RadioVision, April 17, 1927

Television pioneer Charles Francis Jenkins is credited with several early broadcasts on the east coast, and on April 17th (some sources credit the date as April 9, 1927), arranged the first city to city television transmissions - or as Jenkins called it, radiovision - of a conversation with Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. With a mock studio set up in a Washington DC funeral parlor, Hoover - who had been receiving as much press as President Coolidge due to his radio broadcasts about the thriving U.S. economy - spoke with AT&T president Walter Gifford and was transmitted through the phone companies lines:

Hoover: It is a matter of just pride to have a part in this historic occassion. We have long been familiar with the electrical transmission of sound. Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight, for the first time in the world’s history.

Gifford: The elaborateness of the equipment precludes the possibility of television being available in homes or businesses generally, What its practical use may be, I will leave to your imaginations. As well as being displayed on a small screen, the images are shown on an array of lamps three feet high and two feet wide.

Hoover: Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight for the first time in the world’s history. Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance in a new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown. All we can say today is that there has been created a marvelous agency for whatever use the future may find with the full realization that every great and fundamental discovery of the past has been followed by use far beyond the vision of its creator.

The telecast was transmitted from Washington DC to New York, and New Jersey, and 200 miles away in an AT&T laboratory, 60 men watched the first talking images transmitted over phone lines between multiple cities. The New York Times was jubilant about the event, writing "It was fun as if a photograph had suddenly come to life and begun to talk, smile, nod its head and look this way and that..."

The broadcast, however, includes the earliest transmission of tasteless, inappropriate television, as comedian A. Dolan, appeared in black face and spoke with a stereotypical dialect. Unfortunately, this proved more prophetic than Hoover's speech about the future and direction of television programming.

Charles Francis Jenkins first began working with the transmission of "electric pictures in 1894." His pioneering work continued his entire career; however, he represents the incongruities of early broadcasts and competing systems. In the end, Jenkins mechanical method of television lost to electronic broadcasts, but he did establish the first television station, W3XK (located in Wheaton, Maryland) and accomplished the sell of several thousand television receivers along the east coast. He, like Philo Farnsworth, was gobbled up the the behemoth RCA in the early 1930s.

http://inventors.about.com/od/ijstartinventors/a/Radiovision.htm

http://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery04/gallery04.html

The Taming of the Shrew, 1926

In the earliest days of television development, Philo Farnsworth was a man with a mission. The earliest broadcasts were not being sent into American homes, but generally, from room to room, or building to building. Very little attention was being paid to Farnsworth's work, as most of the focus in the industry was on silent films and radio.

In 1926, however, Farnsworth looped a segment from a Mary Pickford - Douglas Fairbanks silent classic, The Taming of the Shrew. Simply a loop of Ms. Pickford combing her hair, this repeat performance over a span of many weeks proved genius. Farnsworth repeated the loop, improving the image quality with each passing day.

That real stroke of genius, however, was inviting the Hollywood superstars Pickford and Douglas to see his invention. A mild media frenzy ensued as the married couple traveled from Hollywood to New York to witness his invention. Unfortunately, by the time the couple arrived, Farnsworth's last minute tinkering with his invention reduced the image quality. As the stars arrived, Farnsworth manically attempted to correct his error. Pickford and Douglas were not impressed. But the real story was the excitement created of combining top stars with his new invention, television. It was a publicity coup and exactly what televsion needed to move forward.

Playhouse Without a Puppet, December 27, 1947

In the fall of 1947, the television schedule consisted of a quiz show, a western movie, three hours of sports, a newsreel, and not much more. The few homes and bars with television were lucky to get even 2 hours of programming a night, and the networks were lucky if the 20,000 sets in the city could capture an audience of 50,000. Television was beginning to look more like a pipe dream. If television was to survive, it needed a hit show.

Just days after Christmas, Howdy Doody would arrive; and, thanks to a savage blizzard in New England, by mid-day Saturday, December 27, 1947, the entire city and east coast was blanketed with several feet of snow. In New York City, theaters, clubs, and restaurants closed. Travel was nearly impossible, and many in the city, still bristling with Christmas spirit, found the opportunity to tune into television.

At the NBC studio, problems were mounting as well. The snow storm made it difficult for the cast and crew. Buffalo Bob Smith almost didn't make it to the 5 pm air time. Howdy Doody, the puppet, didn't make it the studio at all. In a desperate attempt to put a show on the air, much time was spent on various entertainment for children while building up to the arrival of Howdy Doody. By the show's end, Buffalo Bob had become the voice of the puppet refusing to come out of the desk drawer. And the puppet never did show that first episode.

