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 Chris Spedding and Andy Roberts. "Passing Stranger" also featured a trio of vocalists in African-American soul singer Doris Troy, Nanette Newman, and Madeline Bell. Cat Stevens and Korda became close friends, both being signed to producer Mike Hurst. Steve (Steven Adam Georgiou), as he was known then, loaned his Mercedes to Korda for Korda's wedding, and his brother David was Korda's best man. In between recording sessions Steve and Korda would often check out the London nightlife together. Korda went on to place his songs with other artists. In 1971 Korda's song "Walk the World Away" was recorded by reggae