NBC’s First Live Coast To Coast Color Spectacular!

GREAT! NBC’s First Live Coast To Coast Color Spectacular!

On Sept. 12, 1954 NBC broadcast their first live coast to coast color spectacular. The 90 minute show, “Satin & Spurs” was produced by Max Liebman and starred Betty Hutton.

Above is a black and white kinescope of the whole show, but there’s no mistaking as you look at the image that there is a “chroma layer” to the image. Following the end credits, Steve Allen has a very interesting live commentary from the set on the production, and reveals that with no control room in the new facility, the show was produced from a truck outside of NBC Brooklyn.

There is a TK41 in that segment. At 1:10:13, Hutton does a curtain call and speaks to the television and live audience and sings out into the credits. At 1:14 Steve Allen’s comments come in followed by Don Pardo’s billboards of upcoming programs.

Thanks to our friend Steve Dichter in LA for this information and the TV Guide page below that describes this event as “opening night of a new television era”. The spectaculars were the creation of none other than NBC’s Pat Weaver. At the time, the few color television sets available had 15″ screens, but a few had the new 19″ screen. 99% of viewers saw this on their larger screen black and white sets. Enjoy!

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