Time waster for today: What's your favorite movie or TV opening credit sequence?

[Spiffy]

Watching YouTube, this came up on my recommendations, and I remember how much I like it (although its from a HORRIBLE movie):

Weird Al Yankovic: Opening Credits for Spy Hard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxjmwu1Jrx0). :biggrin:

To appreciate this you have to have a five year old sense of humor (its got fart jokes), paired with a familiarity with 30 year old Bond movies. But fortunately I do.

[Corrina]

Two:

Hill Street Blues

&

The Equalizer--which as the advantage of being incredibly spooky & paranoid plus a Stewart Copeland score.

[Agent Helix]

Not really a "sequence", but the best opening title music EVER is from Magnum Force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQpm5P8DG_Y

[Indigo Al]

Sanford & Son,
Good Times
Barney Miller,

and for more modern times, Angel.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

Several. Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, Star Trek, The Avengers, The third season of Lost in Space, Hawaii Five O, Space: 1999, My Name is Earl.

And so many others that aren't coming to my mind just now. But perhaps my favorite is the third season opening of Lost in Space:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhwOtuBlJ9Y

Man, now that is the way to get a kid all hyped up on sugar cereal all worked up for some space adventure!

It should come as no surprise that John Williams composed that. :) He was going by Johnny then though.

And to tie it into Corrina's post, the alien grabbing Smith at the beginning is none other than Michael "Sgt. Esterhaus" Conrad! And the make up may look familar as well. It was done by John Chambers and it is very similar to the ape make up he did for Planet of the Apes. Which is no big surprise as POTA was being filmed 'next door' on the same lot at one point.

[section 8]

LOST
the opening sequence is the only part of the show that gets to the damned point!

[escapegoat]

Once again, my answer is gonna haveta be the rockin' opening credits to the 1980's version of Flash Gordon.

I also dug the opening credits to Stranger Than Fiction.

[pauwoo]

A couple of 60's shows.

The champions, love the theme music & Alexandra Bastedo was hot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AccLo_yQgFg&feature=related


The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AL7npkSXZE

[Spiffy]

Since so many people are focusing on TV (I DID leave the question open for that intentionally though) I'll toss out some more movies.

As a SERIES of MOVIES, the most consistently entertaining openings definitely have to be the Pink Panther movies. Even the really bad Steve Martin movie still had funny toon credits.

There have actually been a number of other movies, some otherwise quite mediocre, which have had hilarious animated credits. I've always liked the opening credits for Grease (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXGcPYD-R-Y), for example. The animation isn't even that good, I just do for some reason. It just sets the movie up well for me.

Hmm. This is an interesting website I just found: http://mmbase.submarinechannel.com/titlesequences/

Some interesting stuff there--I haven't seen all of these.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

A couple of 60's shows.

The champions, love the theme music & Alexandra Bastedo was hot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AccLo_yQgFg&feature=related


The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AL7npkSXZE

Fantastic choices. And so very true about Bastedo!


I just realized that movies were part of the original query.

So in that case I would have to add anything Saul Bass ever did. Superman: The Movie, add my vote to Flash Gordon, The Black Hole.

[Evan Waters]

"Klytus, I'm bored..."

I think more movies nowadays ought to have opening credits sequences. They can really help to draw you into the world of the film- it's a good transition device.

[section 8]

as much as i hate both Carry, and Shumaker,
The opening credits to "the Number 23" was pretty bitchin'

[Spiffy]

I've heard people rave in various online places about the opening credits to Guy Ritchie's "Snatch", but I've never seen the movie. Can't find the opening online anywhere either.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

"Klytus, I'm bored..."

I think more movies nowadays ought to have opening credits sequences. They can really help to draw you into the world of the film- it's a good transition device.

A-freakin-men!

And has anyone ever said a word dripping with as much disdain and dismissal and attitude as when Klytus says "Eaaarth" :biggrin:

[Sarah Beach]

Movie opening credit sequence (current fave), the recent Casino Royale. LOVED the animation on it. Very smart and stylish.

TV opening credits --

All time fave, the best ever opening credits (combination of music and images) -- Hawaii Five-O.


Other faves for TV--

The Equalizer
Miami Vice

Hmm. I'm really picky about excellence in opening credits, because I also consider what the sequence is supposed to be doing: cueing the audience that the show is about to start, generate some excitement & energy about the show, present the regular cast.

I have problems with voice-overs in opening sequences. They are very tricky to do well. Even so, I do like the Burn Notice intro -- Jeffrey Donovan's dry delivery totally makes it work.

[mgs]

Scrubs, The Venture Brothers, Magnum P.I., Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian...actually, a lot I like don't include the 'standard' opening credit sequences....

