Earle H. Hagen passed away on Monday. He wrote and whistled the music for The Andy Griffith Show. Even though I never met him, Hagen will hold a special place in my memory. When Mollie was little she cried, just as all good little babies do. Bouncing her worked most of the time, but wasn't always an option for soothing. What did work, however, was to hum this simple tune from one of my favorite old show. We hummed this all over the house, in the car, in stores - everywhere. And it almost always worked in calming her down.
Earle Hagen once said, "I realized that the show needed was a simple tune. So I spent all of 15 minutes writing it. I called my bass player and drummer and we recorded it in a little studio on Fairfax Avenue. I whistled the tune myself."
He also composed the themes for The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, That Girl, and many more.
So thank you to a man we never met, but who brought a little peace and quiet to our home.
