What were ABC and CBS's First Color Series?

[The King Bee]

I've always believed that the first national NTSC color transmission of a regularly-scheduled program was "Dragnet's" NBC presentation of the episode "The Big Little Jesus" in mid-December 1953. You know, the one where Friday and Smith investigate the missing statue of Baby Jesus from the nativity scene at a church...aw, you know the rest!

The classic Dragnet DVDs I have that show that episode (the original in '53, not the re-make done in the '67-'70 color series) are monochrome prints made from a color master, not the crisp B&W of the other early-series episodes. What's up on that, fellow posters?

 

[azumanga]

In Canada, the CTV National News went color in 1966; CBC would follow in 1969 when "The National News" became "The National" and Warren Davis succeeded Stanley Burke as anchor.

Though I imagine that both CBC and CTV had color programming as early as 1966, when colorcasting became legal in Canada.

Over in Britain, ITN started colorcasting their news for ITV also in '69.

Though for a few weeks in 1971, ITV reverted to black and white, due to labor action.

 

[e-dawg]

In the UK I know that the B&W tv sets weren't compatible with color. BBC 2 came in 1962. I thought in the UK the color TV started in 1962 when BBC 2 debut. Remember the old VHF-405 vs PAL 625 line tv?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

The classic Dragnet DVDs I have that show that episode (the original in '53, not the re-make done in the '67-'70 color series) are monochrome
prints made from a color master, not the crisp B&W of the other early-series episodes. What's up on that, fellow posters?

Are the '50 Dragnet DVDs put out by--or at least licensed by--Universal? And the episodes
are processed from the original 35mm negatives? That would be totally surprising, as I'd
expect them to be from worn out 16mm reduction prints.

 

[azumanga]

In the UK I know that the B&W tv sets weren't compatible with color. Remember the old VHF-405 vs PAL 625 line tv?

B&W sets used the 405-line VHF system, while PAL color used the 625-line UHF system only. However...

BBC 2 came in 1962. I thought in the UK the color TV started in 1962 when BBC 2 debut.

BBC2 and 625-line TV began in 1964, but it was not until 1967 when BBC2 began telecasting -- all TV in Britain, in either mode, was black and white only.

 

[Al Timiter]

Maybe someone can answer this for me: In Columbia SC in the mid-60's, the ABC affiliate was broadcasting shows in color from the network but the color was "washed out" looking. Sorry, I'm not a techie and that's the only way I can describe it. Whereas, the local NBC Affiliate had glorious color, you had to manually turn the color knob as high as it would go on the ABC station to see the "color" and it still looked weak. The signal strength itself was o-k but the color looked faded. Anybody know what kind of bizarre-o system they were using for this to happen?

 

[azumanga]

BBC2 and 625-line TV began in 1964, but it was not until 1967 when BBC2 began telecasting -- all TV in Britain, in either mode, was black and white only.

Sorry -- I meant to say:

BBC2 and 625-line TV began in 1964, but it was not until 1967 when BBC2 began telecasting in color -- up to that year, all TV in Britain, in either mode, was black and white only.

 

[gregg75]

I would think color commercials would have been cheaper to produce than programs and precede many shows in converting to color. Does anybody know what is/were the first national color commercials? McDonald's would be my best guess.

There must have been a lot of flipping back and forth between color and B&W (especially during commercials) in the early years. This would be very annoying today, but was probably ingnored/welcomed and considered progress back in the day.

 

[The King Bee]

No, they were PD episodes from Brentwood Video, but the quality of the B&W prints they had was outstanding...no skips, breaks, film chain cue clip-outs or cue dots (a problem with many old film prints), even the audio was clean.

 

[mleach]

I would think color commercials would have been cheaper to produce than programs and precede many shows in converting to color. Does anybody know what is/were the first national color commercials? McDonald's would be my best guess.

I would guess that it would had been a cigarette ad since the tobacco companies had a LOT of power with the networks in those days. Pall Mall..I have seen some of their ads online dating from the mid 50's that were shot in color and I believe that 1958 Newport cigarette ad that featured the woman who had played Miss Landers on the old "Leave it to Beaver" show, I seem to remember seeing that in color as well.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...and I believe that 1958 Newport cigarette ad that featured the woman who had played Miss Landers on the old "Leave it to Beaver" show,
I seem to remember seeing that in color as well.

Miss Landers...smoking? It was a big enough "scandal" in the episode where she had dinner
at the Cleavers and wore open-toed heels.

