This Could Be the Start of Something Big-Steve Allen, 2013 Special Version
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This is a special version of a RUclips clip uploaded by goldenvmedia of This Could Be the Start of Something Big-Steve Allen Show clip as video taped at NBC Burbank in 1958. Steve wrote and sings this song. In this clip he is joined by Ann Sothern,Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Dinah Shore and a special mystery guest singing Steve's theme "This Could be the Start of Something Big". They walk the halls of NBC singing going from Studio 1 (Steve Allen Show, & Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Studio) and end the song over at Studio 4, (Dinah Shore Show, Laugh In, Dean Martin, Midnight Special), today it is home to "Day's of Our Lives".
In this special version I made, I inserted video of the same path these performers walked at NBC so you can see how the halls of the studio looks today in 2013. You will see that halls pass through what was pretty much just a warehouse with sets and props. Since then NBC added better lighting, Studio 10 on the left side and production offices on the right side.
One strange thing to note is that I video taped this walk at NBC at 1am on August 11th 2013, the evening Eydie Gorme passed away. I didn't know this until the next day. It was kind of chilling walking backwards taping this insert while at the same time watching the 55 year old reference video of these performers. It was almost like they were walking the path with me.
By the way, it should be noted that NBC is no longer in Burbank as off January 2013. NBC Studios in Burbank were sold and the studios are now called "The Burbank Studios". NBC is has now relocated on the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles. Having worked at NBC Burbank for 30 years, I can remember all the great talent that walked these halls back in the day. Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, George Burns, Jack Benny, the list goes on and on.
The great days of NBC on the West Coast are gone forever. The Golden Days of Television.
NBC was in Burbank for 60 years. From 1952 till the end of 2012 when the property was turned over to the new owners and all NBC signage was removed.
You could say "This is the end of something big".
We are so lucky to still have rare videos and kinesopes like this one.
See the original recording on RUclips upload by goldenvmedia here....
• This Could Be the Star...
The Steve Allen Show ran from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC. When on NBC it was recorded at Burbank NBC Studio 1 which at the time was a Black & White Studio. The program, between September 1957 and June 1960 became one of the first programs to be telecast in color.
When on ABC it was recorded at the Steve Allan Playhouse. The Steve Allen Playhouse was an old 1906 vaudeville theater in Hollywood, California. Located at 1228 North Vine Street, on the corner of La Mirada. It was originally called the LaMirada Theater.
This makes me almost shed tears. Once upon a time we strove to be well dressed, classy, put together. We could sure use some of that now.
💖💗💖
I didn't see the cast, or pay attention to the beginning, but, even with how bad the focus and contrast are in it, I recognized Steve and Eydie, immediately. It was a great ensemble of talent.
WOW now that was Talent and Class that doesn't exist anymore!!!!!
The man who started it all for the late night shows " Steve Allen "
Steve Allen was one of the best night hosts, as well as a great composer. He had class and was funny as hell. This song by Steve and Edie is one of my favorites. Steve Allen wrote it and Steve and Edie recorded it. Love this clip specially when my favorite singer of all times cameos, Frank!
Back when they had class!
The guys were guys and the girls were delightful. Gee I miss those days...
Strangely enough, I remember seeing this live. At the time, I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw on tv.
Indeed it was the coolest thing -- I can only imaging the hours of rehearsals and technical details that went into this --- Steve Allen's show was live and everything had to be perfect -- using heavy duty equipment and very long lengths of cables. These people, on both sides of the camera were talented PROS! ...Rowby.
A great clip with fantastic, unmatched talent. An amazing shot, done live, in one take. I have seen the full episode as a kinescope at the Paley Center in New York. At the beginning of the episode, Steve announces that the program will be in black and white. From 1957 to 1959 the Steve Allen Show was usually broadcast in color from NBC Brooklyn. By the fall of 1959, Studio 1 in Burbank was converted to color, where the Steve Allen Plymouth Show was broadcast in color until the spring of 1960. Several episodes of that program in color are widely available. Most of NBC's color programming from Burbank in early 1958 were done from Studio 2 (Eddie Fisher and George Gobel) and Studio 4 (Dinah Shore). You can tell that the segment starts at Studio 1, based on the steep incline of the studio seating, later employed for the Tonight Show. Employing a TK-41 for this tracking shot would have been virtually impossible in 1958, given the incredible lighting requirements for color. Compare the lighting in Studio 1 where Steve starts the song and at the end in Studio 4 where Dinah's show is about to begin.
