Who wrote the theme song to Matlock?
David Craig
Updated on April 04, 2026
Dick DeBenedictis
Matlock/Music composed by
Richard “Dick” DeBenedictis (born January 23, 1937) is an American composer noted for composing music for television shows including Perry Mason and its movies from 1985 until 1993, Police Story, Columbo, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, Phyllis, and Matlock, and its spin offs Jake and the …
What is the name of the Perry Mason theme song?
Park Avenue Beat
Perhaps the best-known of Steiner’s works, “Park Avenue Beat”, is the Perry Mason TV theme. It was used from 1957 to 1966 for the original Perry Mason series and was re-recorded by Dick DeBenedictis for the subsequent made-for-TV movies in 1985.
What was the first episode of Matlock?
Diary of a Perfect Murder
Diary of a Perfect Murder.
Why did Brynn Thayer leave Matlock?
Beginning with Nancy Stafford’s second season in 1988, she missed several episodes, due to her busy scheduling. She left the show in 1992. In a couple of flashback episodes that looked at Ben’s early career, Andy Griffith played Ben’s father.
What color was Matlock’s suit?
Matlock also has conspicuously finicky fashion sense; he generally appears in court wearing a trademark light gray suit and, over the series’ entire run, owned three generations of the Ford Crown Victoria—always an all-gray model (Griffith’s character had always driven Ford products in his 1960s series, The Andy …
Who played the original Perry Mason theme song?
Fred Steiner
Today, the theme song from Perry Mason is as iconic as its Emmy-winning star Raymond Burr; however, original composer Fred Steiner says its slinky feel didn’t have a lasting appeal for everybody involved with managing the hit show.
Is Fred Steiner related to Max Steiner?
He also conducted several albums of classic film music by Max Steiner (no relation), Alfred Newman, Bernard Herrmann and the “Star Trek” composers.
What was the pilot for Matlock?
Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) and his daughter Charlene (Lori Lethin) defend TV journalist Steve Emerson (Steve Inwood) who is accused of killing Linda Coolidge (Katherine Cannon), his ex-wife….Pilot (1986)
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Alice Hirson | Hazel |
| Kene Holliday | Tyler Hudson |
How old was Andy Griffith when he did Matlock?
Andy Griffith was already in his mid-thirties when he began playing everyone’s favorite country sheriff on “The Andy Griffith Show” in 1960. And for almost two decades after it ended in 1968, finding another hit show eluded him. So he was only a few months away from turning 60 when “Matlock” premiered on NBC.
Why did Columbo whistle this old man?
It was introduced in the episode “Any Old Port in a Storm” in 1973 and the detective can be heard humming or whistling it often in subsequent films. Falk said it was a melody he personally enjoyed and one day it became a part of his character.
