SHOWS THAT TRANSITIONED TO COLOR, WHICH HAVE THE LEAST B&W EPISODES

[oldiesfan6479]

CBS had color capabilities (in fact, they started colorcasting using NTSC right after that
system won the color war and was authorized); they just didn't use color very much,
save for some movies and the occasional special, until the mid-60's.

Further to this, weren't a number of Red Skelton's shows on CBS colorcast
in the pre-'65 era?

 

[Ultimajock]

CBS had color capabilities (in fact, they started colorcasting using NTSC right after that
system won the color war and was authorized); they just didn't use color very much,
save for some movies and the occasional special, until the mid-60's.

Further to this, weren't a number of Red Skelton's shows on CBS colorcast
in the pre-'65 era?

...indeed, they were, although only black&white kinescopes of most of those color broadcasts survive...

 

[cd637299]

^ I didn't know that about Red. Are there dates-of-broadcast listed? because I could look at the (now defunct) local paper's archives and see if our station broadcast in color. I believe I have seen an ad from the CBS affiliate trumpeting color....but that had to have been using the old standard. (Or maybe Red's shows used the old standard.)

cd

 

[nsa1]

It would have been mid-late 50's (our PBS station ran some of these Skelton kinescopes few years back, with the "in color" announcement). It would have to have been NTSC, as the old CBS mechanical system was long dead by this time.

^ I didn't know that about Red. Are there dates-of-broadcast listed? because I could look at the (now defunct) local paper's archives and see if our station broadcast in color. I believe I have seen an ad from the CBS affiliate trumpeting color....but that had to have been using the old standard. (Or maybe Red's shows used the old standard.)

cd

 

[Stanislav]

The Lucy Show - 1 B&W, 5 color

Ah, a technicality! This is true, but CBS had no color facilities (for this I am not counting their 1950s standard) until the '65 season.

That's ABC you're thinking of. CBS had color capabilities (in fact, they started colorcasting using NTSC right after that system won the color war and was authorized); they just didn't use color very much, save for some movies and the occasional special, until the mid-60's. In fact, Ed Reitan's website quotes a technician of that era as saying that they had a devil of a time aligning and tweaking their color equipment for those sporadic colorcasts, because it would sit cold and idle for long stretches of time.

Well, what shows/specials did CBS run pre-1965 using NTSC? I'm curious now; I cannot think of one show. I am sure that Lucy must have wanted her show in color.

cd

The only one that comes to mind is the annual broadcast of "The Wizard of Oz," which was colorcast from its first run in 1956.

As for Lucy, I can only assume that CBS simply had a policy of not routinely colorcasting sitcoms and other series. The decision to begin producing the show in color was Lucy's, not CBS's idea or request. Even though color was still rare on the network, Lucy and her people presciently realized that color was about to take off, and were looking down the road towards syndication, figuring the show woulld be a more valuable future commodity in color.

 

[Stanislav]

It would have been mid-late 50's (our PBS station ran some of these Skelton kinescopes few years back, with the "in color" announcement). It would have to have been NTSC, as the old CBS mechanical system was long dead by this time.

^ I didn't know that about Red. Are there dates-of-broadcast listed? because I could look at the (now defunct) local paper's archives and see if our station broadcast in color. I believe I have seen an ad from the CBS affiliate trumpeting color....but that had to have been using the old standard. (Or maybe Red's shows used the old standard.)

cd

Again, once NTSC won the battle, CBS immediately, though very sporadically, began using the system. They just weren't as gung ho about it as NBC over the next decade, probably due in part to some long-lasting "sour grapes" over losing the color war.

 

[pqgeorge]

Maybe not totally into this thread, but here's an interesting twist. Here's one show that started in black and white in it's first season (1961), went to color for the next two seasons (1962-1964), changed networks from the Peacock to the "Eye" (1965) and returned to black and white on the "Eye" network. I know, it's too easy. It was "The Joey Bishop Show", the sit-com (not to be confused with variety version of "The Joey Bishop Show" on ABC from 1967-1969). The show started on NBC in 1961 in black and white. It went to color in 1962 for the next two full-seasons. Moved to CBS in the fall of 1964 and went back to black and white for the last season. I don't know of any other show that changed from black and white, to color and back to black and white once again. CBS was still a predominately black and white network at the time (due to the losing the "color battle" with NBC/NTSC a few years earlier. A little sour grapes feelings at the "Eye", for sure.).

 

[cd637299]

Another show B&W-to-color-and-back was the Bill Cullen version of "The Price Is Right," but again another technicality, in the sense that not all Cullen TPIR's on NBC were in color---I think I read that all the nighttime ones were. I'd like to see *one* color ep!

When ABC took TPIR from NBC, gone also was Don Pardo as announcer, and Johnny Gilbert or Jack Clark took those reins.

The original "Concentration" (my fave all time game show, when they had 30 squares) was B&W until late 1966, except for one 1961 prime time summer run in color. I read that Norm Blumenthal, who made all the puzzles, did not want color, because that would make the rebus puzzles easier. I have seen pictures of the '61 color show, and they kept the rebuses (rebi?) monochrome/light pink. I believe they did the same, when they finally went to color to stay.

