"NBC Sunday Mystery Movie" TV Intro

[@Damon_Strong]

Back when watching TV was a shared experience. One TV in the house and the whole family watched a show together. I'd be watching a popular show and I knew that all my school friends were watching it at the same time. The next day at school, we'd all be talking about it.

[@TheEdwardrommel]

I have never forgotten this haunting and catchy tune by Henry Mancini. He was really a musical genius. Makes me miss the 1970's so much.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

It is 2021 January 21. And I learned JUST NOW that this was by Henry Mancini?!! Yes: I NEVER forgot this theme music for 50+ years!

[@anthonybaroni3285]

I was three years old when I first watched this and it still haunts me fifty years later.

[@greenbobberg]

@@anthonybaroni3285 me too.

[@pamelamorales5736]

I totally agree 👍

[@pamelamorales5736]

I totally agree with you, miss those times"

[@alanmorris7669]

Whenever I hear this theme music, I'm a kid again. I'm 59 now, but I still remember my sister popping popcorn on the stove while I'm lying on the floor in the den watching TV on our big RCA television set.

[@alanmorris7669]

@Rommel the Cat Yep, those were definitely the good ole days. We are the last of the Baby Boomers and I wouldn't change a thing, even if I could.

[@angusthecat1689]

@Rommel the Cat one cat to another. i'm 55. sucks getting old

[@YesYou-zy7kp]

Yeah, I remember Mutual of Omaha;s Wild Kingdom on Sunday's and the Wonderful World of Disney and my sister cooking Jiffy Pop on the stove. Remember those aluminum foil tops that would expand with the popcorn? When my parent's got home from church we would all sit down and watch the Sunday Mystery Movie. Those were the days.

[@alanmorris7669]

@@YesYou-zy7kp I still buy Jiffy Pop popcorn at Walmart. Can you remember those TV dinners in the aluminum trays? They wouldn't get you full, but they were fun to eat while watching TV. Back then, everybody watched the same thing on TV because there weren't that many channels. Today, there are about a zillion channels to chose from.

[@alanmorris7669]

@David Vazquez I understand. When this theme music played, I would usually have to go to bed too. Sometimes I would get lucky and my dad would let me stay up to watch the late show!

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

Tears in my eyes now! All those fond fond memories of friends and family who are gone & lot

[@jamesperry2322]

I agree...yes.

[@marksc1929]

..same here ....at 55.... I've , we've lost so so much...

[@hangingwithmatty9465]

Right with you...💪❤️🙏

[@kystars]

I do understand that. but try to make new memories with new people. However when you have lost family members, you just can't replace that. trust me I understand what you are saying.

[@gregoryhudson1379]

Yes😢

[@michael9052]

Perhaps the best opening for a tv program in history. Certainly still memorable after 40+ years

[@caspermilquetoast411]

And still looks and sounds better.

[@onetrueslave]

I'm with you. Though, a close second might be the HBO Movie Theme opener. Always thought that was excellent.

[@phillipclark5798]

Agree with you. Those were the best times of my life .

[@mikekaroules2820]

Better than even 007 theme or no ?

[@slactweak]

It was definitely one of the best. The only one that I can think of to rival it is THIS one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJqTXnyceLaCqpI It's the flying books, for me.

[@325xitgrocgetter]

My wife gets annoyed anytime I pick up a flashlight I yell It's the NBC Sunday Night Mystery Movie!

[@scarygary-qq1pj]

No she doesn't.

[@danaripley1200]

as kids we used to go through the house with a flashlight trying to whistle that tune.🤣

[@kiethblack3870]

Ha ha ha! [X-D] I made a video doing that! Walked from one end of the house to the camera. I dubbed in the music later.

[@marksc1929]

Awesome 👍

[@robertkellogg1199]

Same here. I think we all imitated this man with a flashlight. We as kids were always imitating things we saw on tv. 😂

[@2nd2nun1]

Lol. Same here. My mom bought a new flashlight for the house and that night I was flashing it outside in front of our garage whistling that tune.

[@jeansenn2831]

I am so loving and imagining 😍 these comments!

[@oldiesmusic76]

If you were awake as a kid when this whistling intro began, it was beyond your bedtime!! Take me back to 1976!!

