In a timely manner, a Northwest blogger (StumptownBlogger) posted this picture of the first televised Oscar award ceremony in 1953, with Bob Hope:

http://stumptownblogger.typepad.com/.a/6a010536b86d36970c01bb07f534b0970d-pi

The projected(?) image behind Mr. Hope would appear to be much brighter than I would have thought possible in 1953... Anybody know how it was achieved? or perhaps this is just a modern photo-shopped image of the historic event?

jr

Possibly using an Eidophor?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidophor

http://www.earlytelevision.org/eidophor.html

I have never seen an explanation of the Eidophor that clearly explained how moving images were not smeared. The beam wrote on the oil, charging it and deforming the surface, and there was a slow rotation past a smoothing bar, but how was each picture erased when the next was written? Why didn't the image persist and rotate slowly out of view with the rotating oil? Was there some mechanism that discharged the oil quickly (within a 60th of a second)?

When Hollywood still had a LITTLE Class...

I have never seen an explanation of the Eidophor that clearly explained how moving images were not smeared. The beam wrote on the oil, charging it and deforming the surface, and there was a slow rotation past a smoothing bar, but how was each picture erased when the next was written? Why didn't the image persist and rotate slowly out of view with the rotating oil? Was there some mechanism that discharged the oil quickly (within a 60th of a second)?

It has a shutter mechanism just like a normal motion picture film projector. The shutter only lets light in briefly enough that the frame is properly registered. I think the description of "slowly rotating" is a bit confusing. Think along the lines of a zoetrope type device. Everything is moving, but because of the optical path design you don't actually see the inherent mechanical motion, only the viewed subject motion.

When Hollywood still had a LITTLE Class...

I agree.Alot of class. I love Bob Hope.They dont make them like they used too.

I have last nights 87th Oscars on my hard drive.I have to skim through it and not sit and watch it for 3 hours without the adverts.

It has a shutter mechanism just like a normal motion picture film projector. The shutter only lets light in briefly enough that the frame is properly registered. I think the description of "slowly rotating" is a bit confusing. Think along the lines of a zoetrope type device. Everything is moving, but because of the optical path design you don't actually see the inherent mechanical motion, only the viewed subject motion.

Interesting - none of the diagrams in the popular press show a shutter - they only talk about half the light being lost due to the mirror grate.