TeleTales #79…”The Rope” From Alfred Hitchcock, 1948

There are only 10 edits in this unusual film which was shot in scenes that lasted from 4 minutes to over 10 minutes. In order for the huge Technicolor camera to follow the action, set wall were suspended on rails so walls could open to let the camera pass through. Below left is Jimmy Stewart with Hitchcock just in front of him, but notice the gap above the camera where the set walls have opened for it to pass. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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One Of TV’s Most Memorable Moments…Clarabell’s Goodbye

Until those awful days in Dallas in 1963, September 24, 1960 was television’s most memorable moment…at least for us kids who watched ‘Howdy Doody’ every Saturday morning.

Although the show went color on September 12, 1955 from Studio 3K, this is the only color footage of the show I have ever seen. For many years, this tape was lost but was finally found and restored.

The final episode was a special hour long show and in this ultra rare clip, we see the beginning and end, and even hear audio from the control room crew at the very top as they prepared for Episode 2,343…the grand finale. Notice on the ending promos, ‘The Sheri Lewis Show’ was the replacement for Howdy.

Lou Anderson, the third and final actor to play Clarabell, has a surprise for us, and that was the episode title…”Clarabell’s Big Surprise”.

Just as I remember where I was on November 23, 1963, I remember this. I was 10 years old, laying on the couch in our Atlanta home, still dressed in my pajamas. When Clarabell spoke, there was tear in my eye. Some good friends were gone.

What about you? Where were you and how did you feel that morning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ6ybvlsb4s

Broadcasted on September 24, 1960. The hour-long episode was mostly a fond look-back at all the highlights of the show’s past, but in the midst of it all, Cl…

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The First Television Show From NBC Studio 6B…

A couple of weeks back, I showed you a rare, pristine photo of the “Texaco Star Theater” which was the first television show to come from Studio 6B. That was the first and only photo I had ever seen, but Val Ginter sent me the image of the show. The quality is not as good, but it’s still historic and shows Milton Berle on stage in a turban.

Studio 6B and Berle debuted the same night…June 8, 1948. When the show stared, Berle was hosting the radio version and his television debut was only a trial run as he had not yet been named the permanent host. NBC gave comedian Jack Carter a one month trial as host too in August. By the end of the month, the choice was clear and Berle took over in September.

Up next, a very rare history of Studios 6A and 6B! Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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A Fuller History Of NBC Television News…Some New Surprises!

After further research, I now realize that last week’s story on this subject only scratched the surface or a much deeper history. Today, we set the record straight.

The most widely celebrated dates in NBC news history are February 16, 1948 and February 16, 1949. In ’48 “The Camel Newsreel Theater” debuted as a 10 minute weekday newsreel from Fox Movietone News which was narrated off camera by John Cameron Swayze.

The next year, Swayze moved in front of the camera and that began “The Camel News Caravan” as a live news show. CBS had put Douglas Edwards on camera May 3, 1948.

BUT…this was not the start of news at NBC. In fact, almost immediately after their first regular TV service began April 30, 1939, news had begun to be reported on W2XBS (WNBT).

Newscaster Lowell Thomas had occasionally simulcast his NBC Radio show locally from Studio 3H as early as December 1939 and from February till July of 1940, he regularly simulcast his “Sunoco News” show to New York viewers.

There was also the weekly “Esso Television Reporter” from March until May of 1940 hosted by William Spargrove, who narrated off camera. The Esso program used live organ music and on camera was a mix of newswire photos, maps and graphic miniature depictions of news event locations.

In the photo below, we see one of those Esso mini sets in use. This scene depicts the first use of aircraft to attack warships. Remember, although WW II had not come to our shores yet, Europe was fully engulfed in 1940. As we will see, the war severely curtailed television in every way, but there is more to the pre war story below.

From July of 1941 till May of 1942, Sam Cuff hosted a weekly news commentary called “Face The War”, but the show ended as RCA and NBC cut television operations down to next to nothing five months after Pearl Harbor.

On February 23, 1944, things started to stir a bit as “The War As It Happens” came to television, and NBC News has been on the air more-or-less continuously since then.

“The War As It Happens” began as a local program, but NBC records indicate that in April of 1944, it was fed to Schenectady and Philadelphia on the fledgling NBC Television Network and became the first news cast regularly seen in multiple cities.

At the time, even the great NBC Radio news department was tiny compared to the wire services and newspapers and newsreels. Television was even less able to gather news because they didn’t even have local film crews. The first breakthrough came in 1944 when John Royal, the first head of television at NBC, acquired the rights to Army Signal Corps film.

