TV History

A Rose By Many Names…Norelco, Philips, Pye, Peto Scott In this very good video, notice that the Norelco PC70 has a Pye logo on the side instead of a Norelco (as we knew the brand in the US), or Phillips logo (as the camera was branded in the rest of the world). You may…

Very Nice! The EMI 2001 Model This is nice 5 minute tour of the EMI 2001 that debuted in 1966, complete with a built in shot box. The demonstration is by veteran BBC cameraman Malcon Carr. Thanks to Steven Davis for sharing this video. Enjoy! Source

ULTRA RARE! ‘You Bet Your Life’ Pilot Show! Although the TV show aired on NBC from 1950 – 1961, it was a CBS radio show when this very casual demo was shot. Notice Groucho is wearing a sport shirt and techs are adjusting the mics like it was only radio. Here is a bit…

The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 3 & 4 The discovery came in the spring of 1970…here is the story! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8TrN-RGLOg PART 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKebFys0Vt0 PART 4 The Story behind the most famous pair of slippers ever made. Source

While I’m At It… Since I just posted the 1948 color photo below of a WGN TK10, I thought I would follow it it up with a shot of the only known surviving camera from the original 8 that WGN bought in 1948. This camera came to me about 2 years ago and I…

Something You Rarely See… This is a rare color photo of an RCA TK10 at WGN in Chicago. This is one of 8 the station bought when they went on the air in 1948 and it could be the camera I own. The reason I wanted to post this was to show the original…

The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 2 In this great 4 part documentary, we learn the incredible story of the most famous slippers ever made. In this part, we discover how they were found and who found them! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tk8neCC3go The story behind the most famous pair of slippers ever made. Source

This Is FASCINATING! The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 1 In this great 4 part documentary, we learn the incredible story of the most famous slippers ever made. Who made them, how many pair were made, how they were lost, how they were found, who found them and where they are now. Each…

The Debbie Reynolds Collection Tour A year or so ago, Debbie sold about half of this collection at auction for several million dollars. I think this video was done before that as I see some pieces that were sold, but this is a wonderful look at a one of a kind collection. Thanks to…

Live Eye…First Of The Live TV Vans WTVJ in Miami purchased its first “Live-Eye” Truck in 1975. Built by the O.J. Ferrell Company, and modified by the engineering staff, the truck was considered to be “State-of-the-Art,” and once boasted doing 11 news stories in one day. WAGA in Atlanta also bought Live Eye trucks…

The Wide World Of Broadcast Formats There are three main television standards used throughout the world. NTSC – National Television Standards Committee Developed in the US and first used in 1954, NTSC is the oldest existing broadcast standard. It consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and 60 vertical lines. Only one type exists,…

Network Notes… On October 4, 1950, Atlanta was finally able to bring live network shows to Georgia via the new coaxial cable. Before the AT&T connection, network shows came in the mail as kinescopes and films. Source

New Video Tour – Ellerbee Camera Collection It’s been a couple of years since the last video tour, so here’s a new version. Last time, there were only 12 cameras on display…now there are 16 on display and that’s about all that my space can handle. To you pros, this may look a little…

Totally Television! This is an illustration Ampex commissioned for one of the NAB shows. The art is by Jack Davis who you may remember from your MAD Magazine reading days. Source

When Was The Last Time You Saw This? The NAB’s Code Of Good Practice started around 1952 and lasted till the early 80s. I read a lot of it this morning and frankly, I would love to have parts of it back! Specifically the part that limited commercials! The best part of that section…

Ted…How The Character Is Done Before you go to the video of how Ted is animated, a word about Ted’s Oscar appearance. The segment you saw that night was actually taped in mid-January. People in the Dolby Theater just saw Wahlberg standing next to an empty stool as Ted and Wahlberg presented an Oscar.…

Inside The 1939 World’s Fair Camera Here is what was inside one of the first RCA Iconoscope cameras. This was pretty much a point and shoot operation. The lens box was probably interchangeable to accommodate wide and medium angle lenses with a set focus. No viewfinder or eyepiece…just point it and hope for the…

Eastmancolor: 1950 It’s hard to believe, but single strip 35mm color film was not available until 1950. This rendered Three-Strip color photography relatively obsolete, even though, for the first few years of Eastmancolor, Technicolor continued to offer Three-Strip origination combined with dye-transfer printing (150 titles produced in 1953, 100 titles produced in 1954 and…

CinemaScope If Cinerama was the star that guided the film industry into wide screen presentations, CinemaScope was the rudder that steered the course. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see the essence of CinemaScope. See the long oval in the camera lens? That is the CinemaScope anamorphic lens used to…