A Treasure For SNL Fans…Save And Bookmark This Site

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/
This is the most complete and interesting ‘Saturday Night Live’ sites I’ve ever seen. If you want a full account of the show’s history, you’ll find it here. Enjoy and Share! – Bobby Ellerbee

Saturday Night Live Transcripts

Saturday Night Live Transcripts contains over 4,000 transcripts of SNL’s most popular sketches. Updated weekly with new transcripts, from the early days of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players to its current incarnation.

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Exclusive New Photos From NBC Brooklyn…3 of 4

Thanks to Peter Katz, here is another of four photos taken on the set of ‘Amahl And The Night Visitors’ at NBC Brooklyn.

This was first performed on December 24, 1951 in Studio 8H where it was broadcast live as the debut production of the ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in America and became a holiday staple at NBC.

For its first three telecasts, the program had been presented in black-and-white, but beginning in 1953, it was telecast in color. Because it was an opera, it later began to be scheduled as an afternoon television program, rather than shown in prime time as had been done in its first few telecasts. For years, Amahl was presented live annually, but in 1963 it was videotaped, but accidentally erased and redone in 1964. This series of four photos were taken in 1954 during the rehearsals at NBC Brooklyn, shortly after it went into service on November 12, 1954.

Thanks to Peter Katz for sharing these with us. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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Ultra Rare…Color Footage Of The Mouseketeers Debut

On October 3, 1955 ‘The Mickey Mouse Club’ debuted on ABC, but the nation first met the Mouseketeers in the live broadcast of the opening of Disneyland in July. Here is recently discovered color footage of the rehearsal of the July 17 broadcast cut into the b/w footage. Enjoy and Share! – Bobby Ellerbee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge3QXyxwsGk

The Mousekateers appeared in public for the first time, on the day of Disneyland’s opening, on July 17th, 1955..while this appearance was televised in black …

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A New Angle For ‘NBC Nightly News’…Studio 3B Changes

We’ve had some questions on this lately, so here’s what I know about the changes on ‘Nightly News’.

In the top photo, we see the location of the news desk as it has been for a few years now…at the top end of Studio 3B. The red box in the top photo shows the studio door to help you get your bearings.

Last week, the desk and set was moved to the other end of the rectangular studio. Now, instead of being on an end wall, the desk has it’s back to the long wall and is in the back corner where the old ‘Rock Center’ set was. The bottom photo was taken from just in front of the studio door and the red box shows approximately where the desk is now. On the left In this photo, you can see where the desk was (covered).

From what I’ve heard and saw last night in the Ben Affleck piece, the midway point between the old desk location and the new location is now being used as an interview space. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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Exclusive New Photos From NBC Brooklyn…2 of 4

Thanks to Peter Katz, here is another of four photos taken on the set of ‘Amahl And The Night Visitors’ at NBC Brooklyn. After posting the first one yesterday and mentioning the show was finally recorded in color in 1963, we found out that someone accidentally erased that master and it had to be redone again in 1964.

This was first performed on December 24, 1951 in Studio 8H where it was broadcast live as the debut production of the ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in America and became a holiday staple at NBC.

For its first three telecasts, the program had been presented in black-and-white, but beginning in 1953, it was telecast in color. Because it was an opera, it later began to be scheduled as an afternoon television program, rather than shown in prime time as had been done in its first few telecasts. For years, Amahl was presented live annually, but in 1963 it was videotaped, but accidentally erased and redone in 1964. This series of four photos were taken in 1954 during the rehearsals at NBC Brooklyn, shortly after it went into service on November 12, 1954.

Thanks to Peter Katz for sharing these with us. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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A Story Of TV History Treasure…LOST

For a year and a half on what was then WRCA, Bill Cullen hosted a local (New York) fifteen minute television show called ‘Inside NBC’…here is a description of just a few of the shows. It would be fantastic to see all of this backstage stuff, BUT…sadly, as far as I know, all of this is gone. If you know more, please tell us.

Monday, December 12, 1955 [DEBUT] Bill Cullen hosts this 15-minute program which spotlights NBC’s personnel, history, features, and entertainment. NBC cameras pick up rehearsals in progress, previewing shows to appear the same evening or later that week.

Monday, December 19, 1955 Viewers see a Playwrights 56 rehearsal in action. Bill Cullen interviews producer Fred Coe, director Arthur Penn, and stars Kim Stanley and Louis Jean Heydt.

Friday, December 23, 1955 Bill Cullen visits David Aiken as he is made up for his role in Sunday’s Alcoa Hour production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The cameras also pick up a rehearsal of Babes in Toyland to be seen on Max Liebman Presents.

