A Wonderful Minute From NBC NY and Burbank & Good Comments


By Request…A Wonderful Minute From NBC NY and Burbank & Good Comments

Short But Sweet…NBC NY & Burbank Quick Shots, Early 70s

Thanks to our friend John Schipp, we are able to see a little over a minute’s worth of rare footage inside 30 Rock and Burbank.

This is from a behind the scenes episode of NBC’s ‘The Go Show’ which aired briefly around 1973. It was a unique show, shot mostly in the field with RCA TK 76 ENG cameras and recorded on Ampex VR-3000 VTRs, a portable 2-inch quad machine.

With a little help from NBC’s Dennis Degan, here’s what we are seeing. “The first two shots look like Studio 5H Control Room, originally built in 1954. The TCR-100 (tape cartridge machine) shown in the clip was Machine #31, the one furthest to the left in a line of six TCR-100’s at NBC-NY. My maintenance shop was on the other side of the wall seen in the shot. The clip jumps to Burbank and Studio 4’s elephant doors, then home to ‘The Flip WIlson Show’ and ‘Midnight Special’. You can also get a glimpse of the set for ‘Sanford & Son’ which I think was in Studio 3. Then we flip back to NY for a shot of Frank Blair at his news desk, most likely Studio 3K and I think the closing moments are in Studio 4 again. I believe the clip was probably made in 1973. The TCR’s were first brought to market no earlier than 1972.” Comment, enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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19 Comments

  1. Keel Heisler January 25, 2015

    Those RCA cart machines used to give me nightmares.

  2. Dennis Martin January 25, 2015

    I still have some TCR carts. You forgot how loud these machines were until they were shut down for repairs and master control became eerily quiet.

  3. Larry Rosenblum January 25, 2015

    Is that Rex Bagwell in the picture? ?

  4. Al Meshberg January 24, 2015

    I worked with tractors. Preferred the Ampex ACR though. Could play 10’s back to back all day long and had random access.

  5. Jim Smith January 24, 2015

    Brings back great memories of my days at RCA and NBC 🙂

  6. Stephen Mindykowski January 24, 2015

    A brief Wikipedia article on “Go” which ran Saturday Mornings from 1973 to 1976. The first two seasons focused on the behind-the-scenes look at various fields of work, and was narrated by Greg Morris (of “Mission: Impossible” fame). The final season in 1975-1976 was retitled “Go USA”, and became a drama series spotlighting periods of American history, as a salute to the American Bicentennial — it left the air after that season:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_%281973_TV_series%29

  7. Don Hancock January 24, 2015

    Quick Question, Bobby. My recollection is that the TK-76s didn’t come out until late 75 or early 76. Were there some that the network had access to earlier?

  8. Chris Conway January 24, 2015

    The TK 76 came out in 1976.

  9. Joe Mahaney II January 24, 2015

    Thing about the TCR- 100 was that you developed an ear for trouble… you knew if it loaded and threaded the tape by the sound of air valves and switches!!!

  10. Michael Elder January 24, 2015

    Pnuematic cart machines! Great when they worked!! Also, the TK 74 was my first experience with a broadcast camera. AND, we used them in the field!!

  11. Gary Donahue January 24, 2015

    I miss loading “the tractor” (as we called it).

  12. Patrick Clancey January 24, 2015

    Pinched my fingertips in the TCR100 many times.

  13. Lisa J. Kassner January 24, 2015

    Brings back memories at the Burbank Peacock Factory…

  14. Jay Phelps January 24, 2015

    You’re in the right time frame for “Go!” I remember watching it on NBC only because they did an episode on The Raspberries in the studio recording an album.

  15. Joe Mahaney II January 24, 2015

    We had two TCR-100’s in our Master Control… I loved airing spots & doing dubs… they were interesting to work with when they worked properly!!!

  16. Patrick Sweeney January 24, 2015

    Loved “Go.” Didn’t Bob and Ray host it!

  17. Carol Jackson January 24, 2015

    I remember that beast. one of my first jobs in tv. I couldn’t get sound to play. anyone else have that problem with the clip?

  18. Jim De Francesco January 24, 2015

    Love this site… Thank you!

  19. Kimmy Lackman Fulton January 24, 2015

    Wow, a TCR 100! Wish I had kept a cassette!