Extraordinary! One uninterrupted take, great singing, great song!
In 1958, I was 6. My parents let me stay up and watch Steve because they knew how much I loved him & that I identified withnhim later when I began to wear glasses because except for Bill Virdon of the Pittsburgh Pirates, & Wally Cox, he was the only person on tv who wore glasses.
Smock ! Smock !
The original badly needs remastering. the facial expressions are really important to it. They are really 'selling' the tune and I'm buying it.
steve allen was a nonpareil, a rara avis, a kindly genius; the world needs him right now!
Just imagine the guy who had to run behind the camera gathering up the long cable!
Great tune written by Steve Allen
I had no idea he wrote it!
This one clip is the perfect picture of what show business is all about, not to mention the world of talent that performed.
My late father-in-law's one regret in life was not taking a job as an NBC cameraman in NYC in the mid-50's. I know he would have appreciated this 'then and now' look back even more than I did. Thanks for posting it!
Camera people have the best seat in the house as history is made.
My God! I was 25 days past 9 years old ... and I remember this. It seems like a MAJOR event as I watch it now. In reality, we could see something like on almost any night of the week...the talent on early television will never be duplicated. Sinatra, Groucho, Ed Wynn, Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Gleason,Sid Caesar...the young Carl Reiner and Don Knotts...did I mention Lucille Ball ?...Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat! Unbelievable talent EVERY Night! Thanks for the memories, paul...I Hope I can remember that guy who ended his act with that song...
This is great! What a technical feat to pull this off LIVE. Back in 2010, my friend Mark Davidson and I were touring LA recording studios, Capitol Records, etc. Mark had attended college with Rick Ludwin who was now a West Coast VP at NBC. Rick got us tickets to The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and after the show, he gave us a full VIP tour of the NBC Burbank facility. We walked that entire hallway circuit seen in the Steve Allen video, plus got inside all the studios and the various backstage areas. It was a once in a lifetime tour that I will never forget. Regrettably, Rick passed away not too long after that, but at the time, he went out of his way to give us an incredible tour of an amazing place.
Hats off to the unknown cameraman and his helpers, who were as much performers in this as the cast were. His (their) work was flawless!
Steven Allen had a dance studio in New York which I went to. Was given a contract for Hollywood but, mom said no!!! I still tap dance into old age. What a wonderful world it was!
What can I say, but:
"THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES"!!!
You are so KIND and THOUGHTFUL!!!
I GREATLY APPRECIATE all of your efforts in arranging and presenting/sharing this STELLAR and HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT VIDEO!!! I especially appreciate all of the background notes/info you provided!!! MANY KUDOS and THANKS AGAIN!!! I GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR EFFORTS ! ! !😢😊
what a great piece of music
Who in God’s name could dislike this????
Anyone with even the smallest appreciation for what live tv was in those days MUST tip their hat to this clip.
Pure talent and class
Bob, what a wonderful job you did. I was at NBC during the Laugh-In era -- on the writing staff. In those days it was a magical place. In the studio next to Laugh-In was the Dean Martin Show / Midnight Special. Johnny Carson was down the hall. The Hollywood Squares set was moved into whatever studio was available.
Yes, so much has changed at NBC but it's great to see so much is the same.
Again thanks for your wonderful addition to this great Steve Allen clip.
Rowby
Steve Allen = funny & cool cat!
Came from the other video to this. This is so cool! Just love it.
Thank u for this clip. It caused me to rediscover the great Dinah Shore, who I was too young too appreciate fully. Upon examining her career, my opinion is that we'll never see anyone w/ such breathtaking vocal technique & artistry again. Miss u, Dinah...
