George Wyle

George Wyle (March 22, 1916 – May 2, 2003), born Bernard Weissman, was an American orchestra leader and composer best known for having written the theme song to 1960s television sitcom Gilligan's Island. He is also the grandfather of musician Adam Levy.

Early Years

In the late 1940s and early 1950s his orchestra served as backup for a number of Columbia Records singers, including Doris Day. Some of the recordings (including "I Said My Pajamas (and Put on My Pray'rs)" in 1949 and "I Didn't Slip, I Wasn't Pushed, I Fell" in 1950) were of his own compositions.

Song Writer

He wrote with Sherwood Schwartz The Ballad of Gilligan's Island, the theme song for Gilligan's Island. He also wrote the Christmas song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (first recorded by Andy Williams in 1963) and more than 400 other songs. His chief musical collaborator was Eddie Pola.

Musical Director

Wyle served as the musical director for The Flip Wilson Show during the early 1970s and also served the music director and arranger for John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together. He served on the Board of Directors of The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (1979-2003).

M*A*S*H (TV series)

M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH (which was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker). The series, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. The show's title sequence features an instrumental version of "Suicide Is Painless", the theme song from the original film. The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, failed. The television series is the most well-known version of the M*A*S*H works, and one of the highest-rated shows in U.S. television history.

The series premiered in the U.S. on September 17, 1972, and ended February 28, 1983, with the finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", becoming the most-watched and highest-rated single television episode in U.S. television history at the time, with a record-breaking 125 million viewers (60.2 rating and 77 share), according to the New York Times. It had struggled in its first season and was at risk of being cancelled. Season two of M*A*S*H placed it in a better time slot (airing after the popular All in the Family); the show became one of the top 10 programs of the year and stayed in the top 20 programs for the rest of its run. It is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations. The series, which depicted events occurring during a three-year military conflict, spanned 256 episodes and lasted 11 seasons.

M*A*S*H (season 4)

The fourth season of M*A*S*H aired Fridays at 8:30-9:00 pm from September 12 to November 28, 1975 and Tuesdays at 9:00-9:30 pm from December 2, 1975 to February 24, 1976 on CBS.

Cast

Episodes

Notes

References

M*A*S*H (season 8)

The eighth season of M*A*S*H aired Mondays at 9:00-9:30 pm on CBS.

Cast

Gary Burghoff appeared in four episodes of the season as Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly before leaving the series.

Episodes

Notes

References