CBS Color Movies (movies since 1961)
(CBS Primetime, 1961 - Present)
[Network film presentations prior to 1961 were usually quite
dated or foreign. NBC's "Saturday Night at the Movies" on
September 23, 1961 started a new trend. (1) the networks got
rights to broadcast more recent feature films from major
motion picture studios, and (2) the advent of color TV made
these film broadcasts more acceptable to the audience, which
had only seen TV as a black and white delivery medium. After
NBC tried it and succeeded in terms of high ratings, the other
networks soon followed suit with color feature film series:
"The CBS Thursday Night Movies" (Fall, 1965)
"The CBS Friday Night Movies" (Fall, 1966)
"The CBS Sunday Night Movies" (Fall, 1971)
"The CBS Late Movie" (Winter, 1972)
"The CBS Wednesday Night Movies" (Winter, 1976)
"The CBS Tuesday Night Movies" (Winter, 1978)
"The CBS Special Movie" [on Thurs.] (Fall, 1980)
"The CBS Mystery Double Feature"]
Theme 1 (1965) [Possibly]: Strangers In The Night, from the film "A Man Could Get Killed"
[The use of this piece as a THEME is based upon memory which
could be faulty; but it seems like it was an instrumental, and was
played by Bert Kaempfert and his orchestra.]
Composers: music by Bert Kaempfert (German GEMA/BMI),
lyrics added by Charles Singleton (BMI), and
Eddie Snyder (ASCAP)
Original Publishers:
1999 Publishers: MCA Champion Music Corporation (BMI),
of Los Angeles, CA; and
Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc. (BMI),
of New York, NY
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recording:
Theme 2 (1966 - 1979): "The CBS Thursday Night
Movies"
[aka: "Thursday Night at the Movies",
"CBS Thursday Night Movie Theme",
"Friday Night Movie Theme",
"CBS Movies Theme"]
[Vocal title in registration: "So Old, So Young -- Theme from
The CBS Thursday and Friday Night Movies";
Probable dates of use/prime time: 1966 - 1979; and a short
arrangement by Robert Drasnin was used for the "CBS Late Movie"
a few more years after that...
An examination of CBS studio session logbooks at the UCLA Music
Department special collections; indicates that at various times
at least 4 arrangements of this tune were made; Apparently
the different arrangements and studio sessions were in the
following years:
1966 original version(s) -- Morton Stevens
1971 "So Old, So Young" -- vocal version with words by Ervin Drake
1971 version(s) -- a "Pat Williams"-style arrangement, may
-- have been arranged by either M. Stevens or R. Drasnin,
and may have had a variant title -- "CBS Movies Theme".]
1978 Prime Time Movie Version(s) -- Morton Stevens
1978 Late-Night Movie Version(s) -- Robert Drasnin
(Log Sheets from the 1978 studio sessions indicate the variety
of different versions made for different uses and various lengths.
But none of the 1978 "version titles" appear in ASCAP or in the
registrations below.)]
Composers: music by Morton ("Mort") Stevens (ASCAP),
arrangements of some versions by Robert Jackson Drasnin (ASCAP/BMI), and
lyrics added in 1974 by Ervin M. Drake (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: April Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
1998 Publisher: Aspenfair Music Inc./Special Acct. (ASCAP),
in care of CBS, Inc.
Original Composition Date: 1966
Instrumental Copyright Date: Nov. 1, 1966; Eu 963 586.
Instrumental Renewal Date: Jan. 4, 1994; RE-654-636.
[Vocal copyright info courtesy contributor T. Perrone...
as "So Old, So Young"]:
Vocal Copyright Date: May 19, 1971; Ep 286 454.
Vocal Renewal Date:
Recordings: [full-length instrumental "Theme from Thursday Night
at the Movies" heard behind a comedy skit on:]
LP: "Bob Crane, his drums & orchestra...
...play The Funny Side of TV"
Album produced by Stu Phillips
Epic LN 24224/BN 26224 (1966)
Theme 3: "CBS Movie Theme"
[also in BMI: "CBS TV Movie Theme";
aka: "CBS Movies - Nights", and in
copyright simply listed as "C. B. S."]
[probable dates of use: 1979 - 1983]
Composers: Ferdinand Jay Smith III (BMI),
and Charles Burke (BMI)
[pseudonym of Charles R. Brucato]
1998 Publishers: Beverlyfax Music Inc. (BMI),
c/o CBS, Inc.
Composition date: 1978.
[as "C. B. S."]:
Copyright Date: Aug. 16, 1978; PAu-59-086.
Reneal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 4: "CBS Movie Presentation (Sig)"
[probable dates of use: circa 1983;
titles on manuscripts at UCLA Music Dept. Special Collections:
"CBS Prime" and "CBS Late", etc.
Title on collection folder: "CBS Logo Theme"]
Composer: William ("Bill") Conti, Jr. (ASCAP)
1998 Publisher: Aspenfair Music, Inc./Special Acct. (ASCAP),
in care of CBS, Inc.
Composition date [seen on manuscript folder]: 1983
Copyright Date: [nothing found]
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 5: "CBS Movie Specials Theme '89"
Composer: William ("Bill") Conti, Jr. (ASCAP)
1998 Publisher: Aspenfair Music, Inc./Special Acct. (ASCAP),
in care of CBS, Inc.
Copyright Date: [nothing found]
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 6: "CBS Mystery Double Feature Theme"
[this may be is a variation of one of the TWO themes
listed above...]
Composer: William ("Bill") Conti, Jr. (ASCAP)
1998 Publisher:
Copyright Date: [nothing found]
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Later THEMEs have been often part of a "promotion music
package" coordinated with the Fall Season promotion campaign;
written by "jingle" companies who produce such packages. So
the details of THEMES are incomplete for the years 1990 -
present time.
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