Bob...Thanks so much for giving this clip a unique perspective. This is one of those moments that was thought lost forever and now over 140,000 folks have smiled when they have seen it. Thanks for adding to a moment in time with a classy informational clip.
Watched this again. Did not realize this is one continuous tracking(?)shot.
How much cable was needed and wouldn't there have been signal loss with a long cable run?
Boom miked or parabolic or WTF ever? And, same potential issues for signal loss?
And not in the least, I will assume this was all manually focused ?
I would have awarded a slew of tech Emmys on the spot for this.
WOW.
The Steve Allen Show was in the La Mirada Theater (Steve Allen Playhouse, 1228 Vine) when his late-night show was syndicated by Westinghouse.
Wow!!! Total late 50s cool, and great to see so much talent around NBC in just one day of taping! Yep, these days were truly the zenith of TV and balladeers. Nothing in the last 40+ years can come within miles of this classic entertainment. Thanks for posting!
I have always thought this clip was a treasure. But what you've done with it belongs in the Library of Congress. Thank you so much.
I was 5 years old and my parents always watched the variety shows and had lots of music in the house. This is wonderful!
Pure talent, showmanship and done on one nonstop shot
Bob, thanks for this....A video museum AND record here, that should be deposited and preserved with NBC, per your justaposition here...This is amazing, both your job and the original....You get the excitement of the early TV era, much like the 90s internet era, when experimentation was king, and all was possible....And Allen, Kovacs, and to a lesser, but not too lesser extent Letterman(who also did his work for NBC, the first incarnation, but in NYC), all three were easily the innovative geniuses per hosts of shows, all three not coincidentally who pulled the late night gig to one extent or another, late night def helping create an atmosphere that pushes envelopes far more than prime-time...I realize there are no comments for two years on here, but there should be many more, God bless the original uploader of the vintage cip, and your juxtaposition in the modern era...cheers to the old studios as well
what a performer...what a guy!!!!!
Absolutely charming! I miss that generation so much...
I think this may have been the opening show of the "Tonight Show" in the new NBC studios, which moved from the old KNBH facility at Hollywood & Vine to Burbank about that time. (The insets shows the studios as they were in 2013.) As an aside, I appeared on a TV show called "Teleteen Reporter," a variety show with high schoolers from the L.A. Area every Saturday. We broadcast live every Saturday from KNBH from 5 to 5:30P. Just down the hall from where the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis show was rehearsing at the same time.
Ed Thomas -- This was actually Steve Allen's primetime show, which in 1958 aired from 8 to 9 on NBC every Sunday, immediately followed by Dinah Shore from 9 to 10. As he indicates at the beginning, his show (which normally originated in NYC) was doing a stretch on the West Coast, allowing this possibility of a walk from his studio to Dinah's during what would normally be a station break between the two programs.
The event got quite a lot of advance publicity in newspapers and on the air at the time -- I remember all the advance buzz very well, including the promise of a "surprise guest appearance" (which we indeed got!). My family made a special point of watching it, and we all thought it was really fun. But I figured that something like this, done live and not really "belonging" to either of the two series, was long lost and would never be seen again. What a wonderful surprise to see it emerge in the last few years! And then to see it enhanced like this. My thanks to all concerned!
This version of the video ends in with an nostalgic dedication, which I fully agree with:
"Dedicated in Memory of NBC Burbank, and the Great Talent That Once Walked the Halls".
BTW the studio they ended up on was Studio 4. That's where we taped Rowan and Martin''s Laugh-in about a decade later. Across the hall was the Studio 2 where The Dean Martin show and Midnight Special was taped. The hallway where Steve and Eydie emerged from led to the Tonight Show stage where in my era Johnny Carson reigned. When this was taped Steve Allen was king of late night. Yes NBC Burbank was an exciting place for a young comedy writer (me) to have started his career... ....Rowby.
Rowby Goren did you know my dad Sam Denoff. Amazing that Schlatter is still in good form.
@@douglasdenoff367 WE LOVE THE GOAT COMEDY WRITING DUO OF.......BILL PERSKY......
