A Tribute To…”Your Show Of Shows”, Part 2 of 2

Rare photos from inside NBC’s first converted television theater, The International Theater, at 5 Columbus Circle. Please read the text below the photo block, but here is some of what you are looking at. In the photo at the top, we are able to see into the control room, as the work lights are on. There is a bank of monitors across the bottom of the window. On the camera ramp, on of 4 RCA TK30s is mounted on a Houston Fearless Panoram dolly and the Mole-Richardson boom is there too.

Second photo shows the orchastra area, and most live shows of this era, always had the band in the same place. Third photo down, notice the camera pit for floor level shots, used mostly on dance numbers. Forth photo down, another sound boom and in the center, a Saner Crane…one of the first made as Mr. Saner was once an NBC cameraman. Finally in the bottom photo, we see the announcer desk, and a “limbo” backdrop.  Limbo backdrops were used as places that an time filling sketch or commercial could be done while the main stage was being set for another scene.





ULTRA RARE! NBC’s International Theater…”Your Show Of Shows”

For four years, from 1950 – 1954, the biggest Saturday night show in television came from this theater at 5 Columbus Circle. Ninety minutes of weekly comedy history were made on this stage as Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Howard Morris and Carl Reiner entertained a nation like none had ever done, with the great Max Leibman producing.

Ironically, Caesar and Coca’s first show from here, “The Admiral Broadway Revue” in 1949 was so successful, the sponsor had to either pull the plug on the show they owned, or build a new plant to make Admiral TV sets, so they canceled the show that was airing live not only on NBC, but on the Dumont network as well.

There is more on the photos, so click through them and take a good look. Many thanks to Nick Van Hoogstraten for these gems! Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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