KTLA Anniversary Show
MUST SEE HISTORY OF EARLY LOS ANGELES TELEVISION!
KTLA’s 70th Anniversary Is Today! January 22, 1947 – 2017
This amazing video is packed with ultra rare historical footage of not only KTLA, but from the early days of all the Los Angeles television stations!
The show is hosted by Bob Hope, Betty White, Steve Allen, Dinah Shore, Dick Enberg and MANY more! This 40th Anniversary broadcast video even has a very good timeline below, but if you can, make the time to see it ALL!
This is one of the very best historical presentations you will ever see!
Below are minute to minute guides to help you take this all in…it is packed with history!
0:00 Program opening.
1:47 Clips from “The Jazz Singer.” History of the creation of television.
2:25 Early newsreel showing early television makeup.
2:50 Early television broadcasts of KTLA Channel 5.
4:30 Bob Hope talks about early television. Early television broadcasts. Great studio shots of that first day & Hope on camera.
8:06 1936 Olympic broadcasts. Klaus Lansberg, early television man. Station W6XYZ established. Early home shopping program.
10:04 Eddie Resnick, early cameraman talks about his work at the station. Pray Marco was a show similar to the lottery. Mike Stokey’s Pantomime Game Time, a show like pictionary. 1949 first Emmy Awards at Hollywood Athletic Club. Pantomime Quiz won best show.
12:09 Shirley Dinsdale with Judy Splinters (puppet) talks about winning first Emmy for most entertaining personality. Six awards were given at this first Emmy Awards show, and four went to KTLA. List of stations and when they began.
13:37 The Marshall of Gunsight Pass, early Western show. Clip from 1949. Al Jarvis, former radio disk jockey, had talk show with Betty White. Yer Ole Buddy, early comedy show. Clip from 1948. Bud Stefan talks about the show. Bill Welch did early sports shows. Talks about how many lights were needed in the studio due to the low sensitivity of the cameras.
18:07 Music and variety shows. Steve Allen talks about variety shows and venues in Santa Monica. He shot the shows that took place there.
25:10 Frosty Frolics, an ice skating show from Pasadena with host Stan Chambridge. Musical Adventure with Korla Pandit clip. Pandit talks about the show. Larry Finley talks about program he did called “Sell-a-thon.”
30:42 The Johnny Otis Show from 1960. Steve Allen talks about clip from 1962 from his show that involved a lot of pie throwing. Show called Melody Ranch with Gene Autry. Autry talks about how he changed the station after he bought it. Liberace show from 1951, Carson’s Cellar from 1952.
34:57 Early KTLA commercials.
36:03 Sponsor info.
36:17 Dinah Shore show from 1951 with Chevrolet ad. Shore talks about her early television days. Segment on “reality shows.” 1949 clip from City at Night. Ken Graue talks about the show, which was completely improvised and live. John Polich supervised the show; he talks about it.
39:05 Handy Hints with Dick Garten and Dorothy Gardiner. Hollywood Reel, which looked at stars. Clips of Barbara Bel Geddes and Ronald Reagan. Shore talks about early videotape programs, such as Emergency Ward and the Jack LaLanne show, an exercise show from 1958. LaLanne talks about the early resistance to his program. He claims to be the first to get athletes and women to work out with weights. Seven Keys, an early game show from 1960. Jack Narz talks about the show.
44:19 Adventures in Hypnotism, a live program where people get hypnotized. Emile Franchel was the host/hypnotist. Ralph Story’s Los Angeles from 1965, a public service program. Hal Style’s Help Thy Neighbor. The Baxters, hosted by Steve Edwards, clip from 1979.
47:30 Scared Straight, a documentary hosted by Peter Falk where juvenile delinquents are confronted by prisoners, from 1978.
48:30 Stan Freeberg talks about children’s programs. Time for Beany, puppet show from 1949. Daws Butler, one of the puppeteers, talks about the show. Sandy Dreams, first show with written script. Space Patrol from 1950. Tim McCoy show with Native American actor, Iron Eyes Cody. Playcrafters Club from 1954. Ding Dong School from 1960.