Using this footage, “The War As It Happens” followed what was basically a newsreel format, using the film with Paul Alley narrating and Ray Forrest in the studio with commentary, maps and wire photos.

In August 1945, the war was over and the Sunday “The War As It Happens” newscast was renamed “The NBC Television Newsreel”.

In mid 1946, it gained a sponsor and became “The Esso Newsreel” and was rescheduled to two nights a week, Monday and Thursday.

On February 16, 1948 Esso bowed out and a new sponsor came to the show which became “The Camel Newsreel Theater”. The next year, it went live with Swayze on camera, but surprisingly there are reports of background music throughout the broadcast until the early 1950s. That was a remnant of the old newsreel shows. In 1956, Swayze was replaced by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. I think you know the rest of the story. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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President’s Day Special…First Live Presidential News Conference

January 25, 1961, President Kennedy held the first ever live presidential news conference. It originated from the auditorium of the State Department and was carried live on both radio and television. It was the first of sixty three he would give.

Prior to this, live radio broadcasts by a President were scripted speeches. In press conferences prior to Kennedy, questions were submitted in advance and were not asked by reporters nor broadcast live, but were recorded on film for television and on audio tape for radio news.

Instead of presenting the historical footage, I’ve included a short compilation that reminds us of JFK’s easy style in these press conferences. He was the first American president to really understand television and how to use it to his advantage, which started during the campaign. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDLLUOxmsY

The wit and humor of President John F. Kennedy is revealed in this series of clips from his various press conferences.

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President’s Day Special…First President, Coast To Coast

Not only is President Truman the first President to be broadcast cost to coast, he was the first person to do this! The first coast to coast broadcast, September 4, 1951 was made by President Harry Truman who made the principal speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco. The video is below.

AT&T was close to inaugurating their new cross country coaxial and microwave relay, but when it was announced that Truman would be the attending instead of his Secretary of State, AT&T pushed hard to get it finished and did, just in time. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

#52919436” target=”_blank”>http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52919436 #52919436Video on msnbc.com: The first coast to coast broadcast, September 4, 1951 was made by President Harry Truman who made the principal speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco.

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President’s Day Special…First President On Television, FDR

Franklin Roosevelt was the first American President to appear on television at the dedication ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair on April 30, 1939.

When Roosevelt made history he was watched by a couple of hundred viewers in the RCA pavilion as well as a few dozen more back at the NBC in Manhattan. More people likely saw FDR live at the fair than in front of TV sets.

RCA president David Sarnoff actually beat FDR on TV by ten days as he dedicated the RCA Pavilion. Enjoy and share!

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February 16, 1948…”NBC Television Newsreel” Debuts

This was television’s first news program. The 10 minute show aired once a week and this was the same version of Fox Movietone News that was shown in movie theaters weekly. It was voiced by Lowell Thomas.

Some months later, NBC added their own narrator…John Cameron Swayze who did the voice live. At the same time, a new sponsor was added and the show became “The Camel Newsreel Theater”

On February 14, 1949, the weeknight “Camel News Caravan” debuted with Swayze live on camera. I think the show came from Studio 3B at 30 Rock, but by 1952, it had moved to Studio C at NBC’s Uptown Studios at 106th Street. Below is an example of the Fox Movietone Newsreel features from 1938. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWD3Z3GCY8U

Following the events of Kristallnacht, Nov. 9-10, 1938, in which mobs rampaged through German and Austrian cities assaulting and killing Jews, burning synago…

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SNL 40 Breaks Records And Millions Of Funny Bones! BRAVO!

STUNNING is about the only word that works to describe the show last night. The video montages, the opening, the presentation…everything was flawless! TD Steve Cimino and Director Don King did a great job, as did everyone behind the lenses last night.

And the live sketches…WOW! Jeopardy, Weekend Update, Chevy and Garret’s news for the deaf, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Bass O Matic, ALL OFF IT was just amazing and had to be done in a much smaller space than usual.

Just look at the extra seating added here. That took up a lot of valuable floor space. I didn’t see a single camera last night and suspect the crane must have spent most of the night tucked into the center tunnel.

I laughed all the way through and have never seen have never seen a show with more iconic moments! It was just Awesome! THANK YOU to all that helped bring this to us! There will be more as people decompress from this week’s activities and pictures and stories start to emerge. -Bobby Ellerbee

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An Exclusive Eyewitness Account…Billy Crystal & The Debut Of SNL

In an earlier post today, we looked at the history of the show’s missed start date and the first episode. As you know, Billy Crystal was scheduled to appear, but he didn’t.