AND SAM DENOFF!!!!!!!
What a spectacular number !!!
Wow, I totally agree with the comments about the technical aspects. The playing out of that very thick, very heavy camera cable must have been well planned .... and how many feet and connections did it take? Additionally, audio feedback for Steve and his friends in all parts of the BUILDING had to be well planned. This is amazing. I have watched it several times and am still amazed. My hats off to the person who put this together.
It seems the singing was pre-recorded (note no booms on longshots and no wireless back then) so they had to have audio monitors along the entire route so that the performers could hear the track. And this was all done with ONE camera that weighed a ton. Reports suggest that this was done in color and if true, the old first generation RCA color cameras were as big as a house! Not only is the performance flawless but the tech is flawless, too. And all done live! Holy smoke!
This has to be a lip sync. When Steve Allen starts you can hear the quality of his voice change. Still amazing. Dont forget they needed lights too.
@@Lampshade51 Indeed! Those early RCA color cameras were monsters; the camera "head" alone weighed about 300 pounds, and the pedestal and dolly more than that just to balance it. You see one of them at the right when the cast is re-entering the studio near the end. The NBC station here was still using them into the mid-1970's. When the competing CBS station was upgrading their 60's GE color cams, the NBC affil bought them second hand.
W O W !!!!!!! W O W !!!!!!! Out of the Park!!!!! BRAVO!!!!!! Peace
A treasure.
Thank you very doing this. As one who has been on live tv, I know just how heavy those cameras are.
Very cool. I I can't imagine how they did a tracking shot like this in one take. Simply amazing, and the talent is timeless.
In the days of live tv, everyone knew that you'd better get it right the first time. All errors were went out so you wanted to help everyone look good. May I suggest that you see some of the Dark Shadows clips. Lots of the mistakes aired.
More amazing that the camera was an RCA TK-41 color camera. Being dollied around like that, the Production Assistants in handling the long cable run from behind, without it getting caught in the wheels, and it being pushed makes it even more remarkable!
Gary: not to be a noodge, but, are you sure about the TK41? As I recall from my childhood, the Steve Allen Show was not done in color. KRCA (the callsign in those days, not the same as the Mexican station of today) was the only station doing color in Los Angeles back then, and even with that, not all shows were done in color. I may be wrong, but seem to remember it being a B/W show.
Even if it was a TK11 or 11A, the cabling for the cameras and lights alone boggles the mind.
FriendlyGrizzly --I am only assuming it, as the Studios built in Burbank were for 'NBC Color City'. Cabling, schlepping the cable, lighting, and audio pickup was excellent. Any idea of the year of the video, as that could narrow it down a bit.
It says it is 1958. NBC had been doing color for a while at that point, but not every show. We had ONE neighbor with a color set; Cleve Herman. He was a news and sports announcer on what was then called KRCA. Later he did news, sports, and commentary on KFWB radio. On TV, he was readily identified by his black eye patch.
This video starts at Studio 1 at NBC Burbank. When Studio 1 was built, it had B&W RCA TK-11 cameras. Both Studio 1 & 3 which are next to each other were built first with Black and White Cameras. Studio 2 & 4 were built for color just a bit later. Studio 4 is where the group ended the song. As they enter the door at Studo 4 you can see a TK-41 Color Camera, so we know Studio 4 was color. The question is, where is the camera controlled from? B&W Studio 1 or Color studio 4 where it ended up. We never see a camera cable.
Bob, so it was a TK-11 doing the moves within the building.I stand corrected! Thanks!
I loved this.
This is a Gem. It can be said that in someway, things in the past can connect us to the present, & vice versa. There was no way you could have known Eydie Gorme would die just as you taped this. I find that incredibly haunting, but not in a derogatory manner; rather in a mystical way . All the players in this tape, except for Steve Lawrence are sadly gone. They live on thru our technology. They give us a window to watch them & remember how that moment not only appeared, but how that moment actually felt.
Talk about a guy with very humble beginnings...Steve Allen! I think on U tube Steve a Rooney talks about living in abject Poverty. Made me give thanks for what I have now..and I bet he thank God also. Incredible story from a Man you thought had it made!!! Great artist!
