Blue RCA TK-41 camera

[W.B.]

Originally Posted by julianburke

This was a CBS camera. They never left the factory painted this color. CBS hated RCA and when they had to use an RCA, it was immediately stripped of all logos and painted blue. Unusual to see the RCA logos. BTW, Jack Webb was filmed at Universal Studios (Hollywood) and was aired via CBS so explains the blue cameras on that episode. You can see that episode on Youtube.

Also I have the Mitchell BNCR movie camera #244 that was purchased new by Jack Webb in 1959 (Mark VII Productions) and filmed all of his TV shows till 1983 when he died. Universal also used it for filming other shows of the '60's to include "The Munsters".

First off, all of Mr. Webb's Dragnet shows (from his 1952-59 series to Dragnet 1967 / 1968 / 1969 / 1970) were originally aired on NBC - which in those days was owned by RCA. The TK-41 class was definitely considered better than the infamous TK-42 or even the TK-43, to the point where NBC's O&O's kept the 41's in service in all their studios up to 1969-71 when they were replaced with TK-44A/B's. The "blue" cameras may've been props for use in episodes like that.

Secondly, when NBC purchased Norelco PC-70's for use in several of their remote units in 1968 (prior to the introduction of the TK-44A), on some such cameras they did exactly what CBS had done to the old RCA TK-40/41's - strip the logo off. In the PC-70's case, it was evident that the Norelco logo plate was taken off because of small holes in certain places where the logo plate had been.

And CBS's aforementioned hatred of RCA was such that practically the only reason they truly committed to color after 1965 was the introduction of Norelco's first Plumbicon color camera, the PC-60, followed by General Electric rolling out their PE-24 (and later PE-240) color film chains/slide scanners. (Though four of CBS's five O&O's - the exception being New York's WCBS-TV - used RCA TK-27 chains, and one of those four - Philadelphia's WCAU-TV - even went with the aforementioned RCA TK-42.) And that's not counting their 1962-63 purchase of Marconi Mark IV B&W cameras, when the ancient TK-10/30's and TK-11/31's came up for replacement.