Back then you watched it if it was in color

[oldtvman]

I remember a time when every week when the new tv guide came out you would check out all the upcoming shows for the week that were in color. You knew which ones they were by the little box at the top left hand corner that boldly said COLOR!!! You didnt care what the show was as long as it was in color, if it was one of your favorite programs, then it was a bonus

[frenchy]

"Police Squad.... In Color!"

[blue_lateral]

...why thank you, I just had it stuffed.

[andy]

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[Sandy G]

My mom about always made us watch "Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom". Generally, it was a good show, & had neat stuff about Lions, & Tigers, & Bears-Oh, my !-so we didn't mind. It was one of the few non-network shows back then in color.-Sandy G.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

My mom about always made us watch "Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom". Generally, it was a good show, & had neat stuff about Lions, & Tigers, & Bears-Oh, my !-so we didn't mind. It was one of the few non-network shows back then in color.-Sandy G.

"Wild Kingdom" is still on in syndication (with or without Marlon Perkins; I'm not sure if he still hosts the show), although I can't quite remember what channel/time it's on here--I think it might be on PBS or an independent station, but I'm not sure. PBS does have National Geographic shows (at least they are on PBS channel 25 here) which might be on Charter Cable in your area as well. The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom series was good TV in its day (and still is, if you can get it in your area), a lot better than most of the stuff on the networks these days. IMHO, your mom had the right idea, making you watch Wild Kingdom. Even in the '60s-'70s that show was better than the meager fare which was television in those days, if you could get it (and a heck of a lot better than the garbage that passes for entertainment on cable today).

BTW, I'm wondering. When did you (or your folks) get your first color TV set? You mention that Wild Kingdom was one of the few non-network shows to be telecast in color, which leads me to believe you may have had color TV as early as the 1960s.

Kind regards,

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by oldtvman

I remember a time when every week when the new tv guide came out you would check out all the upcoming shows for the week that were in color. You knew which ones they were by the little box at the top left hand corner that boldly said COLOR!!! You didnt care what the show was as long as it was in color, if it was one of your favorite programs, then it was a bonus

I have some TV Guides from '58 & '59. Not only did they have the word COLOR in the little box on the listings page. They also listed all the color shows for the week in the front of the magazine.
I think there were as many as 10-12 color shows in the L.A. edition.
At that time the NBC affliate channel 4 had all but one color show and local channel 5 had the 1 color telecast.

-Steve D.

[Steve Hoffman]

When I was a kid (and shopping with my mom in a department store) I'd watch anything in color. Steve D. and I have talked about this many times. NBC usually had an all color afternoon; Tom Fransden (sp?) and Jack Latham with the news. These were just "heads" on the screen against a blue background but I would watch mouth a-gog. And when that "Oscar Meyer" commercial came on in color it was pretty great. Weird that advertisers were slooooow to catch on to filming in color. I think the Hawaiian Punch/Oscar Meyer commercials were IT for color in the early '60's!

[Steve D.]

I didn't count the local channel 4 news color telecast every night or their other local color broadcasts plus the two daytime NBC quiz shows.
That would up the number of color shows available each week. Just for yuks here's the color listing for Los Angeles for the week of April 4th 1959. 46 years ago this month:

"Growing World" Sat. (channel 4 local)
"Vacation Time" Sat. (channel 4 local)
"Bugs Bunny" Sat. (channel 5 local)
"Northwest Passage" Sat. (channel 4 NBC)
"Perry Como" Sat. (channel 4 NBC)
"Steve Allen" Sun. (channel 4 NBC)
"Dinah Shore" Sun. (channel 4 NBC)
"Local News" daily (channel 4 local)
"Curt Massey" local daily music show (channel 4 local)
"Arthur Murray" Mon. (channel 4 NBC)
"Jimmie Rodgers" Tues. (channel 4 NBC)
"Price is Right" Wed. (channel 4 NBC)
"Milton Berle" Wed. (channel 4 NBC)
"Bell Telephone Hour Thurs. (channel 4 NBC)
"Masquerade Party" Thur. (channel 4 NBC)
"Ellery Queen" Fri. (channel 4 NBC)
"Haggis Baggis" daytime (channel 4 NBC)
"Truth or Consequences" daytime (channel 4 NBC)
This was an especially good week for color set owners. At least one network color show each night.

Another example is the TV Guide L.A. Edition week of Jan.14, 1956 over 49 years ago. Total color telecasts for the entire week: 3
Ford Star Jubilee Special Sat. (channel 2 CBS) live
NBC Opera Theater Sun. (channel 4 NBC) live
Matinee Theater Daily (channel 4 NBC) live?

-Steve D.

[yagosaga]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

Just for yuks here's the color listing for Los Angeles for the week of April 4th 1959. 46 years ago this month: ...

Do you have vintage programs with repetitions of these shows today?
Are there shows of this or later times still available in DVD or Video CD? Can somebody here in AK make a copy? I would like to see such a show of this time.

I read somewhere (here?) that the flying sequences of Superman and certain action shots of all the Irwin Allen shows were shot in color even when the shows were B&W....this was done as a hedge against reshooting these expensive special shots once the shows finally went to color.

And in Irwin Allen's case, he could resell or reuse some of that footage for other productions (king of the stock footage remake)

Anthony

[oldtvman]

the cisco kid circa 1953 superman after 1957 amd the lone ranger were ahead of their time, spending extra money to film episodes in color!!

[oldtvman]

chevrolet was actually one of the very 1st sposners that saw the value of advertising their new line of cars "in color" on the dinah shore show

I have a copy of the Price Is Right from 1963 which features the then new Studebaker Avanti as the main prize.....but this was in B&W. Go figger.

Anthony

[Pete Deksnis]

Re color commercials in the early '60s: the Kraft Food commercials were vivid.