The Assassination of John F. Kennedy Day 1, November 22, 1963

film montage created by Iconservation

Ask people what they were doing the morning of November 22, 1963, and despite their varying responses, many would recall preparation for Thanksgiving the following week and convey a sense of excitement for the nearing holidays. The season was in the air.

Only days before, on November 18, Kennedy presided over the nation's first presidential turkey photo-op at the White House; thus, the first "pardon" for a turkey; thereby, he stated, "I do not plan to eat the bird." The press dubbed it "pardon" in papers the following morning.

This cool fall morning, mothers were plotting the grocery shopping, one of their last free days before children were out for the holidays. Arriving at work, certainly some men were whispering about the previous night's episode of Dr. Kildare, a cliff-hanging episode about a botched teenage abortion; or, for the gentleman, perhaps a mention of Hazel's charity benefit for poor children was better discussion.

At homes and in local restaurants, TV sets were tuned, many to CBS's As the World Turns as lunch time arrived, overhearing, probably drowning out, the characters' droning babble about upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Whether near a television or busy shopping, working, or studying, events were unfolding that would forever change the world and the business of television news.

Just minutes into the live broadcast, Walter Cronkite interrupted the soap. As the World Turns' cast and crew, however, in New York, continued. They had no idea that Cronkite was about to make this announcement: 

Here is a bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting.

News of the bulletin spread quickly. On some broadcasts, as stations continued to interrupt programming, viewers could actually hear other reporters and news staff reverberating the same questions reverberating around them, "the President was shot? He was shot?" The entire nation, from reporters, network executives, to politicians, housewives, businessmen, college and school kids, were all hearing reports at the same time, all seeking answers in dazed disbelief. For the first time, the news televised the process of receiving live incoming information of paramount breaking news. TV stations, local and network, showed reporters on phones conveying the latest bits of incoming news live, to anchors and the audiences simultaneously. TV anchormen had little time for composure, and the emotional nation was truly one body, one entity, one organism, collectively hearing, seeing, and weeping from one disturbing revelation after another.

By the time Walter Cronkite verified the rumors of Kennedy's death officially, the audience had heard the speculation of the President's passing for an half-hour as journalists surmised, "the reports we have is that the President is dead, but this is unconfirmed" and "we have been told that the president has received his last rites." At 2:30 pm eastern, as a stoic but visibly shaken Cronkite reported, "from Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official, President Kennedy died at 1 pm central standard time, 2 o'clock eastern standard time, some 38 minutes ago," People had gathered around television sets across the nation, ultimately totalling 180 million. The instantaneous collective-conscious of the United States was born.

Together, the nation sat transfixed to the tube as the tragedy unfolded. The initial reports were of a man and a woman assassin team seen firing at the President from the underpass; then, a witness claimed a black man fired 3 shots from a top floor building. From the outset, it was reported and confirmed that a secret serviceman guarding Kennedy was killed, and it was reported that Vice President Johnson had been wounded in the arm. Soon their reports of a single 25 year-old gunman was changed to a 30 year-old man, his physical description, and his name, Lee Harvey Oswald. The audience feared for the lives of government officials, including Governor Connelly, whom had been seriously injured. Bit by bit, more questions arose than were answered. The nation feared the worse. Were there others? Was another nation involved? Was the United States soon at war with Russia, or Cuba? Did the assailant act alone?

ABC was first with news footage of Kennedy in Texas earlier that morning. The viewers saw an enthusiastic Kennedy, waving to crowds numbering in the thousands. As other networks began broadcasting live telecasts from Texas and Washington, crews and reporters scrambled to shed light on the rapid fire succession of the day's events. As TV Guide documented, The TV screens:

...showed the smiling President, alive and vibrant, moving through a sea of outstretched hands which wanted only to touch him. ABC was to follow this later with an interview with James C. Hagerty, in which the onetime Eisenhower Presidential press secretary, now a broadcasting executive, illuminated the nature of the security problem.

"This is the President's way of saying thank you to the people," Hagerty declared, referring to the scenes at the airport. "How can you stop it? I don't think you want to stop it . . . It's rather difficult, while guarding the President, to argue that you can't shake hands with the American people or ride in an open car where the people can see you. . .

American's witnessed via television each gruesome and macabre moment, from the motorcade ride to Parkland Hospital to the President's casket being removed from the hospital, Mrs. Kennedy by his side. At first, the earliest reports seemed more like radio coverage than television news; but, as the tragedy unfolded, television journalism found its voice - and image - and the two elements began working in conjunction with each other. No longer two components struggling to function, but now each working harmoniously together. As the afternoon darkened into night, all regular television programming had subsided. For the next three days, every station held diligent vigil with the shattered country, as TV journalism improvised a new, pioneering method for broadcasting the news.

To be continued.......

