TeleTales #39…Four Camera Bowl Game, NBC 1960
On January 29, 2015
- TV History
TeleTales #39…Four Camera Bowl Game, NBC 1960
It may not have been much of a surprise in yesterday’s post that ABC only used four cameras for a college football game in 1949, but in 1960…guess what…it was still four cameras.
This was the 1960 Senior Bowl, hosted by Red Grange and Lindsey Nelson from Mobile Alabama. NBC was using an RCA mobile color unit for this. There were several of these on the east and west coasts for broadcasters to rent for special or extended coverage. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
In the late 70s I worked abc CFB with four cameras, one Chyron and one replay.
I was a td on many NBC football and baseball games in the 70’s with 41’s 44’s and PC 70s.. RCA Ts 40 switchers.
The cameraman is Mario Ciarlo. He always did C2 for NBC Sports coverage of any game. All the directors loved him on C2. Whether “high home” 50 yard line”, tennis etc….. The main camera. Mario was so good that when NBC lost power to the mobile unit on a baseball game and then regained it, the only camera that came back up was Mario’s at high home. He was so good that he covered all the action without a flaw. Harry Coyle was directing that game and said to Mario “just do the right thing” which Mario did. As a sign off to that game the announcers gave Mario extra credit verbally for keeping the home viewer aware of everything and not missing a beat.
When RCA still meant something.
When I started directing football games in the early 70’s four camera games were no all that uncommon.
The truth is that even with fifty-plus cameras today, it’s the same basic five (exception being the cable cams) that are used is actual game coverage.
The name “Mobile” on the truck has two meanings here because of the game’s location in Alabama. Pretty apropos.