December 17, 1969…Tiny Tim Marries Miss Vicki On ‘Tonight’

Remember this? I was a senior in high school and although it was a Wednesday night, I got permission to stay up and watch, along with about 40 million others. Probably one of the greatest publicity stunts of all time. I met him a few times and yes…he’s just as odd off stage as on. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8gloxeHOLk

Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki on the Johnny Carson show with 40 million television viewers watching, on December 17, 1969. WATCH MORE Johnny Carson on YouTube:…

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Another Great Article From Richard Wirth…’Cameras In The Sky’

Hello again Everybody! I thought it would be interesting to take a look back to some of the people who designed the processes and invented the equipment that gave us aerial cinematography. The article examines the history of shooting film and television from the air and also covers the evolution of some of those mechanisms and the aircraft that got us to where we are today.

This was a particularly fun piece for me as it combines two of my favorite things – flying and cinematography. I was also fortunate to have a knowledgeable guide through the process who was able to provide insight almost from the beginning. For that, I owe Richard Hart, Jr., my thanks. Mr. Hart is president of National Helicopter and Engineering Company. His father, Richard Hart, Sr., started the company in the early 50’s. Since then, National Helicopter has been a leader (if not THE leader) in aerial motion picture and television production. They have served up aerial action and drama in front of the camera and provided aircraft, pilots and platforms behind the camera. A link to their long list of credits is included in the article.

As always, I attempt to include illustrations of shots from television programs and movies that made a mark on history of the industry. This article is no exception. Hopefully they’ll bring some memories to many of you.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Happy Holidays to you!

Richard Wirth

http://provideocoalition.com/pvcexclusive/story/cameras-in-the-sky

Cameras in the Sky

“Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.” — Socrates If Socrates were alive today, he would probably own a drone.

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In Case You Missed It…Funniest SNL Christmas Bit In Years!

Kenan “What’s Up With That” Thomson is at it again. This was part of a very good show this past Saturday. I haven’t laughed this hard at an SNL holiday skit since ‘Schwetty Balls’. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWnP2jO06gc

If you’ve been crossed off Santa’s nice list, here comes Sump’n Claus (Kenan Thompson). Get more SNL on Hulu Plus: http://www.hulu.com/saturday-night-live Ge…

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December 14, 1934… Laurel And Hardy’s ‘Babes In Toyland’ Debuts

80 years ago yesterday, a classic was born. As kids, a lot of saw this on our local stations around the holidays and knew it as ‘March Of the Wooden Soldiers’ which was the title of the 1948 re-release. The original title was ‘Babes In Toyland’.

WPIX in New York still runs this every Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Here’s the trailer and notice the special effects insert shot of Stan and Oliver watching the toy soldiers march by. Thanks to Rick Scheckman for bringing this to our attention. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

#t=10″ target=”_blank”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBmgwbdTJWA #t=10

Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage on Mother Peep’s shoe and keep it and Little Bo Peep…

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Making ‘Gone With The Wind’…Linda Ellerbee & Ray Gandolf, ABC

To celebrate the debut, here is a most excellent ABC ‘Our World’ special on the making of ‘Gone With The Wind’ from 1987. There is a lot of rare film and many little known facts in this 5 part presentation. For example, did you know Lucile Ball was one of the actress screen tested for the role of Scarlett O’Hara? When Vivian Leigh did her screen test, she said the dress was still warm from the last actress to audition for the part of Scarlett. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1pCe6P_DxA Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14qUhkjEXy4 Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MrU_gw5AEI Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNkiSLSOMw4 Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DroCn55mgnU Part 1

“Our World,” an excellent ABC News history series that ran for one season (1986-87), chronicles the making of the 1939 movie classic “Gone With The Wind” (2/…

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December 15, 1939…’Gone With The Wind’ Debuts In Atlanta

Even now, ‘Gone With The Wind’ remains one of the biggest books ever published and one of the top movies every made. In the late 70’s, I spent a lot of time in Margret Mitchel’s Atlanta home, which back then was owned by my friend Bob Ruddy. The theme from Tara played in my head every time I was there. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIBz-5QQOso

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Picture Parade 4…The Infamous TSM Auto Cams At WNBC

Connie Chung says the news casters named them “Larry, Moe and Curly”, but soon, everyone called them that. These rambunctious robots had a mind of their own and often ran afoul at the worst possible moments. These came soon after the last big NABET strike and were seen by many as a “rub it in your face” gesture by the new owners…GE. I had been looking for this since I posted the BBC robocam horror show a week or so ago. Does anyone have more pix of these? This is the only one I know of. Enjoy and share. -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 2…Guys And Dolls In Television At WBKB, Chicago

These pictures were taken during WW II and show how women stepped into jobs of all kinds across the country. Some here were engineers while others worked cameras and control room equipment. The cameras were made before the war at WBKB, as was the dolly that uses an old barber chair base to raise and lower the camera. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 1…The Identities Are Revealed

This photo gets posted a lot, but never with the names and event, so, let’s fix that. The photo was one of a few dozen taken this day for use by RCA in trade ads to promote their new TK30 Image Orthicon camera in early 1947. The cameraman is Andreas Fininger and the actress in the background is Eva Marie Saint.

As seen here, she did a lot of bit parts in early NBC dramas which lead to her role in ‘On The Waterfront’ and later, she had NBC television roles opposite Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra in a production of “Our Town” for ‘Producers’ Showcase’ and “Middle of the Night” for ‘Philco TV Playhouse, which brought her a Emmy nomination in 1955. Saint also scored a professional triumph on Broadway opposite the legendary Lillian Gish in “The Trip to Bountiful,” which earned her a Drama Critics Award in 1953. Saint’s solid reputation among critics was becoming reinforced so often that she was referred to as “the Helen Hayes of television.” Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 4…White Shoes And Color News

This is the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. Pictured with Mike Wallace is the governor of Florida, Miss Florida and an overloaded cameraman. That hefty bundle is the Norelco PCP 90 with a 35 pound camera and a 25 pound back pack transmitter. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 3…Space Cadets, A Whole Nation Of Us!

In the 60s, space missions were huge events and networks had cameras everywhere explaining not only the mission but the science behind all this and we ate it up. It was a great time in America. Here’s CBS owned KMOX giving us a look at a Gemini capsule at the hometown plant where they were made… McDonald Douglas in St. Louis. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 2…’Playhouse 90′, “A Heritage Of Anger”, 1956

Interestingly, like the Richard Pryor – SNL story I posted earlier, this is also a Season 1, Episode 7, event, but on a much different track. These are some great photos of the rehearsals as CBS Television City on November 15, 1956. The stars were Ralph Bellamy, Lloyd Bridges, John Ericsson and Tom Brown. The cameras are RCA TK11/31s and the cranes are Houston Fearless 30B models. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Picture Parade 1…The Voice Of Christmas Past

Here’s a look back at some of the surprises under the tree many of us at least hoped for. I’d never seen a CBS or ABC truck till I went looking for these pictures. This internet thingy has more pictures than a Sears catalog ;>) Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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