First Color show memories

[oldschooler]

Here's one for you old folks...

What are your earliest memories of color TV? Maybe your first color TV in the family, the neighborhood...First time u saw a color show...

We got a color TV, a big Motorola, in 1965, I am pretty sure. I remember when WSYR (an NBC affiliate) went color, in about 1966, and they stopped showing the old (the best) B & W Popeye cartoons, I was so dissappointed! No one else at the time, I think , had color in our neighborhood.

There were some shows I did not see in color until the mid-70's: those on PBS (WCNY ch. 24), because the motorola, or the subsequent RCA Victor color set (with the rounded tube) did not pick up UHF worth a damn, even though they had UHF tuners. I think the first time I saw Monty Python's Flying Circus in color was on a Sony Trinitron in 1975. Wow! Up til then, I watched all UHF on a little Panasonic I got for Christmas in 1969.

 

[RipNRead]

I remember that the (then) three networks started each show with the announcer saying " This program is brought to you in living color". I always wondered if color was actually alive?
The first show I saw in color was ABC's The Fugitive. I believe it was the last year of the four year series and it ran in 1967.
I also remember people running out to stores to buy color TV sets. I don't see such an unrush to purchase HDTVs.

 

[FreddyE1977]

> Here's one for you old folks...
>
> What are your earliest memories of color TV? Maybe your
> first color TV in the family, the neighborhood...First time
> u saw a color show...
>
> We got a color TV, a big Motorola, in 1965, I am pretty
> sure. I remember when WSYR (an NBC affiliate) went color, in
> about 1966, and they stopped showing the old (the best) B &
> W Popeye cartoons, I was so dissappointed! No one else at
> the time, I think , had color in our neighborhood.
>
> There were some shows I did not see in color until the
> mid-70's: those on PBS (WCNY ch. 24), because the motorola,
> or the subsequent RCA Victor color set (with the rounded
> tube) did not pick up UHF worth a damn, even though they had
> UHF tuners. I think the first time I saw Monty Python's
> Flying Circus in color was on a Sony Trinitron in 1975. Wow!
> Up til then, I watched all UHF on a little Panasonic I got
> for Christmas in 1969.
>

We did not get a color set at my house until 1974 or 75, don't remember exactly. My father felt that color was an unnecessary luxury, like fabric softener or touch-tone dialing. Besides, he had six old B/W sets in the basement, and just kept interchanging the parts until none of them worked anymore. My grandparents lived nearby and got a big RCA color console in 1969. I remember they got it around Thanksgiving, because I would beg to go to their house to watch the Thanksgiving day parades, the Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, etc. That was back when they had 3 separate color controls....Tint, Hue and Chromix, I believe. I got a kick out of playing with them as a child, although my Grandfather would throw a fit everytime he turned on Cronkite and his face was purple.

 

[bpatrick]

> I remember that the (then) three networks started each show
> with the announcer saying " This program is brought to you
> in living color". I always wondered if color was actually
> alive?
> The first show I saw in color was ABC's The Fugitive. I
> believe it was the last year of the four year series and it
> ran in 1967.
> I also remember people running out to stores to buy color TV
> sets. I don't see such an unrush to purchase HDTVs.
>
I was seven years old in 1962, and a friend in North Carolina and
some of my relatives in Florida had color sets. The first shows
I remember seeing in color, both that year, were "The Flintstones"
and "The Shari Lewis Show." We didn't get a color set until 1971.

BTW, only NBC had the announcer doing the spiel about "living color."
CBS had the three letters C-B-S come up in white or gold (I forget which),
an announcer saying, "CBS presents this program in color," then the eye
moving left to right and turning the letters different colors.
ABC had an animated thing where the letters a-b-c, each a different
color, assumed their position and were framed by the ABC circle. About
1966, they stopped this and just had the title of the show and IN COLOR,
occasionally said by an announcer or the star of the show.

And slightly off-topic, around 1982 ABC had a piece of animation before
every show that was closed-captioned. Anyone remember this?

 

[MCarney]

> We did not get a color set at my house until 1974 or 75,
> don't remember exactly. My father felt that color was an
> unnecessary luxury, like fabric softener or touch-tone
> dialing.

