon Burlingame
Oxford Univ. Mar. 2023. 480p. ISBN 9780190618308. $35. MUSIC
COPY ISBN
A revised, updated, and expanded version of Burlingame’s Sound and Vision of 2000, this work combines 20 extra years of new music and scholarship, chronicling the soundtracks from the earliest days of television (including 1949’s The Lone Ranger using Gioachino Rossini’s “The William Tell Overture”) to Downton Abbey. Burlingame comprehensively documents the themes and soundtracks that have become earworms for many TV viewers. The workload for composers was often rigorous, but the results speak for themselves and rare will be the reader who doesn’t find a connection to much of this music. Burlingame highlights theme song composers such as Nelson Riddle (Route 66), Lalo Shifrin (Mission: Impossible), Neal Hefti (Batman; The Odd Couple), Mike Post (Rockford Files; Hill Street Blues), and many talented but less heralded composers. This book also covers trends, successes, and failures.
VERDICT Burlingame has produced a thorough analysis of music composed for television that will probably remain in readers’ heads. Those seeking more information about these rerunning tunes will find it here.
Reviewed by Bill Baars , Feb 01, 2023
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

Alfred Hitchcock, All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
by Benoliel, Bernard & others
NONFICTION

What a Fool Believes: A Memoir
by McDonald, Michael
NONFICTION

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: (But I’m Going To Anyway)
by Devantez, Chelsea
NONFICTION

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk
by Hanna, Kathleen
NONFICTION

The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface
by Kenny, Glenn
NONFICTION

Peerless: Rouben Mamoulian, Hollywood, and Broadway
by Jensen, Kurt
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?