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Today Show 60th Anniversary

earshot

earshot

The Today Show isn't much like the Today Show any more. It's more like the Home Show or some other chick chat show. They even hired the Queen of Chick Chat, Kathie Lee, and the former hostess of The View. It has more in common with those shows than with the Today of Garroway, Chancellor, McGee and Brokaw. It's almost painful to watch, so I don't. Except my girlfriend likes it.

The Countdown Begins website asks people send in their favorite Today Show memories.

Mine was the morning NASA was launching a space mission. At this point, they were doing the Today Show in a corner of Studio 8-H (where they do Saturday Night Live now). At the other end of the studio they had the set for space flight coverage, which Frank McGee anchored. The launch was scheduled for later in the morning, so they did the Today Show until nine and then regular coverage of the space flight would begin. But during the Today Show they kept cutting over to Frank McGee for updates on preparations for the space flight. Apparently, since everything was in one studio, one director was working both the Today Show and the space flight coverage. At one point, Hugh (sometimes pronounced Who) Downs said, "Let's go to Frank for the news." The director switched to Frank McGee standing sideways to the camera and picking his nose. After a couple of seconds, McGee realized he was on live, put his hand down, turned to the camera and said, "I think he meant Frank Blair."

Honorable mention of course to the chimp biting Dave Garroway's finger.
 
I came of age during the Jane Pauley/Bryant Gumble era. But my favorite memories have always been the Dave Garroway clips shown during NBC retrospectives. It's especially interesting to me to watch how Garroway and others put together news programs in that early period with the technology at hand.

In CBS retrospectives, the clip of Edward R. Murrow allowing people to see live images of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans simultaneously for the first time is another favorite.

It's a fascinating time from television, where everything was new and untried.
 
I always enjoyed watching Dave Garroway on Today along with his other program, "Wide Wide World" which aired on Sundays in the mid-1950's. His shows were relaxing and interesting.

Interestingly enough, I remember when Today celebrated its 15th Anniversary in January, 1967. As January 14th was on a Saturday that year (and as Today was only on Monday thru Friday back then), the anniversary was done on January 13th. Joining host Hugh Downs that morning were the other two hosts from the past: Dave Garroway and John Chancellor. Clips were shown of past shows and each told of their memories. I remember Chancellor saying that no tape or film existed of the shows he had hosted in 1961 & 1962 although still photos were used to show some events in that period.
 
I'm guessing that they won't show any footage of the time(s) that David Letterman interrupted their show. Not because he is on CBS now (although that is reason enough), but because that was an embarrassment to them!
 
Since the 60th anniversary of "Today" is near, I thought about bringing this topic back for those interested in the program and its history. Even though I rarely watch "Today" due to the problem of personal feelings affecting most broadcast news programs, I would watch and record the program next Friday on January 13th for its broadcast history (I recorded the 50th anniversary program on Monday, January 14th, 2002).
 
Thanks for sharing that link. Very well done & interesting. I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't posted it.
 
you just don't find talent like J. Fred Muggs anymore...
 
MattParker said:
The Today Show isn't much like the Today Show any more. It's more like the Home Show or some other chick chat show. They even hired the Queen of Chick Chat, Kathie Lee, and the former hostess of The View. It has more in common with those shows than with the Today of Garroway, Chancellor, McGee and Brokaw. It's almost painful to watch, so I don't. Except my girlfriend likes it.

The Countdown Begins website asks people send in their favorite Today Show memories.

Mine was the morning NASA was launching a space mission. At this point, they were doing the Today Show in a corner of Studio 8-H (where they do Saturday Night Live now). At the other end of the studio they had the set for space flight coverage, which Frank McGee anchored. The launch was scheduled for later in the morning, so they did the Today Show until nine and then regular coverage of the space flight would begin. But during the Today Show they kept cutting over to Frank McGee for updates on preparations for the space flight. Apparently, since everything was in one studio, one director was working both the Today Show and the space flight coverage. At one point, Hugh (sometimes pronounced Who) Downs said, "Let's go to Frank for the news." The director switched to Frank McGee standing sideways to the camera and picking his nose. After a couple of seconds, McGee realized he was on live, put his hand down, turned to the camera and said, "I think he meant Frank Blair."

Honorable mention of course to the chimp biting Dave Garroway's finger.
Click to expand...

I think your first sentence says it all. Both Today and Good Morning America spend more time on celebrity gossip and recipes than any news of the world. Sad
 
therealjm12 said:
Thanks for sharing that link. Very well done & interesting. I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't posted it.
Click to expand...

Agreed on all accounts.

I've always been a Good Morning America guy, so I'm not sure why Willard Scott wasn't shown that much. He had a couple of spots but not near as many as Al Roker.

Also I don't think I saw Deborah Norville. I know she was only with Today for 2 years, but they decided to stay away from bringing her up.
 
The site for the Museum of Broadcast Communications currently has video of segments from the first edition of "Today" (the "first half-hour" and the "final quarter-hour"). Here is the address to the site:

http://www.museum.tv
 
You're going to see very hit-and-miss airing of excerpts of the Today Show from the years between the late 1950s and the early 1970s.

In the early years from 1952 to 1957, a lot of the shows were kinescoped for replay on the west coast--and once a kine is shot, it's recorded forever unless it's discarded completely. With dozens of stations (and the west coast network hubs) filming all the feeds from New York for time-shifted replays in the Mountain and Pacific zones, there's a good chance that at least some programs survive from every one of the early years--and probably several copies of the shows which aired on a particularly newsworthy or unusual day.