In many ways, the tension caused by the snowstorm added additional layers and excitement to the show, and certainly increased its audience. Howdy Doody was the talk of the town without even making an appearance. Variety raved and the high viewership continued until 1960. The network's program schedule ballooned after the premiere of Howdy Doody. The 1948-49 season brought over 120 different television shows to the schedule.

For a full account of this story, I recommend the book Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television by Michael Ritchie

Requiem for a Heavyweight, October 11, 1956

Requiem for a Heavyweight was the high water mark for television's golden age, and the second episode for the classic live anthology show, Playhouse 90. Rod Serling's teleplay recieved endless accolades from the entertainment industry, and arguably, no other television production in history has garnered as much high praise.

The telecast featured Jack Palance as a washed up boxer suffering from "punch drunk" syndrome. The New York Times heralded the telecast as "an artistic triumph that featured a performance of indescribable poignancy" and triumphed it a "play of overwhelming force and tenderness" and "a notable evening of theater." Serling won the first Peabody Award for a television script, and the entire production walked away with 4 Emmy Awards in 1956, plus a best series award for Playhouse 90.

The excellence of Requiem for a Heavyweight placed Rod Serling at the pinnacle of success for television production. Director Ralph Nelson and Jack Palance won Emmy Awards, as well. Playhouse 90 won the "best series" Emmy each of the four seasons it was on the air, and is considered by most the greatest dramatic television series of all time.

Rod Serling's career accomplishments include 6 Emmy Award winning teleplays such as Patterns, The Comedian, and two Twilight Zone episodes. Obviously, Serling is most famous for his classic science fiction series, and besides the five-year run for the Twilight Zone, also created the cult series, Night Gallery. Serling's motion picture screen plays includes The Planet of the Apes in 1968. The Twilight Zone made him a television icon, however, and that classic show is one of the few shows from the golden age of television still regularly broadcast on television.

Sources:

New York Times

Emmy Awards 1956

Time Magazine

Answers.com

Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, Brooks and Marsh

Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight (below)

Long Beach Earthquake, March 10, 1933

At the height of the great depression, television was a rarity. Even if television sets were for sale in 1933, very few people could have afforded one. In early 1933 Los Angeles, station W6XAO was broadcasting just two hours of programming a day. Having access to the film industry, the station contracted Pathe Newsreels and other studio-filmed programs. The station also staged in-studio interview shows with Hollywood stars. Local television promotion offered home-made "make your own television" kits and also placed sets through the Los Angeles area's appliance stores and department stores. It was common for people to gather just to watch the new radio with pictures.

On March 10, 1933, W6XAO premiered a new format of all-day broadcasting, and was on the air when a major 6.4 earthquake devastated the Los Angeles area. Long Beach was the worst struck. Nearly all schools were demolished, and nearly all buildings sustained damage. The estimated 120 death toll would have been much greater if the earthquake struck a few hours earlier. For this to coincide with W6XAO's new format was both significant and prophetic.

As the earthquake subsided around 6 pm, W6XA0 had in place full news crews ready to film material needed for their new all-day broadcast format. Film crews dispersed and documented compelling, astounding visual images of the destroyed city. The first of the films were filmed and processed for broadcast as early as Saturday, March 11.

Over the coming weeks, people were finding working television sets in some department stores and homes outside the epicenter, and gathered in large numbers to watch. This landmark occasion pushed television to the forefront as newspapers dedicated heavy coverage of the television broadcast and the significant achievement of the filmed document of the natural disaster.

The 1933 L.A. earthquake launched serious changes in building codes and created the Field Act, which implemented better design and construction. It was also the first television coverage for a natural disaster.


Sources:

Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television by Michael Ritchie

RootsWeb.com

www.anaheimcolony.com

Felix the Cat, ca. March 30, 1929

The 1929 regular broadcast of Felix the Cat is legendary, and is often cited as the first television broadcast. It was not. In actuality, there had been many broadcast before, including presidential speeches, windmills, a dramatic play, and regular programming. It is not even RCA/NBC's first broadcast. It does not even pre-date the first Milton Berle telecast! What is the 1929 Felix the Cat broacast then?

The 13" paper mache Felix doll rotating on a turntable is the first daily broadcast. For two hours every day, the same non-animated cartoon character, simply spun around and around. The broadcast image was a mere 2 inches tall and compiled of a paltry 60-line screen picture. Broadcast on New York City's channel 1 from Van Cortlandt Park, Felix the Cat was the early broadcast image best remembered, most likely due to RCA's publicity machine, thus, becoming television's first true icon.

Hour Glass, November 14, 1946

This forgotten show, Hour Glass, is credited with the being the program that convinced radio networks to pay attention to television programming. Hour Glass premiered May 9, 1946 and ran only a few seasons, like most early shows. The difference was in the quality. Hour Glass presented an hour of variety programming that included comedy sketches and music, and was television's first "big budget" presentation.

