First color program you ever saw?

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by bozey45

First color show I ever saw was "Heidi", a special broadcast in that year; remember the commercials were even in color. This was on a Motorola set at my dad's boss's house. My dad was worked at the Motorola dealer in Montgomery Al back then; that same year my brother and I would also go watch Howdy Doody in color at the dealer--so that may have been actually the first show I saw in color.

Hey bozey 45,

Good recall,

"Howdy Doody" debut, in color, on NBC, Sept.12th 1955. And the NBC special "Heidi" was telecast live in color Oct. 1, 1955. Natalie Wood was cast as Heidi.

-Steve D.

[Pete Deksnis]

Okay, getting a bit haughty here: the first color television program I saw was in the summer of 1951. Yes, a CBS color broadcast live from Monmouth Park race track in Oceanport, New Jersey. No, the color got added in my head, but knowing the out-of-sync soup on the family's 16-in. Silvertone was a color broadcast from WCAU was still a thrill. A few years ago, I met a retired CBS engineer who saw live 1951 CBS color at their studios in New York city. He said he didn't actually see that much though -- there were too many guys crowded around the monitor.

As noted before on AK, the first NTSC color I saw was in 1957. I was 17 delivering a load of groceries to a bar in West Conshohocken PA after school on a Wednesday in the spring of that year. There it was. That live hour-long play from LA that ran for a few years (Steve D will recall the name for me :-). I hung out as long as an underage kid in a bar could in 1957. The color and hue -- unlike many in those days -- were set well.

Also, I got to watch the January 1, 1958, Rose Bowl parade at a friend's house in Bethlehem PA.

Pete

[Steve D.]

Quote from Pete Deksnis: "As noted before on AK, the first NTSC color I saw was in 1957. I was 17 delivering a load of groceries to a bar in West Conshohocken PA after school on a Wednesday in the spring of that year. There it was. That live hour-long play from LA that ran for a few years (Steve D will recall the name for me :-). I hung out as long as an underage kid in a bar could in 1957. The color and hue -- unlike many in those days -- were set well."

Hey Pete,

Think I can refresh your memory. That one hour 1957 color telecast you recall was "Matinee Theater." The show, produced in Los Angeles, aired each afternoon here in L.A. at 12:00. It ran form Oct. 1955 to June 1958. Quite a feat back in the day.

-Steve D.