55:22 Cartoon Express with Engineer Bill. Bill Stula talks about the show. John Rovick talks about his role as Sheriff John. Shebang! With Casey Kasem. Clip of The Doors on the show.
1:03:55 Freeberg claims he got a letter saying that Time for Beanie was Albert Einstein’s favorite show.
1:04:40 Commercial for Calvin Klein’s Obsession for men cologne. Commercial for Toyota dealers of Southern California. Ad for Disneyland. Ad for Derma-Safe laundry detergent.
1:06:51 Hal Fishman news at ten story promo. Ad for Disneyland Circus Fantasy 87 and Carl’s Jr. Ad for Columbia Savings. Ad for British Airways. Ad for Renault Medallion.
1:09:10 Section on sports with Dick Enberg at the Olympic Auditorium. Destruction Derby, Roller Derby, Moto Polo clips. Bowling for Dollars show clip from 1970. Wrestling clips from 1950. Sports Stars on TV. The Tablehopper clip from 1959. Miss Universe Pageant clip from 1956.
1:18:30 American Express ad. Ad for Ralph’s supermarket. Ad for Pan Am airlines. Ad for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. Ad for Campbell’s soups. Ad for Southern California Hyundai Dealers. Ad for Jack in the Box restaurants.
1:22:22 Hal Fishman at atomic test site in Nevada talks about news coverage. Footage of TV coverage of the test. Klaus Landsberg set up the coverage. Clip from War of the Collosal Beast. Stan Chambers, news reporter for over 40 years. Cleve Lansberg talks about watching his father direct television shows. Various newscasters relate anecdotes.
1:36:48 George Putnam talked about the early days at KTLA. Other newscasters talk about the early days of television.
1:38:53 Section on weathermen. Jim Hawthorne talks about the first weather broadcasts. Dr. George Fishbeck talks about his forecasts. Pat Sajak talks about being a substitute weatherman, which eventually led to his being asked to host the Wheel of Fortune show.
1:41:52 Ad for Oppenheimer Mutual Funds. Ad for Renault Medallion. Ad for Blue Cross of California. Geraldo Rivera does ad for show called Innocence Lost. Sponsor info. Ad for American Express. Ad for Ralph’s supermarket.
1:46:24 Clip from “The Jazz Singer.” Information about KTLA’s current situation. They were just purchased by the Tribune Corporation. There is a list of events that they plan to cover and a promo for the night time news. Shots of old studios and what they are being used for now. Montage of shots from early programs with Simon and Garfunkel song.
1:51:33 Tape ends abruptly.
Here’s the promotional poster for KTLA’s 40th
A wonderful presentation of history of Southern California’s Television history.Every person on this Earth needs to watch this.I personally am so proud to have been part of the 1970’s portion. Very moving and emotional for me also,as I grew up watching the kiddie shows and later on having worked with Tom Hatten,Tom Kennedy, Dr. George, Jerry Dunphy, Betty White, Lawrence Welk, Dick Clark …and so many more! Thank You Bobby again for being there for all us afficianados who love this business inside and out !
Joel Tator produced this. I ran the KTLA promo dept at the time and did all the ads, spots, billboards, etc. It was quite an effort by the station and a great achievement by all departments, from production through financing, and of course with the terrific support of programming and our g.m. Steve Bell. What great time to be at KTLA.
Unfortunately the Los Angeles Times has nothing whatsoever about the event. They would partner with CBS to put KTTV channel 11 on the air the next year and then they finally covered television.
I lived in Westminster, CA from 1953 into the 60’s and I remember on channel 5 the first helicopter with a television camera broadcasting the great Signal Hill fire in 1958. We could see the glow from our front yard it seemed to have lasted several days as I remember. My day worked in Long Beach and I remember him taking us to see the aftermath not too far after the fire many times!
Good ‘ol Channel 5! “Movies Til Dawn” was great! KTLA used to be on satellite and it was fun to watch to local LA ads, especially Cal Worthington’s car ads!