Posted on 11/22/2020 3:26:51 PM PST by OttawaFreeper
This is a compilation of rare colour television show excerpts dating from 1958 to 1966 shot on the first colour camera the RCA TK-41. These excerpts come from various programs like Bell Telephone Hour, Fred Astaire specials from 1958-60, Peter Pan, and various NBC drama play specials shot in living colour. From a 1976 NBC anniversary special
One of my favorites was “Dave Allen At Large”, great storyteller.
“We would look for shows on TV Guide that had a “C” for color.”
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I actually recall TV Guide dropping the “C” when almost every show was in color. They replaced it with “B&W” to designate the shows that weren’t in color.
“Man, the 50’s were the good ol’ days.”
What? No Black Bloc, no antifa, no BLM, no Communist DNC, no trannies, no snowflakes, no murdering babies, no hating America and all it stands for, no unless accusations of “systemic racism,” no staggering vote fraud, no hysteria over Chinese viruses, no hysteria over “climate change,” no belief that all cultures are equal, no unfathomable debt load, no welfare programs, no destruction of the black family.
How can you possibly say that was a better era?
Sob.
These days the youngsters build their own gaming computers.
Not quite the same thing because their is no soldering required, but kind of the same thing because they do it to get a top of the line computer for hundreds of dollars less.
My first exposure was of course “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” from there it was “Are You Being Served” then “Mr. Bean” and “Black Adder” then “Faulty Towers” which in my opinion was the best.
All on PBS.
PBS isn’t all bad.
“If you have a 4K TV..or someday get one”
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I’m actually pretty happy with normal def TV. Seeing the pores on a Munchkin’s face isn’t a necessary part of the viewing experience!
OOPS
Grabbed a bit to much on that post. Excuse the italics bit.
First time I saw a color tv was that night. Really made an impression.
Yeah, it was really something back in the day to see it for the first time. I think it was either at a friend’s or in a department store where I first saw a color TV.
But if you grow up with B&W, you got used to it being that way. And TV wasn’t a constant thing like it has become now, with screens all over the place constantly demanding an audience. Back then the family would watch stuff together, usually in the evening and that was it for the day. (Besides the TV would go off the air later on, anyway, heh!)
Just sayin'
So did mine. It was the family's first color TV. My father and I actually built it together, so I got fairly good at soldering and at identifying electronic components. He was not satisfied with the design of the power supply, so he incorporated his own improvements. I was impressed.
The TV worked very well and lasted for many years.
You remember pretty well.
UK was PAL, Phase Alternating Lines, at 625 lines. Most of the world outside the US used one of the PAL variants. They had the advantage of learning from US experience, which came first.
US was NTSC, National Television Standards Committee, at 525 lines. Alternately known as “Never Twice the Same Color”.
The third major system was SECAM, used by the French and French-speaking countries. Because France.
Some folks are really into having the lastest tech that comes down the pike - I could live with VHS quality and say “Meh, good enough”.
I can imagine it would be more important if a person is into the nature type things, though.
I remember going with my dad to the hardware store with a cigar box full of TV tubes, so he could test them and buy replacements for the bad one. Mid- to late-60s, I suppose. Maybe into the 70s, but I suspect we were getting into transistors by then.
Pining for the fjords
It was 1968 or 69 when we got a color tv set. It was a Magnavox with the round screen. Dad got it from the repair man for a good price. The picture tube was blown as someone had put a hole in it. Dad paid for the new picture tube, the new parts needed and a kick to the technician. It was awesome, and had a great picture. The first movie we watched was The Bridge on the River Kwai. Saturday Night at the Movies, hosted by Donald Rickles....not the comedian.
Yup, we had a Mitsubishi High-Def TV that we thought was amazing with its 1080 lines. A couple years ago while walking through Best Buy I glanced over at the TV's and was absolutely stunned by the 4k resolution sets. It's like looking through a window. It's up-scaling system can make 50's shows look like they were filmed today.
While still a little expensive but decreasing, a 55" 4k Ultra-High Def will blow you away. Along with a decent audio surround system, there is no need to go to a theater anymore. We still comment on how amazing the picture is. Also, they are called "smart TV's" because you can stream directly from your router placed anywhere in your home. And talk about adjustments...sheesh.
We were the first family on the block to have a color tv, too. I actually won an RCA color console tv in a coloring contest sponsored by our local NBC station in 1965. I was 10 years old and in 6th grade. It was the coolest thing ever! And yes, everyone came over to watch it.
I have a 42” flat screen tv and I watch a lot of b/w movies and tv shows from the old days. The new shows have terrible writing and the acting is not as good.
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