1957' broadcast of Cinderella on CBS? IN COLOR!!

[oldtvman]

Originally Posted by Pete Deksnis

I do recall watching at least one color Lassie during 1963 and 1964. Back in the days before CBS went all-color, early in the season a show would be hyped as being In Color. I remember thinking at the time that a B&W TV owner would think the entire season was in color.

It was in that time period that CBS used the color bloodshot eye logo; my reaction when I saw it back then was that it was both clever and weird!

Pete, I think CBS was getting ready for the inevitable shift to full schedule color broadcasts. Early on they also may have been testing the water to see what kind of jump they got in ratings for color shows.
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[Steve D.]

A four episode Lassie called "The Journey" was telecast in color by CBS starting Feb. 17, 1963. I recall the first episode on the 17th was followed that same evening by the CBS color telecast "A Tour of London with Elizabeth Taylor". This was CBS's cautious re-entry into color broadcasting after several dormant years. The Lassie color episodes aired opposite NBC's "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color".

Several versions of the CBS "bloodshot eye" can be seen on my site.

Steve D.

[ceebee23]

Now this may be barking right up the wrong tree ..but wasn't "The Cisco Kid" from the early 50s filmed in color and if I remember my history it was a CBS series??? I remember the shock of seeing it in colour in the 1970s! maybe it was so early it was CBS FS color?

[Joel Cairo]

I believe that CK was a color series, but I'm sure that it's lot like the "Lone Ranger" and "Superman", in that it was produced in color, but probably originally aired in B&W.

-Kevin

[David Roper]

Ziv was very forward thinking in producing six years worth of The Cisco Kid in color starting in 1950 when no station could possibly have broadcast it in color (it was syndicated only). Toward the end of its run, especially in '55-'56 I'm sure there were first-run episodes broadcast in color in at least a couple markets, but documentation to prove it would be hard to come by. ISTR a contemporary ad c. 1956 about it being on some station in color, and if one can find listings of the time they're probably the only existing record of what was in color when. And even then they're not 100% reliable, as an October 1954 ad for a color episode of I Love Lucy gave false hope that such an episode had actually been produced. Diligent research uncovered documentation that proved plans for that episode's color filming were scrapped (as were some others) apparently too late to change the ad copy.

Starting in 1954, there were perhaps a dozen local stations around the country who had the capability to air film programs in color. I Lived in one of those markets and remember seeing "The Cisco Kid" in color in the late fifties. It was syndicated. Another series aired in color locally at that time was "The Adventures of Long John Silver". You can see clips from that series at:

http://www.liketelevision.com/web1/classictv/longjohn/

[Steve D.]

Here's the site that discusses the search for the Lucy color episode. Pretty good read.

Color Her Missing
http://www.lucyfan.com/lucyincolor.html

And the follow up page, updated info on the search:

Lucy In Color - Part 2
Address:http://www.lucyfan.com/lucyincolor2.html

-Steve D.

[bozey45]

In the early or mid 70's at WTVT in Tampa we had Andy Devine on our noon program as a guest talking about an old-time western films convention. He mentioned the fact that the series he was co-star of, "Wild Bill Hickock", filmed in color in the 1950's on pure foresight on the producer's thought that eventually the episodes would air in color, as they did beginning in a syndicated package in the 1960's along with The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Superman (a couple of seasons), Mr. District Attorney (possibly the earliest TV show to film in color in 1951), Science Fiction Theatre and a few others including The Gene Autry Show (1954-55 only). SOme I remember seeing in the mid 60's, especially Mr. District Attorney and Science Fiction Theatre, would have the open in b&w and the show content in color. Andy Devine seemed proud of the fact they were so prophetic in the early and mid 50's.

[Eric H]

Well I rented this disc from Netflix to see what it looks like.
Not too bad for a Kinescope though there is a weird moire pattern in the picture along with the usual artifacts.
I haven't actually watched it yet so I can't comment on the program yet.

Here's a capture, shrinking it kind of cleaned it up a little.

[Eric H]

Here's another, you can actually see the scan lines if you look closely.

[vintagecollect]

Its a shame most 1950s color shows and their tapes didn't survive. Vintage shows that are videotaped in the 70s look live , having little deteriation.

This was recently (6 months ago maybe?) rebroadcast in BW by the PBS station in San Francisco. I made a point to watch it on my Admiral bakelite 10" set. It was supposedly the first time it had been broadcast since 1957, or so they claimed. It got an advance write-up in the local paper's TV section with some background on the production. It didn't say anything about the original being in color if I recall correctly, and judging from the make-up it looked like they used that early TV black lipstick stuff to me, which would rule out color. Don't know what prompted them to run it. Perhaps if interested parties contacted KQED they could find out from someone there how they got their copy and what's available out there.

[David Roper]

However strange the actors' makeup might appear in the surviving b&w kinescope, it most certainly was in color when performed live, there's ample documentation to that fact.

[frenchy]

Most likely they are wearing dark red lipstick, wasn't exactly out of fashion then. Besides, that king isn't wearing any lipstick.... some mascara maybe, but... : )