A Rare View Of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
A Rare View Of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
This is the only photo I know of that shows the RCA television projection system in use at Studio 50. The screen is roughly 16 x 19 and gives a good look at the broadcast image to those in the upper balcony. The balcony was built as a two tier affair with an upper and lower section separated by a an isle. On the night The Beatles played, there was a camera in the balcony isle and most of the screaming girl shots were from that camera. If you look closely at the lower left, in silhouette, you can see what looks like a camera there now and this is possibly a regular position for one of the six cameras. This photo is from a regular, non Beatles show. The act is Rickie Layne and his wooden friend Velvel. The lower portion of the balcony was removed when the Letterman remodeling took place. By the way, notice the RCA TK30 just above the projection head. It is atop of the stage right scaffold mentioned here last week. Also, you can just barley see a few of the orchastra members on the bottom right.
What I wouldn’t give to have access to that monster boom on the right side of this image….
Bobby, I’m pretty sure the lower balcony is what remains. The upper balcony now is closed off and is a room all its own. In fact, I remember that David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Oprah Winfrey shot a promo in that space a few years ago that aired during the Superbowl: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/how-the-letterman-oprah-leno-super-bowl-ad-came-together/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
The remodel of the balcony was done before Letterman started in the Sullivan Theater. The upper balcony was already closed off when I worked in the theater in 1983-85 for Kate & Allie.
Did that isle have palm trees on it? (I believe you meant aisle.) 😉
In this frame grab from the Beatles live show, you can see the base of the projector head column from the camera in the isle separating the upper and lower balcony.