What to watch on your early color set! - Page 3 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

jroberts500 · #1 10-20-2005, 08:52 PM

Red Skelton had an art store in the John's Pass shops of Madiera Beach, Florida in the '80's where he sold his paintings. My mother, who is quite younger than Red, met him and told me he was quite a ladies man into his senior years. Actually, she described the meeting with a bit of disappointment about his behavior in terms of being a gentleman.
I bet that show would be great to see. I suspect it is on color videotape. Does anybody know about that show being on tape? I think they were videotaping shows as early as '58 maybe '57.

Steve Hoffman · #2 10-20-2005, 09:57 PM

None of that was taped. The earliest is the Astaire thing from 1959. Those shows do not exist in color, maybe a B&W kinnie...

***Eric H*** · #3 10-20-2005, 10:39 PM

This Site: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/
has info on DVD releases of Television shows.
What's on DVD, what's going to be on DVD, voting for what you'd like to be on DVD...

I want them to release the 1955 ZIV production "Highway Patrol" :banana2:
I have 40 episodes on DVDr but the quality is poor.

bozey45 · #4 10-21-2005, 12:20 PM

can't remember where I saw this but I think Red Skelton's production company was one of the first into color tv in the mid 50's; he had purchased some color equipment I believe (RCA TK-40'S i think) and this may be what CBS was using to do his show; I know Bing Crosby was in on the development of video tape in some capacity; I'll have to try and see where I saw that Skelton information. Anyway, I don't know that his old half hour programs have ever been offered on video but some Canadian stuff he did has been released on video. His 50's show was a hoot. Those into variety shows from the late 50's and early 60's probably know that the Andy Williams Show has been restored from the master tapes and have been aired partially on PBS and may be on video also. The restored color and quality of the tape excerpts I've seen were really outstanding from shows as early as 1960 and 1961. I understand its quite a process to go thru those old 2 inch tapes and do the restoration of the video and color.

Steve D. · #5 10-21-2005, 12:54 PM

Here's a good run down on Red Skelton's involvement with color tv in the 60's.

Information courtesy of Ed Reitan's Color Television History site:

Red Skelton Color Studios
"Red-EO-Tape" Studios and Remote Color Vans (1961)
Hollywood, Skelton Studios (former Chaplin Studio) on LaBrea, south of Hollywood Blvd.
Skelton was infatuated with his appearance on color television, cajoled CBS to occasionally colorcast his "Red Skelton Show", and was the first to attempt to market the rental of three remote vans which had full live, film, and color video tape capability. RCA TK-41C and TK-26 cameras with 16mm and 35mm projectors were used with Ampex Color Video Tape Recorders.
Although visionary, the venture was premature and when it failed, CBS bought Skelton Studios as part of renewing Skelton's contract. The mobile color camera vans were sold to KTLA. The Skelton cameras were eventually donated to California State University and later transferred to the UCLA Collection of Television Technology.

And as a follow up, I (Steve D.) was heavily involved, for many years, using these TK-41 cameras while working at KTLA, Los Angeles. The vans consisted of 3 Crown Coaches built on ultra heavy duty bus chassis.

-Steve D.

Joel Cairo · #6 10-21-2005, 01:10 PM

And there may be others buried in an archive somewhere, but at the moment, I'm only aware of **one** of those early CBS programs that still survives on color videotape... the 1961 Christmas episode, titled "Freddy & the Yuletide Doll", which co-stars Cara Williams.

-Kevin

bozey45 · #7 10-21-2005, 07:52 PM

That's where I read that info, thanks; should have known it was Reitan's site.

***Eric H*** · #8 06-22-2006, 11:53 PM

OK, NOW you can watch Superman on your CT-100 in full glorious color!

They released seasons 3 and 4 together in a single boxed set and it looks great.

Sandy G · #9 06-26-2006, 02:32 PM

"I Dream of Jeannie" started out in B&W & then went to color. It had a fair amount of exaggerated colors, too. One of the ones that DIDN'T was the Andy Griffith Show- Seems like the inside of the jail & Andy's house was the same dull, blue-green non-color...

vintagecollect · #10 09-20-2006, 03:13 PM

...

Carmine · #11 09-20-2006, 03:27 PM

Bonanza was a great show.

Steve Hoffman · #12 09-20-2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintagecollect

check my avatar, it a scene from colonel bleep, an early color cartoon for tv, 1956 & 1957 on my ctc5. Has anyone ever heard of this show?? Found it on bay cheap, anyone else have original 50'S COLOR TV SHOWS they like to watch?? What year did Bonanza start??, my wife complained of me wanting to watch it last week, then complained when I tried to change channels.

I used to watch Col. Bleep when I was a small lad watching Engineer Bill here in Los Angeles. A really weird cartoon if I remember but not as weird as Spunky & Tadpole... Anyone remember that gem?

Steve D. · #13 09-20-2006, 04:47 PM

(QUOTE) "What year did Bonanza start??, my wife complained of me wanting to watch it last week, then complained when I tried to change channels." (QUOTE)

Bonanza, in color, first aired Sept. 12, 1959 on NBC.
Some other 50's color series:
Laramie, Sept. 1959 on NBC
Northwest Passage, Sept. 1958 on NBC
Norby, a sit-com. Jan. 1955 on NBC
Life With Father, sit-com. 1954-55 on CBS

There were several color series and variety shows telecast in the 50's Live, and on film. The live color shows before video tape were usually shown on the West coast via b&w kinescope because of the time difference. Some, like Superman, The Cisco Kid and Science Fiction Theater were filmed in color but not telecast that way until the late '60's.

One time specials taped in color in the 50's such as the Fred Astaire specials, which still survive, are extremely rare. Most were erased and the tape was reused as an economy measure. Certainly a waste.

-Steve D.

Joel Cairo · #14 09-21-2006, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Hoffman

I used to watch Col. Bleep when I was a small lad watching Engineer Bill here in Los Angeles. A really weird cartoon if I remember but not as weird as Spunky & Tadpole... Anyone remember that gem?

I just picked up a kid's show from the early 60s that had "Spunky & Tadpole" as the cartoons in it... first time I'd ever even **heard** of it. What an incredibly el-cheapo animation production!!

-Kevin

holmesuser01 · #15 09-22-2006, 06:48 PM

I also collect 16mm films. I have 2-Cisco Kid prints on Kodachrome film stock. The shows are both from the 1952 season. The color is stunning.

Also have one-half of one Science Fiction Theatre also in Kodachrome. Also lovely color. The other half of this one is Eastman, and beet red, and vinegar.

I have several thousand 16mm prints from the 1950's to the mid-1980's.