Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1955)

19 Color Trends & Briefs: nbc-tv hit the cultural jackpot with its Dec. 12 colorcast of Sadler’s Wells presentation of “The Sleeping Beauty” ballet. And, to everyone’s surprise, it also hit a rating jackpot, NBC estimating audience at 30,000,000 — mostly black-&-white, of course — or 25,000,000 more than have seen the Sadler’s Wells ballet in all its 2000 performances in the last 10 years in Europe, U. S. & Canada. Impact of telecast of a major ballet has been praised and analyzed by critics all over U. S., but too few were able to comment on significance of color. In our opinion, no show has ever been more enhanced by color — and NBCTV engineers and equipment were at their technical best. Those newspaper reviewers lucky enough to see the ballet in color fell all over themselves. Examples: John Crosby, N. Y. Herald Tribune Syndicate — “This was one of those shows which were just made for color TV, which adds almost another dimension to the screen.” Jack Gould, N. Y. Times — “For those blessed with a color receiver in accurate adjustment, many of the scenes were breathtaking in their loveliness. Ballet truly emphasises the value of the medium in natural tints.” CBS-TV also scored smash hits with color this week — the Grandma Moses interview, with splendid shots of her paintings, on Ed Murrow’s See It Now Dec. 13 and the sepia-tinted (well suited to mood) telecast of “A Christmas Carol” with Frederic March on Shower of Stars Dec. 15. In Washington, alert RCA distributor Southern Wholesalers loaned color sets to the 3 newspaper TV reviewers, reaped the kind of promotional comment that no kind of newspaper ad can match. This suggests that distributors the nation over have been missing an extremely good bet; that a few judiciously placed color sets could bring tremendous returns. * * * * Color exposure 11 a.m.-ll p.m., 7 days a week, in and around New York’s Rockefeller Center, is being provided from now until Jan. 2 by WRCA-TV and RCA distributor Bruno-New York. Hamilton Shea, v.p. in charge of WRCATV, estimates more than 150,000 people will see color on sets located in Rockefeller Center lobby. Chase Bank, Liberty Music Show, Radio City Music Hall, “21” Club, RCA Exhibition Hall — plus Abraham & Straus store in Brooklyn. Closed-circuit color film will be fed to receivers when no color shows are on air. RCA & NBC are going all-out in preparations for color demonstrations at convention of National Retail Dry Goods Assn, in N. Y. Jan. 11 (Vol. 11:50). Show will originate at Colonial Theatre, to be seen on 40 color sets at Statler Hotel grand ballroom. Speakers will include veteran merchandisers RCA pres. Frank Folsom and consumer products exec. v.p. Robert Seidel — both formerly with Montgomery Ward, Folsom also previously with San Francisco’s Hale Bros., Seidel with W. T. Grant Co. Progi-am will run all afternoon, will include closed-circuit color films when no color shows are on air. Arlene Francis will be m.c. More than 200 RCA 21 -in. color sets have been ordered for use by Sheraton Closed Circuit TV Inc., according to exec. v.p. Wm. P. Rosensohn. These will be supplemented by 2 existing RCA projection color units, to be installed in New York’s Sheraton Astor Hotel and Chicago’s Sheraton early next year. RCA says it is ready to produce more theatre-type color TV projectors if there are orders. Statement last week by Sheraton Closed Circuit gave erroneous impression that “closed-circuit color network” would use theatre-type color i)rojection equipment exclusively. Thomas W. Sarnoff, NBC Pacific Coast director of production and business affairs, speaking last week before Los Angeles Ad Club, described expansion plans for color at Burbank studios, said RCA-NBC have thus far spent $65,000,000 on development of color TV. Network Color Schedules (Dec. 19, 1955 -Jan. 15, 1956) Dec. 19 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 pjn.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 20 — NBC: Home, 11:37-11:44 a.m.; Matinee Theatre, 3-4 pjn.