[@craigharrell7144]

Yep. I knew hearing this music meant time to go to bed and school tomorrow.

[@peterthx]

Yep. Weekend over.

[@donarthiazi2443]

School tomorrow 😢

[@jamesrogers47]

Time for bed, school tomorrow.

[@mattr8251]

Oh man... exactly!!

[@antonewilson4310]

Yuuuup

[@TheNighthawk66]

I always got to stay up late on Sundays. lol

[@brianreginaldbaker8391]

Facts.

[@jennifersman7990]

My weekend was officially over

[@susanmurphy2164]

This opening credit scene is freaking spectacular. The man walking forward in the dark with a flashlight looking for something along with that musical score is so great.

[@jjohn2k]

You said it. I haven't seen this since I was five years old. That was 1975

[@coolbear6441]

I was just thinking who it could have been but then I guess it doesn’t really matter..

[@mikekaroules2820]

Better than 007 theme or no ?

[@banthony3775]

Double -"0"-Seven. Magnificent theme. As are compositions by the likes of John Williams. I'm particularly partial to Mr. Mancini.

[@banthony3775]

@@mikekaroules2820 Equally well done.

[@TimTheTuner]

I loved these shows. Every Sunday night I would hope and pray it was a "Columbo," forever my favorite.

[@francescaa8331]

Tim Roof same here.

[@sandybeach123]

People only found out during the flashlight Intro which Mystery Character was in the Sunday night mystery movie timeslot? Like a spin of a carnival wheel of fortune....who will we see tonight.

[@2199SPUDMAN]

God... this brings back memories of all of us in the family room with popcorn...miss my folks so much...oh man... where did the years go? We hoped for a Columbo, too!!!

[@ИгорьИжщенков]

All the shows were great except "McMillan and Wife" with Rock Hudson. That one always bored the shit out of me, and I couldn't get past the first five minutes.

[@Schush]

Banacek for me

[@The_Fat_Controller.]

One of the most iconic opening sequences I have ever seen on TV. Kind of hair-raising to a kid seeing it in the early 1970s, but I was enthralled by the music. I love the little riff at 0:23. Some seasons have that piece a little louder than others. _McCloud_ was my favorite to watch. Instantly recognized Terry Carter from that show when he went on to appear as Colonel Tigh on _Battlestar Galactica_ a year later. Didn't get into the other shows quite so much, but still watched them. _Quincy_ also got its start here, which I found enjoyable. My wife was a fan of _The Snoop Sisters_ when she was a kid.

[@brianmcnamara5506]

makes me melancholy... a wave of sadness washes over me. I was just a teenager and my mother and I would watch the shows. I suppose it was a simpler time and perhaps more innocent... it's not as though I'm living in the past but it's sure a nice place to visit.

[@jimmyt9345]

Totally can relate, Brian, and I think so many others do as well. Those were great times and absolutely were simpler. Amazing how fast it goes. I think that's what makes it a bit sad. That and the innocence lost.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

So true , no Corona .

[@tyromecox5402]

This takes me back to early childhood.

[@michaelcurl9817]

My brother's and sister sat around the tv on Sunday nights watching this in the 1970's. That theme brings me back to Santa Rosa California in the 1970's, it was heaven to live there then. My have the times changed. My once beautiful home town is now gang infested with a murder every week.

[@karltork6040]

Oh so true!!!

[@jeffmissinne3866]

A classic intro, downright elegant.

[@briane173]

Precisely what I thought when I first heard it at the ripe old age of 14. It brought some class to the whole umbrella format bringing Henry Mancini in to compose and conduct this intro. Elegant -- the perfect word -- and an air of sophistication, like you weren't about to watch just your run-of-the-mill TV movie series. Fact is the series itself was very well-produced -- no doubt owing to the format. Each group had a month to work on writing and production instead of the customary week to get a show done. And it showed in the quality of the programs themselves. Well-deserving of this masterpiece of an intro.

[@gerry-p9x]

Snooop sisters. Mrs Colombo

[@bigroy38]

Makes me miss my mom.

[@dennisr3738]

Wow same here

[@Corporations8MyBaby]

Ouch. [[ stop cutting onions near my eyes. ]]

[@donlombardo3108]

Mine to

[@valuecalc]

bigroy38 , she must have been a wonderful lady.

