Allyn Ferguson, who helped write the theme songs to Charlie’s Angels and Barney Miller, passed away on June 23rd at the age of 84. With partner Jack Elliot (who passed away in 2001), Ferguson composed the aforementioned themes as well as music for dozens of individual television episodes from a wide variety of programs. His Internet Movie Database entry includes almost 100 credits as Composer, including programs like The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Monkees, Big Hawaii and Turnabout, plus made-for-TV movies like A Guide for the Married Woman and The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped. He has another 34 credit as Music Department, where he is listed as composing the theme music for Lotsa Luck, Fish and A.E.S. Hudson Street and conducting for made-for-TV movies like The Last Days of Patton and The New Adventures of Heidi.
Between 1982 and 1989 Ferguson was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, winning once in 1985 in the Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore)
for an episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame (“Camille,” broadcast on December 11th, 1984). Obituaries can be found at The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.
Ferguson’s ties to the Monkees’ kingdom was as composer/conductor of the background music cues for Episode No. 10 of The Monkees television show, “Here Come The Monkees†(Original Pilot Film) (prod. #4091, aired on NBC November 14, 1966 and August 7, 1967).
To absent friends…
Ferguson also composed original works and arranged for Buddy Rich.