Monday, December 26, 1955 Bill Cullen tours the Home studios. Guest: Dick Linkroum, Home’s exec. producer.

Friday, December 30, 1955 Bill Cullen’s guest, Mary Martin, discusses the forthcoming Peter Pan.

Friday, January 6, 1956 The operation of the NBC news department is explained through interviews and films. The cameras pick up a rehearsal Ken Banghart’s news program.

Monday, January 9, 1956 Bill Cullen visits NBC’s special effects dept. to show how fog, rain, snow, etc. are made for TV.

Friday, January 13, 1956 Les Colodny, director of NBC’s comedy development program, explains and tells of plans for ’56. He introduces an act by some new talent.

Monday, January 16, 1956 Richard Linkroum, executive producer of Home, conducts a tour of the Home studios.

Monday, January 23, 1956 Tex Antoine explains the preparation of his weather programs. Bill Cullen interviews Henry Salomon, producer of Circle Theater’s Nightmare in Red, to be repeated tomorrow evening.

Friday, January 27, 1956 Bill Cullen takes viewers behind the scenes of radio’s Monitor. Guest will be Gene Rayburn.

Monday, January 30, 1956 The NBC Technical Operations Department demonstrates the transmission of a TV picture from coast to coast. Cameras pick up a rehearsal of Milton Berle’s show from Hollywood, Cal. Bill Cullen.

Friday, February 3, 1956 Host Bill Cullen and Maurice Evans discuss this Sunday’s Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Good Fairy, starring Julie Harris. Chet Huntley of the NBC News Department previews Outlook, a news program which debuts this Sunday. Special guest: J. Fred Muggs.

Monday, February 6, 1956 Bill Cullen visits Sid Caesar at his office and studios.

Friday, February 10, 1956 Bill Cullen reviews the first NBC telecast, April 30, 1939. This was the NBC special events pickup of the opening of the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows.

Monday, February 27, 1956 The cameras switch to Hollywood to pick up a rehearsal of Tuesday’s Matinee Theater production, A Tall Dark Stranger. Its star, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and host John Conte are guests. Bill Cullen, in New York, does a feature on the early days of NBC news coverage.

Friday, March 2, 1956 The cameras switch to the RCA Hall of Progress in Camden, N.J., which holds electronics equipment developed during the past century. Bill Cullen hosts.

Monday, March 5, 1956 Guest: Stockton Hellfrich of NBC’s Continuity Acceptance Dept. Bill Cullen shows Martha Raye Show in rehearsal, via film.

Friday, March 9, 1956 Host Bill Cullen highlights NBC’s coverage of the Presidential campaign. He also interviews Laurence Olivier.

Monday, March 12, 1956 Ike Kleinerman, film editor of Wednesday’s Project 20 production, explains how the film was procured and edited.
Friday, March 16, 1956 Host Bill Cullen discusses the presentation of the TV “Emmy” Awards.

Monday, April 16, 1956 Bill Cullen conducts a remote program with WRCA-TV’s new mobile unit.

Monday, May 7, 1956 Host Bill Cullen and his special guest, Lee Ann Meriwether, conduct a quiz show. Contestants are the five finalists of the “Miss NBC” contest.

Friday, May 18, 1956 Bill Cullen is host to Thomas B. McFadden, general manager of WRCA-TV and Ray Owen from the reporting staff of WRCA’s Pulse. Owens discusses Pulse’s technique for covering news.

That is a pretty amazing trove of treasure…and only a small sample of the ‘Inside NBC’ shows Cullen hosted. I think these are all gone but hope someone knows if they survive. – Bobby Ellerbee

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October 1, 1952…’This Is Your Life’ Debuts On NBC

‘This Is Your Life’ had its genesis in radio as a good natured gesture on the ‘Truth or Consequences’ show in 1946. General Omar Bradley asked Ralph Edwards to do something to help returning World War II veterans, especially paraplegics. He said they were depressed and reluctant to see anyone, including their families. Ralph’s ingenious solution was to profile a returning hero on his radio program, which created a “voice” for all veterans. Lawrence Tranter was selected as the first honoree. His story was told by surprising him with people from his past – family, friends, school teachers, and others in an emotion-filled episode. Knowing Tranter had ambitions to be a watch repair technician, the show arranged for him to attend the Bulova School of Watchmaking in New York.

‘This Is Your Life’ began its official TV run on October 1, 1952 with the life of Laura Stone Marr, mother of actor Milburn Stone who we best remember as “Doc” on Gunsmoke. An instant hit on NBC, the show virtually stopped America in its tracks every Wednesday night and ran till 1961.

This was among the first NBC series to originate from California, so in order to get this on the air in the east in early prime time the show had to start in late afternoon with a kinescope broadcast for the west coast. The reason the east rarely ran a kine was that most of the nation’s population was there…the most viewers got the best quality.

