Final Wrap From New York…

I leave for the airport at 10:30 this morning and hope to be home by 5, but part of me will still be here. Every time I watch NYC shows from now on, I’ll be right back in these studios seeing the faces of the many extraordinary people that I have had the pleasure of meeting on this incredible trip, be they on stage on in the control rooms.

I was going to post a picture of the crew from the Seth Meyers Show in 8G, but seem to have lost the paper with their names, but one of my hosts on yesterday’s visit there, Mike Knarre (Camera 2) will get that to me and I’ll have it tomorrow.

One interesting bit of show biz magic was going on there yesterday and answers a couple of questions I have had for years. I had always wondered about the use of “smoke” on sets…why it was used and how it was made. Now I know. When you “smoke” a set, it allows the camera to see the beams of light focused on the actors or band, and adds a kind of theatrical edge to the scene being shot. Below center is the machine that makes the smoke and is virtually a huge version of an e cigarette, using the same chemical mixture. Bob Friend said that in the old days, you didn’t need these because everyone was smoking real cigarettes.

To back track briefly, my first event of the day was a meeting with NBC Executive VP of Corporate Communications, William Bartlett. That’s William’s official title, but unofficial he is the in house historian and has been a tremendous help to me over the years. William has also been a key player in the recent revival of NBC history inside 30 Rock.

Since Comcast took over ownership from GE a few years back (insert big cheer here), a lot of very good things have happened. Long delayed upgrades and renovations are in full swing and NBC’s proud history has made a comeback. Ian Trombley has been the key man in all of this as he was responsible for the planning and building of many new elements and here is an example. The new audience load in lobbies on the seventh floor for 6A and 6B shows is a site to behold. There are huge curved screens on each side that are full of historic NBC photos and headline history and William was a big part of making sure the content on those screens was as memorable as the show experience the audience members were about to have. He’s also done a fantastic job with the historical display cases in the new NBC commissary ‘Studio 9’. There are four glass enclosed cases there with everything from ‘Law And Order’ badges to Johnny Carson’s mug to a great tribute case to Pat Weaver. They are all full of interesting historical memorabilia and change every few months. I am happy to report that unlike in the GE days, NBC’s proud history is BACK in a BIG way! BRAVO!

Around noon, I was back at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater and was finally able to meet Rick Sheckman and Letterman director Jerry Foley. That’s Jerry and I in his office (below left). Jerry and Rick and a surprisingly large number of people on the staff and crew have been with Dave since his days at NBC. They are a tremendously loyal group and well deserving of the spectacular success of the show.

One of the most interesting things that came out yesterday’s conversations was this…believe it or not, the final edit of the show is not fed to CBS. It is hand delivered on video tape daily for replay from the Broadcast Center!

My other two visits yesterday were to ‘The Colbert Report’ and ‘The Daily Show With John Stewart’. I met Stephen Colbert yesterday and was able to speak with John Stewart too. John’s guest yesterday was the Yankee’s legendary relief pitcher Mariano Rivera who got a street named after him today in NYC. He and Willie Mayes are the only two living baseball players to have their own New York streets.

Al Chalino took over for legendary CBS cameraman Dave Dorsett and much to my delight, Dave Dorsett’s locker is still active downstairs at The Sullivan Theater. I’ll show you the photo soon. Enjoy! Bobby Ellerbee

Source