OMG that sounds like my father! We didn't have a color TV until '74, and that's only because my grandparents unloaded their RCA color console (aka piece of furniture) on us when they bought a new Sony Trinitron (which my grandfather still uses to this day!) I remember watching the Watergate hearings on the color set just after my grandfather brought it in. I also remember watching Felix the Cat cartoons in color on WSMW 27 (the current WUNI Worcester MA).

 

[ThatManDan]

Methinks the first time I ever saw color TV was at the Museum of Science in Boston. Don't recall the year, and it was some movie about the war in the Pacific, so it was mostly green anyhow.

First show I can recall seeing in color was "Batman" at a friend's house.

My mom floored my when she got a Sears color TV one day.

I paid her back years later with a Sony I bought for her while I was in the Army.

That thing worked for YEARS!

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by ThatManDan on 04/12/06 07:03 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[nuzguy]

> I remember that the (then) three networks started each show
> with the announcer saying " This program is brought to you
> in living color". I always wondered if color was actually
> alive?
> The first show I saw in color was ABC's The Fugitive. I
> believe it was the last year of the four year series and it
> ran in 1967.
> I also remember people running out to stores to buy color TV
> sets. I don't see such an unrush to purchase HDTVs.

For a period when color broadcasts were first possible, most of the commercials were in color and many of the programs still aired in monochrome. Then the productions themselves made the change.

Color commercials much resembled the test pattern in television's pioneering days--everybody watched them in awe.
>

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

My first memories of watching color TV were away from home, as my family did not get their first color TV until March of 1968. It was a used RCA set which lasted a year under our ownership (and was quickly replaced by a bnrand-new Sylvania Home Entertainment Center).

I'm pretty sure that while in a TV or appliance store, I may have seen a piece of a World Series game as a very young child.

In early September of 1966, my family was spending a weekend in Onset, Massachusetts, and on Saturday night, we went to a pizza restaurant that had a color-TV. I remember it was showing a football game (probably a pre-season NFL game as I think the color-TV was tuned into CBS and I think they aired some prime-time NFL pre-season games that far back).

Another early color-TV memory was Halloween 1967, while trick-or-treating. My Mom took my brother and I to the home of a neighbor she was a very close friend of. They had a color-TV and invited us in for a few minutes. I remember that the TV was tuned into NBC, and "Daniel Boone" was on. Around 8 P.M.(?), the show was interrupted for an "NBC News Special Report", and I remember President Johnson came on to make a televised speech about Vietnam.

 

[oldiesfan]

> ABC had an animated thing where the letters a-b-c,
> each a different color, assumed their position
(edit: "Thank you sir, may I have another? ;-)
> and were framed by the ABC circle. About 1966,
> they stopped this and just had the title of the show
> and IN COLOR, occasionally said by an announcer or
> the star of the show.

"Next...the F-B-I...in color!"

This ABC show open genre was of course the basis for
the parody open used by "Police Squad," along with
their sendup of QM Productions--"with special guest
star..." and "tonight's episode..."

And wasn't it a hoot to see Erskine Zimbalist driving
around D.C. in his snazzy Mustang convertible (I bet
the perps never drove Fords), and parking right in
front of those important government buildings.

 

[oldiesfan]

Probably not the first time I saw a show
in color, but the first semi-regular viewing
of a show on the sly...

Second season of "Man From U.N.C.L.E."
(1965-66) and its first in color, airing
Fridays at 10/9 Central time.

I would bug Mom and Dad for us to visit/shop at
a nearby strip center where an appliance store
had a big RCA New Vista Color TV (or some such
moniker) in their front display window with the
audio coming through an outside speaker.

As NBC was "the full color network" it was usually
on the TV and a small crowd, myself included,
would gather in front of the window to watch "MFU"
from 8-9pm MT. This was the season with the
"cool jazz" version of the show's theme, and
before the plot lines went off the deep end
(in the third season).

