JFK Inauguration 20th Jan 1961 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Aussie Bloke · #1 09-26-2006, 04:09 PM

Hi all. I've read up that the Inauguration of President John F Kennedy 20th Jan 1961 was televised in colour and here's a clip of his Inaugural address http://www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/inaug_kennedy.asp . I was wondering does the colourcast of this exist on colour videotape? And is this clip a video recorded clip via a TK-41 or is it a film clip from a film camera?

Cheers
Troy

holmesuser01 · #2 09-26-2006, 04:39 PM

I believe that this event was filmed. I've seen it complete before.

jblmar · #3 09-26-2006, 07:40 PM

Depends on how many times the tape the station has was copied. Color is lost with each copy. The address was filmed in color. I've seen it many times on the History Channel. Here in the states, CBS was last to go to color programing, 1965, IIRC, so it depends on the source.

Ron

Sandy G · #4 09-26-2006, 10:00 PM

Seems like the inaugaration was filmed in color, don't know if they had color videotape machines in '61...at least not ones that were "portable".Most of the coverage of the assasination looks to have been either videotaped or "kinescoped"...Come to think of it, the videotapes are pretty primitive & lousy looking...I remember the eternal flame completely wreaking havoc w/the picture...washing it out, & overloading...as did the glasses frames of one of the Dallas cops...He had chrome-frame glasses,VERY shiny, the light would catch 'em just right, & wreck the TV picture...The TV pictures from then look like they coulda been made in the '30s or '40s,they're so primitive, not the '60s..

3Guncolor · #5 09-26-2006, 10:10 PM

Most live news feeds were still B/W at that date. I'm sure the event was filmed as well as live. If it was broadcast live in color it would have been by NBC and I'm sure there is a good chance NBC would have saved it on video tape. That being said if a tape from that date was found it would be very hard to good good playback but it is possible as there are still operating quad recorders around.

Steve D. · #6 09-27-2006, 01:22 AM

I believe at JFK's inaugural address, the principle camera on the president was a b&w pool feed to all three networks. Certainly, NBC could have sent a color mobile unit to D.C. but why go to the expense? In 1961 the % of homes with color sets was still tiny. And there was not nearly enough color equipment to cover all the festivities. This is why the pool coverage was used. To spread the cost and maximize the available network equipment which was still mainly RCA TK-10 era b&w camera equip. Had NBC chose to use color for portions of the event, it would have been a simple matter to microwave the color signal, as they did with the b&w to WRC-TV, the NBC D.C. station and feed it live to the Network or record it to available color video tape machines as easily as they actually recorded it to b&w vtr's. As for the asassination coverage in Nov. 1963. That was also in b&w. Exception were live cutins from the NBC affiliate in Dallas, WBAP-TV which had live color capability at the time. There was also a memorial concert from Chicago, on NBC, that was telecast in color. I believe the first color telecast of a major event from the White House was the marriage ceremony of Pres. Johnson's daughter in 1964 on NBC.

-Steve D.

holmesuser01 · #7 09-28-2006, 08:11 AM

The inauguaration was filmed. Sorry for rotton spelling.

The funeral was all shot with video. Believe me, I saw all of it originally. I saw a load of low-band black and white videotape 20 years or so ago of several hours of the procession. Camera blinding was normal at the time.

jblmar · #8 09-28-2006, 10:56 AM

The footage moments after the assassination was film. In their hurry to brodcast it, the film wasn't set out to dry. The result is the lines seen on the film.
You can tell the difference between film and tape. Tape has a live look to it while film looks rather flat.
In 1963, the 3 networks were B&W except for primetime shows. Walter Cronkite said something in an interview that stands out in my mind. When CBS broke in on the first report of the shooting, they used a voice over because the camera needed to warm up! This was late in 1963!!

Ron

Steve D. · #9 09-28-2006, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holmesuser01

The inauguaration was filmed. Sorry for rotton spelling.