[escapegoat]

On the opposite end of the movie credits spectrum...I LOOOOOVED the first half of the end credits to WALL-E. A nice animation nod to art history while extending the story after the end of the movie. Plus an awesome Peter Gabriel song to make it more awesome.

[Buzz Dixon]

Robert Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE has a 10 minute opening sequence in which Phillip Marlowe (Elliot Gould) goes out to get cat food (and brownie mix) while Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) is driving to Marlowe's apartment to ask a favor (which we later learn means duping Marlowe in helping him escape a homicide rap).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u0uo0TxS-I

The theme song "The Long Goodbye" (written by John Williams and Johnny Mercer; sung various by Nina Van Palandt, the Dave Grusin Trio, and others) plays through all of this -- only the style of music and the singers change from location to location. In fact, when Marlowe reaches the supermarket, "The Long Goodbye" is playing in a Muzak version!

[Matt Doc Martin]

TV: Loved the Opening for the A-Team.

Movies: The opening monologue for Mallrats is pretty good as well.

[JKCarrier]

For cartoon openings, it's hard to beat Jonny Quest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_-u9sxYZM) and Cowboy Bebop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6zDfxZ4NcE).

[West Mantooth]

Sorry, JK, but the best Johnny Quest theme was in the 90s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LokxUx_kpR8

And The Greatest American Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzEb5IzdcrU&feature=related

[joe27]

Jem & the Holograms (mostly for the Misfits interlude at 0:26, i love those dirty twats): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMKT0gGEBJQ

Twin Peaks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDuGN6K3VQ

[Tyr]

Its a tie between the James Bond opening and The giant Monty Python foot.

[scout1279]

Laverne & Shirley

[JKCarrier]

Sorry, JK, but the best Johnny Quest theme was in the 90s.

Pfft. Doug Wildey art trumps glorified Powerpoint slideshow.

Another good one...Mission: Impossible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55NuWQCh78)

[Karen El]

Ultimate TV opening sequence for me has to be Invader Zim. It tells you everything you need to know about what's going on, gives you a sense of the wacky humour, and has cool music.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

Pfft. Doug Wildey art trumps glorified Powerpoint slideshow.

OFT


Another good one...Mission: Impossible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55NuWQCh78)

DANG! How did I forget THIS one. Utterly agreed.

[Larime]

Dexter.

Best opening sequence on television.

[Infra-Man]

The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AL7npkSXZE

Good call. Sledge Hammer was pretty awesome too for such a simple opening.

One of my favorite opening title movie sequences: A Hard Day's Night

[K'Nort]

One of my favorite tv opening sequences is a fake one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sbqIyeed4g).

[Johnny_Luck]

TV Intros

Quantum Leap and Wild Wild West are awesome


The Casino Royale intro for the recent bond movie was awesome.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Movies:

Superman: The Movie
Batman (1989)
Monty Python & The Holy Grail
Soylent Green
Red Zone Cuba (John. Carradine. SINGING.)

TV:

B:TAS
The Simpsons
Futurama
MST3K, post-Joel/pre-Season 7
Animaniacs
The Real Ghostbusters
The Venture Brothers

And I'm sure some more will come to me later.

[Spiffy]

This is pretty funny. This guy asked himself "What if Star Wars was made 20 years earlier? What would the titles look like?"

So he imagined a Saul Bass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bass) version of them. Bass is responsible for tons of classics. Vertigo. The Seven Year Itch. North By Northwest. Ocean's Eleven. The Man with the Golden Arm. West Side Story. etc. All very graphic designy in looks. (although since Bass made movie titles all the way through the early 1990s that "20 years earlier" backdating isn't really necessary)


Anyway, here's the Star Wars titles "Saul Bass" style (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z25t-PQDn5A). A few mean comments posted on YT for it, but personally I think its charming.

Modern films STILL ape Bass.
-Down With Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlE5zG4Cc4A)
-Catch Me If You Can (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVEgK3nCkao)
-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bpP9sI72bM)

[Dazzler]

My favorite TV opening:

Six Feet Under. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYAe0qwg9Yw

Strangely, even though I absolutely despise the actual show, the opening for The Ghost Whisperer is absolutely fantastically designed...although the Jennifer Love Hewitt pictures should be thrown out for aesthetic reasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pSxL2FMCY


And my favorite movie opening? The Dawn of the Dead Remake credits.

So beautiful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVnA2vZDce0

--Dazz

[tangentman]

Film

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Grindhouse
Kill Bill
Natural Born Killers
Pulp Fiction
The Dark Knight
True Romance

TV

Angel
Bewitched
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Charlie's Angels
Criminal Minds
Good Times
I Dream of Jeannie
Six Feet Under
The Beverly Hillbillies
Ugly Betty
Veronica Mars, Seasons 1 & 2
Wonder Woman, Season 1 (the animated intro)

[Perry Holley]

The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AL7npkSXZE

For cartoon openings, it's hard to beat Jonny Quest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_-u9sxYZM) and Cowboy Bebop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6zDfxZ4NcE).

