TV in 1950s movies

[gr8oldies]

in Underdog, Sweet Polly Purebred worked for WTTV (channel 4 Bloomington IN)

 

[NeilRattigan]

In 1957, Philadelphia TV news legend John Facenda portrayed a newscaster in "The Burglar," a thriller starring Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield. Frank Hall, another Philadelphia newscaster, was also in the film.

 

[searadiofreak]

In 1957, Philadelphia TV news legend John Facenda portrayed a newscaster in "The Burglar," a thriller starring Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield. Frank Hall, another Philadelphia newscaster, was also in the film.

Not 1950's, and perhaps a whole other thread...but what about real newscasters who have appeared as themselves (or substitutes of themselves), in movies? I recall the late Jim Harriott as the newscaster in "War Games", and he was actually a Seattle newscaster in this Seattle-set movie. How is that for authenticity? I'm sure there were many others, many in Los Angeles. Stu Nahan, I'm sure. And I definitely remember the voice of the Lakers, the late Chick Hearn on atleast a couple of "Gilligan" epidodes coming through the "professor's" radio! Which opens up another can of worms, if they were on a deserted island, what station were they listening to? Must have been a hefty 50K clear channel from Honolulu.

 

[LKellerIII]

In 1957, Philadelphia TV news legend John Facenda portrayed a newscaster in "The Burglar," a thriller starring Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield. Frank Hall, another Philadelphia newscaster, was also in the film.

Not 1950's, and perhaps a whole other thread...but what about real newscasters who have appeared as themselves (or substitutes of themselves), in movies? I recall the late Jim Harriott as the newscaster in "War Games", and he was actually a Seattle newscaster in this Seattle-set movie. How is that for authenticity? I'm sure there were many others, many in Los Angeles. Stu Nahan, I'm sure. And I definitely remember the voice of the Lakers, the late Chick Hearn on atleast a couple of "Gilligan" epidodes coming through the "professor's" radio! Which opens up another can of worms, if they were on a deserted island, what station were they listening to? Must have been a hefty 50K clear channel from Honolulu.

The problem with starting that thread is that most major-market anchor people with any longevity in the business have probably appeared as anchorpeople in movies or TV - either as themselves, or a substitute of themselves.

In LA, Jerry Dunphy, Clete Roberts, and George Putnam all did cameos - Putnam most recently in Independence Day, a couple of decades after he retired from the anchor chair. I'm sure there are more recent examples, too.

When movies shoot on location in other cities and need anchors, they go to the local stations. I remember seeing former San Francisco anchor Elaine Corral in a couple of films shot in the Bay Area.

It's pretty common

 

[Ultimajock]

In LA, Jerry Dunphy, Clete Roberts, and George Putnam all did cameos - Putnam most recently in Independence Day, a couple of decades after he retired from the anchor chair.

...Alex Dreier, too (The Boston Strangler)...seeing Clete Roberts pop up in Testament when he did was a fairly powerful moment...

 

[mleach]

The problem with starting that thread is that most major-market anchor people with any longevity in the business have probably appeared as anchorpeople in movies or TV - either as themselves, or a substitute of themselves.

There is one exception to the rule...the local Washington DC stations. For some odd reason whenever a movie is filmed or at least based out of DC, when it comes to anchors and/or local stations its usually a Baltimore or Richmond station that fills in for WRC/WTTG/WJLA/WDCA and WUSA and its been that way for awhile. The only recent exception was in the movie "Evan Almighty" where DC's local "Newschannel 8" was featured though its a cable station. For the local NBC? It wasn't WRC but rather Charlottesville, VA's NBC 29 WVIR. I didn't see that Petey Greene bio "Talk to Me but I was told the movie didn't even mention Greene's longtime role as a TV talk show host on WDCA.

In the Goldie Hahn 1984 flick "Protocol" not only was longtime Baltimore anchor Sally Thorner featured as a "DC reporter", so was Baltimore's WMAR for that matter for which in at least one scene in the movie was known as "Washington's channel 2" while the great ( though some may consider "infamous" ) director John Waters did a DC-based movie some years back..yet Baltimore's WBAL and WBFF were considered "Washington Stations" in the movie..no sign at all of either WRC or WTTG.

Maybe the local Washington DC stations are movie shy or something.

 

[KeithE4]

You're right about TAGS featuring a lot of television. Another one was the Dick Van Dyke show. Even though DVD was set in New York state, there must've been somebody on the staff of the DVD show from Indianapolis. In the episode "Bupkis" Rob Petrie calls up a radio station whose call letters were "WIFE" while I can remember another show where Laura turns on the TV to see the Alan Brady show where the call letters "WISH" were given.

At the time of DVD, I believe WIFE was Indy's main top 40 radio station while the local CBS affiliate in Indianapolis was/and still is WISH-TV channel 8.

WIFE radio had been WISH from 1941 to 1963.

The second (mid '70s) DVD show had him working at a Phoenix TV station with the call letters KXIV-TV. Not a coincidence. He owned KXIV radio (now KSUN) in Phoenix at the time.