You want "Early Color"??? This is about as Early as it gets...

[JB5pro]

Was that normal standard then?

[Aussie Bloke]

What can I say WOW!!!!! I have seen some 1954 CT-100 shots before but these are new and amazing to see!!! And that colour shot of Ed Sullivan Show (Toast Of The Town) would have to be the only known surviving piece of footage of that colour special, photograph but I still call it footage. Those puppets look like they could of been out of the Howdy Doody Show too. Thank you for sharing these with us!

[Pete Deksnis]

Just Google 'premiere ed reitan' to get the info:

“Premiere” – The first Commercial CBS Color System Telecast - 16 Sponsors

June 25, 1951 4:35 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. This program followed five minutes of a color test pattern that started at 4:30 P.M. Entertainment portions originated from the CBS Color Studio 57, at 109th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York. Commercials were originated at another “theater” (location unidentified) with Frances Buss as director – possibly, the Faye Emerson segment was a remote from MOMA or CBS at 485 Madison Ave.

With: Arthur Godfrey, Faye Emerson, Sam Levenson, Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, Robert Alda and Isabel Bigley (stars of Broadway’s new hit “Guys and Dolls”,), Bil Baird Marionettes, Sol Hurok’s New York City Ballet (arranged by George Balanchine), Patty Painter (“Miss Color Television”), Wayne Coy (Chairman of the FCC), William S. Paley (CBS Chairman), Frank Stanton (President of CBS), with Archie Bleyer’s Orchestra.

Sponsors for this first telecast were General Mills, Lincoln-Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company, Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company Inc., Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, William Wrigley Jr. Company, Revlon, Thomas J. Lipton Inc., National Biscuit Company, Standard Brands Inc., Quaker Oats Company, Best Foods Inc., Pepsi-Cola Company and Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company.

The only picture that doesn't seem to fit the 1951 scenario is the 'bloodshot' eye; didn't all those versions come later? The first time I saw one broadcast was in the early sixties, and it was a different version.

Pete

[Joel Cairo]

Thanks for the info, Pete--I've corrected the date in my original post.

And to answer an earlier question, sadly, I haven't found a shot of the monitors themselves... but from a performance standpoint, they look fine!!

-Kevin

[zenith2134]

Great stuff! I had no idea that there were color tests being done in New York in '51.