The Third Man Theme, also known as The Harry Lime Theme, is an instrumental piece written and performed by Anton Karas for the 1949 film The Third Man. The zither-led tune became iconic after director Carol Reed heard Karas playing in a Vienna wine tavern and asked him to score the film. Karas recorded the piece in 1949, and it was released as a Decca single in the UK in 1949 with the B side The Cafe Mozart Waltz, and in the US in 1950 on London Records. The track runs about 2 minutes and 6 seconds and is a stand alone film theme that helped popularize the zither in mainstream music. The Third Man Theme spent 11 weeks at number one on the US charts in 1950, and many artists later released versions, including Guy Lombardo and Chet Atkins. The film’s soundtrack album contains the full score, but the single version became its defining hit.
