E
EJ204
Guest
We were talking about the early days of Color TV in the thread below about Jack Paar's days on The Tonight Show. His show, as mentioned in the thread, began broadcasting in color in 1961, the first to do a nightly videotaped show in color.
But NBC had color broadcasts well before then. According to Wikipedia, the first color broadcast was Jan. 1, 1954, The Tournament of Roses Parade on NBC. I have an April 2, 1955 NYC TV Guide and several shows that week on NBC was broadcast in color, including "Your Hit Parade," "Producer's Showcase" (this week featuring Greer Garson in "Reunion in Vienna") and "Norby" (a sitcom that someone mentioned was sponsored by Kodak, so was filmed in color).
I see from an article in TV Guide, Sept. 9, 1961, that there were 55 million TV sets in American homes that year but only 700,000 were color. The article also says NBC is still the only network broadcasting color shows, although that may change the following year. NBC was partially owned by RCA. It was in their interest to air color programs to spur the sale of RCA color TV sets. As color TV was improving and more shows were broadcast in color, they expected sales of color sets would increase, perhaps even boosting the economy as auto sales did in the 1930s and 40s.
While ABC was still all black and white, they were already filming some shows in color, just in case. ABC lost the black and white show "Walt Disney" to NBC, where it was re-named "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color." (Ironic that Disney owns ABC today!) And NBC got Kodak to cancel its sponsorships on CBS, including Ed Sullivan, because that network was still black and white.
(Actually, in my 1955 TV Guide, CBS had one show in color that week, a "Best of Broadway" production of "Stage Door" with Rhonda Fleming. But I guess CBS discontinued any attempts at color broadcasts till the 60s.)
Here are some of the NBC shows in color, in the 1961 TV Guide...
Shari Lewis
King Leonardo
Pip The Piper
Play You Hunch with Merv Griffin
The Price is Right with Bill Cullen (daytime and Wed. night)
It Could Be You (game show - daytime and Wed. night)
Concentration with Hugh Downs
Jan Murray (weekday variety)
Five Star Jubilee (variety)
Preview Theater (variety, this week with Benny Goodman)
Tennis from Forest Hills
Dinah Shore (Today, JLTV runs this show late at night but all their episodes are b/w)
Bonanza (all shows were in color from the earliest episodes)
Shirley Temple Show
Sunday Mystery (this week with Janet Blair in "Femme Fatale")
Tonight Show with Jack Paar
The article also says new color picture tubes are brighter. You no longer have to watch color TV in a darkened room. It says even if you watch black and white shows on your color set, they'll look better. You may need a better antenna because poor reception is more of a problem on a color set.
Interestly, this TV Guide, which covers New England, shows WHDH 5, the CBS affiiate in Boston, with a number of their own shows and newscasts in color, even though CBS network shows were still in black and white. No other TV station in New England was doing local prodicution in color, not even WBZ 4, the NBC affiliate.
But NBC had color broadcasts well before then. According to Wikipedia, the first color broadcast was Jan. 1, 1954, The Tournament of Roses Parade on NBC. I have an April 2, 1955 NYC TV Guide and several shows that week on NBC was broadcast in color, including "Your Hit Parade," "Producer's Showcase" (this week featuring Greer Garson in "Reunion in Vienna") and "Norby" (a sitcom that someone mentioned was sponsored by Kodak, so was filmed in color).
I see from an article in TV Guide, Sept. 9, 1961, that there were 55 million TV sets in American homes that year but only 700,000 were color. The article also says NBC is still the only network broadcasting color shows, although that may change the following year. NBC was partially owned by RCA. It was in their interest to air color programs to spur the sale of RCA color TV sets. As color TV was improving and more shows were broadcast in color, they expected sales of color sets would increase, perhaps even boosting the economy as auto sales did in the 1930s and 40s.
While ABC was still all black and white, they were already filming some shows in color, just in case. ABC lost the black and white show "Walt Disney" to NBC, where it was re-named "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color." (Ironic that Disney owns ABC today!) And NBC got Kodak to cancel its sponsorships on CBS, including Ed Sullivan, because that network was still black and white.
(Actually, in my 1955 TV Guide, CBS had one show in color that week, a "Best of Broadway" production of "Stage Door" with Rhonda Fleming. But I guess CBS discontinued any attempts at color broadcasts till the 60s.)
Here are some of the NBC shows in color, in the 1961 TV Guide...
Shari Lewis
King Leonardo
Pip The Piper
Play You Hunch with Merv Griffin
The Price is Right with Bill Cullen (daytime and Wed. night)
It Could Be You (game show - daytime and Wed. night)
Concentration with Hugh Downs
Jan Murray (weekday variety)
Five Star Jubilee (variety)
Preview Theater (variety, this week with Benny Goodman)
Tennis from Forest Hills
Dinah Shore (Today, JLTV runs this show late at night but all their episodes are b/w)
Bonanza (all shows were in color from the earliest episodes)
Shirley Temple Show
Sunday Mystery (this week with Janet Blair in "Femme Fatale")
Tonight Show with Jack Paar
The article also says new color picture tubes are brighter. You no longer have to watch color TV in a darkened room. It says even if you watch black and white shows on your color set, they'll look better. You may need a better antenna because poor reception is more of a problem on a color set.
Interestly, this TV Guide, which covers New England, shows WHDH 5, the CBS affiiate in Boston, with a number of their own shows and newscasts in color, even though CBS network shows were still in black and white. No other TV station in New England was doing local prodicution in color, not even WBZ 4, the NBC affiliate.