A few months after the premiere, on November 14, 1946, radio officially crossed over to TV. The audio-only medium featured a host of stars already regularly welcomed into homes across America. On this telecast, Ventriliquist Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy made their cross-over debut into the new medium. Posters publicizing the event were created for trade magazines featuring cartoon characters of the ventriloquist act. The possibility of viewing entertainers before only heard stirred excitement and new energy into television broadcasting. Bergen and McCarthy jump started their new career in television, and a stream of radio favorites began to develop their radio shows for the small screen. Within five years, radio stars Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Abbott and Costello, and Burns & Allen were ensconced in television.

1947 World Series, September 30-October 6

The 1947 World Series is still revered by sports afficianados. Countless sports shows and documentaries have featured and referred to this classic television event, the first World Series broadcast.

The series pitted the New York Yankees against bitter rival the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yankees Joe DiMaggio and the unbeatable Allie Reynolds had been charging up the fans all season. The Dodgers had just added Jackie Robinson to their roster, breaking the racial barrier and making this a landmark series indeed. Baseball was at an all time peak, and this series had everything, including rookie Yogi Berra.

And for those unable to attend, it was truly miraculous. It was being broadcast to bars and homes, though in most cases a neighboor's home. The New York area broadcast, including Philedelphia, Washington, and Schenectady was an NBC gamble, but the network certainly suspected the two New York baseball rivals would be the perfect test for the new medium. NBC's good fortune was momentus and it is still considered one of the greatest World Series of all times.

By Game 4, with baseball fever running at full force, it appeared the Brooklyn Dodgers were taking full revenge against the Yankees. Bill Bevens was pitching a series no-hitter, however that was before Cookie Lavagetto made it the "Cookie" game. People watching grainy gray telecasts on 7 inch television screens, and at their neighbor's home were dreaming and planning to own a televsion set for their living room.


Television coverage of the series was a smash, with an estimated total viewing audience of 3.9 million. It provided the medium a new sense of urgency and potential. Owning a television was the new American Dream.

Source: Suite 101

Playhouse Without a Puppet, December 27, 1947

In the fall of 1947, the television schedule consisted of a quiz show, a western movie, three hours of sports, a newsreel, and not much more. The few homes and bars with television were lucky to get even 2 hours of programming a night, and the networks were lucky if the 20,000 sets in the city could capture an audience of 50,000. Television was beginning to look more like a pipe dream. If television was to survive, it needed a hit show.

Just days after Christmas, Howdy Doody would arrive; and, thanks to a savage blizzard in New England, by mid-day Saturday, December 27, 1947, the entire city and east coast was blanketed with several feet of snow. In New York City, theaters, clubs, and restaurants closed. Travel was nearly impossible, and many in the city, still bristling with Christmas spirit, found the opportunity to tune into television.

At the NBC studio, problems were mounting as well. The snow storm made it difficult for the cast and crew. Buffalo Bob Smith almost didn't make it to the 5 pm air time. Howdy Doody, the puppet, didn't make it the studio at all. In a desperate attempt to put a show on the air, much time was spent on various entertainment for children while building up to the arrival of Howdy Doody. By the show's end, Buffalo Bob had become the voice of the puppet refusing to come out of the desk drawer. And the puppet never did show that first episode.

In many ways, the tension caused by the snowstorm added additional layers and excitement to the show, and certainly increased its audience. Howdy Doody was the talk of the town without even making an appearance. Variety raved and the high viewership continued until 1960. The network's program schedule ballooned after the premiere of Howdy Doody. The 1948-49 season brought over 120 different television shows to the schedule.

For a full account of this story, I recommend the book Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television by Michael Ritchie

The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

On July 1, 1941, under the helm of William Paley, CBS planned to begin commercial broadcasting. Theater Guild charter member Worthington Miner was tapped to develop 15 hours of television a week. Those hours were filled with broadcasts of fairy tales, quiz shows, and talk shows. Anything more ambitious was ruled out due to licensing restraints from ASCAP and other entities. No one wanted a part of television.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Miner was at home in Connecticut when he heard the news, and rushed to the New York studio to cover the story on air. At 8 pm that same evening, Miner set up a fan to gently blow a waving American flag under the hot studio lights, called in an announcer, and broadcast the days horrific news. Once again, there were few in the viewing audience to witness the historic broadcast, but it was evidence of the depth and potential of television.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor stopped the nation in her tracks. From that day forward, everything changed as the nation's complete focus was on war. After a few months, in early 1942, Paley and CBS ceased commercial televison broadcast indefinitely.