You are about to learn the real story of why he didn’t from someone who was there…Joel Spector, who was on the audio crew for the first 17 years of SNL.

Many, including me, were curious about how this happened…was it a last minute thing or did it come earlier in the week? Did he appear in the dress rehearsal? In later years, Billy had talked about the disappointment of being bumped but thanks to Joel, we’ll hear what really happened. Here is his account…

“This is the real story. Billy did indeed appear in the dress rehearsal and got big laughs. I was at the post-dress rehearsal production meeting. For this week only, every staff and crew member attended this meeting, held right in the middle of the studio.

There were three “new young comedians” scheduled to appear that week, in addition to host George Carlin. They were Andy Kaufman, Billy Crystal and Valri Bromfeld. Lorne announced that the show was very long and that only two of the three new comedians could be on the air show: Andy (with two spots) worked to recorded music, “which couldn’t be cut.”

“Billy was set to do his “Late Show” routine, in which he did all of he sounds for the typical late movie show on a local station, complete with badly spliced film hiccups. He said that he had been doing this routine for some time and that it had already been refined to be “just right.” “I understand that this might rule me out,” he said.”

“Valri piped up: “I can cut down my piece…no problem.” Lorne then wished Billy well and promised him a spot during the next few weeks. Soon after, he was cast on “Soap” and became a big star. Andy went on to the comedy stratosphere until his untimely demise. Valri did her shortened and not very funny routine and then resumed her career as a comic actor and writer.” – Joel Spector

To follow up on Joel’s account, as Lorne had promised, Billy returned on April 17, 1976 on Season 1’s 17th Episode which was hosted by President Ford’s Press Secretary, Ron Nessen with musical guest Patti Smith.

Thanks to Joel, we now know that it was only after the dress rehearsal that Crystal was cut. Till now, that part had never been known. Many thanks to Joel for this missing piece of history and to the many that share similar first hand information on this page.

In the photo below we see our friends Joel Spector (L) and Gady Reinhold (R)…friends since childhood and television veterans extraordinaire. Joel joined NBC in 1965 and Gady joined CBS a year later. Both have been a tremendous help to this site and their passion for television’s history and friendship is greatly appreciated! Enjoy and Share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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SNL Debut Show…The Opening Minutes With George Carlin

In case you missed the encore performance of the debut show on NBC last night, here is opening and Carlin’s monologue. I have been told that the original closing credits on this debut show listed all of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players as “Bud”.

It seems the sketch comedy didn’t get ramped up until the Candice Bergen episode, which I believe is the fourth. Lorne has said he considers that one to be the first episode of the show in what became its standard format. Even in the Richard Pryor episode, Don Pardo only announced them as a group.

Up next…AN EXCLUSIVE EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE DEBUT SHOW’S BILLY CRYSTAL CONTROVERSY! Enjoy and share! Bobby Ellerbee

https://screen.yahoo.com/george-carlin-classic-monologue-1-000000814.html

George Carlin: First-ever monologue on ‘Saturday Night Live’ | Saturday Night Live – Yahoo Screen

Happy birthday, George Carlin. The late comedian would have turned 77 on May 12. To honor him, we take a look back at his historic ‘SNL’ monolgue — the show’s first ever. “Talk about a live show! It’s nice to see you, welcome, and thanks for joining us — live.” That’s how the comedy icon started t…

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SNL Classic! Behind The Scenes Of “The Continental” Sketches

Whenever Christopher Walken hosts, he does a recurring character…”The Continental” which is always shot from the woman’s Point Of View by a hand held camera. I wonder if they will do this tomorrow night?

Here is “The Continental” sketch from February 22, 2003. This special video shows us what the studio audience is seeing as well as the home audience by way of a box insert from the hand held.

I think the cameraman maybe Michael Bennett. Wally Feresten is the Q card man. As a matter of fact, Wally’s company does all the Q cards for NBC’s live shows both in New York and in LA. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNCOFJnpPGs

The Making Of S*N*L’s “The Continental” – enjoy!

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The Most Amazing Crowd Of Comics Ever…Until Tomorrow!

Here is the star packed 8H hallway just before the SNL 25th Anniversary show, September 25, 1999. At this link is the super jam after the show with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the SNL Band with Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, Paul Shaffer and more. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOeCU50T6T8 Jam video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJklopreiAQ

A fly-on-the wall look backstage at 30 Rock’s studio 8H hallway on the night of the SNL 25th anniversary show. Mine was the only camera to catch all the star…

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