Photo from a Backstage Pass Magazine, Number 4, 1980 published by Norlin.

Television Shows As A Featured Soloist

Here are some shows that Howard Roberts played on. When available I've added some snippets of his playing on the show and his daughter Madelyn Roberts has supplied some details.

I also have a CD of a number of TV themes that H.R. played on although I can't identify them all. This was compiled by John Hannum and Jay Koder of Portland, Oregon.

Alias Smith and Jones
Andy Griffith Show
Batman
The Bill Cosby Show
Bob Hope Show
Bonanza
The Brady Bunch
Cannon
Danny Thomas Show
Dick Van Dyke Show
The Deputy (see below).
Dragnet
The F.B.I.
Get Smart
Gidget
Green Acres
The Harder They Fall (Hugo Freidhofer, 1956, Columbia) This is on HR's first album for Verve, Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar. The song, "An Orchid for Miss Sterling", was written by Freidhofer, and named after actress Jan Sterling, who played Humphrey Bogart's wife in this film noir classic. It is this theme song that permeates the film and HR is probably the only guitarist (or possibly musician?) who ever played this piece since the film. HR was head of guitar section in Columbia's orchestra at that time.
Have Gun Will Travel
Hawaii Five-O
I Dream of Jeannie
The Innocents (Georges Auric, 1961, British studio unknown) the perfect horror story, from a novella by Henry James. HR also played this movie theme on album #1 for Verve.
Ironsides
The Jetsons
Johnny Staccato
Little House on the Prairie
Longstreet
Love American Style
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Markham
Me And the Chimp
Medical Center (Lalo Schifrin)
Mission Impossible (Lalo Schifrin)
Mod Squad
The Most Deadly Game
Movie of the Week
M-Squad
The Munsters (Jack Marshall)
The Name of the Game
Night Gallery
The Odd Couple
Oklahoma! (Jay Blackton, conducting expanded arrangements by Robert Russell Bennett, 1955, Magna Theater Corp.)
Ozzie And Harriet Show
Partners
The Partridge Family
Peter Gunn
Petticoat Junction
Red Skelton Show
Richard Diamond (Pete Rugolo)
The Rookies
Run For Your Life
The Sandy Duncan Show
Shot Gun Slade
State Fair (Alfred Newman, 1962, MGM)
The Steve Allen Show
The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
To Catch A Thief
Twilight Zone

The Deputy

The Deputy was a television show which ran in weekly episodes from September 12, 1959 to Sept. 16, 1961 and starred Henry Fonda. Jack Marshall was in charge of the music and composed it all. He in turn hired Howard Roberts whose role was to freely improvise over the score that Marshall created. I have acquired a video containing the following episodes of this show:

Spoken in Silence
An Enemy in the Town
The Deadly Breed
The Last Gunfight
Backfire
Back to Glory
Focus of Doom
The Border Between
Shadow of the Noose
The Return of Simon Fry
The Wild Wind
Like Father
The Deadly Quiet

The music is full of Howard Roberts' contributions with his guitar being the dominant voice. So you have a Western with a jazz guitar musical background! This seems like a very unique arrangement and I wonder if the music for any other television shows was produced in this way?

Movie Soundtracks Howard Roberts Played On

Howard Roberts was a featured solist on a number of significant movies working under the musical directors Lionel Newman (Twentieth Century Fox). Johnny Green (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Leith Stevens (Paramount Pictures), and Mischa Bachalonakof (Columbia Pictures).

A listing of movies that H.R. played on can be found at Jazz on the Screen" by typing "Howard Roberts" into the search engine.

The list below is compiled from an official legal document which gives all the films for which his estate receives payments for his participation. Many thanks to Patty Roberts for this information.

