One of the most famous incidents in the
history of the Ed Sullivan Show was Clyde Beatty’s 1957
appearance, back in the days when the show was done live. A black & white
kinescope (a recording of a television program made by filming the
picture from a video monitor) was made of that broadcast and still
survives.
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Saturday, August 01, 2015
Clyde Beatty #1 (From Eric Beheim)
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7 comments:
If that is sawdust on linoleum, Oh boy watch out.
Before videotape was available, all programs that were not on film were done live. If a performer flubbed his lines, if a prop malfunctioned, if a trained animal acted up, or if a stagehand blundered into camera range, it would all be seen by the viewing audience. On-air bloopers were particularly embarrassing when they occurred during live commercials. This probably explains why the commercials on network television shows were mostly on film. One on-air mishap that I remember seeing occurred during an episode of The Jackie Gleason Show during a parody of a silent movie slapstick comedy. Gleason, playing a “Peck’s Bad Boy” type character, was using bags of flour to create havoc at a posh wedding. While running through a doorway, he unexpectedly slipped and fell. The curtains abruptly closed and, after a brief pause, Art Carney appeared and made a brief comment about all the mess the skit had created. Then, without Gleason appearing to delivery his customary closing remarks, the program abruptly ended without any further explanation. The next day we learned that, when he fell, Gleason had dislocated his right foot, torn ligaments and fractured a leg.
Another embarrassing incident that I remember from the days of “live” television occurred on the program THE PRICE IS RIGHT. (Some of you might remember this particular incident, too.) Some contestant who won something was given a surprise bonus prize, which turned out to be A LIVE ELEPHANT. The elephant was no sooner brought out on stage when it proceeded to “decorate the floor,” as Smokey would say. Of course the cameras immediately cut away from the elephant, amid roars of laughter from the studio audience. (I’ve often wondered if that contestant actually kept that elephant.)
The live, local children's TV shows could produce the most embarrassing moments. I remember one out of Philadelphia I worked on when a little boy could hold it no longer and wet himself and the floor all around him until the director could switch to another camera. Ah, the good old days of live television.
During my apprenticeship I spent
a few brief stints working in live TV
In the early sixties Benton & Bowles
a major advertising agency was producing
several "soaps" for Proctor & Gamble
These half hour segments which included
nine minutes of promos and commercials
were done live each weekday and broadcast
coast to coast in living black and white
Two of the shows were "As The World Turns"
& "The Edge Of Night" The first rehearsed
at 12:30 in the afternoon for presentation
at 1:30 at WABD Studio 3 on east 67th St
Studio 3 was rented from a rival station
named for Allen B DuMont one of TV's early
pioneers It came equipped with antiquated
cameras lighting sound and control elements
WABD later became WNEW named for Ed Wynn
The other at CBS Studio 72 at 81st & Bway
with nearly modern facilities & equipment
It rehearsed at 3:30 for a 4:30 air time
Chickey...
Any of the soaps have a circus segment/commercial... something?.. you'd like to tell us about?
klsdad
In answer to ERIC's question above: Jungleland had the contract for animals for LET'S MAKE A DEAL, first at NBC, and later at ABC. We'd take a bear cub, or an ostrich, you name it, for a gag prize, which were usually behind Door Number Three. Sometimes contestants would hit that door, and no, they did not depart with any animal. When "winners" insisted on keeping the animals, some hapless Production Assistant drew the onerous duty to deny the prize and offer a token money gift instead. There was sometimes real heat, as after all, the contestants were "animal experts." But all our animals came home with us. Danny Dent and I took Nila, the mature hippo, down the night Elvis arrived for his 1968 "Comeback Special", and we were treated to observe his big entrance at NBC's back door. And thankfully, no player "won" Nila that night.
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