SPECIAL 3 DAY BIRTH OF COLOR EVENT: DAY 1, PART 1
SPECIAL 3 DAY BIRTH OF COLOR EVENT: DAY 1, PART 1
Today is the eve of the 63rd anniversary of commercial color broadcasting in America. Over these next 3 days, Eyes Of A Generation will tell the most complete story of the development of RCA’s Compatible Color System, ever presented on the internet. Pass the word! More below the line. -Bobby Ellerbee
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December 16, 1953…An Important First And Last Event
This is a photo of the first television drama to be done in color…it is also the last experimental colorcast.
“To Live In Peace” was the episode title of the December 16, 1953 production of “The Kraft Television Theater”, which starred Anne Bancroft. It was done in color from NBC’s Colonial Theater…the night before the FCC announced the approval of the RCA pioneered version of compatible color.
Several other one hour color specials had been done in the months prior, like the opera “Carmen” and Kukla, Fran & Ollie’s “St. George The Dragon”, but this was the first drama.
You may ask, if there were no color receivers for the public, what was the purpose of broadcasting in color?
The answer is in the term “compatible color”, which means that the new RCA color system broadcasts were as well received on everyone’s black and white sets, as clearly as regular black and white broadcasts.
In much the same way as monochrome television went through their experimental period, before official FCC approval, color did the same, but with more intense arguments over which system to choose. The battle was between RCA’s electronic Dot Sequential System and the CBS mechanical Field Sequential System.
Even RCA in the early days tried to get the CBS system to work, but there were too many obstacles to over come. With their own system there were many obstacles, but in the end, RCA’s will to power and engineering prowess came through.
The camera here is one of the original “first four” RCA TK40 prototypes. They were hand built and delivered to The Colonial in late October of 1952. Assembly line production did not start till a year later after the the cameras were tested. More to come! – Bobby Ellerbee
Did the camera operator see the image he was recording in colour through the viewfinder on his tk41?
Can’t wait for the next two chapters. I remember hearing about a lot of this but I was in grade school at the time.
Bobbie you are a walking encyclopedia! I never get tired of reading about history. On another side note, don’t you ever wish any of your cameras would work to have the satisfaction!