[I sure wish there would be more original Concentration shows out there unearthed---YouTube has a few, and they were new to me, anyway! The 1969 Tournament of Champions show on YT is definitely a keeper!]

Anyway, what was the title of this thread again? Sorry!

cd

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Here's one show that started in black and white in it's first season (1961), went to color for the next two seasons (1962-1964), changed networks
from the Peacock to the "Eye" (1965) and returned to black and white on the "Eye" network...It was "The Joey Bishop Show", the sit-com
(not to be confused with variety version of "The Joey Bishop Show" on ABC from 1967-1969).

Also in this type of flip-flop, Wagon Train. The first six (one-hour) seasons in B&W (on NBC,
then ABC)...the ninety-minute season seven in color on ABC...then the final season eight on
ABC reverted back to an hour, and to B&W.

 

[Tim L]

While this doesnt really have to do with the thread, exactly, I've been reading up on an interesting series.."Norby"(January-April 1955) with David Wayne and Joan Lorring..The show concerned a meek banker (Wayne) that suddenly is promoted to an important office at the bank..Created and Produced by David Swift (Mr. Peepers)..The show at the insistence of sponsor Eastman Kodak, was filmed on Kodak Color TV film and was also filmed on location. NBC scheduled it at 7PM ET Wednesday Nights..Kodak found that filming in color was too expensive and the show only lasted 13 weeks..Here is a link to the opening of "Norby", which was considered the first regular prime time network series in color..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L3YlmN9R4w

Other factors behind the show's demise..The time slot..The show was too much like Mr. Peepers, which TV was getting away from that style of comedy..The Museum of Broadcast Communications (museum.tv) has a nearly one hour film including the "Pitch Reel: for Norby and the first episode in their collection..Sign up and one can see/hear parts of the collection, which has quite a few rarities..

 

[anotherguyTN]

How about one in reverse? The first pilot for The Munsters was in color, but when the series went on the air it was in black & white.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

How about one in reverse? The first pilot for The Munsters was in color, but when the series went on the air it was in black & white.

I'd say it would be tough to beat "What's My Line?"...16 1/2 seasons black and white, 1 final season in color.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

As to the one color episode of Perry Mason mentioned back in reply #3,
"The Case of the Twice Told Twist" (orig. telecast 02/27/66) will be shown
on MeTV this coming Friday night May 4, at 11:30/10:30.

MeTV's program schedule does state it will air in color. And from 35mm,
too! (I just threw that one in.)

 

[FreddyE1977]

How about one in reverse? The first pilot for The Munsters was in color, but when the series went on the air it was in black & white.

How much cheaper was it actually to produce a show in black-and-white back in those days?

 

[cd637299]

As to the one color episode of Perry Mason mentioned back in reply #3,
"The Case of the Twice Told Twist" (orig. telecast 02/27/66) will be shown
on MeTV this coming Friday night May 4, at 11:30/10:30.

MeTV's program schedule does state it will air in color. And from 35mm,
too! (I just threw that one in.)

Thanx for the info! I noticed that AntennaTV had the one lone color "Hazel" from Season 1 this afternoon. Had to record it; couldn't stay home.

cd

 

[anotherguyTN]

As to the one color episode of Perry Mason mentioned back in reply #3,
"The Case of the Twice Told Twist" (orig. telecast 02/27/66) will be shown
on MeTV this coming Friday night May 4, at 11:30/10:30.

MeTV's program schedule does state it will air in color. And from 35mm,
too! (I just threw that one in.)

Thanx for the info! I noticed that AntennaTV had the one lone color "Hazel" from Season 1 this afternoon. Had to record it; couldn't stay home.

cd

Was that a pilot as well?

 

[cd637299]

As to the one color episode of Perry Mason mentioned back in reply #3,
"The Case of the Twice Told Twist" (orig. telecast 02/27/66) will be shown
on MeTV this coming Friday night May 4, at 11:30/10:30.

MeTV's program schedule does state it will air in color. And from 35mm,
too! (I just threw that one in.)

Thanx for the info! I noticed that AntennaTV had the one lone color "Hazel" from Season 1 this afternoon. Had to record it; couldn't stay home.

cd

Was that a pilot as well?

No! It was a special episode aired during the season (Nov 1961?) and the title was something like "What'll We Be Watching?" and I believe it had to do w/ the family buying a new color TV. I missed the prolog (wasn't expecting that ep to come up), but generally the plot is not ruined by it.

They air back-to-back "Hazel"s, & the prior one was in B&W.

See www.tv.com (all shows - Hazel) for more info.

cd

 

[oldiesfan6479]

No! It was a special episode aired during the season (Nov 1961?) and the title was something like "What'll We Be Watching?"
and I believe it had to do w/ the family buying a new color TV.

Or check the IMDb page for this episode (OAD 11/02/61):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0598526/

 

[anotherguyTN]

This is interesting. According to this page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0598526/trivia "RCA was NBC's parent company and arranged for all shows to be in color on this date to promote sales of color televisions."

I wonder if this was just in prime time, or if it was all day, and also if any other shows were promoting buying color TVs in some way.

Is there a chance someone might have a retro schedule for this day?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Well look what I found on YouTube...the complete "What'll We Watch Tonight"
Hazel episode. In color. From the original 35mm master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKyfAQ4uYvE&feature=related