Vic Mizzy (1922-2009)

He was responsible for the most famous finger snaps of all time. Songwriter Vic Mizzy, who wrote the theme songs to The Addams Family and Green Acres, passed away on Saturday at the age of 93 according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Los Angeles Times notes that he also wrote the themes to The Pruitts of Southampton, Klondike and scored episodes of Shirley Temple’s Storybook and The Richard Boone Show.

Because production company Filmways wouldn’t pay for a singer, Mizzy sang the theme to The Addams Family himself and overdubbed it three times.

Additional obituaries can be found at BBC News and The Film Music Society.

(Via TVByTheNumbers.com.)


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3 Replies to “Vic Mizzy (1922-2009)”

  1. Mizzy wrote THREE different themes for Phyllis Diller’s 1966-’67 ABC sitcom: the first was an instrumental, used only in the unaired version of the pilot episode {“THE PRUITTS”}, which had a “here, chick, chick, chick” motif. The second theme was the one most people on YouTube know about- “THE PRUITTS OF SOUTHAMPTON” [September-December 1966], with vocals by Phyllis and members of her cast, heard during the first half of the season (and a delightful instrumental version over the closing credits). The third was when the series was “retooled” as “THE PHYLLIS DILLER SHOW” in January 1967; for that version, he wrote a “frantic” theme, emphasizing slapstick and fast-paced “nuttiness”. The show was cancelled after one season, but his theme and scores for it were an added enjoyment for anyone who saw it. He also wrote the score for the pilot episode of “CAPTAIN NICE” (1967) as well…but his greatest TV scores will always be “THE ADDAMS FAMILY” and “GREEN ACRES”.

  2. Mizzy also wrote the theme for an obscure sci-fi pilot in the mid-60s titled The 13th Gate. That’s a show for you to dig up some info and clips on, as it seems to have slipped under everyone’s radar, to this day.

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