July 31, 1970…Huntley-Brinkley Say Goodnight For The Last Time
July 31, 1970…Huntley-Brinkley Say Goodnight For The Last Time
The final minutes of the last broadcast, and more, were captured on this work tape (link below) from my friend Bob Maher. Here, we see rare video of not only Chet’s NBC sign off, but also…Walter Cronkite’s tip of the hat, with A VERY SPECIAL SURPRISE ENDING. The tape should start at 11:44. Cronkite’s tribute is first, followed by the memorable NBC sign off.
In the summer of ’56, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley had been paired by NBC to anchor their political convention coverages. It was producer Ruven Frank’s idea to use them at the conventions, but when it was suggested the two men take over the nightly news reporting from John Cameron Swayze, Ruven “thought it was the dumbest idea ever”.
Bill McAndrew was the NBC News boss, and had seen a two man team reporting from different cities on NBC affiliate WSAZ in West Virginia, and liked it. While Ruven Frank was coming around to McAndrew’s way of thinking, Swayze was losing more of the audience to Douglas Edwards on CBS, so the change was made.
At first, the ratings went even lower, but after a year of seeing Huntley in New York, and Brinkley in Washington, the audience began to build and by 1958, the team had won a Peabody Award.
“The Huntley-Brinkley Report” aired from October 29, 1956, until July 31, 1970. Before it, “The Camel News Caravan” with John Cameron Swayze was NBC’s nightly news show, and after Huntley-Brinkley, it came The “NBC Nightly News” with David Brinkley, Frank McGee and John Chancellor. Only in September of ’63 did the show go to half an hour from fifteen minutes…a week after CBS gave Walter Cronkite a thirty minute show.
I remember watching every night and especially remember their famous sign off…”Goodnight Chet, Goodnight David” and at the link below, David Brinkley talks about their sign off. Enjoy! -Bobby Ellerbee
Back when people like Chet, David, and “Uncle Walter” took news seriously instead of news going the sensationalizing tabloid route.
Can’t believe it’s been that long
I watched this the night it aired. I’m not that old… Didn’t Mr Huntley pass away not long after the news report show ended? It’s fuzzy in my memory.
Bobby, I always appreciate the backgrounders you post.
I still remember Mike Walcher (now of WINK-TV) having a reel (audio tape) in his collection of Huntley and Brinkley saying “Good Night.” I forget how many were on there.
Love the “princess” phone.
Here’s something quirky: in that first shot, where Chet’s lighting up, the monitors show someone being interviewed in the “Today” Washington studio. I wonder why HB used that one instead of David’s typical studio.