UK TV

It’s funny, isn’t it, the difference a year or two can make in terms of style. Consider, for example, the title sequence of a previous Lost Gem, Mission: Impossible, starring Peter Graves, which first aired in 1966.

Slick, glossy, exciting – and in color! Now let’s go back just one year to 1965 to have a look at Court Martial, also starring Peter Graves and Bradford Dillman. Set during World War 2 and detailing the investigations of a Judge Advocate General’s office (yes, those guys who were in JAG), it originally started life as a two-part 1963 episode of NBC’s Kraft Suspense Theatre that also starred Graves and Dillman. Made by ITC, it ran for one season of 26 episodes, airing first in the UK on ITV and then in the US on ABC and even won a BAFTA for best dramatic series.

And here’s the title sequence.

Interesting, huh. All stock footage, black and white, sharp cuts, etc. But it’s very much of a type – consider the title sequence of the similarly themed and quite good John Thaw show Red Cap, which looked at investigations by the UK military police and aired from 1964-66.

Do you see how similar they are? Fashion, huh? Yes, it even applies to TV title sequences.