The Little Prisoner On The Prairie.

In a Lotus 7, you can actually go under those barriers...he was being very polite in taking a ticket considering he was resigning ;)

I can't stop picturing a cowboy on a galloping horse for that theme, lol...

Sounds like the theme for a show where the characters from Dallas perform a corporate merger with the Beverly Hillbillies, who take in the Waltons as boarders, and open a Wild West theme park... all turned into a spoof done by The Young Ones.

Whew! not dark enough. To lighthearted.

I agree, it's way more like a western theme than a spy/sci-fi theme.

Thanks for posting this bit of alternate history. They couldn't have gotten it any more wrong.

I listen to this and expect to see a herd of cattle and cowboys riding the range going hee yah. Might have made a good secondary opening for the Harmony episode.

Ride 'em cowboy! The Magnificant One!

Yikes. I'm glad they rejected it! (It sounds like something better suited to Bonanza than The Prisoner)

The theme music eventually chosen was by far the right choice. This first rejected theme certainly could have been used as incidental music during an episode.

I'm so glad this was changed to the classic Ron Grainer theme!

Thank God they saw sense. The chosen theme was often hummed amongst my class mates at school, as we were so much into the series, at the time.....

It would've been hilarious if they used this theme for Living in Harmony.

Never mind Robert , you wrote a great theme for 'Colditz' !

They missed a trick by not using this as the opening theme for "Living in Harmony"

Funny- at first I hated it, but now I can't get it out of my head! There's something about it's energy that I like.

Excellent choice of music, this is just plain, but the original theme chosen was definitely the right choice.

That theme would have worked for the episode that played in a wild west town.

I have to say, this is growing on me. I like it.

This village ain't big enough for the both of us, hoss!

Fascinating bit of history. Thanks for posting!

I can imagine what McGoohan said when this was presented to him. "At what stage did I say cowboy?"

That's actually a very enjoyable piece of music... but it's much too optimistic. Glad they changed it.

Thank goodness calmer heads prevailed

I said to myself thats the music to Big Country! Then the editor said the same thing and I patted myself on the back, lol. Amazing how important a thing like music is to the success of a film, they did a great job with the theme music that was picked, it's awesome!

Too conventional, not sinister or off-beat enough. Totally different vibe. I can see why they rejected it..

I am so glad this was rejected. It sounds like a 60s western. It also is awkward.

So glad they chose the other theme.

I always tuned into repeats of 'The Prisoner' to hear Grainer's theme. It works as a combination spy theme/surreal, over the top theme that suits the show. The original theme here sounds like a cross between 'The Big Country' and a more conventional 1960's thriller show and the orchestration isn't well chosen.

It definitely is 'different' than Ron Grainer's familiar theme. While I don't dislike it ((I DO dislike Wilfred Joseph's), it doesn't fit withe the 'menacing' undercurrent that Grainer's theme has. My favourite version of the Grainer theme has always been the FALLOUT theme, with the horns, which really give a foreboding quality to what had taken place in ONCE UPON A TIME, and, what will happen, in FALLOUT.

I would have rejected that first theme myself. It belongs with a BBC situation comedy series.

That would have worked better for Bonanza than The Prisoner.

This is good for "The Alamo" not for "The Prisoner"

I love this alternate theme, and I think this should make this for western movies or TV series like Bonanza, etc. Hi Ho, Number 6!😊😇❤💯

Amazing bit of history. The Prisoner was a great great show. The score, as chosen was superb. Thanks for posting this!

Don't be too harsh with Farnon, a genuinely talented composer and among the very few arrangers Frank Sinatra could work with. Paddy likely didn't give any of the candidate composers much to work with. The choice is always clearer in hindsight. Josephs' theme was (as only a German instructor could say it) "a little too weird," and even Grainer's was redone (search for his "Age of Elegance"). Suffice it to say this show kept a lot of folks guessing...and to its great credit still does!

Cowboy film theme music definitely. Something the composer had lying around.

It is sooooo 60s! It's exactly what you would expect from a typical second-rate detective/adventure t.v. series, which the composer probably thought he was writing it for. Problem is that the Prisoner wasn't a typical series and couldn't use typical music. "The Age of Elegance" fit perfectly.

Praise da Lawd it got rejected. That theme music would have done well for the Big Valley which was a 60's western show. I mean I expect the Indians to attack a fort full of soldiers.

