The Chapman Sidewinder

On December 17, 2013 - TV History

The Chapman Sidewinder

This little workhorse debuted in the 70s and with it’s 6 foot riser arm could get a camera lens 9 feet high and the arm could go all the way to floor level. It can crab and dolly too. You see more of these on the west coast than the east for some reason and ABC seemed to use them a lot at the Prospect studios. Looks like a fun ride. The camera is a Norelco PC60.

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6 Comments

  1. Mike Medrano December 17, 2013

    I remember these being used at the New Year’s eve “Orange Bowl Parade” in Miami back in the 70s. So cool looking.

  2. Bruce B Bonnett December 17, 2013

    Hi Donna…One time they brought in a guy from the field shop to drive it. When Richard made his entrance, this guy panicked and drove it across to center stage scaring the hell out of Richard……Not Good…..

  3. Judy Watson December 17, 2013

    It seemed Dick was always on one of these………Solid Gold, Donny and Marie, etc. They were very popular

  4. Bruce B Bonnett December 17, 2013

    Yes, I did camera on Family Feud using the sidewinder at ABC Prospect. Richard Dawson was quite a character…Survey Says RIP……..

  5. Bob Aldrich December 17, 2013

    Dick Clark seemed to have an affinity for the boom shot. I saw it used for pretty much every bump in/out on ‘Pyramid’, and to a lesser extent on Bandstand.

  6. Chris Clementson December 17, 2013

    The Sidewinder was very popular at all three networks in L.A.