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The earliest editions were done on some kind of wire -- not film, which kind of gives those episodes an overexposed look. A number of years ago, I know there were some "experts" trying to figure out how to restore the wire versions...don't know if they ever found a way, but I think you may be able to find some tape or dvd copies.

Actually, they were filmed using the kinescope process, basically taking a film camera and using it to film the show from one of the TV monitor screens as the show was being made. A lot of times, there were shows done live but the films were used to re-run the shows for the folks in the Mountain and Pacfic time zones. When videotape was first used in 1956, they slowely went to using tape instead. When CBS and the other networks ran their news, they taped it and re-ran it for the West Coast unless things were happening so quic, then they went live on the West Coast feeds too.

Come to think of it, one of our local Pittsburgh talkshow hosts, Doug Hoerth, was talking about TV technology when we had the 40th Anniversary for the assassination of JFK and he remembers seeing Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald live on TV and they ran the recording on slow motion over and over again. In addition to the tapes, they also had a disc version of the videotape that held about 30 seconds of video that was used for instant reply at sporting events. Hoerth remembers when they ran the disc, it was very eerie hearing the grown Oswald made while he was shot in super slow motion.

Yes, kinetiscope...that's what it was. Couldn't think of it.

Thanks for all the info. Fascinating read.

And then I misspelled it.

Kinescope.

I must be tired. Sorry.