ULTRA, ULTRA RARE: A CBS Pye Camera

Above is a photo of James Dean and Betsy Palmer in ‘Sentence of Death’ which aired on CBS, August 17, 1953, on Westinghouse Studio One (Season 5, Episode 46).

The camera is a Pye Mark II, Type 2014. This is the only photo I know of showing Pye cameras at CBS in New York. I think the Pye cameras replaced the Dumont cameras at Studios 53 to 56 in Liederkrantz Hall at 111 East 58th Street. I have a feeling that they were only used for a short time, possibly arriving in mid 1952, and then sold almost immediately after use on this broadcast. In late 1953 and early 1954, WJBF in Augusta, Georgia, WHA in Madison, Wisconsin and WVEC in Hampton, Virginia went on the air with these same camera models, and all were started on a shoestring budget. I think they all came from CBS. These are the only 3 stations I know of that used the Pye camera and by coincidence, they all went on the air around the same time. I suspect CBS sold them to buy some RCA TK11s which came out in May of 52.

Below is the full video of the Studio One episode.

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