The Range Rider (western, starring Jock Mahoney)

    (Syndicated by CBS Films, 1951-52)

    [Produced by Gene Autry's Flying 'A' productions]

---

Theme 1: "Western Theme"

    [aka: "Western Theme Reel 3 (MUTEL Music Service Title)";
     aka: "Theme No. 215" (Capitol "Q" Series Title);
     
     This broad melodic western THEME with its dramatic intro,
     resembles "The Old Trail" THEME by Rex Koury used on the
     radio and TV series "Gunsmoke". But it is NOT however
     the same melody.

     The dramatic orchestral introduction was used as a kind
     of "logo" for Gene Autry's Flying 'A' productions, and
     it was also spliced onto the beginning of several other western
     series produced by the company -- including Cowboy G-Men and
     Buffalo Bill Jr.

     This was a closing THEME remembered by many as a Closing Theme 
     for Annie Oakley, produced by Gene Autry's Flying 'A' Prods.
     although its origins are a bit murky; The MUTEL (Music for
     Television) library of David Chudnow often hired B-picture 
     composers to revise cues originally written for low budget films;
     MUTEL suggested the composers could save time for such a low fee
     if they used a previously written cue and change a few notes of 
     the melody; These cues were re-arranged for a 40-piece orchestra
     and re-recorded in France under the baton of George Tzipine;

     It is not known if Joseph Mullendore was the sole composer of
     this piece or whether it was co-written with Herb Taylor, who was
     one of the MUTEL composers (who also composed the "Twenty Mule
     Train" THEME for "Death Valley Days), by Herschel Burke Gilbert,
     or by someone else MUTEL hired;

     It is also possible that this piece -- which closely resembled Rex
     Koury's "Old Trail" THEME for "Gunsmoke" -- was written as a 
     "sound-a-like" of "Old Trail" expressly for the MUTEL library, or
     whether it was taken from a B-picture End Title originally written
     years earlier by Mullendore, Taylor or Gilbert;

     MUTEL also licensed this piece as one of the THEMEs for the series
     "Sky King" under the MUTEL title "Western Theme" with a fictitious
     name on cue sheets of "Joseph Solon" as verified by the CBS Music
     Director in the 1980s; Later the name "George Lee" was attached to
     the BMI credit for "Western Theme Reel 3"; these names apparently 
     were used to collect royalties since no known U.S. radio/TV/film 
     composers existed by those names; 

     MUTEL sub-licensed their library to Capitol Special Products, a 
     division of Capitol Records, for uses on live local radio & TV
     which named this library the "Capitol 'Q' Series." From this
     source many local stations used the THEME to introduce local
     western movie shows;

     So this piece was one of the most famous (but anonymous) THEMEs
     heard on television during the 1950s.
     
     The fictitious names George Lee and Joseph Solon were pseudonyms
     for collecting royalties used by David Chudnow's MUTEL Music 
     Service; possibly for works "ghost written" by composer Herb Taylor
     or others; Mullendore was the name of a real writer who worked for 
     MUTEL who apparently collected royalties under his own name.]

     Composers: Joseph ("Joe") Mullendore (ASCAP/BMI),
                George Lee (BMI), and
                Joseph Solon (BMI)

     1978 Publishers: Byron Music Company (BMI)

     1999 Publishers: Byron Music Company (BMI)
                        of Beverly Hills, CA
                      
     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:
         From the MUTEL music library
               [original versions]

         78rpm reference disks in the Capitol "Q" Series library
               Q-99:  cut 1: Theme No. 215 - OPENING (Western-Full)
               Q-99:  cut 2: Theme No. 215 - CLOSING (Western-Full)
               Q-101: cut 1: Theme No. 215 - Long Version (Western)

         CD: "TV Classic Themes: 25th Anniversary Edition"
              Breakable Records DPMC 105 (1999)

---

Theme 2: "Home On The Range"

    [ASCAP title variation...
     aka: "Range Rider M T";

     This public domain melody was arranged by Walter Greene,
     for use on the TV series, and is credited as an ASCAP
     title published by Criterion Music, for the purpose of
     collecting performance royalties.
     
     The Opening Theme was an arrangement for mixed chorus
     in a medium-slow tempo; the Closing End Credits Theme
     was an instrumental arrangement in a brisker tempo.]

     Composers: *Traditional* [Folk song], with
                arrangement by Walter W. Greene (ASCAP)

     1978 Publishers: Criterion Music Corp. (ASCAP)

     1998 Publishers: Criterion Music Corporation (ASCAP) of
                      Hollywood, CA

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings: 

Return to the 1950s TV Series Title Page