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NBC’s Felix The Cat Camera…Displayed At 1939 World’s Fair

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Eyes Of A Generation.com

These Photos Unlocks Some Mysteries!

If you ever wondered what happened to NBC’s “Felix The Cat” mechanical camera after tests were concluded in 1932, here’s the answer. It was on display at the RCA Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.

In the diagram, we see it in the Museum being displayed along with E F Alexandrson’s mechanical camera from 1930. In the photos, we see it being demonstrated at the fair. The question is, what happened to it after the fair closed? I’ve seen a replica, but I think the real thing is long gone. At least we know they saved it for a while anyway. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee


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7 responses to “NBC’s Felix The Cat Camera…Displayed At 1939 World’s Fair”

  1. Michael Biel

    I saw the camera laying on its side in the electronics store room of the Smithsonian American History Museum in 1976 or 77.

  2. Dennis Degan

    The mechanical scanning camera here looks different from the one seen in the 1928 photo. In the 1928 picture, there is only one light on each ‘quadrant’. The one shown here has two lights per ‘quadrant’. There’s no way to know if the camera itself is the same, but it looks like the lights are different.

  3. Steve Dichter

    Gary, Here’s Bud’s TV debut at the ’39 Worlds Fair. about 14 min. in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF594h8KUXw

  4. Steve Dichter

    Probably ended up in a dumpster like so much other RCA history.

  5. Gary Walters

    There was at one time, a quick film piece showing a teenager looking into a camera at the 1939 NY World’s Fair. His name was Bud. If I can find it on YouTube, I’ll upload it to share.

  6. Roberta Ecks

    A lot of RCA’s company collection ended up in Indianapolis. An historical collection of TV and radio equipment was on display at their former US headquarters at 103rd and North Meridian street and after they left that building, at least some of it was on display at the Indiana State Museum for a few years. (Felix wasn’t in the items on display.) I don’t know where those items are now.

  7. Albert J. McGilvray

    Like everything else, it’s in Chuck Pharis’ basement. 😉

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