What's the best stuff to watch on a roundie?

Originally posted by classicradios
Remember this one?

OOmpah loopah
doopity doo
I got a real cool roundie for you.

[Jeffhs]

Originally posted by veg-o-matic
Green Acres. Haven't seen it in years, but I caught it last night and all the scenes looked they were planned specifically for a roundie.

Not one of my favorite shows, never was, but I still laugh at Arnold Ziffel.

If you like Green Acres, tune in to TV Land this weekend. They will have a 48-hour GA marathon.

I like Green Acres as well and will try to catch at least a few of the old shows during that marathon. That pig they have is one of the funniest things I've ever seen on a sitcom. Those old ones are much better, IMO, than much of the stuff that passes for humor on TV today.

BTW, I'm glad the TV industry is finally starting to clean up TV shows by getting rid of most of the sex and crude language in shows such as NYPD Blue, et al. This does not belong in TV programs broadcast during hours when children could be (and probably are) watching. After midnight, OK, anything goes, but during prime time let's keep it clean. The so-called "family hour" is no place for sex-pot shows such as NYPD Blue and others.

If the old NAB Television Code is reenacted, it could be the best thing yet to happen to television. Under the original Television Code, most stations subscribed to it (I know all three original network stations, channels 3/NBC, 5/ABC and, at the time, 8/CBS in Cleveland, subscribed to the Code and showed its logo at sign on and sign off) and there was no sex or crude language (except an occasional "hell" or "damn", nothing worse, by the '70s) in any show. TV was a lot better in those days. Too bad it took Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime stunt last year to make broadcasters realize how filthy many of today's soap operas and other television shows really are.

[Sandy G]

What's something nice to watch on a roundie? How 'bout "Mr Wizard", I can almost remember watching him. Don't remember if he was in B&W or glorious color, but remember a lot of shows in the "early days" of color TV were still in B&W. I just wish "Twilight Zone & "Outer Limits" had made it to the color era. -Sandy G.

[Eric H]

I have recently been watching a series of Disney DVD's called Walt Disney treasures.

They have them for Micky, Goofy, Donald... but the best sets are the "Tomorrowland", "On The Front Lines", and "Disneyland U.S.A." discs.

The last one contains the opening day broadcast from Disneyland, it appears to be a Kinescope complete with all the flubs and problems of live TV, it's utterly facinating stuff!

From Amazons Site: "The opening-day special, "Dateline Disneyland" (July 17, 1955), attracted an estimated audience of 90 million--virtually every television household in America"

One of my favorites so far is on the same disc and is called "Disneyland After Dark" originally broadcast on 4/15/62
This is an absolutely pristine color presentation featuring Annette Funicello and Louis Armstrong. It's so vivid it feels like it's happening then and there, not 40+ years ago!

These sets are very limited for a Disney release, between 100,000 and 250,000 copies of each as far as I know. Many of them are available on Amazon new or used and I highly recommend them!

Eric

[Steve D.]

Eric,

I just finished viewing the Disney 2 DVD set "Tomorrowland." I remember, as a child, watching these programs telecast in B&W on ABC in the mid 50's. At that time, even in B&W, they left a lasting impression on me. The shows originally were filmed in brilliant Technicolor. And that's the way I viewed them today on the DVD's. The combination of live action, animation and miniatures that rival today's computer generated effects is visually stunning. On a well set up roundie this series would indeed be a real treat.

Steve

[Eric H]

Steve,

I just started the Tomorrow Land discs last night, I watched the "Man In Space" program.
That was sooo cool, featuring no less than Wernher Von Braun himself!

What they were describing was essentially a Space Shuttle! It looked very 1950's Sci Fi but had pretty much the same function

My roundie isn't working so I have to watch them on a modern set.
I remember the Wonderful World Of Disney back in the 60's, it was B&W for me then too!

Eric

[Steve D.]

Eric,

It is interesting that the primary rocket scientists hosting this series were all a part of the German NAZI rocket program just a few years before. And along with Chief designer Von Braun they designed, built (using slave labor) and launched the V-1 and V-2 rockets that almost leveled London in WW-2. Disney really had to sanatize this aspect of the series for a conservative, post war 50's audience. This is just an historical observation, and doesn't detract from the overall quality of the shows.

[bgadow]

One of my in-laws gave us a tape made from old 8mm films from someone in the family. We were watching it tonight, not too interesting because my wife doesn't recognize anybody. But then, hold the phone! They had, in the early (?) 60s, a roundie-and were proud enough of it to get several screen shots! I haven't been through the whole tape yet but so far there is the opening (I think) sequence to the Disney show, a clip of the Tonight show, Davey Crockett, plus a sequence from Bonanza complete with the NBC "snake" logo. I will try my best to post some shots soon, though they are not too good to begin with and by the time I photograph them, I don't know. My best guess, from watching various scenes, is that its a CTC-11.

[bgadow]

Here is a shot from the Disney show, says "RCA, the most trusted name in Sound"

[bgadow]

Bonanza sold a lot of color tv sets...

[bgadow]

I wish the pictures were better. I had assumed this tape was made recently but discovered it must have been done awhile back, maybe 20 or more years ago. They used a tv set in room for background music! Used CSPAN, which was mostly playing classical music (so far as I can tell) but then they switch to an interview show, and the guy keeps changing channels trying to find more music!

Here is the NBC snake, which looks way cool in action, especially the good copy that I've seen on the web.

[Eric H]

Now out on DVD!

This is excellent, the color is incredible in that 1960's Batman, Star Trek, brighter than life eye popping C O L O R !

[reeferman]

The best thing to watch on a roundie is what has to be the dumbest color tv ad ever (thank you RCA). RCA was bragging how good their color picture was compared to that piece of non-RCA junk you just happened to be watching their commercial on. And if you didn't believe them, you could see the BEAUTIFUL picture the RCA tv gave (as displayed on your POS set) in a side-by-side comparison to the rotten picture that was on the rest of the screen. Made me want to go out and buy a Motorola!

[Eric H]

Has anyone mentioned Rocky & Bullwinkle yet?
I got the first season box set for my B'day and have been enjoying it tremendously.
It's color of course and originally aired in 1959, perfect if you have a CTC-9

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Eric H

Has anyone mentioned Rocky & Bullwinkle yet?
I got the first season box set for my B'day and have been enjoying it tremendously.
It's color of course and originally aired in 1959, perfect if you have a CTC-9

Eric, I remember in 1963 getting to watch BULLWINKLE in color at our next door neighbor's house. It was a treat for me and our black & white Packard Bell didn't seem so hot after watching that set. It was an RCA 1962 model (at least that was the year they got the set); the only color TV on our end of the block, that's for sure..