[@46monkeyes]

bigroy38 -100%. My Mom passed in Feb of this year (2019).....SO painfully sad. The thing I miss most is talking to her or just being able to tell her something. NEVER take your Mom for granted. Please. I love you, Mom.. (with tears in my eyes)

[@ylatupa]

Bed time. School tomorrow. Got to watch a few episodes with my mom. Miss that.

[@bobbyfrancis8957]

When I was a kid, Sunday nights were "Mission: Impossible" on channel 2 and yvonne was mad at us"go to bed! School tomorrow!" This program started at 10:00 P.M.!

[@sandiali4740]

@kay Steve I miss that too. When my mom let me stay up And I will never have that again.

[@bigwillietheb]

we were lucky if we had a day off from school , or in the summer

[@seank.9764]

This is one of my favorite TV themes. It automatically transports me to a cherished time in my childhood when we would gather around our old RCA color console and see what Mac and Sally had in store for the week. Thank You Henry Mancini for defining a treasured memory and a kinder, simpler reality in my life.

[@HolgerRuneFan]

Beautifully well said, we Boomers get the sentiment.

[@bradunderwood5684]

Wow. Reminds me of my childhood big-time!!

[@briane173]

I was about 13 - 14 when the SMM rolled out. As busy and fast-paced as my parents' lives were back in those heady times, I could always count on them sitting down and watching a full episode of one of three shows without fail: The Sunday Mystery Movie (mostly "Columbo"), "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in," and "Ironside." Ironically, these shows were all on NBC.

[@jupiterinaries6150]

My late mom loved mccloud.

[@rourkesdrift7614]

Brad Underwood me too

[@rourkesdrift7614]

Me too!

[@josephfuselier6997]

There you go! RIP Dennis Weaver and Peter Falk My years growing up watching these shows were golden. Best actors/actresses. It was awesome to watch as stars gave standing ovation to screen legends that today are forever immortalized. John Wayne was one of them. Hollywood will always be that special place where people can be entertained. Susan St. James, Richard Boone, Dennis Weaver, George Peppard, and host of others. May we never forget their style and always strive to better ourselves.

[@piyapoja]

Bring back my childhood memory. I watched this in my dad’s room light turn off, expecting to see Mccloud or Columbo. The music theme and the flashlight thing still in my memory even it was nearly 50 years ago.

[@MrFiveeasypieces]

Thanks for all your comments!! So happy to see there's commune of people reflecting, longing, remembering and reacting to this intro same way as I did in my childhood. I wish I could go back there and stay there! :D

[@gregoryhudson1379]

Me too

[@تاىىللببال]

Me too 😭

[@davidchriscastillo2499]

So do I.

[@watershed44]

Me too friend. Good times.

[@celticjewel913]

I want to "go home" too....

[@mschessy]

I always adored this theme from Henry Mancini and loved feeling safe and protected watching this show with my grandparents. What’s happened to our world and society? I feel so alone and lost living in these uncertain times. 😢

[@lansilver9217]

I TOTALLY relate to your feelings....

[@THX-kw2jh]

Me Too

[@vincedangerio546]

I can relate.

[@sheshe6166]

Whoa you made me teary!! ❤️

[@Clock_70]

i understand what youre saying

[@mierpaul]

I can remember sitting on my grandfather's lap watching this show. It was his favorite. Sadly both are now gone.

[@brainscott8198]

One of those TV themes that never leaves ya once u hear it...R I P, Mr Mancini and the glorious 1970's.

[@transitdude3352]

You knew it was Sunday when that and the wonderful world of Disney came on! Good memories!

[@gtw1970]

Yes preach brother 🙌. Earlier in the night MUTUAL of Omaha Wild Kingdom

[@lisadarcelwicks]

I never missed this on Sunday nights growing up.. l really miss those days

[@scarygary-qq1pj]

No you don't.

[@MrScottie68]

When TV was worth watching. We used to sit all together in the living room on a Sunday night and watch this...my favorite was McMillan and wife and I loved when the announcer at the end of the music announced that the evening’s show would be them. As I now watch the reruns it makes me sad that most of the characters on the three shows, as well as my family are now deceased.

