Early Color TV Series (pre-1966): compiling a list (2 Viewers)

[Vic Pardo]

VIc:

The Lone Ranger Collector's Edition from Classic Media contains all 5 seasons plus the two feature films. At least some of the seasons in the collection contain edited syndicated versions of the episodes.

Darby

Thanks. I just checked it on Amazon. The price for this set? $94.96. Yikes!
If I refrain from buying the next five $20 sets I would normally pick up, I can spring for this one. (Good luck )

 

[Neil Brock]

NBC experimented with single color episodes of several series. There's a color Sam Benedict episode as well as one from It's A Man's World. Both shows from 1962. Of course the final, half hour version of Dr. Kildare is in color.

NBC did a ton of early color as they owned the RCA color TV system and were trying to sell color sets. Shirley Temple Storybook Theatre, Kraft Mystery Theatre, Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, Dinah Shore Show, Dupont Show of the Week are just a few of the series done in color pre-1965. Pretty sure there were many more, particularly the variety and live anthology type shows. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was in color from day one.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Actually, there is a color episode from the second season (1962-63) from Dr. Kildare, just released on DVD thru the Warner Archive. "The Burning Sky" has a raging forest fire and special guest stars Carroll O'Connor and Robert Redford!


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0565224/

 

[Vic Pardo]

My exploration into early color TV shows is up on my blog:

http://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/early-color-tv-shows-the-1950s/

Among the iconic shows included:

 

[Gary16]

Actually, there is a color episode from the second season (1962-63) from Dr. Kildare, just released on DVD thru the Warner Archive. "The Burning Sky" has a raging forest fire and special guest stars Carroll O'Connor and Robert Redford! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0565224/

Just watched the color Kildare episode on the season two set from Warner Archive that arrived today. Nice transfer with very good color. Several scenes show the fire being watched on an RCA color tv.

 

[Mulroon14]

The 3rd season Dragnet episode The Big Little Jesus was filmed in color and colorcast by NBC on 12/24/53. The episode was redone in the late '60s with most of the original cast on the revived Dragnet. Episodes #25 and #26 of The Gene Autry Show were filmed in color and colorcast over the FCC approved CBS sequential disc color system in May, 1951. The CBS system was replaced by the RCA (NBC) electronic color TV system in 1953. Season 5 Autry Shows were filmed in color, but aired in b&w. There is one Jack Benny where Jack visits a zoo, in color, from 1954, and a Burns and Allen in color from '55. The pilots for Destry, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Daniel Boone, and The Man From Uncle, all from 1964, we're filmed in color, though aired in black and white. The 6th episode of Hazel from 11/6/61 was in color, though the series didn't permanently switch to color until episode #35 (1962). Syndicated 1955 series Judge Roy Bean and Long John Silver were color, as well as 4 seasons of The Adventures Of Superman. The Everglades from the early '60's was color; Death Valley Days had some color episodes starting in 1963-64, before going all color in 1964-65. The Lucy Show switched to color filming in 1963, though CBS refused to colorcast it until 1965. The 1962-63 series Man Of The World had a color pilot.

 

[Mulroon14]

The John Larkin/Nick Adams NBC series Saints And Sinners (1962-63) had a color episode; the pilot of Robert Lansing series 87th Precinct (1961-62), was reputed to have been filmed in color.

 

[Neil Brock]

Calvin and the Colonel, another prime time cartoon, was produced in color, aired in black and white.


NBC was doing a lot of colorcasting on its variety and anthology shows, dating back to the early 50s, as they were trying to sell their RCA color televisions. I'm sure if you checked on those types of shows, you will find that a great many of them were produced in color.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Lots of good information on this page: http://edreitan.com/SHOW_09.htm

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

Lots of good information on this page: http://edreitan.com/SHOW_09.htm

Bob, you just saved me a lot of hassle. Thank you.


Some of them actually do exist, like the Ed Sullivan and Burns & Allen ones.

 

[oldtvshowbuff]

The pilot episode of Laramie, "Stage Stop" was filmed in color and included among first episodes of several NBC western series on a DVD from Timeless. An episode of Riverboat, "A Night in Trapper's Landing" was reputed to have been filmed in color.

 

[DeWilson]

Lots of good information on this page: http://edreitan.com/SHOW_09.htm

Sadly, Ed Reitan recently passed away.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Cozi is showing reruns of Zorro in color. I'm not sure if they were filmed in color or if these are colorized. It is the old Guy Williams series.

 

[Mulroon14]

Zorro (abc 1957-59) was colorized in 1992, but is in b&w on the Disney DVDs. The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coco, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris comedy Your Show Of Shows (NBC 1950-54) was colorcast in 1954, according to the book, The Box: An Oral History Of Television 1920-1961.

 

[Lord Dalek]

If it hasn't been mentioned yet, CBS didn't go into color until the fall of 1966 so basically any show it had going into that season from the previous one would have been making the switch that year.

 

[LouA]

NBC's 1958 series Northwest Passage was in color , as well as The Adventures of Long John Silver . I believe tha htat least one episode of the children's show Andy's Gang was shot in color . I wish all there were on DVD!

 

[Gary16]

If it hasn't been mentioned yet, CBS didn't go into color until the fall of 1966 so basically any show it had going into that season from the previous one would have been making the switch that year.

CBS aired programs in color in the early 50s but stopped after the FCC approved the RCA color system over theirs.

 

[Darby67]

Zorro (abc 1957-59) was colorized in 1992, but is in b&w on the Disney DVDs. The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coco, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris comedy Your Show Of Shows (NBC 1950-54) was colorcast in 1954, according to the book, The Box: An Oral History Of Television 1920-1961.

The two Walt Disney Treasures releases of Zorro are in black and white, but the Disney Movie Club also had released both seasons of Zorro in color as Disney Movie Club Exclusives prior to the Treasures releases.

 

[Ron1973]

If it hasn't been mentioned yet, CBS didn't go into color until the fall of 1966 so basically any show it had going into that season from the previous one would have been making the switch that year.

Actually 1965 as that's the year most of their programs transitioned to color.

 

[Regulus]

Actually 1965 as that's the year most of their programs transitioned to color.

I Second, My "alternate" DVDs of Lassie show where the series went all-color during season 12 (1965-1966) Two years earlier, a five-part episode called The Journey was filmed in color (This was one of many "Experimental" Episodes aired from seasons 8 to 10 in order who would be the dawg's new owner after Timmy an family moved on).