The funeral was all shot with video. Believe me, I saw all of it originally. I saw a load of low-band black and white videotape 20 years or so ago of several hours of the procession. Camera blinding was normal at the time.

Absolutely, the 1961 inauguration was also filmed in color and b&w as well as being telecast live to the nation. The funeral.in 1963, was also recorded on motion picture film as well as being telecast live to the nation and via satellite to the world.

(QUOTE) moments after the assassination was film. In their hurry to brodcast it, the film wasn't set out to dry. The result is the lines seen on the film.
You can tell the difference between film and tape. Tape has a live look to it while film looks rather flat.
In 1963, the 3 networks were B&W except for primetime shows. Walter Cronkite said something in an interview that stands out in my mind. When CBS broke in on the first report of the shooting, they used a voice over because the camera needed to warm up! This was late in 1963!!
Ron(QUOTE)

My recollection of this event is that CBS was covering the funeral and was late cutting to Dallas and the Oswald shooting. NBC & ABC had the shooting live. I also, was watching it at the time and will never forget that moment.

-Steve D.

Sandy G · #10 09-28-2006, 12:02 PM

Those old B&W cameras also distorted the images-I remember they had pics at Andrews AFB or Dulles bringing Kennedy's body home to Washington, & the Pontiac ambulance/hearse looked VERY distorted-way too wide & long. Sorta ironic, nowadays every man Jack & his brother has a camcorder that does a better job-or at least as good-as what the networks had in '63...

holmesuser01 · #11 09-29-2006, 01:20 AM

Some of my older TV engineering friends like to tell me stories about how they would have to tweak those old RCA B/W cams while on the air. Sometimes a pot control would get intermittent, and (for instance) the vertical would stretch. The video I saw 20 years ago was pretty clear, and easy to see, but I'd like to see film copies.

I think that television grew up a bit in 1963. I bet co-ordinating all those cameras with their sync problems, etc, was a technical nightmare. TV sure came through for us. I remember how the streets of Asheville were quiet the day of the funeral. I guess close to everyone here was watching it.

I had to watch it on a new 1963 GE 19" B/W portable on a cart. Had one of those awful 2x6" speakers in it. Made the music, etc, sound really shrill.

Sandy G · #12 09-29-2006, 06:35 AM

I remember the day of the assasination-I was in the 1st grade, we had been outside at Recess, it was a GORGEOUS day, the sky that deep blue it only gets in the fall, we were in the school cafeteria for "milk break", they had a radio playing over the school P/A, the radio said Kennedy had been shot, I'll never forget the look on my teacher, Mrs. Armstrong's face. We went upstairs & prayed for him-you could still do that in '63-& seems like they let us out of school early that day.

Randy Bassham · #13 09-29-2006, 07:30 AM

I was in the 5th grade in 1960-61, we were all herded in to the lunch-room and up on the stage was a 21" B&W RCA TV and an antenna had been installed on the roof so we could watch the inauguration. I was in the 8th grade in Nov '63 and sitting in study hall when the librarian came out and announced the president had been shot, a few minutes later she came back out and said he was dead. We stayed in school but it sure was quiet.

Sandy G · #14 09-29-2006, 07:58 AM

I've also noticed that when the networks went whole-hog in color in '65-'66, the live shots didn't seem to have a lot of the funky weirdness-distorted images,washouts, etc-the B&W cameras had. I've heard, or read perhaps, that the B&W camera pickup tubes didn't have much dynamic range, & that contributed to a lot of the problems. Any of you fellas wanna comment on that ?

Steve Hoffman · #15 09-29-2006, 11:07 AM

I don't think they used those color cameras outside much. Film was used. The color cameras were always inside except for the Rose Parade, right?

However member Steve D. used to haul them around to varions disaster locations (like local fires) when he worked at KTLA Channel 5 here in LA back in the vacuum tube days so he would know. He has some great stories..