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May 28, 2008

How does that theme song go again?

Alas, the legendary composer Earle Hagen has died Monday at age 88. Surely you remember the folksy television theme song for "The Andy Griffith Show," which he co-wrote and whistled. The Emmy winner ("I Spy," 1968) and Oscar nominee ("Let's Make Love," 1961) also wrote memorable themes for the shows "The Mod Squad," "That Girl" and the "Dick Van Dyke Show."

Need to listen to the songs to jog your memory? Go to TelevisionTunes.com and enter the show name to listen to a clip of the theme song.

For more information about Hagen's life and accomplishments, you can check out the Hagen fan site, The Best of All Worlds.

In the meantime, let's whistle some bars of "The Andy Griffith Show" theme song as a salute to Hagen.

April 8, 2008

An online treasury

Before there was “60 Minutes” there was “The Mike Wallace Interview.” A black and white half-hour exchange of minds featuring the then 40-year-old inquisitor interviewing cultural icons of the time such as Henry Kissinger, Salvador Dali and Kirk Douglas.
But whether alive or dead, familiar to the contemporary viewer or unknown, a high percentage of Wallace’s interview subjects shed light on the world they inhabited and, even from that distance, they can shed light on our world, too.
These historical videos have been put online by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and were donated by Wallace himself in the early 1960s.
They capture the essential Mike Wallace everyone would later come to know. They’re a time capsule unearthed from a pivotal moment.
They’re also a very entertaining treasury.
Go to the home page for “The Mike Wallace Interviews,” and — with no muss or fuss, no sign-in required or ads to slog through — scroll down the litany of personalities.


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