Adam At Six A.M. - CBS
Airport - Universal
The Ambushers - Columbia
An American Dream - Warner Bros.
Any Wednesday - Warner Bros.
Apache Uprising - Paramount.
B.S. I Love You - 20th Century Fox.
Back Street - Universal.
Barefoot In The Park - Paramount.
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls - 20th Century Fox.
The Big Bounce - Warner Bros.
The Big Country - United Artists.
A Big Hand For A Little Lady - Warner Bros.
The Big Mouth - Columbia.
Blackbeard's Ghost - Walt Disney.
Blue Hawaii - Viacom Int'l.
Boeing, Boeing - Paramount.
Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number - MGM and UA.
Boy on a Dolphin (Hugo Freidhofer, 20th Century Fox, 1957)
Breezy - Universal.
Buck And The Preacher - Columbia.
Bullitt - Warner Bros. - there is an excellent CD of this Lalo Schifrin soundtrack with many great contribututions from H.R. (see Discography - Sideman).
Bus Riley's Back In Town - Universal.
Bye Bye Birdie - Columbia.
Camelot - Warner Bros.
Caprice - 20th Century Fox.
Cat Ballou - Columbia.
Charly Varrick - Universal Television.
Charly - ABC Cable.
China Beach 90-91 Season - Warner Bros.
Chisum - Warner Bros.
Christian Licorice Store - CBS.
Cool Hand Luke - Warner Bros. - Lalo Schifrin.
Corky - Turner Broadcasting.
The Counterfeit Traitor - Paramount.
The Cowboys - Warner Bros.
Cry In The Wilderness - Universal.
Darling Lili - Paramount.
Day Of The Evil Gun - Turner Broadcasting.
The Deadly Trackers - Warner Bros.
Desire In The Dust - 20th Century Fox.
Dirty Harry - Warner Bros. - Lalo Schifrin (ee the Discography - Sideman).
Divorce American Style - Columbia.
Donovan's Reef - Paramount.
Don't Make Waves - Turner Broadcasting.
Downhill Racer - Paramount.
Dr. Goldfoot And His Bikini Machine - Orion.
El Dorado - Paramount.
Enter Horowitz (Conspiracy Of Terror) - Warner Bros.
The Exorcist - Warner Bros.
Experiment In Terror - Columbia.
Falling Down - Warner Bros.
Flamming Star - 20th Century.
Flap - Warner Bros.
Forrest Gump - Paramount.
Fort Utah - Paramount.
Gambit - Universal.
Generation - De Laurentis Entertainment.
Get To Know Your Rabbit - Warner Bros.
Getting Straight - Columbia.
Girls Of Hintington House - Warner Bros.
The Glass Bottom Boat - Turner Broadcasting.
The Gnome-Mobile - Walt Disney.
Golden Needles - Orion Pictures.
Good Neighbour Ssam - Columbia.
Goodbye Charlie - 20th Century.
The Great Train Robbery - Warner Bros.
Guide For A Married Man - 20th Century.
The Gunhawk - Warner Bros.
Hall of Anger - MGM and UA.
Hang Em High - MGM and UA.
The Happening - Columbia.
Harlow - Paramount.
Harper - Warner Bros.
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - Warner Bros.
The Hell Fighters - Universal.
High Time - 20th Century.
Hit - Paramount.
Hombre - 20th Century.
Horse In A Grey Flannel Suit - Walt Disney.
The Hostile Guns - Paramount.
The Hot Rock - 20th Century.
How Do I Love Thee - ABC Cable.
How The West Was Won - Turner Broadcasting - Alfred Newman - 1962 (see Discography - Sideman).
How to Committ Marriage - Orion Pictures.
How To Murder Your Wife - MGM and UA.
How To Save A Marriage And Ruin Your Life - Columbia.
How To Stuff A Wild Bikini - Orion Pictures.
Hud - Paramount Pictures.
I'll Take Sweden - MGM and UA.
I'm Gonna Getcha Sucka - MGM and UA.
The Illustrated MAn - Warner Bros.
In Cold Blood - Columbia.
In Harm's Way - Paramount.
In The Cool Of The Day - Turner Broadcasting.
Its A Mad Mad World - MGM and UA.
Its Only Money - Paramount.
Joe Kidd - Universal.
John Goldfarb Please Come Home - 20th Century.
Johnny Reno - Paramount.
Kellys Heros - Turner Broadcasting - Lalo Schifrin.
King Of The Grizzlies - Walt Disney.
Lady Sings The Blues - Paramount Pictures.
Last Of The Red Hot Lovers - Paramount.
Last Of The Secret Agents - Paramount.
The Last Sunset - Universal.
Law Of The Lawless - Paramount.
Long Ride Home (Time For Killing) - Columbia.
The Longest Yard - Paramount.
Looking For Love - Turner Broadcasting.
Love HAs Many Faces - Columbia.
Loving - Columbia.
