(NBC Primetime, 1959)
[Jack Webb, producer/star of "Dragnet" (1951 - 1959 in
its first incarnation), was an fan of early Jazz; This
series was begun the year Dragnet ended, and was a "pet
project" for Webb set in 1920s Kansas City, home of early
Jazz. This music is what may sound like to some people
as "Dixieland" Jazz, and is usually associated with
New Orleans; But, oh well, Webb was a fan. He hired
Dick Cathcart to lead an 8-piece group which played music
backgrounds as well as to be seen on screen; William
Reynolds played a trumpet player in the group. Cathcart
also wrote the music for Webb's 1953 radio series by
the same name which only lasted 3 months on the air;
The character "Pete Kelly" helped people in distress in his
spare time...this may have been a labor of love for Webb
who probably deserved a vacation...but audiences found
this historical indulgence a bit disinteresting...so the
TV series wasn't long-lived either.]
The TV Theme below was originally written for a motion
picture by the same name that Jack Webb produced in 1955.
Composers: music by Ray John Heindorf (ASCAP), and
lyric by Sammy Cahn (ASCAP)
[professional name of Samuel Cohen]
Original Publisher: Mark VII Music (ASCAP)
2001 Publisher: Mark VII Ltd. (ASCAP)
c/o WB Music Corp.
a div. of Warner-Chappell Music, Inc.
of Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Date: June 30, 1955; EP 90 847.
Renewal Date: [not found]
Recordings:
LP: "This Is Your Life" (1958)
Von Dexter and his Orchestra
Imperial LP-9051