[John Hafer]

OK, maybe this shows my age but I grew up in the 1950's. I have TV Guides from every year from 1953 to 1966 and a fall of 1956 issue showed CBS was colorcasting 4 shows per week. ABC started in the fall of 1962 (Flintstones, Jetsons and Sunday Movie Special). For the fall of 1963, ABC had Wagon Train, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Flintstones. For the fall of 1964, they regressed, Wagon Train went back to B&W and only Flinstones, Jonny Quest, and the Sunday Movie were in color with a some specials and a Sunday Golf program (filmed). The fall of 1965 was the start of both ABC and CBS regular colorcasting.

As far as Cinderella on CBS. It was taped at CBS (yes TK-41 cameras) and was originally colorcast on CBS on February 22, 1965. CBS also showed two rebroadcasts of Fred Astaire (originally from NBC from 1958 and 1959) in the winter/spring of 1965. I also remember CBS filmed a couple of Lassie episodes in color in the early 1960s.

I think part of the reason for CBS did not colorcast was that they did not have much color broadcast equipment. I have a TV Guide episode from 1964 that states CBS was installing over a million dollars of color equipment at their new broadcast center being built at the time.

Growing up in Syracuse NY, we did have more color in that our local CBS station had local color film equipment, as well as our local ABC and NBC stations, all by 1964.

I followed color broadcast progression from the late 1950s and we bought our first color TV in December 1963.

Hope this info helps.