B:TASExcellent choices.

I would also add the Season 3 opening sequence of Babylon 5. Christopher Franke's powerful score, with Ivonava's voice narration, hinting at a forthcoming Ragnarok, to this day takes by breath away.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0MRU1f2SJ0

And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws

[a. non]

TV:
Toonami
Dragonball
That 70s Show
Babylon 5 Season 4
Forever Knight
DCAU

Movies:
Juno
Star Wars

[Sabrinaset]

TV:

Space:1999
Doctor Who
Police Squad! (AND the endings!)
Eureka
Wonder Woman
The Prisoner (especially the beginning to Fall Out, and the ending)

Movies:

Star Trek 3 and 6.
Every Spider-Man movie.
Sweeney Todd
Terminator 2
2010
Batman Returns
Naked Gun movies
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Justice League: The New Frontier
Yellow Submarine

[a. non]

You forgot Johnny Test (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkfOfQG2-k), Bree

[Sabrinaset]

You forgot Johnny Test (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkfOfQG2-k), Bree

I love the show, but the opening credits aren't something I'd watch over and over, though.

[DrewEdwards]

The animated openings of the Pink Panther films really stand tall in my mind.

As far as TV?

Tales from the Crypt(that GREAT Danny Elfman theme song just nailed the tone.)

Get Smart(Season One)

And of course the Addams Family.

As far as modern stuff goes? I think the opening of Dexter is genius.

[Corrina]

That reminds me.

The Outer Limits.

"We control the horizontal, we control the vertical..."

[a. non]

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, series and movie

Mr. Rogers' Neighbo(u)rhood
Firefly
Doctor Who

[Red Jack]

For cartoon openings, it's hard to beat Jonny Quest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_-u9sxYZM) and Cowboy Bebop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6zDfxZ4NcE).

cosigned.

BeBop is the truth.

edit:

this isn't one but it should be----> J & the PC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvQY6tLMdL0&feature=related)

[section 8]

oh if we are counting Anime, then Paranoia Agent.

[Alan Lynch]

2 of the only ones I'll watch every single time are The Sopranos and Cowboy Bebop. But I'm not sure if that's due to the sequences themselves or the excellent theme tunes.

[KJ_81]

Knight Rider

New Battlestar Galactica

Wow, both created by the same guy. Weird

[LtMarvel]

A couple of 60's shows.

The champions, love the theme music & Alexandra Bastedo was hot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AccLo_yQgFg&feature=related


The Prisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AL7npkSXZE
LOL, why do I feel the need for, um, release when I watch the Champions?

[LtMarvel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0MRU1f2SJ0

And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws
Not the first to have river rafters fleeing in panic to banjo music.

[suedenim]

For slightly different reasons, the openings to these shows:

Justice League: Such great music, and I love the way each hero's intro segues into the next. A real "Seven gods walk the earth. They fight crime!" vibe.

Challenge of the Super-Friends: This intro promised a young viewer at the time the single most awesome thing in the history of mankind. "Banded together from remote galaxies are thirteen of the most sinister villains of all-time -- the Legion of Doom!!! Dedicated to a single objective ... the conquest of the universe!!! Only one groups dares to challenge this intergalactic threat: the Superfriends! The Justice League of America versus the Legion of Doom. This is the Challenge of the Superfriends!"

It's probably hard for younger viewers to understand just how amazing it was to even *see* characters like the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman... all together on screen, facing actual genuine super-villains from the comic books, and that intro sells the premise so frickin' hard that viewers could excuse how lame the show itself often was, with heroes who weren't allowed to throw a punch, a Flash who would obligingly stand still for several unanimated seconds and allow himself to be captured whenever the plot required it, etc.

But, damn, was that a great intro!

[JKCarrier]

oh if we are counting Anime, then Paranoia Agent.

Ooh, good one! Incredibly bizarre, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anabfAg06U) but unforgettable. The end credits (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5LKs6LlsPQ&feature=related) are pretty creepy too.

[jesse_custer]

Television:

Deadwood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B909njPoX7k)

Cowboy Bebop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6zDfxZ4NcE)

Movies:

Reservoir Dogs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzMpH9jjo4w&feature=related)

Vertigo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkHn8PNGYaA)

[jessecuster3]

Movies:
Austin Powers 2


TV:

The Simpsons
Miami Vice
West Wing

I loved how they used the opening for Sports Night.

[Grazzt]

Someone mentioned Police Squad already, but the Naked Gun movies based off it also had great openings.

I liked the Mike Young He-Man opening, too. Having an attack come in the middle of the original opening monologue was a neat device.

