1961 NBC "Tinted" Color Programming?

[holmesuser01]

Originally Posted by magnasonic66

I was going to mention George's new tv as well, but I didn't want to get too wordy. I didn't need many clues as to the actual make of the sets in the showroom, and the ones that Hazel and George ended up with. Most of the time I think George had a nice Zenith B&W console. Their stereo was a Zenith for the first couple of seasons. A shame about your 16mm film too, I found a Magnavox, Motorola, and Maytag YouTube entry, the Magnavox ads are washed out pink now as well. Motorola looked a tad better, and Maytag was tolerable. But then of course, they had no idea people would want to see these things 40 some years into the future!

When I got the film, it was brand new and beautiful.

Dats OK. I get wordy all the time.

[Leslie]

I have this episode on the first season Hazel DVD and it looks fantastic. I always wondered how this episode got made in color and was not either the pilot or season finale of this series. Hazel was filmed entirely in color from the second season on. I believe that "tinted" was a common slang expression of the day to refer to anything broadcast in color.

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by Leslie

I have this episode on the first season Hazel DVD and it looks fantastic. I always wondered how this episode got made in color and was not either the pilot or season finale of this series. Hazel was filmed entirely in color from the second season on. I believe that "tinted" was a common slang expression of the day to refer to anything broadcast in color.

Leslie,

As I mentioned in my post and David Roper went on to explain, this was done to promote the sale of color tv's to the public. NBC generally taking the lead in this. In the peticular "Hazel" season one color episode you cite. Maid Hazel's employer offers to replace Hazel's old B&W TV w/another new low cost B&W. At the TV store Hazel spots a color set and offers to split the cost with her employer George Baxter. The deal is done and Hazel has a color set in her room. A constant stream of neighbors & friends invade the Baxter household to watch color TV. In this instance, the NBC show "Perry Como" which was broadcast in color each week. And so the plot goes on. In the end George Baxter also buys a new color console for the living room. A perfect script for promoting color TV in a one off color episode of the 1962 season. I also have the box set of the entire "Hazel" series that includes this color episode. The show is from
a beautiful color print transfer and looks stunning
compared to the B&W episodes aired that season.

-Steve D.

[holmesuser01]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

Leslie,

As I mentioned in my post and David Roper went on to explain, this was done to promote the sale of color tv's to the public. NBC generally taking the lead in this. In the peticular "Hazel" season one color episode you cite. Maid Hazel's employer offers to replace Hazel's old B&W TV w/another new low cost B&W. At the TV store Hazel spots a color set and offers to split the cost with her employer George Baxter. The deal is done and Hazel has a color set in her room. A constant stream of neighbors & friends invade the Baxter household to watch color TV. In this instance, the NBC show "Perry Como" which was broadcast in color each week. And so the plot goes on. In the end George Baxter also buys a new color console for the living room. A perfect script for promoting color TV in a one off color episode of the 1962 season. I also have the box set of the entire "Hazel" series that includes this color episode. The show is from
a beautiful color print transfer and looks stunning
compared to the B&W episodes aired that season.

-Steve D.

So the B/W shows from season 1 dont look so good? I remember being told by Columbia Pictures TV that their 16mm B/W's were printed from a well-worn printing negative even back in the 1970's.

I hope they went back to the original show titles for the DVD release. The syndication titles were Hazel getting out of the car with groceries, Don DeFore laughing at something, with his wife coming out and laughing, only to find little Harold up in the tree throwing confetti, and then Hazel goes in the house.... The Ford titles were better, and I had the Galaxie kiddy car that Harold had, too!!

[Jeffhs]

And what about Ted Turner's attempts at "colorizing" b&w television shows? That stunt goes back to the '80s, IIRC. I don't know how many programs were actually colorized before Turner stopped (or was ordered by the production companies and/or networks to stop) the experiment. However, I do know some purists were all but furious over Turner's colorizing of classic b&w TV programs. Thankfully, the experiment ended, again IIRC, by the end of the decade.

[Tom S]

I just watched the Hazel episode that she bought the new Color Tv. Also a later one where the Tv was acting up for George and it was his Heating pad. Nice shots of the set and also I never seen a tech quite like the one that was performing service on the set.