From about 1972 on, there's a good chance the network library has at least one copy of every show. There will be plenty of archived material for Today to use.

In the years in between, not so much luck. Johnny Carson once explained why network policy early in the videotape era meant most of the taped shows especially from the 1956-68 period (including his), and to some degree all the way into the early 70s, are scarce. Video tape back then was really, really expensive--so if it was in good physical condition, it would usually get erased and re-used again and again. Carson took matters into his own hands and had copies of a lot of his shows taped and archived, at his expense, from the late-60s onward. He knew it might come in handy some time (although even he couldn't predict the economic return he'd one day get from selling VHS and DVD copies of his shows for resale).
 
Video from the 25th anniversary edition of "Today" in 1977 and video of Sylvester Weaver, one of the creators of "Today", from 1990 appears after the segments from the first "Today" program on the Museum of Broadcast Communications site.
 
http://allday.today.msnbc.msn.com/_...82-today-marks-60th-with-an-anchor-homecoming

Article with video links to today's Today goings-on... Many exes showed up (all the recent anchors/hosts, back to Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, and Jim Hartz (I didn't know he was still with us)); even a few newsreaders and 'Today girls' were there and even got their own segments. There were some quick clips with Gene Shalit, but no specific mention of him or video interview or even an oh-he-couldn't-make-it. The one non-anniversary segment I saw in the link was a brief interview with Tom Hanks, who promoted his latest movie, brought out the show's anniversary cake, and it was also noted that he'd appeared on Today 22 times. I didn't see much snarky-ness amongst any of those who appeared, but Bryant Gumbel did say that there was initial reaction to a "sports guy" being named as a co-anchor in a spot known previously for having only news people. Also Barbara said Frank McGee wasn't too thrilled about sharing anchor duties, but they "compromised". Several Today staffers dressed up in 1952-wear and looked in the Studio 1-A window, as well as a special window set up inside the first floor of the main Rockefeller Center building made to look like a microcosm of the first set from Dave Garroway's time. Several salutes were shown: the Empire State building was lit up in red-orange-yellow, for the Today logo colors; a fire boat was set up near the Statue of Liberty with colored water in the same 3 colors; spotlights aimed at Niagara Falls also were tri-colored; Mayor Bloomberg came by with a city proclamation; the Obamas recorded a best-wishes message, including Michelle getting to say "This is Today, on NBC" while the President said afterward, "I wanted to say that!".
 
Tomorrow is the official 60th, correct? Anything I should be looking for tomorrow?

cd
 
[/quote]

Also I don't think I saw Deborah Norville. I know she was only with Today for 2 years, but they decided to stay away from bringing her up.
[/quote]

She was there. The two notable missing (alive) former personalities were Gene Shalit and Joe Garagiola.
 
It's interesting that nobody in this thread has so-far mentioned "Baba Wawa" (Barbara Walters), probably the most famous Today Show alum. She served on the show from 1961 to 1974. She started as a "The Today Girl"...a writer and researcher for the show..needless to say, it was a more sexist era. She moved up to on-camera work, and later served as co-anchor with both Hugh Downs (with whom she later co-anchored 20/20 on ABC), and with Frank McGee.
 
Lkeller said:
It's interesting that nobody in this thread has so-far mentioned "Baba Wawa" (Barbara Walters), probably the most famous Today Show alum. She served on the show from 1961 to 1974. She started as a "The Today Girl"...a writer and researcher for the show..needless to say, it was a more sexist era. She moved up to on-camera work, and later served as co-anchor with both Hugh Downs (with whom she later co-anchored 20/20 on ABC), and with Frank McGee.
Click to expand...

I mentioned her twice in my posting.
 
earshot said:
I came of age during the Jane Pauley/Bryant Gumble era. But my favorite memories have always been the Dave Garroway clips shown during NBC retrospectives. It's especially interesting to me to watch how Garroway and others put together news programs in that early period with the technology at hand.

In CBS retrospectives, the clip of Edward R. Murrow allowing people to see live images of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans simultaneously for the first time is another favorite.

It's a fascinating time from television, where everything was new and untried.
Click to expand...

I was born towards the end of the Brokaw/Pauley/Scott run (my birthday was Jan. 3, 1981), and it was one day after my 1st birthday that Bryant Gumbel took over. I have a framed copy of NBC's ad for Bryant's upcoming debut on 1/4/82. Although I was but a child at that time, the studio from the earliest part of Bryant's run (the Today title in columns amid bas-relief blue squares, which was modified later in '82) continues to live as my most favorite of the studio designs of Today.

Here's a clip from early '82 (2/22, to be exact), that shows why I think so highly of this design:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKPQAV3x-7I
 
easttxtv said:
Lkeller said:
It's interesting that nobody in this thread has so-far mentioned "Baba Wawa" (Barbara Walters), probably the most famous Today Show alum. She served on the show from 1961 to 1974. She started as a "The Today Girl"...a writer and researcher for the show..needless to say, it was a more sexist era. She moved up to on-camera work, and later served as co-anchor with both Hugh Downs (with whom she later co-anchored 20/20 on ABC), and with Frank McGee.
Click to expand...

I mentioned her twice in my posting.
Click to expand...

Yes you did. Sorry. Somehow I missed reading your post - and it was a good one, too.
 
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