I’m late to the party that loves this clip. I ready to die now after seeing it.
It's like looking at a video in which there's only one human being remaining while the rest are ghosts. Eydie just became it's next member.
Thank you Bob!
one of my childhood playgrounds (Desilu Cahuenga being the other )
i haven’t been in the building since perhaps 1975! We moved to LA in 1961 when my dad Sam Denoff was hired as a writer (along with Bill Persky) by Steverino. I remember being at Steve’s house in the Valley with all the other families for the remote taping (in the rain) of his xmas special. Boy did Steve and Jane love plaid furniture and wallpaper. But if it weren’t for Steve (and his head writer Bill Dana) my dad wouldn’t have started his career in television!!!
Amazing what they (and you!!) did with an enormous TK-41 camera on a Chapman Nike crane. Just managing the huge cable bundle and keeping it out of frame was a feat alone. Kudos to the grips...especially the one driving the crane !
When we did Guys And Dolls at Beverly Hills High School, genius lighting director Lon Stucky arranged for me to borrow a very primitive mechanical “chaser” to make the lights on my Hot Box sign move. Lon, audio engineer Bill Cole, TD’s Karl Messerschmidt and O Tamburri (who gave equally legendary director Marty Passetta a jar of Vaseline because “nobody snaps their fingers at ME!”), editor Steve Orland, Jerry Smith video director all made shows taped there look and sound magnificent !
oh and the legendary NBC Truck-the catering truck that used to park outside the Artists Entrance all day until they finally built the new admin building and added The Hungry Peacock restaurant. Which wasn’t much better than the truck Mr Carson used to joke about
Shows dad did there:
Lotsa Luck (studio 1)
The Funny Side (1972) - 14 episodes half-hour (studio 1)
The Julie Andrews Show (1965) studio 4
The Bill Cosby Special (1968)
studio 2
Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman (1969)
studio 4
Pure Goldie (1971) - Goldie Hawn's first special
studio 4
and if you look on MY videos on Facebook you’ll see a clip from the Petula Clark 1968 special taped in Studio 4 with our El Rodeo elementary school orchestra backing her up on Color My World (the director Steve Binder gave my flute playing face a nice closeup)
Thanks. bittersweet memories of a magnificent era
According to Henry Bushkin's book, Johnny Carson allegedly hated Marty Passetta because he edited his monologue on the Reagan Inaugural. That Steve Allen Christmas show was very cool. If I remember correctly, his sons were all on that show. So cool you got to be apart of that. Loved your father's work. He's a legend.
I always respected your dad and Sam Denoff's work over the years, particularly on the original "Dick Van Dyke Show" and "That Girl" (not to discount the others). They don't write 'em like the used to!
Bravo!
Well done!
My gosh - was the blonde lady Ann Southern? A really nice treat to see this wonderful clip!
It sure was. But spelled "Sothern."
The blonde is jayne meadows, steve allen wife.
@@lindalewis2306 No that indeed was Ann Sothern.
We are going to play it in Iowa this Sunday on their Capitol Steps (Drake University - themed concert. Came here to listen and had no idea... that was amazing... thank you for that.
LOVED this and the insert with the "current view" just made it perfect. Thanks for your effort.
Wow!
Thanks for doing this! Absolutely amazing!
Oh Wow !!! Where'd You Find This.. Oh Yeah !!! ☺☺😎👊💯💖 Oh This is Absolute Gold ☺☺😎👊💯💖 And Thanx a Million for The Upload and Sharing ☺☺😎💯💖
Thank you sir!
Thanks Bob! I just recently discovered this gem and you've added context which I was unaware of.
Best Wishes!
It would be great if you posted the 2013 footage alone. Would love to read some of the signage along the walls. Thanks so much for doing this. Really exciting to see the interior match up to the live broadcast. Been trying to map out the route they took all day!
Wow Bob! Great job. I have see the original but just stumbled across your version. Thanks!
