View Full Version : Manufacturers used holidays to promote early color


oldtvman
11-21-2012, 01:41 PM
Before color programs became the norm, tv manufacters used the holidays to help sell those expensive color sets. If you look at some of the promotional brochures from Rca and others the thrill of the holiday season coupled with the new color technology made for an opportunity for stores to demonstrate color and what it can bring to viewing enjoyment.

I think Amahl and the night visitors was one of the early holiday specials broadcast on the NBC networks.

David Roper
11-21-2012, 02:26 PM
1955 was the first year RCA did so (I'm sure you've seen the White Christmas CTC-4 ad), but Amahl was in black & white that year, apparently a consequence of its sponsorship that season. There were a few other holiday-themed color shows though.

Sandy G
11-21-2012, 03:14 PM
Yeah, but I THINK I remember Amahl being in color when I was a kid...they coulda re-done it though, I guess. Most of the Christmas specials I missed as a kid, 'cause we ALWAYS had something going on at the Church around that time of the year...And my Mom was one of those who believed if the doors of the Church we OPEN, WE were gonna be there-Period. End of discussion. For the 10-days-2 weeks before Christmas, I bet I had my young arse drug to Church a couple dozen times, in a scratchy-ass wool suit, tie,the whole dreadful business. But all my buddies were in the same boat, Christmas was sorta a PITA in a lot of ways.

kvflyer
11-22-2012, 06:06 AM
... Christmas was sorta a PITA in a lot of ways.

Boy, I can identify with that!

W3XWT
11-22-2012, 11:14 AM
Deck the Malls with Shoppers, by Golly!

fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Tis the Season to be Greedy!

fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Fight for That Parking Space!

fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Max Out Those Credit Cards!

fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel! Froelich Weichnacten!

Kevin Kuehn
11-22-2012, 12:08 PM
I just don't understand all the madness. Black Friday has become more scary than Halloween. I'll be hiding in my bunker until it goes away. It really does frighten me to see people so desperate.

Steve D.
11-23-2012, 05:49 PM
FYI: "Amahl and the Night Visitors" was first telecast in color on NBC on Dec. 20, 1953. Followed by a Christmas special "Season's Greetings" telecast in color on Dec. 22, 1953 also on NBC.
ON Dec. 24, 1953 NBC telecast a Christmas episode of "Dragnet" on 16mm color film. This just days after the FCC ok'd commercial compatible color broadcasts. Of course there were no consumer color receivers available to the public. These color broadcasts were viewed by RCA/NBC engineers & executives as well as other manufacturers on prototype color sets. It also offered good experience for the presentation by production personel & video engineers in staging live color programs.

-Steve D.

truetone36
11-23-2012, 06:30 PM
FYI: "Amahl and the Night Visitors" was first telecast in color on NBC on Dec. 20, 1953. Followed by a Christmas special "Season's Greetings" telecast in color on Dec. 22, 1953 also on NBC.
ON Dec. 24, 1953 NBC telecast a Christmas episode of "Dragnet" on 16mm color film. This just days after the FCC ok'd commercial compatible color broadcasts. Of course there were no consumer color receivers available to the public. These color broadcasts were viewed by RCA/NBC engineers & executives as well as other manufacturers on prototype color sets. It also offered good experience for the presentation by production personel & video engineers in staging live color programs.

-Steve D.

True. The first color set to be offered to the public would be by Admiral on Dec. 31, 1953.

Sandy G
11-23-2012, 06:38 PM
"Wreck the Malls this Christmas Season-Fa la la,etc. Blow your cash for no good reason...Push your chargecard to the limit...Checkbook now has nothing in it...Wreck the Malls w/my friend Charlie...Ride thru Walmart on his Harley...Tamper w/their Muzak system..Play something by Twisted Sister...Wreck the Pet Store do some damage...Send the beagles on a rampage...Acting in an uncouth manner..Drop yr Pants & Moon that Santa...Fa la lal la lah, La lala LAH !"

consoleguy67
11-23-2012, 06:45 PM
:lmao::yes::banana::guitar::rockon::finger:

KentTeffeteller
11-28-2012, 07:02 PM
Sandy G, modern Christmas as we Southerners now know it. Not enough smileys for that Christmas tune.

