The Night RFK Was Shot…Inside The Ambassador Hotel, Part 3 of 3

On April 3, 2016 - TV History

Rare Photos Of The Television Coverage…June 4, 1968

I have had several request to repost these photos, so here is the first of three sets of photos taken the afternoon that Senator Robert Kennedy was killed at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. There is more on the orignal post text, quite a bit of detail on the photos, as well as some instructive comments from the first posting, so be sure and click on each image. -Bobby Ellerbee

The Embassy Room was where the Kennedy party was. Notice the sign…Alan Cranston was running against Max Rafferty for the Senate seat and his election night HQ was also in the hotel. Kennedy was in the Embassy Room, Rafferty in a second ball room and Cranston was in a third ballroom. It was a busy night for the press.

This is a CBS camera in the Kennedy HQ ballroom. Notice the Norelco camera is using an adapter to go from a twin cable output to a single cable. In a minute, you’ll see a CBS Norelco on this same wall…to the right of this.

Here is yet another shot of the lobby cameras taken from the entrance of the Embassy Room. I think the men at the platform are local CBS and NBC reporters.

Here’s a CBS camera on a great little Baughman pedestal. I think the NBC location is to the left of this position.

The Night RFK Was Shot…Inside The Ambassador Hotel, Part 1 of 3

Rare Photos Of The Television Coverage…June 4, 1968

We have all have scenes of that tragic event in our heads…the optimistic victory speech and then the horrific events in the ballroom kitchen where Sirhan Sirhan waited. I have often wondered about what else was going on in that room that night…where were the cameras, who covered this and more. Now, we’ll finally see.

Thanks to Martin Perry, I’ve located these photos taken by the Los Angeles Fire Department that night and they are quite interesting. I’m breaking these up into three parts and will post the other two parts Saturday and Sunday. There will be some interesting shots coming of all three network trucks as well as the KTLA and KTTV vans. I am still researching the events of that night and along the way, will include some of the back story in separate articles.

I think it is best if I include the details of this set of photos on the pictures themselves, so please make sure you click on them individually. This is the only time and place these have been seen with any narration, so remember to share these. -Bobby Ellerbee

Source

4 Comments

  1. Steve Dichter April 4, 2016

    As you know Bobby, I was at the Ambassador the day before setting up our KTLA equipment. I was assigned to stage manage the late news on the night of the shooting. I spent the next two days on set w/veteran L.A. news man Stan Chambers who anchored the coverage from the studio. Stan threw to remotes starting at the Ambassador and then the Good Samaritan Hospital. I recall the remote from the ambassador was in B&W.

  2. Gerry Wood April 3, 2016

    I saw it too, Stephen. Live.

  3. Stephen P Hallberg April 3, 2016

    i enjoy this page a great deal.

  4. Stephen Paley April 3, 2016

    I was watching it live when it happened.