Macon Caounty Line - Orion Pictures.
Madigan - Universal.
Magnum Force - Warner Bros. - Lalo Schifrin (see Discography - Sideman).
Making It - 20th Century.
Man On The Swing - Paramount.
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing - Turner Broadcasting.
Man-trap - Paramount.
Marriage Go Round - 20th Century.
Marriage On The Rocks - Warner Bros.
Mastermind - ABC.
The Misfits - MGM.
Move Over Darling - 20th Century.
Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation - 20th Century.
Murderers Row - Columbia.
Muscle Beach Party - Orion Pictures.
Nevada Smith - Deg Sales.
A New Kind Of Love - Paramount.
A New Leaf - Paramount.
Night Of The Lepus - Turner Broadcasting.
No Way To Treat A Lady - Paramount.
Not With My Wife You Don't - Warner Bros.
The Nutty Professor - Paramount.
On A Clear Day - Paramount.
Once You Kiss A Stranger - Warner Bros.
The Oscar - De Laurentis.
Our Man Flint - 20th Century.
Paint Your Wagon - Paramount.
Palm Springs Weekend - Warner Bros.
Paradise Hawaiian Style - Viacom Intl.
Pieces Of Dreams - MGM and UA.
The Pink Panther - MGM and UA.
P.J. - Universal.
Portnoy's Complaint - Warner Bros.
The President's Analyst - Paramount.
Pretty Maids All In A Row - Turner Broadcasting.
Pretty Poison - 20th Century.
Prime Cut - Kansas City - CBS.
The Pursuit Of Happiness - Columbia.
Rage - Warner Bros.
Rain People - Warner Bros.
Rascal - Walt Disney.
Red Line 7000 - Paramount.
Red Tomahawk - PAramount.
The Reivers - CBS.
Ride Beyond Vengance - Columbia.
The Right Approach - 20th Century.
Riot On Sunset Strip - Orion Pictures.
Robin And the Seven Hoods - Warner Bros.
Sail A Crooked Ship - Columbia.
Sanctuary - 20th Century.
The Sandpiper - Johnny Mandel - 1965 (see Discography - Sideman)
The Second Time Around - 20th Century.
Secret War Of Harry Frigg - Universal.
Send Me No Flowers - Universal.
Seargeant Deadhead - Orion Pictures.
The Seven Faces Of Dr Lao - Turner Broadcasting.
Seven Minutes - 20th Century.
Shaft - Turner Broadcasting. - there is a good Isaac Hayes recording of the soundtrack but no listing is given for H.R. There are a couple of tunes on the CD, however, where it sounds distinctively like him.
The Silencers - Columbia.
The Singing Nun - Turner Broadcasting.
Slap Shot - Universal.
The Slender Thread - Paramount.
The Sons Of Katie Elder - Paramount.
Spinout - Turner Broadcasting.
Stage To Thunder Rock - Paramount.
Stagecoach - 20th Century.
State Fair - 20th Century.
Stay Away Joe - Turner Broadcasting.
Sterile Cuckoo - Paramount.
Stilletto - 1969
Strait Jacket - Columbia.
Summer Magic - Walt Disney.
Summer of '42 - Warner Bros.
Suppose They Gave A War - ABC.
The Swinger - Paramount.
Sweet Charity - Universal.
Synanon - Columbia.
Tell Me That You Love Me Junie Moon - Paramount.
There Was A Crooked Man - Warner Bros.
This Property Is Condemned - Paramount.
Thomasine And Bushrod - Columbia.
Three Bites Of The Apple - Turner Broadcasting.
Three Stooges In Orbit - Columbia.
Thunder Alley - Orion Pictures.
Tickle Me - Warner Bros.
A Time To Sing - Turner Broadcasting.
Town Tamer - Paramount.
The Train Robbers - Warner Bros.
Up The Down Staircase - Warner Bros.
The Venetian Affair - Turner Broadcasting.
W.U.S.A. - Paramount.
Waco - Paramount.
Waterhole 3 - Paramount.
West Side Story -MGM and UA.
Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice - ABC.
When Legends Die - 20th Century.
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows -Columbia.
Where The Boys Are - Turner Broadcasting.
Where Were You When The Lights Went Out - Turner Broadcasting.
Who's Got The Action - Paramount.
The Wild Bunch - Warner Bros.
Wild River (Kenyon Hopkins, 1960, 20th Century Fox)
Will Penny - Paramount.
Winning - Universal.

Movie and Television Appearances

Supposedly Howard Roberts appeared, as a member of the Pete Rugolo orchestra, in a 1955 film called A World of Beauty. I've never seen this film but the music is supposedly quite good. I also heard that he appeared in a episode of Dragnet.