The photos below are from the 1958 Francis Farmer episode and were taken by the father of Jim Early. Thanks to Jim for sharing them with us as these are the only known color photos of the show. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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Exclusive New Photos From NBC Brooklyn…1 of 4

Thanks to Peter Katz, here is the first of four photos taken on the set of ‘Amahl And The Night Visitors’ at NBC Brooklyn.

If you remember from the article here a few weeks back, this was a one act light opera NBC had commissioned. It was first performed on December 24, 1951 in Studio 8H where it was broadcast live as the debut production of the ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in America and became a holiday staple at NBC.

For its first three telecasts, the program had been presented in black-and-white, but beginning in 1953, it was telecast in color. Because it was an opera, it later began to be scheduled as an afternoon television program, rather than shown in prime time as had been done in its first few telecasts. For years, Amahl was presented live annually, but in 1963 it was videotaped. This series of four photos were taken in 1954 during the rehearsals at NBC Brooklyn, shortly after it went into service on November 12, 1954.

Thanks to Peter Katz for sharing these with us. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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3 Fantastic Dick Van Dyke Set Shots…

We’ve seen the bedroom shot before but the other two living room shots are brand new. The large one here gives us an “Ah ha moment” as we finally see the kitchen set to the right of the living room, and if you look closely you can see the office set at the far end of the studio. See the bookcase behind Rob’s desk?

This probably means the bedroom set would be to the left of the living room, but at near a 90 degree angle.

On ‘I Love Lucy’, the set up is almost the same…the living room was in the center and the kitchen and bedroom areas on either side with the bedroom and kitchen spaces the ones used for sets outside the apartment. To the far right of Lucy’s living room was the club set which was also used for non apartment scenes when there were no club shots. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee

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How’s This For A Flashback?

Here’s an ad for the first ever episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and goes a long way in clearing up some confusion in the comments section from last week.

As I wrote then, Tom Snyder did a special 90 minute Saturday version of ‘Tomorrow’ with Jerry Lewis to cover the one week pushback of the SNL debut. Some had posted that Billy Crystal was to host the first show and the pushback gave George Carlin the honor of being the first guest host, but that was never the case. It was always Carlin, BUT…Crystal was scheduled to appear. Unfortunately, the show went long and Billy’s segment had to be cut.

It would be interesting to know if Billy made it to the stage in the dress rehearsal or if the cut came that afternoon. Anyone know? Thanks to Doug Gerbino for this classic ad. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Ding, Dong The Witch Is Dead! GE Sign Finally Coming Down…

Most will be glad to know that work began a few days back to take down the GE sign at 30 Rock…soon NBC’s proud peacock will take it’s rightful place here. Thanks to Anthony Quintero for this shot of the work in progress. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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The Heart Of The Magnetic Field Problems For CBS Studio 50

In one of today’s earlier post about CBS ordering the Maconi Mark VII color cameras, I mentioned the the legendary magnetic field problems they had in Studio 50 and also, Studio 52.

Circled in red is the heart of the problem. That’s where the massive transformers for the subway were located. This is on 53rd Street with Broadway being just up at the corner on your right. The dark building to the right of the transformer building is the stage of The Ed Sullivan Theater (Studio 50) where David Letterman is done.

The building on the left is the rear of what was once CBS Studio 52, with the front entrance on 54th Street. After CBS sold it, it became the famous nightclub “Studio 54”.

Even in the Black and White days, cameras had to have special mumetal shielding inside to block the interference. Jackie Gleason once hired an RCA color truck with TK41s for a test of the show in color in the early 60s, but no matter what they did or where they parked the truck, they could not get a good picture. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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Geeky, But Interesting Camera History…CBS And Marconi Color

Being born on Halloween, things in history that happen on that day intrigue me and here are two biggies. On October 31, 1965, CBS Studio 50 made is debut color broadcast of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ with 5 Norelco PC60s.

The very next year, on October 31, 1966, this article appeared in Broadcasting Magazine. It announces the CBS purchase of 39 Marconi Mark VII color cameras, with the first 5 scheduled to arrive in the summer of 1967 at Studio 50.

It has always been my opinion that the Mark VIIs replaced the Norelcos there 18 month after they were first installed. Finally, we have the confirmation. The magnetic field problems at Studio 50 are legendary, and although Norelco modified the 5 cameras they installed to negate that interference, this makes it pretty obvious the CBS was never really happy with the Norelco picture quality from 50.

Somehow when CBS field tested the Mark VII at Studio 50 in 1966, with no modifications to the camera, it worked fine and the magnetic field problems had no effect on it. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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