Whistling Along with Andy Griffith #469: Earle Hagen Papers

Published February 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM MST

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“The Andy Griffith Theme”, also known as “The Fishing Hole”, written by Earle Hagen. Box 5, Earle Hagen papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Theme music for The Dick Van Dyke Show, written by Earle Hagen, 1961. Box 14, Earle Hagen papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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“Gomer Pyle Theme”, written by Earle Hagen for the Gomer Pyle television show, which was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show. Box 20, Earle Hagen papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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“El Roy”, written by Earle Hagen for the I Spy television show. Box 20, Earle Hagen papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Earle Hagen was an Emmy Award winning musician and composer. He got his musical start playing trombone in Hollywood Junior High School. By the age of sixteen, he was traveling the country playing with big bands. In 1939 he wrote “Harlem Nocturne”.

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It was a tribute to Duke Ellington and saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Hagen went on to write some of the most memorable theme music for TV, including The Dick Van Dyke Show.

And The Andy Griffith Show.

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It is Hagen himself whistling “The Andy Griffith Theme”.

You can pour through hundreds of Hagen’s musical scores in the Earle Hagen papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.