[@davidchriscastillo2499]

And I desire joining them, since I miss my loved 1's no longer with me & feel out of place in 2022. My time has passed & I'd prefer to pass with it. I feel I belong in the time era of 1969 to about 1974.

[@lauramars182]

Right there with you, David. All the good we ever knew, or had in this world, is completely gone, or ruined beyond repair. For me, on the other side, it's the same time frame you mentioned; my house is Victorian, and there's music, when it was good, lots of dogs and cats in my garden, and of course, my favorite reruns on telly. Time is short for us in this realm. In the meantime, let your heart be happy with the thoughts of seeing your loved ones again when this grand illusion is over. Cheers!!

[@daleburrell6273]

@@davidchriscastillo2499 ...AND I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY-!!!

[@daleburrell6273]

@@lauramars182 ...YOU SUMMED IT UP PERFECTLY-(!)

[@mwillblade]

Damn people! If you can walk and talk and have all your marbles life is worth living

[@PredatorKingdom]

I get the absolute chills when the narrator or PA guy takes over and says, "TONIGHT STARRING ROCK HUDSON & SUSAN SAINT JAMES AS MCMILLAN & WIFE!" That is everything because of how glamorous and epically the instrumental closes with the horns.

[@ronmyers2317]

Memories abound as I sit and listen to this. Being a kid about 10 years old watching this every Sunday night. This particular theme song stays with you. It was this on Sunday night along with the wonderful world of Disney. I think McCloud what's my favorite. Never knew this was Henry Mancini composing this until just recently. Brilliant work. And I always wondered who the guy was with the flashlight. To me it always look like it would be Dennis Weaver.

[@kuki7500]

This intro inevitably transports me to my childhood

[@anncharissekelley2577]

My childhood meets my adulthood🥰 I find myself watching my childhood favorites every weekend now & enjoying every bit of it🤗Just missing my love ones who are no longer here, but I am very thankful for the memories 50 years later🙏🏼Salute To Henry Mancini for such a great intro & outright beautiful theme to some of the best shows ever made🫡🫡

[@thomasferrusi1345]

don't forget the popcorn 🍿

[@jeffstevens5217]

I do the same thing. I love watching the old shows from the 70's. It's very nostalgic to me.

[@stumpycatvm7115]

probably no older than 5 hypnotized by this intro, practically forgot about it, before the damm internet and mobile devices and you played outside till dark, barefoot

[@mikemathews9277]

I remember this to I was probably around 7 or 8 and it hypnotized me to.......

[@Psychol-Snooper]

I seem to remember being put to bed to the sound of this theme. I suspect it followed The Wonderful World of Disney? Which followed Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom? They were all NBC's Sunday evening line-up.

[@pibbb25]

Yeah but google allowed me to search and find this opening , with only remembering Dennis Weaver’s first name.. in 3 mins. So there’s that.

[@jimmyt9345]

That is a great description and I remember it so well.....can't believe it has been this many years. Damn those were great times, in a different world.

[@oldiesmusic76]

@@Psychol-Snooper Oh, don't forget the Adventures of the Wilderness Family....lol

[@sloanchessman5783]

Makes me miss my parents...I hear this, and it takes me back to my childhood, and a much simpler time in my life. Thank you for posting this.

[@MikeB071]

I'll never, ever forget this intro!!! I remember watching it so many times as a kid, and I wasn't really scared by it; it was more like I was intrigued by the mystery of it all. Who was the guy with the flashlight? Was he a good guy or a bad guy? What exactly was he looking for??? So many unanswered questions!

[@TimTheTuner]

As I got older the image became for me as if it were something out of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, with some mysterious dude walking slowly toward you on the moors at night with a flashlight.

[@cavscout6b]

Some insist it was a cowboy, but a close look reveals he's wearing a fedora. Either way, its representative of a detective looking for clues, and was veteran actor and stuntman Ted White.

[@timgoebel3778]

I remember being scared at the blood-red picture and the swinging light.

[@RoyAH.]

@@cavscout6b : I tried to confirm that it was Ted White, but wasn’t able to find anything on it. How did you discover that the shadowy man was Ted White? Interesting find!

[@dougr3142]

Sunday night, early 1970s. I hear this on the TV in my parents bedroom while I take a shower in their bathroom to get ready for grade school the next day. Very happy memories!