Hi Don: was a pleasure working with you and knowing you all these years. Enjoy your retirement!
The acoustics in the now caged-in motor ventilation control center area are really good. (1:22) Has anyone ever considered recording vocal (backing) tracks, brass, and drum lines in it?
To Bob z: thank you for posting this.
here because of a book (one more day) by Mitch Albom
Was this originally broadcast in color? Amazing coordination for camera positions and switching, especially if it was done live.
Thank you for doing this.
Naked gun bring me here It's great
2:53
Very Cool. Good Job.Did you work there? How did you get Access?
Patrick: I worked at NBC starting in 1984. I loved the place having been in the building as early as 1964 watching my first television show taping of Lets Make A Deal in Studio 1. I was 11 years old and fell in love with the equipment and wanted to work there and make television my career. I was so lucky to get a job there at the end of the golden era. I saw stars like Bob Hope, George Burns, and Lucy Ball just before they passed. Johnny Carson was still there too. The 80's and 90's were great but things started to slow down. No more big game shows, or Variety shows were taped there. NBC was sold to Comcast, a cable TV company. Things changed a lot. Comcast also bought Universal Pictures. They decided to cut costs and move NBC to Universal City to save money. BIG MISTAKE in my opinion.
I was one of the last engineers to work at NBC Burtbank when I made this video. NBC was moving to the Universal City Lot at the time. During this time the tape was made the place was a ghost town. The only show being produced was the KNBC News out of Studio 10 and Days of our LIves in studio 2 & 4. Everything else was vacant and they had already removed the wood shop, paint shop, etc. This was my last chance to photograph this walk with the stars. I knew they were going to gut this part of the building.
The studio part of NBC was made up of several warehouses type buildings all next to each other. Within the buildings NBC Built offices and other internal buildings like studio 10, wood shop, paint shop, wardrobe, etc. The new owners gutted the entire inside to make one open space. Their goal was to make a very large open air office building with high ceilings. Pretty much a building full of cubicals.
The building and property was already sold and NBC was renting it back space like Studio 10 and the KNBC Newsroom area until they could build and wire a new facility and complete the move to the space in Universal city. Over at Universal, NBC is only a fraction of what it was in Burbank. It is really just two very small buildings on the Universal lot with a few small studios for Network and local news. Everything else belongs to Universal Studios. NBC is just a part of that complex in the corner of the lot next to the Los Angeles River and Lankershim Blvd.
I worked on the KNBC news live broadcasts and after the 11pm show I waited until everyone left before I started this project making sure the security guards did not see me. It was no longer NBC property so I had to be careful not to get caught walking around the property in the middle of the night taking photos.. That is how I did it.
I was all alone in this big empty building full of great memories of the past. Like I said in my write up on this video......
This facility was the end of something big.
Smock, Smock
She's dead? I don't believe it! I just found out.
Keith Evers The afternoon of her death, before I heard the sad news of her passing , we had been watching a film . Right after the movie was over, there was a segment of Steve & Eydie on ' The Tonight Show.' We watched it over several times because it was so good. Eydie was more in the spotlight when she told several hilarious stories of her show business experiences. Later that evening, when the News came on; the lead story was 'The death of Eydie Gorme. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. On top of that, when they mentioned the exact time of her passing, it correlated to the exact time we had started watching 'The Tonight Show, ' segment. I strongly believe there are certain things that occur which somehow prepare you for a future event unknown at the time. On some level, this made her death even more poignant & personalized.
Keith Evers The afternoon of her death, before I heard the sad news of her passing , we had been watching a film . Right after the movie was over, there was a segment of Steve & Eydie on ' The Tonight Show.' We watched it over several times because it was so good. Eydie was more in the spotlight when she told several hilarious stories of her show business experiences. Later that evening, when the News came on; the lead story was 'The death of Eydie Gorme. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. On top of that, when they mentioned the exact time of her passing, it correlated to the exact time we had started watching 'The Tonight Show, ' segment. I strongly believe there are certain things that occur which somehow prepare you for a future event unknown at the time. On some level, this made her death even more poignant & personalized.