The Third Man Theme The Third Man Theme "The Third Man Theme" (also known as "The Harry Lime Theme") is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the 1949 film "The Third Man". "The Third Man" is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed. One night after a long day of filming "The Third Man" on location in Vienna, Reed and cast members Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles had dinner and retired to a wine cellar. In the bistro, which retained the atmosphere of the pre-war days, they heard the zither music of Anton Karas,
Paul Korda Gassama. In the mid-1980s, Korda recorded an unreleased album with producer Dave Jerdan. He also received first prize at the Japan Expo for his space song "Living in the Sky", subsequently recorded with fusion guitar virtuoso Allan Holdsworth. Korda went on to sing background vocals on Holdsworth's 1985 album "Road Games", and co-wrote and sang "In the Mystery" for Holdsworth's follow-up indie album "Metal Fatigue". Written and recorded in 24 hours, it was released and being played on KROQ-FM three weeks later. In 1988 Korda returned to London, where he opened a club in Highgate Village. Korda booked his friend,