[Spiffy]

Movies:
Austin Powers 2
The hairy chest walkaround with the strategically placed titles (and various other phallic objec (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVNCVDlANTs)ts)? Yeah, that was pretty funny.

[jessecuster3]

The hairy chest walkaround with the strategically placed titles (and various other phallic objects)? Yeah, that was pretty funny.

Yep, that's the one.

[Spiffy]

That same YouTube user who I linked to for the Spy Who Shagged Me Credits seems to have a nice portfolio of movie opening credits posted. Well, at least until YT takes them down.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Great+Opening+Titles+Part&search_type=

He actually points out that the 1966 Batman movie titles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf61-sYqe6g) are actually pretty cool.

[mavlock]

From the younger years:

Galaxy Rangers

G.I. Joe Movie (even though the movie was horrible)

Older years:

Tru Calling (no idea why :wink: )

All Time favorite:
Get Smart (Tv Series)

[pauwoo]

Since I'm stuck in the late 60's & Early 70's

The Protectors

1st one is theme tune with lyrics and the 2nd one is the opening titles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6I6buRLQ-U&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQzxuYpHpE&feature=related

Department S

Great Tune and it has mastermind in it :smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3F059khLE&feature=related

Jason King - even more mastermind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc8q16fttSQ

Riptide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMq59GCaIfw

Trap Door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDs8VMz-cuc

[Spiffy]

From the "Horrible, horrible show, great Intros" Department:

--Starts with black.
--Then you get the really dramatic bass drum.
--Then Martin Landau staring into space.
--Then Barbara Bain with this wonderful, stiff face and almost robotic spin to the camera.
--Then the lone title card, with that ridiculous font they used, "Space: 1999".
--The "Eagle" lander spinning out of control...
--Then the music goes from deep and overly dramatic to FUNKY!
--And you get this wonderful mismash of totally indecipherable quarter second flashes from the coming episode, mostly with people turning their heads.
--Then finally the rest of the regularly salaried cast gets credited (um, at that point just Barry Morse I think), and we end seeing the moon get all blowed up again!

Utter genius. The above is just the Series 1 version described, of course, they totally changed it with Series 2.

One typical S1 version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DF9nDJZrdA&NR=1
Another S1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZW4groJro

S2 was even wackier, even if considerably less iconic looking. I dare you to watch this and NOT laugh. It IS very descriptive though. "Moonbase Alpha". "Massive Nuclear Explosion". "Moon Torn Out of Earth Orbit". "Hurled into Outer Space" ('cause you know it wasn't there already, right?) "Red ALERT!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqdMmH7UE_s

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

From the "Horrible, horrible show, great Intros" Department:

--Starts with black.
--Then you get the really dramatic bass drum.
--Then Martin Landau staring into space.
--Then Barbara Bain with this wonderful, stiff face and almost robotic spin to the camera.
--Then the lone title card, with that ridiculous font they used, "Space: 1999".
--The "Eagle" lander spinning out of control...
--Then the music goes from deep and overly dramatic to FUNKY!
--And you get this wonderful mismash of totally indecipherable quarter second flashes from the coming episode, mostly with people turning their heads.
--Then finally the rest of the regularly salaried cast gets credited (um, at that point just Barry Morse I think), and we end seeing the moon get all blowed up again!

Utter genius. The above is just the Series 1 version described, of course, they totally changed it with Series 2.

One typical S1 version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DF9nDJZrdA&NR=1
Another S1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZW4groJro

S2 was even wackier, even if considerably less iconic looking. I dare you to watch this and NOT laugh. It IS very descriptive though. "Moonbase Alpha". "Massive Nuclear Explosion". "Moon Torn Out of Earth Orbit". "Hurled into Outer Space" ('cause you know it wasn't there already, right?) "Red ALERT!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqdMmH7UE_s

I totally agree about the titles. Greatness. But I also totally disagree about the show. Well the first series anyway. I am a big fan of the first series and love it's uniqueness. The second series became a clone of Star Trek. If only the Andersons hadn't divorced.

[singoalla]

TV:
Doctor Who
Torchwood
21 Jump Street

Movies:
Batman Nolan Movies
Superman

[Buzz Dixon]

G.I. Joe Movie (even though the movie was horrible)...ouch...

[Buzz Dixon]

Ralph Nelson's movies usually have strong opening, but the opening to DUEL AT DIABLO (alas, can't find the video online) is pretty spectacular even today where CGI and ultra-light cameras are common.

[Matt Doc Martin]

From the younger years:

Galaxy Rangers

G.I. Joe Movie (even though the movie was horrible)

Older years:

Tru Calling (no idea why :wink: )

All Time favorite:
Get Smart (Tv Series)


...ouch...

But you got to see Cobra Commander's junk!

[jerrymcl89]

I always loved the opening credits for "Angel".

"The Sopranos" opening was also excellent.