WPIX, New York City

June 15, 1948 was the sign on day for WPIX. Welcoming viewers for the first month or so of operations to this independent station was done with the help of famous radio comedian Fred Allen (left). Like it’s sister station, WGN in Chicago, WPIX was owned by The Tribune Company. The WPIX’s call letters come from the slogan of the Tribune owned newspaper that founded the station – in this case, it was the New York Daily News, whose tagline was “New York’s Picture Newspaper”. Notice the brand new RCA TK30.

Source

First Cleveland Indians Telecast: 1948

Shown here, 2 Dumont cameras from WEWS prepare to bring viewers the first Indians game on television. Van Patrick was the play by play man in the booth. In October of 48, WEWS would broadcast the World Series games between Cleveland and Boston to the midwest.

Source

October 4, 1965…Pope Paul Visits NYC

One of many TK41s at Yankee Stadium where a huge public mass was held. There is a paper sign on this camera with the papal crest and I assume this designates this as a pool camera. The mass was carried on all three networks who also had a few of their own cameras there.

Source

ULTRA RARE! Gabby Hayes…No Beard, In Drag With John Wayne!

Till now, I’ve never seen Gabby without whiskers, much less dressed as a woman! This serial clip is from 1934 and also stars a new comer…John Wayne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBI4DyBTn4

Gabby goes under cover to expose two villains Harris and Cole, Assayers (Lloyd Whitlock & Yakima Canutt) and clear his partner, Jerry Mason (John Wayne) of a…

Source

Election Night, 1976

Here’s Frank Reynolds at ABC New York during a break. Notice the Norelco cameras are still in use, but by the next presidential election in 1980, Ikigami HK312s would be in use at ABC.

Source

‘The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour’

After the long run (1951-1957) of half hour episodes of ‘I Love Lucy’, the production team wanted to go one hour shows that aired monthly instead of weekly. As part of the setup, Ricky and Lucy moved to Connecticut in the final season of ‘Lucy’ and Fred and Ethel followed shortly after.

Desi wanted to do 10 one hour shows a year, but Comedy Hour show production costs estimated to be $340,000 per episode became only 5 shows per year in the 1957-1958, 1958-1959 seasons and only 3 in the final season (1959-1960). Part of that expense was the many guest stars the program was to feature because the old formula of Lucy and Ethel’s tricks was giving way to Lucy using the guest stars in a way she once used Ethyl. Although Vivian Vance and William Frawley were still in the regular cast, Ricky did not have as much a presence as he once did as he was more focused on running the Desilu studios and the friction with Lucile Ball. Their marriage ended in 1960.

Source

‘Red Skelton Show’ Rehearsal With Fred Mertz & Ricky Ricardo

In the foreground, kids from ‘The Art Linkletter Show’ take in a rare moment on their tour of Television City. On stage, Red rehearses with guests William Frawley and Desi Arnaz.

Source

Do You Beat Your Wife?

Earlier this week I posted the stories of Johnny Carson’s move from CBS to ABC as the host of ‘Who Do You Trust’. If you remember, the show started on CBS as ‘Do You Trust Your Wife’ and ran on ABC by that name for a few months with the same host, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (and Charlie McCarthy). ABC changed the name to ‘Who Do You Trust’ and when they did, they hired Carson and McMahon. In this skit from the Red Skelton Show, he’s doing a takeoff on the CBS show with Paul Winchell (and Jerry Mahoney) and Bee Benaderet. The camera is an RCA TK41.

Source

‘The Man From UNCLE’

This was one of my favorite shows and probably one of yours too! Here is a 1980s look back at the series which aired on NBC from 1964 till 1968. The first season was shot in black and white, but in ’65 NBC went all color. The show was originally to have been called “Solo”, but in the year it was due to come out the movie Goldfinger was released with a villain called “Solo.” Ian Fleming was reportedly one of the consultants when this series was being planned. The name Solo was borrowed, apparently with his blessing, from the novel Goldfinger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2GzF2sxVm4

Entertainment reporter Tim Estiloz profiles the classic spy TV show, “The Man From UNCLE”. This phenomenally popular 1960’s TV show starring Robert Vaughn an…

Source

Regis…The San Diego Days

This is ‘The Regis Philbin Show’, his first hosting job at KOGO (now KGTV) that was on the air from ’61 till ’64. For budgetary reasons, he had no writing staff, leading him to begin each show with what has become his hallmark, the “host chat” segment which was influenced by Jack Paar. Infamous wrestler Freddie Blassie was a frequent guest on the KOGO show. Regis gained his first national exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show on ABC from 1967–1969.

Source

Were Annette and Bobby Engineers Too?

No, but they did know to open the door to cool off this TK30. This was probably taken on June 27, 1960, when Bobby Darin guest starred on an episode of ‘Coke Time’. Host Pat Boone welcomed Bobby, and guests Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, Edward Byrnes, Bob Denver and Anita Bryant. Bobby soloed with the Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim tune “All I Need Is the Girl” and Joseph LaCalle’s “Amapola.” He also did a “Love and Marriage” duet with Pat Boone, played the vibraphones and did a coke commercial with Pat. Thanks to John Bolin for this unique photo.

Source

Mouseketeer Meets Mack The Knife!

Thanks to our friend John Bolin, here’s a unique photo taken at KECA (now KABC) showing Annette Funicello and Bobby Darin doing what so many of us did as kids…playing ‘television’. The camera is a red and white RCA TK30.

Source

Johnny Carson: The Early Years…CBS, Part 1

This is MORE RARE than you know! In this clip from Johnny Carson’s first CBS show ‘Carson’s Cellar’, two actors are pretending to from the audience, but…the man is Jack Bailey who would later become famous as the longtime host of ‘Queen For A Day’. The lady is none other than the voice of Rocky and dozens more of our favorite cartoon characters…the incredible June Foray!
Listen closely at 5:45 when she says loudly, “I live in San Diego”, and you’ll recognize that famous voice.

The show ran from 1951 till 1953 on KNXT in Los Angeles and this is where Red Skelton first saw Carson. After the show went off the air, Red hired Johnny as a writer for his show. This is a full episode and in the last part, Johnny dresses in drag for the now famous turkey stuffing demonstration. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJ1aJrymPw

A very young Johnny Carson from 1950 with Carson in drag.

Source