What docos on television history are available?
 

Hi all. I've been scouring the pay TV channel TV guides from time to time hoping to come across docos on history of television technology. I've so far taped one show a couple of years ago which dealt with the history of B&W and colour television and videotape technology and radio I think, great little doco, only thing is they didn't show a great deal of early archive television footage such as early B&W and colour video recording excerpts of the late 50s but they did show a kinescope excerpt of Philo T Farnsworth on "I've Got A Secret" which he won a pack of Winston durries and $40, how rude :thumbsdn: !

Anyhow I'm looking for TV shows on the history of television and video which shows excerpts of early B&W and colour video recordings of the late 50s and early 60s and wondering if anyone knows of any that circulates over the cab/pay TV networks. I'm particularly after the earliest surviving B&W videotape recording which is some footage of an OB truck driving along a mountain top or canyon with a B&W IO camera on top shooting the scenery circa 1956/57 and Edsel Show excerpts, and the 1958 Dwight Eisenhower speech which is the earliest surviving colour video recording and possibly excerpts of An Evening With Fred Astaire (I know about the excerpts on Kris Trexler's site). I especially want colour videotape recording excerpts of outdoor remote casts done off TK40/41 cameras as I'm so curious to see how live outdoor colour looked back in the early to mid 60s or possibly late 50s if any late 50s colour tapes of outdoor casts exist at all? I'm sure there must at least be some colour videotapes of outdoor sporting events from the early/mid 60s existing in some TV archives.

If anyone can give me leads on getting a hold of such docos I'd be most greatful.

Cheers
Troy

Troy,

In the late '50s, WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV), Channel 6 in Philadelphia, would drag its sole TK-41

http://home.att.net/~pldexnis/potpou...Ltidbits3.html

from its studio at 46th and Market to Broad Street near City Hall and broadcast the mummer's parade live. When they may have begun to tape the event however, I cannot say, but parts of the parade were shown on their evening news. WFIL was the first station to originate live color in Philly. Perhaps some B roll exists, but that was a long time ago.

Pete

I'd say hardly anything has survived, prolly because nobody much thought to save it. I remember a documentary from the mid-late 70s that had a lot of the history of TV on it, including one of the 1st color videotapes-or maybe one of the 1st videotapes, period, of some guy hawking the then new Edsel. Unfortunately, they didn't have the sound track, just this guy standing & gesturing infront of the horsecollar grille....-Sandy G.

tv history on a modern marvels episode
 

the history channel had a fairly decent show on the history of television including a portion on the battle for color. if you go to historychannel.com you can buy a copy of that episode

A little off topic, but I remember one PBS show covering the downfall of the US electronics industry (mostly RCA & how they flubbed with things like LED's, videotape, etc.) and the rise of Japan,Inc. This would have been late 80s/early 90s. What I most remember was a bouncy tv commerical for RCA color tv, a cartoon with a little guy singing something like "her hair is red, her eyes are blue". I don't remember if the commercial was in color or not.

I believe you're speaking of Magnavox....some broad comes out, says her name, and starts blabbling describing the colors including her dress. Sheesh, white people!

Anthony

Have not seen the Magnavox ad. The one I saw was RCA and all a cartoon, little guy with a funny voice.

I saw the same PBS show as badow. My memory of this show is that the Japanese TVs were sold through Sears below production cost to get into the American market. The US manufacterers sued and won, but by then the damage was done. (Possibly fitting justice for RCA who, according to another PBS show, violated Howard Armstrong's FM patents for years).

At the present time, I am finishing work on a 1971 Sears Hybrid 12" color set. This set was made in Japan. I have a Sears flyer from 1971 with this set. It was sold for around $250 then. All the other sets in the flyer appear to have the same styling and probably were also made in Japan.

I recall that some Sears portable color sets from the late 70's early 80's had a version of Trinitron type tube with vertical color striping (instead of the triad dots) and I think they were made by Sanyo or Toshiba....or one of the "lesser" Jap brands....not Pana or Sony.

Anthony

Bryan-Yeah, I remember the RCA "Color TV" guy-sang "Color TV ! RCA's new Color TV !" real nasally like.And the end, there was a prototypical '60s TV cartoon kid going "We can watch all the shows in color now !" I thought it was kinda stoopid & silly even as a kid.-Sandy G.

Thanks for the leads guys. Looking at the History Channel there's a Modern Marvels episode entitled "The Television" which I think one of you's were referring to. Seeing I'm a cheap arse bastard :D I will hold out to see if that episode gets played on the History Channel on Pay TV, if not then will buy it.

Was also searching the web and came across a program called "The fun and the feel of the fifties" which the video is available on this site . Seeing it's a library in Winnetka, Illinois USA I've got Buckley's chance of getting a hold of this video but if any of you's live around that area then you's should consider borrowing this video if you's are interested.

Cheers
Troy

Buckley's chance? Is that anything like "Bobs your Uncle"? LOL

Anthony

Buckley's chance means "no chance at all". Forgive me, I just love flaunting my Aussie slang around :lmao: . Anyways a lot of Aussies use that word and it's been in our slang vocabulary for over 100 years, the history of this word and where it was derived from can be found on this site. Though we speak english we have a language of our own :thmbsp: !

Cheers
Troy

You know what they say about Brits and Yanks......people divided by a common language! You upside down blokes are in the same boat!

Anthony (seen any 1939 Holden coupes? AKA Pontiacs)

I remember being given an assignment in 4th grade to find out what all the odd words & phrases in "Waltzing Matilda" meant. Think we finally had to call the Australian consulate in DC. This was in '67, so calling DC from Tennessee was a big deal. Think I got an "A" on that assignment, though...-Sandy G.