NBC Mystery Movie (cover)

This is my cover of Henry Mancini’s theme from the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (also used for the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie). How old were you when this show aired? When you heard this theme, did that signal “bedtime,“ or did you get to watch the movies? In the history of television, there are a handful of themes that stand out as being memorable... and perhaps even catchy... for one reason or another. Perhaps it’s the show itself, or maybe it’s the tune. This is one of them. I personally count this piece as being quite memorable because it was a great tune. The movies, however... I can’t recall the plot of a single one. This was the launching point for shows like Quincy, M.E. and Columbo. The rendition is an expanded version of the theme and the video portion includes many of the titles that aired under the Mystery Movie umbrella. The theme as aired went through at least a couple of different arrangements. I tried to choose instrumentation that stayed true to the original theme while being a little less “piercing.“ I hope you enjoy it at least as much as I enjoyed (re)creating it!