NBC Color Girl, Marie McNamara

On December 10, 2012 - TV History

NBC’s Color Girl

Last week we touched on the color camera development at The Colonial Theater in NYC, but before that, there was experimental color testing from Studio 3H at 30 Rock with the experimental ‘coffin’ cameras. There was experimental color from the Washington DC Windham Hotel studios, but no “color girl”. Marie was hired in NY for color test in 3H and later at the Colonial Theater. Shooting here was all about her skin tone, blue eyes and red hair. These cameras with their viewfinders probably weighed around 400 pounds each. The TK40/41 production models weighed 375.

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5 Comments

  1. John Maresca December 10, 2012

    Thank you both for the information. The overhead lights must have felt something like a sauna.

  2. Eyes Of A Generation.com December 10, 2012

    They are just extra face lights to get rid of the chin shadows.

  3. Art Hackett December 10, 2012

    probably some sort of soft light. The holes are in a metal grill which holds the diffusion scrim.

  4. John Maresca December 10, 2012

    I am wondering what the disc-shaped devices with the honeycomb pattern are. I’m thinking that they are supplementary lighting or some kind of light sensor. Fascinating picture.

  5. Art Hackett December 10, 2012

    I realize RCA was inventing a new technology almost from scratch and computers make everything go faster but I find it hard to imagine any US corporation today spending years trying to get something right before launching it onto the market.