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m.; Milton Berle Show, 8-9 p.m. CBS; Red Skelton Show, 9:30-10 p.m. Dec. 21 — NBC; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 22 — NBC; Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 pjn.; Dragnet, “Clirtstmas Story," 9-9:30 p.m. CBS: Climax, 8:30-9 p.m. Dec. 23 — ^NBC: Matinee Theatre. 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 24 — CBS: Gene Autry Show, 7-7:30 p.m. NBC: Max Liebman Presents, "Babes in Toyland," starring Dennis Day, Dave Garroway, Wally Cox, Jack E. Leonard, Bambl Linn, Rod Alexander, Bil & Cora Baird puppets, 9-10:30 p.m. Dec. 25 — NBC: Zoo Parade, 3:30-4; Assignment India, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 26 — NBC; Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 27 — NBC; Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. CBS: Red Skelton Show, 9:30-10 p.m. Dec. 28 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 pjn.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 29 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 30 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Dec. 31 — CBS: Gene Autry Show, 7-7:30 p.m. Jan. 1 — NBC: Sunday Spectacular, "Happy New Year,” starring Barbara Ann Scott, Dick Button in ice ballet, Peg^ Lee and Stan Kenton's orchestra, 7:30-9 p.m. Jan. 2— NBC: Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena, Cal., 12:15-1:45 p.m. Jan. 3 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 4 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 pan. Jan. 5 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 6 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 9 — NBC: Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m.; Producers’ Showcase, “Peter Pan,” Mary Martin & CyrU Rltchard, 7:30-9:30 pan. Jan. 10 — NBC: Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m.; Milton Berle Show, 8-9 p.m. Jan. 11 — ^NBC; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 12 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 pan. Jan. 13 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Howdy Doody, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 14— CBS; Ford Star Jubilee, “Blithe Spirit,” 9:30-11 p.m. Jan. 15 — NBC: NBC Opera, “The Magic Piute.” 4-6 p.m. Disc color converter produced by Color Converter Inc., Columbia City, Ind. (Vol. 11:22, 42) has been introduced in N. Y. market by MARRT Electronics Inc., Woodmere, L. I. MARRT offers $195 package including $149.95 for converter, $20 installation, $25 service policy. MARRT v.p.chief engineer Russell Gerstein reports having sold about 100 so far, says company is receiving 25 every 2 weeks. Reporting observation of 30-in. disc in action. Retailing Daily’s Henry Brief wrote: “The demonstration of the color converter seen by this reporter disclosed a color picture completely satisfactory so far as color reproduction was concerned. This, however, was more than offset by a noticeable and annoying flicker. It should be pointed out that the color show was viewed in the MARRT shop under far from ideal conditions. Bright sunlight streamed in from a large, undraped display window.” Color Converter Inc. obtained rights to build device from Airtronics Research Inc., Bethesda, Md., where it was developed by youthful engineer Robert P. Benjamin (Vol. 10:6). xVdmiral introduced new 21-in. color console, at $895 in mahogany, $915 in blonde, at distributors convention this week. Joe Marty Jr., gen. mgr. of electronics div., said new color set has top-front tuning, 28 tubes, illuminated channel numbers, removable window, turret tuners, dual 6x9-in. speakers and “color killer that automatically cuts out unused color circuits during black-&-white programs and automatic color control circuits to suppress interference, maintain color intensity and keep colors true.” The 3-gun picture tube provides 260-sq.-in. picture, said Admiral, which gave no indication of production plans. Lease of color mobile unit to individual stations, is new plan announced by RCA. First will be available this month, to be used initially by WCAU-TV, Philadelphia, for New Year’s Day Mummers’ Parade. Unit is offered to all stations within 150-mi. of Philadelphia; others will be built for use in other areas. Unit includes 2 live color cameras, complete with video & audio facilities, and RCA offers services of 2 engineers to train and supervise station personnel.