In some early episodes it looked like Ward had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket, but he
was never seen smoking, IIRC.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

If I had to guess what other type of product had color commercials early on, I'd say cars, and of course, TV's, as is highlighted in a related thread. I can remember seeing black and white commercials on daytime TV as late as the late 60's, in particular for Desitin baby ointment and Father John's Cough Syrup.

 

[Prais]

Re; Miss Landers...
(According to Imdb)
She died in 1984 at the age of 49. Actively supported numerous charitable organizations and social welfare programs, including the Multiple Sclerosis Telethon, Reading for the Blind and Project Headstart.

A heavy smoker, she died of lung cancer.

 

[Ultimajock]

Are the '50 Dragnet DVDs put out by--or at least licensed by--Universal? And the episodes
are processed from the original 35mm negatives? That would be totally surprising, as I'd
expect them to be from worn out 16mm reduction prints.

...the ones I have are the public domain source stuff that Platinum Disc put out. Some of the episodes even have the Badge 714 opening title rather than the original Dragnet...

 

[Hal Erickson]

Are the '50 Dragnet DVDs put out by--or at least licensed by--Universal? And the episodes
are processed from the original 35mm negatives? That would be totally surprising, as I'd
expect them to be from worn out 16mm reduction prints.

...the ones I have are the public domain source stuff that Platinum Disc put out. Some of the episodes even have the Badge 714 opening title rather than the original Dragnet...

The TV GUIDE listings of 1958-59 indicate that the final season of the original DRAGNET was telecast in color. Yet no color prints from that season seem to exist.

 

[anotherguyTN]

This has been posted before, but here is a link to the early network color TV openings:

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/KARD_html/kard4.html

 

[romer979fm]

As for WLKY, Louisville: from sign-on in September of 1961 as an ABC primary affiliate until the summer of 1968 when they moved to their current (and greatly-expanded) custom color studios, they shared space with an electronics school in the southwestern suburb of Shively, KY. This limited the studio space, power demand and floor space needed for the then large and power-hungry color gear. Plus, the RF plant needed upgrades for color (they were on analog channel 32, now on digital channel 26 and a CBS affiliate since September, 1990).

Although they acquired enough color-capable RF, demod and processing equipment to pass the NTSC color signal by 1964, the
station only did so on a very limited basis until the fall premiere week of the '65-'66 season, when all of ABC's color programming was passed through in color by WLKY.

glad someone else remembers the old UEI studio location for WKLY: my cousins lived nearby, and we always wanted to
try and climb the self-supported tower. didn't happen. I can remember they got a good picture on WLKY from a half mile away
with a set-top bow tie antenna via a $15 UHF converter. I lived out by Iroquois Park, and the signal was shaky at best via a portable TV that had a built-in UHF tuner (and the standard UHF loop on the back). what year did WLKY move the TX up to the Knobs?

 

[trusty]

BBC2 and 625-line TV began in 1964, but it was not until 1967 when BBC2 began telecasting in color -- up to that year, all TV in Britain, in either mode, was black and white only.

BBC2 never broadcast in color.

They broadcast in colour. ;D

 

[trusty]

Maybe someone can answer this for me: In Columbia SC in the mid-60's, the ABC affiliate was broadcasting shows in color from the network but the color was "washed out" looking. Sorry, I'm not a techie and that's the only way I can describe it. Whereas, the local NBC Affiliate had glorious color, you had to manually turn the color knob as high as it would go on the ABC station to see the "color" and it still looked weak. The signal strength itself was o-k but the color looked faded. Anybody know what kind of bizarre-o system they were using for this to happen?

Practically all NBC affils converted to color using the TK41 or TK42 studio cameras - huge, heavy, bulky, sticky zooms - definitely NOT cameraman-friendly, but the video was sharp and vivid.

Most of the ABC affils had GE-250 studio cameras, and some of the CBS affils had Philips/Norelco PT-60 or 70s - very cameraman-friendly, but the color was not quite as "vivid". (If the GE system wasn't tweaked properly, it would look "washed-out" (We even painted studio sets with real "bright" paint - anything to help. Also, we had to operate the GE-250s with the sides open to avoid its problem of overheating, but the zooms were SO smooth. ).

 

[Prais]

I can name many color tv stations in those days that did NOT have a color monitor in the place, so they had NO IDEA what the color looked like "air." or "line" -ESPECIALLY the network color.