It would have made a good theme for McCloud.

Yee haw! Who is Number One? HOSS CARTWRIGHT!

It sounded like the film score The Big Country. Thank goodness it was rejected.

the two rejected themes were used on other ITC shows this one on the Champions for the scenes introducing each of the agents voiced over by David Bauer but this one could still have been used on The Prisoner in the episode A Town Called Harmony

I instantly thought of the Big Country too

We are all very lucky that the 1st theme was rejected.

Get annnnn yer sports car and ride outta town boy

It sounds like the Big Country!

Thank God they binned it!

Omg... we dodged a bullet there! ( by this NOT being the music used.) Thanks for posting.. very interesting.

It's too light. Or it sounds like it belongs in a western.

" I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM.... YEEEEHAAAAWWWWW!! "

If the Prisoner had used this it would be forgotten. Thankfully, Patrick fought for a better theme, tooth and nail :) Let's face it, he nailed the final version :)

There's a reason it was rejected, it's not nearly as effective as electric guitar, bongo's and horns wound up being.

epic fail seems more like a western

This music makes me think of cowboys and indians chasing each other in the prairies with lassos and bows.

Such a good decision to reject this first introduction!

Brilliant Upload! Didn't know ANY of this as a very casual Prisoner fan! Thank you. This just makes the show distinctly UNMENACING and makes me appreciate Grainer even more if that's possible. There is a subversive genius in this version too but it's just not right is it?

Yee-haw!

Thank god they didn't use this theme. It has echoes of The Magnificent Seven!

sounds like the theme to the Western Magnificent Seven

Wow! Who thought this show should sound like a Western during its opening credits? I keep looking for Marshall Matt Dillon to show up!

If they stuck with that opening thing, we wouldn't be talking about the Prisoner now.

First one is like that sound track to The Big Country

Yeeeeeehaw!! ride 'em Pat! [ohghodthisisdross]

That theme music would never have worked as a ringtone.

That makes me think of a western!

This would’ve been a great theme if James Drury had played The Prisoner..

I don't think I would have ever watched with this theme.

Glad it was rejected ... sounds like the sound track to a US WESTERN /Cowboy TV SHOW 😨

The start is exactly the same as the Big Country theme!

I was shocked to see that you still had your notes, after all these years. Did you have any sense of how good the show was going to be?

rather light hearted and upbeat, missing horse hooves.

It sounds like the opening to The Big Country

Rightly rejected.

This was so "wrong". The theme they ended up with was the best possible choice.

Very Western oriented piece of music - I am so glad they rejected it.. I don't think the show would have had the same feel about it if they hadn't.

I'm going to be quite honest with you and you can ridicule me all you want, but I liked it. I mean the music, the beat and all, but I agree that it wouldn't have worked as the theme song for that show. Neither would the second one work, although it's pretty good too.

Ride `em, Number 6!😊😇💯❤

reminds me of a westren for some reason .I see Yul Brynner on a back of a horse

Great piece of music, just not right for The Prisoner's main theme. The one they finally chose is perfect for it.

THE PRISONER :GREAT TV SHOW. SPY VS SPY . AND HOW TO BREAK DOWN A PROFESSIONAL.!!. AND MAKE HIM TALK ABOUT ALL HIS CASES. HE REFUSE TO GIVE IN . AND FIGHTS FOR HIS FREEDOM. !!!!.

Shocking.

good call.

...and then they all realized that 'The Prisoner' isn't a western.

Too funny. Would be good for a western or a one off action sequence.

@enemyofbohemia I agree. I was waiting for John Wayne to come riding down the tunnel on a horse.

Talk about dodging a bullet.

I thought it sounded more like a theme for a Western film before he mentioned it at the end of the video.

the one they used was much more "mod".😏

Guess this could have been a one episode use for Living in Harmony.

I can't even watch half of this vid. The music hurts.

I kind of like the pause with the drums during the resignation scene...I wonder what affect that would have had using the origina theme? Other than that, I agree with others...the theme doesn't fit at all.

It's like the opening theme for Dame Edna

It shows you how important music is. Had that been used, the series would probably have bombed.

Without a doubt they made the right choice.

"YEE HAW" instead of "Be seeing you."

Sounds very much like Farnon' The Champions.

it wasn't dark enough--too upbeat. it would make a good theme for another show

The Big Country on speed! Thank God they didn’t go with it. (Sorry composer!)