FULL CBS Afternoon Coverage

 

 

Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse Presents: The Untouchables, April 20 & 28, 1959

For the 1958-59 television season, Desilu Studios trotted out a new, hour-long anthology, The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse for CBS. While the majority of productions were only moderate successes, several productions pulled in spectacular ratings. Those top-rated shows were "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show", the Twilight Zone pilot (The Time Element) and this surprise 2-part production based on a true-crime novel by Elliot Ness, The Untouchables.

Many industry insiders were shocked that Desilu was tackling such adult and violent fare. Arnaz had stated publicly that his studio would never put anything but family programming on the air. Nonetheless, the studio believed in the project; and desperately needed improved programming for Desilu Playhouse, and bankrolled production on the Desilu lot with star Robert Stack, film-noir director Phil Karlson, producer Quinn-Martin and cinematographer Charles Straumer.

The first show aired April 20, 1959. The script told the story of Elliot Ness, the FBI treasury man who pursued Chicago mob man Al Capone at the height of prohibition. Violent and dark, the show was grounded by a voice-over by radio's Walter Winchell. The Untouchables destroyed the competition in the ratings; and,the week-long buzz about the first hour brought increased interest, and the April 28 conclusion climbed even higher in the weekly ratings.

With the huge success and critical acclaim brought great controversy. Italian-American's were incensed by the mob stereotype - even Frank Sinatra protested. Others were outraged over the excessive violence, and much debate followed the telecasts about the increasing violence on television.

The show won Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse Emmy awards for director, cinematography, and art direction. The Untouchables is the pioneer of modern day crime dramas featuring gratuitous and graphic violence, a hot topic that continues today. Robert Stack would later win an Emmy for the role.

Ironically, The Untouchables also began the downfall of Desilu Playhouse. When Desi Arnaz sold the show to ABC for $3 million, CBS was livid, and for the upcoming season, vengefully moved the Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse to the Friday night graveyard time slot, and soon after, reduced production to bi-weekly before canceling the anthology in spring of 1960.

The Untouchables ran on ABC for four seasons and 118 episodes, giving Desilu studio and ABC its most profitable show and hit. It also paved the way for Desilu to branch out into drama programming, which led to Star Trek and Mission Impossible. Desilu released the 2-hour pilot as a theatrical film after it spring 1959 TV success.

Desilu Playhouse credits for Untouchables, and Opening for 1959-1963 ABC run.....





Sources:
Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, written by Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert

1984 Apple Computer Ad, January 22, 1984

There was little warning. The unhappy board members at Apple were insistent that the whole thing be killed without airing, thinking it best to forget the $800,000 spent producing the one minute commercial. Directed by Ridley Scott, the young director had just wrapped his futuristic epic Blade Runner and was teamed with advertising group Chiat/Day.

The concept was appropriate if risky. The new year brought a resurgence in George Orwell's classic novel 1984. Big Brother was on everyone's mind, but could it sell computers?

The atmosphere of the ad was dark and ominous. As a theater of mind controlled citizens stare and chant at Big Brother on a large screen, a lone runner in red gallops through the corridor, ultimately slinging a sledge hammer to the screen, destoying it. It aired just once on national television, during the Super Bowl, as a afterthought to burn the commercial while still getting some use from it; but, it began an institution. Commercials played during the Super Bowl have become as important to viewers as the game. The commercial put Apple on the map as well as creative director Lee Clow, who was responsible for this and the later Energizer Bunny and Taco Bell chihuahua campaigns.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire- November 19, 1999

In the early run of ABC's surprise hit limited series game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, a contestant named John Carpenter became the first millionaire winner and, with his wit and intelligence, kept the country talking about Regis Philbin's new show for weeks to come.  The week of Carpenter's million dollar win, Millionaire took the top  8 slots of the Top Ten shows in the nation.

The basic set-up for the game show was to correctly answer 12 consecutive questions of increasing difficulty.  A wrong answer meant walking away with a much smaller win, if anything.  And, along the way, each contestant received 3 lifelines to help them out with tough questions. To the audiences surprise, John Carpenter got all the way to the final question without using any lifelines. The question was, "Who was the only U.S. President to appear on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in?" When Regis Philbin asked him the question, John decided to call his father for the "phone-a-friend" lifeline. Instead of asking his father for help, he told him "Um...I don't really need your help. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to win the million dollars."

This was a brilliant, humorous move by Carpenter, and Regis handed out his first million dollar check. The national excitement brought Who Wants to Be A Millionaire back for another limited run, then a slot on the regular schedule.  ABC found the show to be the perfect vehicle to precede new and faltering shows to jump start their ratings, and before long the network saturated their schedule with Millionaire.  This over-exposure led to a premature demise of the show, and it was cancelled from network primetime in less than 3 years (June, 2002)

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.