"The Andy Griffith Show" Whistler Earl Hagen Dies, Age 88
Hollywood composer Earl Hagen died at his home on Monday. He was not only featured as the whistler of The Andy Griffith Show theme, but he was a prolific composer of music for many classic television shows and an accomplished musician and composer outside of the small screen:
Hagen, who is heard whistling the folksy tune for "The Andy Griffith Show," died at his home in Rancho Mirage, his wife, Laura, said Tuesday. He had been in ill health for several months.During his long musical career, Hagen performed with the top bands of the swing era, composed for movies and television, and wrote one of the first textbooks on movie composing.
He and Dick Rogers were nominated for an Academy Award for best music scoring for the 1960 Marilyn Monroe movie "Let's Make Love."
For television, he composed original music for more than 3,000 episodes, pilots and TV movies, including theme songs for "That Girl," "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."
Sad news, indeed. The Andy Griffith Show is a staple at my house, and I'd rather watch it than 99.9% of the tripe on television today. Just hearing the theme, with its familiar whistle, is enough to bring a smile to my face and my heart. Mr. Hagen wrote music for many of my favorite shows, but the theme from TAGS is special to me.
Our prayers and condolences go out to his family.