[@Docjonel]

So glad to see this here. For some reason this opening has stayed in my mind since I was a little kid. It's just as I remembered it.

[@Cydonia2020]

Almost 50 years later and this music still gives me the willies. But I do love it!

[@joewanger8285]

This theme and the ABC Movie of the Week Theme instantly take me back in time. Thanks for posting this..

[@pamalford8319]

The theme from ABC Movie of the Week was composed by Burt Bacharach, entitled "Nikki", for his newborn daughter, who was born severely premature and suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. Tragically she took her own life at the age of 40.

[@Briellen_Mellott]

There were several versions of the Movie of the Week theme. The one I really liked was, I think, Tuesday. Triumphant and upbeat more than the others. I'd like to hear it again.

[@jamesisenberg5909]

Thanks for the memories. I love hearing that theme music again after 50+ years.

[@bethvirginiaphillips4583]

Sometimes those theme songs from older t.v. shows were better than the shows! In this case the shows and the music were both great...thank you, Henry Mancini.

[@thewewguy8t88]

i sort of agree but looking back i feel like some of those shows have not aged very well at all. like i said i can think of a few gems still out there right now. granted i think a slight factor is our expectations of shows has changed quite a bit as well. like a great example is how i was watching a new show tonight and it had a real cringeworthy moment at least for me in how i was expecting something to happen only out of sarcasm and was like omg i hope they dont do this and thank god they did not.

[@StukInBuf]

@Beth Virginia Phillips(open): That's likely because, in that era, they tended to put a premium on artistic talent... not just by the on-stage performers, but even by writers and everyone else(even the music-writers and musicians) behind the scenes.

[@bethvirginiaphillips4583]

@@StukInBuf Agree. There was a certain pride in a job well done, REAL talent..people like Mancini was classically trained. I think of Billy May, Neal Hefti, Lalo Schifrin, and others who were real musicians and their music was so fantastic that it could move you to tears. Now the recording industry is purely drug and money driven..the bland and untalented are called artists.

[@mescko]

I have long been a fan of soundtracks and especially TV music. I have 3 or 4 of those TV theme song CD's.

[@mescko]

@@bethvirginiaphillips4583 Barry DeVorzon, Jerry Goldsmith, Mike Post...

[@danielshumway7046]

My mother and I never missed it. This theme is embedded in my memories of her and Sunday nights. RIP, Mom.

[@judydavenport9636]

Omg i always looked forward to this show. Henry Mancini was a musical genius.

[@symphonyxXx]

BEST theme on TV back in the good old 70s! You had to have been there to really appreciate that decade.

[@rayburton4867]

What happened to good tv? Don’t you just get goosebumps hearing and seeing this?

[@thenix8881]

Agree with you completely Ray

[@jjohn2k]

Yep

[@JohnDlugosz]

I just watched one of the most famous episodes of Columbo, and it was very slow and cerebral compared to shows today. There's a new show out now, _Elsbeth_ , that has the same trick of catching the killer that the audience already knows. But it's not as good as Colombo! It doesn't have a *clever* way for the killer to give himself away like in Columbo.

[@kkakdugiman]

I cannot believe I haven't seen this for so many years!! This reminded me of my times when I was a little kid. My gosh, times have changed and has changed for everyone who has lived through the 70s like I did. Those were the memoriable times!

[@lansilver9217]

I for one WILL NEVER FORGET THE 70s. Bittersweet memories I'll always cherish. I'll never forget my teen job at McDonald's and my true infatuation (💘) with CARY B. She took my breath away ....and ripped out my heart!! COLD HEARTED BITCH!! LOL!!

[@mzaputil]

I am so thankful I came of age at that time this was on. Looked forward to it every Sunday, and watched it with my Pa. Hec Ramsey, McCloud and Columbo were our favorites, miss those daze much...

[@lacrosse6261]

I love the Mystery Movie Theme, the shows and especially the actors who are no longer with us! So sad!

[@brookjersey]

That whistling and figure with the flashlight was scary when I was little.CHILLS!!

[@stephenusaf6315]

Same here. Kind of foreshadowed the X-files theme.

[@Psilanderfan1884]

Another beautiful piece of music by the legendary Henry Mancini!

