The Third Man Theme - Guy Lombardo

Billboard Magazine's #1 Single May 5 - June 2

This is interesting: Immediately after Anton Karas' original recording of The Third Man Theme left the number one spot on the billboard list, it's place was taken by Guy Lombardo's version of the very same song. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any good audio or video for this version, so if you know of one, please let me know in the comments.

However, there's a preview at Amazon.com, where the full audio can also be downloaded:

Download and preview at Amazon.com

Now, let's move on to the next song to top the billboard chart. It will be posted during the day.

The Third Man Theme - Anton Karas

Billboard Magazine's #1 Single Apr. 29 - May 4



This one is a real classic! Before The Third Man, Anton Karas was an unknown zither player, playing at cafés and bars. The exposure he got from The Third Man turned him into an international star.

I never knew the old Vienna before the war, with its Strauss music, its glamour and easy charm -- Constantinople suited me better. I really got to know it in the classic period of the Black Market. We'd run anything, if people wanted it enough- mmm - had the money to pay. Of course, a situation like that does tempt amateurs, but you know they can't stay the course like a professional.

Now the city - it's divided into four zones, you know, each occupied by a power - the American, the British, the Russian, and the French. But the center of the city - that's international, policed by an International Patrol, one member of each of the four powers. Wonderful. What a hope they had, all of them strangers to the place and none of them could speak the same language, except a sort of smattering of German. Good fellows on the whole, did their best, you know. Vienna doesn't really look any worse than a lot of other European cities, bombed about a bit.

Oh, I was gonna tell you, wait, I was gonna tell you about Holly Martins, an American. Came all the way here to visit a friend of his. The name is Lime, Harry Lime. Now Martins was broke and Lime had offered him some sort - I don't know - some sort of a job. Anyway, there he was, poor chap, happy as a lark and without a cent.

Download The Third Man Theme at Amazon.com:
Original version| Another version