COMPOSER VIC MIZZY DIES AT 93

Vic Mizzy, who composed the indelible theme music for "The Addams Family" and "Green Acres" died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 93.
For the "The Addams Family" theme, which became a long-remembered part of '60s pop culture, Mizzy played the harpsichord and sang the vocal parts (overdubbing his own voice three times) and coached the actors during the main-title sequence (including on-camera finger-snapping by the actors). The equally iconic "Green Acres" theme was performed by stars Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. Mizzy also wrote all the underscore for both series. His theme for "Addams" was reprised in the 1990s feature films.
Although he was most famous for his sitcom music, Mizzy also had a number of top-20 hits in the late 1930s, '40s and '50s when he was active as a New York-based songwriter. Doris Day sang the most popular, "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time," in 1945.
Other hit songs included "There's a Faraway Look in Your Eye" and "Three Little Sisters," both sung by the Andrews Sisters; "Take It Easy," "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes," "The Whole World Is Singing My Song," "Choo'n Gum," "The Jones Boy," "With a Hey and a Hi and a Ho-Ho-Ho" and others.
His TV career began around 1959, with music for "Shirley Temple's Storybook" and the themes for "Moment of Fear," "Klondike" and "Kentucky Jones."
"Addams" and "Green Acres" began a run of 1960s and '70s sitcom themes that also included "The Pruitts of Southampton," "The Double Life of Henry Phyfe," "Captain Nice," "The Don Rickles Show" and "Temperature's Rising." He also wrote underscores for TV's "Richard Boone Show" and "Quincy" along with several TV movies including "Terror on the 40th Floor."
His film scores included the William Castle films "The Night Walker" and "The Busy Body"; five Don Knotts films including "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," "The Shakiest Gun in the West," "The Reluctant Astronaut," "The Love God?" and "How to Frame a Figg"; and others including "The Caper of the Golden Bulls," "Don't Make Waves" and "Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?"
Mizzy was born in Brooklyn and attended New York U. He played accordion and piano as a child and was virtually self-taught as a composer and orchestrator. Many of his song hits happened while he was serving in the Navy during WWII.
Survivors include a daughter, a brother and two grandchildren. Another daughter died in 1995.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, Calif.