[@adamjam9541]

This came up in my feed, you can’t get yesterday back but you can hold onto the memory. Thanks for posting

[@lorencosby]

The anouncer is Hank Simms - also did The FBI, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, Barnaby Jones

[@DJKhrome]

Loren Cosby I thought his voice sounded familiar!! He did voiceover for quite a few Quinn Martin shows.

[@elizaengen4141]

thank you. looking for that name. lol

[@lorencosby]

@@DJKhrome Yes, he did. He was from Tulsa, OK and attended the same high school as Paul Harvey, Tony Randall and Danny "Dark" Croskery - voice of NBC 80s & 90s, "Beachwood Aged Budweiser", "Sorry, Charlie," Keebler and dozens of others. He was also the voice of Superman on SuperFriends cartoon. The school was Tulsa Central High and I believe there was a speech teacher there who was famous for sparking interest in these guys --- have to check that part for certainty.

[@andrepoole2933]

Didn't realize that, good to know, as all the above are my childhood (now nostalgic) favorites!! 👋

[@jamesperry2322]

Also Police Squad!

[@bryankrefft8488]

I am 6 or 7 years old again as I listen to this recalling the special times my dad who was a tv mystery show fan all his life would let me stay up late to sit between his legs as he sat in his big orange chair in our living room and I’d hide my eyes when something scary came on grabbing his knees tighter. Oh my God I miss you so very much Dad, 10 years after you left us! I’m so thankful for these wonderful memories brought to life by long forgotten music like this.

[@Ibantar]

As a musician for may years now, I never ralized the impact that different music I heard as a child would come to be so pivotal in my latter years. THIS PIECE OF MUSIC is one of those! I'm glad things like this are uploaded so that many musical minds that will come after me can hear these gems and know how true compositions really could and can transport you from one time to another!

[@ASD001122]

I am Saudi. I used to enjoy this program that was shown on Saudi television in the mid-seventies. The introduction was charming.

[@donarthiazi2443]

I am a little surprised this aired on Saudi television. Did they provide Arabic translations or did they have it dubbed over in Arabic? Thanks

[@mikevalbuena635]

Makes me sad to hear and see this now.

[@alanmorris7669]

Makes me reminisce about my childhood in the 1970s.

[@thebluemorpho6640]

@@alanmorris7669 I remember this from sometime before 1976, because we still lived in the first house I remember. :-D

[@aaronhill212]

@@alanmorris7669 Couldnt agree with you more, 1970s was a great time to be a kid in America

[@alanmorris7669]

@@aaronhill212 You're absolutely right. In 1970 I was 5 in kindergarten, and in 1979 I was 14 in junior high school. I can't ever forget the 1970s.

[@jaygrey1212]

@@aaronhill212 It was the best, I really miss those days

[@docmagnus]

That opening scared the hell out of me as a kid. It still does, as a matter of fact!

[@ShannonBradford]

Yeah I loved McMillan & Wife. Brings back a lot of memories.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Of all the TV themes through the decades, this, for me, is the greatest.

[@BobPelot-v9x]

Stuff like this is so bittersweet and makes you realize and think about how important your childhood and parents were...and how they were people just everyone else...it's tragic how we never understand how much a waste of youth is on the young until we enter our physical and mental decline...miss you Mom and Dad and all the pets who've gone along the way

[@thebes118]

Amen brother.

[@rgraz4929]

I'm in my mid 60s and almost EVERY TIME I pickup a flashlight since the 1970s, I whistle the first 10-15 notes of this song. Amazing.

[@johnwitt9505]

I loved that theme song.my family gathered around the tv every Sunday night to watch the mystery movie of the week.I really miss those times when life was much simpler and family's spent more time together.

[@markclowe]

Used to love to watch McCloud with my Dad back in my elementary school days. Excellent times they were indeed!!! The mono synth, the portamento, the strings, the horns, the bass guitar and drums!!! This theme had it all!! I came here this morning because I was looking for this most 70's of TV themes as a demonstration of the times. :-)

[@michellepost5232]

Cozy memories!! I watched these new, every Sunday evening, during 1970s. Hec Ramsey didn't stay on TV very long. It took place 1900, but was like a western. McCloud and Columbo were my faves. Columbo was on during the 1980s, as a Sunday evening show. I hated it when McCloud was canceled.