W3XWT
12-08-2012, 08:28 PM
I actually put a Twisted Sister cassette in a "Teddy Ruxpin" bear a colleague gave his kids for Christmas...

ggregg
12-08-2012, 08:55 PM
True. The first color set to be offered to the public would be by Admiral on Dec. 31, 1953.

Westinghouse, wasn't it, followed by the CT-100?

Einar72
12-08-2012, 09:06 PM
True. The first color set to be offered to the public would be by Admiral on Dec. 31, 1953.

Might be in reference to this webpage:

http://www.tvhistory.tv/advertising3.htm

Combwork
12-09-2012, 08:28 AM
I actually put a Twisted Sister cassette in a "Teddy Ruxpin" bear a colleague gave his kids for Christmas...

You've not heard Christmas until Bob Dylon's "Christmas In the Heart" plays loud and clear.

bozey45
12-19-2012, 02:41 AM
Video Artists International just released the beginning of the month the Dec. 24, 1955 version of 'Babes in Toyland', a "Max Liebman Presents" spectacular. I saw a segment from this on Classic Arts Showcase and it has to be the best kinescope recording I ever saw. You would almost swear it's a videotape. I don't know if the original recording was done in a different way or not. You can tell this was done in color--it has that "look." A shame they didn't do a color kine. A review of this version on Amazon says the closing credits has an announcement that the production was done in "RCA Compatible color." This had to have been spectacular in color back then just by viewing the b&w kinescope.

Penthode
12-19-2012, 07:48 AM
Remember it was not that they did not bother to do a color kine. In 1955 there was still no technology to do a color kine as it did not yet exist!

Steve D.
12-19-2012, 12:12 PM
Remember it was not that they did not bother to do a color kine. In 1955 there was still no technology to do a color kine as it did not yet exist!

In 1954 several NBC shows such as Dinah Shore and Eddie Fisher Coke Time were recorded via color kinescope. These color kines still exist and were viewed at the ETF convention several years ago courtesy of Ed Reitan. I also viewed prints of restored color kinescopes at a UCLA presention on early color tv presented by film restorer Dan Wingate of Sony Pictures. The quality was, imo, very good considering that it was a color film photographed off of a well setup color monitor. I'm sure there were other examples.
As good as these shows looked, I would say that NBC and their parent company RCA, did not think that the quality was a good enought example of what their new compatible color system was capable of when compared to live color telecasts. This especially for time delayed network broadcasts to the west coast which, for the most part, telecast color programs seen live in color in the east and central time zones, were then rebroadcast in prime time via B&W kinescope in the west.

-Steve D.

Penthode
12-19-2012, 12:54 PM
Steve, are you sure the recordings were 1954? Ithought the Dinah Shore/ Eddie Fisher shows were color kine'd in 1956-57.

Steve D.
12-19-2012, 02:59 PM
Steve, are you sure the recordings were 1954? Ithought the Dinah Shore/ Eddie Fisher shows were color kine'd in 1956-57.

The Dinah Shore Show in question is the earliest known surviving color kinescope. The show was telecast on NBC on Tues. Jan. 19, 1954. 7:30pm EST. Dinah's show was seen on Tues. & Thurs. nights.

The Eddie Fisher Coke Time show was telecast and color kinescoped on NBC Wed. Mar. 31, 1954 7:30pm EST. Coke Time was seen on Wed. & Fri. nights.

Both of these shows were 15 min. telecasts at the time and followed at 7:45 by the Camel News Caravan network news. They were telecast at 7:30pm PST. on the west coast via kinescope recording.

If you're wondering? The Tony Martin Show had the 15 min. slot on Mon. nights.

-Steve D.

Penthode
12-19-2012, 03:28 PM
Thanks Steve for correcting me.

Is there any chance of seeing these kinescopes again? I am sure others in this forum would be interested.