 

[dgabenski]

> > >
> "Next...the F-B-I...in color!"
>
> This ABC show open genre was of course the basis for
> the parody open used by "Police Squad," along with
> their sendup of QM Productions--"with special guest
> star..." and "tonight's episode..."
>
> And wasn't it a hoot to see Erskine Zimbalist driving
> around D.C. in his snazzy Mustang convertible (I bet
> the perps never drove Fords), and parking right in
> front of those important government buildings.
> That's actually Efram Zimbalist Jr. I am not sure, but I think Police Squad, was actually a Quinn Martin Production, and yes I do mean Police Squad with Leslie Neilson. I am almost positive that the voice over guy on the credits was the same one that voiced the F.B.I. Open

 

[oldiesfan]

> That's actually Efram Zimbalist Jr.

10-4 (although spelled Efrem), however I was
using--on purpose--the name bestowed on him
in the Mad Magazine parody of "The FBI."

Now if only I could remember what Mad's
sendup was called...

Star Blecch? No.
Loused Up In Space? No.
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Fishbowl? No.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by oldiesfan on 04/13/06 02:56 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[ccmfan]

> My first memories of watching color TV were away from home,
> as my family did not get their first color TV until March of
> 1968. It was a used RCA set which lasted a year under our
> ownership (and was quickly replaced by a bnrand-new Sylvania
> Home Entertainment Center).
>
> I'm pretty sure that while in a TV or appliance store, I may
> have seen a piece of a World Series game as a very young
> child.
>
> In early September of 1966, my family was spending a weekend
> in Onset, Massachusetts, and on Saturday night, we went to a
> pizza restaurant that had a color-TV. I remember it was
> showing a football game (probably a pre-season NFL game as I
> think the color-TV was tuned into CBS and I think they aired
> some prime-time NFL pre-season games that far back).
>
> Another early color-TV memory was Halloween 1967, while
> trick-or-treating. My Mom took my brother and I to the home
> of a neighbor she was a very close friend of. They had a
> color-TV and invited us in for a few minutes. I remember
> that the TV was tuned into NBC, and "Daniel Boone" was on.
> Around 8 P.M.(?), the show was interrupted for an "NBC News
> Special Report", and I remember President Johnson came on to
> make a televised speech about Vietnam.
>

The first show I remember seeing in color was My Mother the Car, believe it or not, at a relative's house in Nashville. My parents never bought a color TV until the middle 70's and it was a used hotel set which didn't last long. After that they bought a console in the late 70's.

 

[ccmfan]

> > > >
> > "Next...the F-B-I...in color!"
> >
> > This ABC show open genre was of course the basis for
> > the parody open used by "Police Squad," along with
> > their sendup of QM Productions--"with special guest
> > star..." and "tonight's episode..."
> >
> > And wasn't it a hoot to see Erskine Zimbalist driving
> > around D.C. in his snazzy Mustang convertible (I bet
> > the perps never drove Fords), and parking right in
> > front of those important government buildings.
> > That's actually Efram Zimbalist Jr. I am not sure, but I
> think Police Squad, was actually a Quinn Martin Production,
> and yes I do mean Police Squad with Leslie Neilson. I am
> almost positive that the voice over guy on the credits was
> the same one that voiced the F.B.I. Open
>

I think that Police Squad was produced by the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams, who did the Airplane! movies and the later Naked Gun movies that came from Police Squad.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083466/

 

[oldschooler]

> > That's actually Efram Zimbalist Jr.
>
> 10-4 (although spelled Efrem), however I was
> using--on purpose--the name bestowed on him
> in the Mad Magazine parody of "The FBI."
>
> Now if only I could remember what Mad's
> sendup was called...
>
> Star Blecch? No.
> Loused Up In Space? No.
> Voyage To The Bottom Of The Fishbowl? No.
>
You were just beggin' for a reply, weren't you?

MAD's send-up of the FBI was called...the FIB. July '71.

Here you go:

http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/index-subjects_tv.html

BTW...It was called "Voyage to see What's on the Bottom"...

http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/index-subjects_tv.html

 

[oldschooler]

> I remember that the (then) three networks started each show
> with the announcer saying " This program is brought to you
> in living color". I always wondered if color was actually
> alive?
> The first show I saw in color was ABC's The Fugitive. I
> believe it was the last year of the four year series and it
> ran in 1967.
> I also remember people running out to stores to buy color TV
> sets. I don't see such an unrush to purchase HDTVs.
>
Some call them "color signatures":

There's a version of NBC's unfolding peacock that predates the flute music and Ed Herlihy voiceover. There's even a pre-peacock NBC color signature -- although I think it might've been used as a network outcue, rather than an intro.
ABC also had two versions -- one w/ voiceover, one without.