[@luckycat3]

As a child - hearing & seeing this opening was always a thrill. I was a big Columbo & McMillan & Wife fan (they always seemed so cool and sophisticated and Sally always had the best clothes). Thanks for uploading. Great memories.

[@paktype]

Whoa - memory rush! I can literally smell the fresh laundry my mother just ironed in our TV room. 50 years ago….

[@Sarasdad91]

I cry every time I hear this theme, because it brings back so many precious memories....I so miss the NBC Mystery movie....

[@jamescombs8316]

I get excited and a little sad, miss my parents. The world has changed so much.

[@Sarasdad91]

100% Agreed....

[@eddiereynoza1130]

I worked one episode of columbo i miss so many people there all gone now those times will never be replaced. All these stars in that time were the kindest people you will ever meet and work with peter worked so hard same with Angela, dennis, william c. These stars would read the script twice and remember the lines it was shocking i just hung on and did my best god bless them all.

[@jamesperry2322]

thanks for the connection.

[@eddiereynoza1130]

@@jamesperry2322 Your so welcome.

[@AlbieChilla]

Eddie which Columbo episode did you work on? I am a Columbo nut. I've seen them all many times. What was Peter Falk like? It was so cruel what happened to him in the end. He has left an incredible and amazing legacy on screen that is for sure. Many of the guest stars and supporting cast were incredible as well. I will always enjoy watching Columbo no matter how many times I watch it.

[@eddiereynoza1130]

@@AlbieChilla Columbo Cries Wolf at Universal. Peter was very kind he worked so hard he was a natural actor. That lot was incredible i would bounce over to jake and the fat man and we all would have lunch. So many stories and memories 31 years gone by to fast its heart breaking with all new faces now. Thanks for watching these great shows they are still very entertaining. Its always sad for everyone in the end but we all will be together again.

[@kystars]

I love this theme. Beautiful music, and just the idea of relaxing with your family or whoever is important to you is so great. No politics or other boring issues. just a good show to keep your mind off your daily life.

[@jpsned]

Very beautifully put! 👍

[@ronaldtodd7704]

When I was a little boy I always loved to see this come on. The music and the flashlight searching always drew me to the tv.

[@dskyyksd]

Reminds me too of all those shows that started at my bedtime where the intro announced that the show was "A Quinn Martin Production!"

[@tommaveety3139]

This theme signaled the end of the weekend for me and my return to school the following day. It also reminds me of a time in my childhood when I had my family with me and my life was so much different. ❤

[@genesis1177]

I never forgot this show. I loved it in the 1970s when it had such good storied. The music was unique and new and unmistakable.

[@HeavenBound1]

Talk about young teen memories when living in Ridgewood NY in the 70s! I remember this well! Many great and funny memories of relatives who have since moved far away or have passed! Thanks for the memories!

[@user-tq1tf6hh9w]

The original Mystery Movie cycle for which this theme was composed, was Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan & Wife. I've always envisioned the whistling as representing Columbo, the romantic interlude as McMillan & Wife, and the galloping strum of the guitar as McCloud.

[@Teebone211]

As made in many comments before mine in here, yes, vivid memory of this theme, time for bed school Monday morning, also it reminds me of cold winter nights as a kid growing up in the 70's, parents always watched this Sunday nights as we were off to bed...

[@wadecarmen7501]

This takes me back. Good times. Before the garbage of today TV had meaning!

[@BigTee3099]

How i miss those days!

[@arthurwatt4144]

Loved columbo. That was the best of all of them

[@vgrandy95]

Wow, I truly miss great shows like this. This brings back so many good memories of my childhood

[@hyperboytkl1077]

As a very young boy, I remember hearing this song being played in a downtown restaurant in China over and over, as if it were the only song available during our family vacation sometime in the mid seventies. All the time, I thought it was a chinese song even from the way it sounds. Until only now after I learned from google the real origin of this song. Amazing whistling tune ! It’s what makes this song iconic.

[@thewatcher170]

My moms 2 favorites...Columbo and McMillan and Wife R.I.P.

[@gotmail9396]

It has taken me 51 years to find this song that haunted and terrified my sister and me. That show would start and our mom would say "The ou-wee-ou man" is coming to get ya. So go to bed! I'd run crying thinking he was behind me as mom would laugh. Ahhh the 70's...Good times.

