‘The Price Is Right’: NBC’s Colonial Theater, January 1, 1962
‘The Price Is Right’: NBC’s Colonial Theater, January 1, 1962
By chance, both the photo and video (above) are from the same day. Although ‘The Price Is Right’ became Goodson-Todman’s first regularly aired game show to be broadcast in color on September 23, 1957, no color kinescopes or videotapes are known to exist.
As Bill Cullen says in the clip, the show was done live, but it was also videotaped for playback in the western time zones. The tape and playback was probably handled from Burbank, but I think the kinescope was done in NYC. Most likely there were some color videotape shows held back for a few months for emergency reruns, but all of the time delay tapes were eventually reused. By the way, I think the clip linked here is a night time version.
I came across this…in fact, the 12/25/61, 1/1/62, and 1/8/62 prime time shows are there, in two parts each and with original commercials.
I know in 1961 ‘Price is Right’ was done from the Ziegfeld Theater at 6th and 54th as I saw a taping in August with my Mom.
I wonder if Paul Alter directed this show.
If they could see the show now.
From the kinescopes I have seen on YouTube, I can guess that between 1961-63, they did occasionally tape a few primetime “Price is Right” episodes to coincide either with the holidays or vacation time for Bill.
Announcer Don Pardo would tag those episodes at the end with the usual “This program was pre-recorded” disclaimer.
So there was some videotaping of “Price is Right” back then; it’s just that no one chose to archive it.