And all you old farts, think hard about watching the Tonight Show, all the way up to the end of 1975: Remember? Even then, NBC would run the Peacock prior to the open, my guess would be for "prestige" reasons, like "The Tonight Show" was the network's signature, "crown jewel" broadcast, I guess.

They're all here. Enjoy:
http://www.kingoftheroad.net/KARD_html/kard4.html

 

[dgabenski]

> > > > >
> > > I am not sure, but
> I
> > think Police Squad, was actually a Quinn Martin
> Production,
> > and yes I do mean Police Squad with Leslie Neilson. I am
> > almost positive that the voice over guy on the credits was
>
> > the same one that voiced the F.B.I. Open
> >
>
> I think that Police Squad was produced by the Zucker
> brothers and Jim Abrahams, who did the Airplane! movies and
> the later Naked Gun movies that came from Police Squad.
>
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083466/
>
Bravo ccmfan you are correct on Zucker Abrahams Zucker, but I stand firm on the voice over guy for the credits. if you listen to the "cannon" theme from tim'stvshowcase.com and the "police squad" theme the voice overs are scary alike especially when the announcer says william conrad. Of course, it could be a very good imitation. By the way, just curious, is the name ccmfan a reference to the hockey equipment company?

 

[dgabenski]

> >> There's a version of NBC's unfolding peacock that predates
> the flute music and Ed Herlihy voiceover. There's even a
> pre-peacock NBC color signature -- although I think it
> might've been used as a network outcue, rather than an
> intro.
> ABC also had two versions -- one w/ voiceover, one without.
>
>
> And all you old farts, think hard about watching the Tonight
> Show, all the way up to the end of 1975: Remember? Even
> then, NBC would run the Peacock prior to the open, my guess
> would be for "prestige" reasons, like "The Tonight Show" was
> the network's signature, "crown jewel" broadcast, I guess.
>
> They're all here. Enjoy:
> http://www.kingoftheroad.net/KARD_html/kard4.html
>
Yes the first peacock debuted in I believe 1956 for Mary Martin as Peter Pan. The more familiar bird first spread it's tail feathers in 1962 before the NBC western Laramie, the bird was dubbed as the "Laramie Peacock" NBC ran the peacock for all color shows not just the tonight show through 75 IIRC.

 

[rugrats1]

> NBC ran the
> peacock for all color shows not just the tonight show
> through 75 IIRC.
>
Though around 1970, when color was starting to become commonplace and all network programming was in color, NBC started to cutback on the Peacock's appearances. By 1975, only two shows began with "the bird" -- Carson, and Hollywood Squares.

 

[ccmfan]

> > > > > >
> > > > I am not sure, but
> > I
> > > think Police Squad, was actually a Quinn Martin
> > Production,
> > > and yes I do mean Police Squad with Leslie Neilson. I
> am
> > > almost positive that the voice over guy on the credits
> was
> >
> > > the same one that voiced the F.B.I. Open
> > >
> >
> > I think that Police Squad was produced by the Zucker
> > brothers and Jim Abrahams, who did the Airplane! movies
> and
> > the later Naked Gun movies that came from Police Squad.
> >
> > http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083466/
> >
> Bravo ccmfan you are correct on Zucker Abrahams Zucker, but
> I stand firm on the voice over guy for the credits. if you
> listen to the "cannon" theme from tim'stvshowcase.com and
> the "police squad" theme the voice overs are scary alike
> especially when the announcer says william conrad. Of
> course, it could be a very good imitation. By the way, just
> curious, is the name ccmfan a reference to the hockey
> equipment company?
>

I'd guess that having a similar announcer and opening like most QM shows was probably meant to be an imitation.

ccmfan came from contemporary Christian music. I started using that whan I was mostly posting on the Religious, Memphis, and Nashville boards, and then I drifted over to the TV boards later, which I post more on now. I didn't think about the hockey equipment at the time.