[@johnwitt9505]

I loved that theme song.my family gathered around the tv every Sunday night to watch this.I miss those days very much.my favorite was McCloud

[@nycdweller]

We always cheered with delight when it was Columbo coming on.

[@chuckers40]

I grew up with the NBC Mystery Movie. "Columbo", "McCloud", and "Quincy, M.E" were the gems of the group. "Banacek" was the most underrated of the group and should have been put in the Sunday rotation. It's ironic that "Quincy, M.E" was the only one that turned into a regular one hour weekly series. You would have thought that "Columbo", and "McCloud" would have the first to become a weekly series.

[@karltork6040]

"Banacek" was pure style. It's a shame Mr. Peppard refused a third season. Put the blame on Elizabeth Ashley!!!

[@mescko]

The Ellery Queen pilot was shown on the Sunday Mystery Movie and went on to one regular season, perhaps my favorite show of the 1970's.

[@RoyAH.]

Turning 55 next month. Weird. I remember getting to watch only this part in the 70’s because my parents - for a brief moment - with my fingers crossed, I’m sure - forgot what time it was. This tune and the mystery man, scared the heck out of me and school was the next day. Bummer. Now, I watch it every Sunday night, just because there is no school tomorrow! haha!

[@TheVagolfer]

When watching television was an event! The family, or me and my girlfriend watching these wonderful episodes. Banacek was also among these.

[@yonkel]

Oh the memories. Even as a kid I thought this was such a compelling and beautifully executed intro for a series.

[@soundwavs1961c]

I love how it begins and then goes into the beat and then the whistling 😃

[@likeabossk6881]

Cool, I finally get what they're talking about on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" when they mention "NBC Mystery Movie", every time they show someone or some people using flashlight. It was always so frustrating not getting that reference. And they use that reference a lot on "MST3000".

[@celticjewel913]

🎯🎯🎯🎯ONE OF THE BEST THEMES AND TELEVISION OPENINGS EVER. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THE "SUNDAY MYSTERY MOVIE"--!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I wish that they still ran this before replayed "Columbo" episodes--it is his "OVERTURE." 😊)

[@michellepost5232]

I watched this as a kid in grade 4 through my senior year. I loved it. Columbo and McCloud were my faves.

[@mosespray4510]

Wow, that sure brings back memories. Thanks for posting this! I remember Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan and Wife clearly, but have no memories of Hec Ramsey. It was a cool idea to combine multiple programs into a weekly series.

[@tomwagner3640]

I will never get this tune out of my head!

[@HeavenBound1]

Yes, teen memories of the 70s! It was a fun time! No cell phones. No internet. Just conversations and watching shows like this.

[@VanWADebbie]

I would like to see this concept of revolving detective stories come back.

[@francescaa8331]

VanWADebbie I would love to see revolving shows like this. That's a longer format and they put some energy into them. And each company doesn't have to produce as many so they can take their time on them. Maybe because people don't sit at the home so much but just record everything- it doesn't matter now.

[@shemingway1]

I think the were 90 minutes long.

[@artsybabe4u]

Right! Today it's FBI Trauma, FBI International, FBI Most Wanted. 3 in a row the same night. What a lack of imagination!!!!!

[@alexallan-musicaaovivo500]

Oh, the 1970s ! I used to watch these with my dad. Great memories.

[@sdne1959]

. YES !!! McMillan and Wife !!! I remember watching this back in the day, and getting a REAL rush when one of my favorites (McMillan and Wife, Columbo (Of Course!) and McCloud) was 'revealed' as the featured show that particular night. Just INCREDIBLE how this GREAT theme song INSTANTLY brings back so many WONDERFUL tv memories... .

[@JadedAnon]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ This is a core memory. I miss my childhood.

[@mordecaiesther3591]

Man so Man !! Me and my mom would sit together and watch columbo, and Banacek, and Mcloud. Boy... I want to go back to Franklin Junior High

[@Sailormac2]

Best TV opening EVER. The visuals and music are wonderfully atmospheric. We’re never going to see the likes of this on network TV again. (Oh, and as a MSTie, I just have to do this: “Chief?” “MCCLOUD!”)