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The arrival of the television industry
We began to hear the first radio broadcasts in the United States in the early 1920s. Even though it was known about that same time that pictures could also be broadcast, because of the tremendous expense involved in bringing about such a feat, plus delays caused by World War II, it would take almost 30 years more before television became a commercial success and such an important part of our lives.
Corky Reed, of McCook, remembers that he attended a demonstration of scientific marvels presented by the GE Corp. in the McCook Junior College gymnasium sometime in the 1930s. The program showcased inventions and new technology the company was developing; ones that GE promised would play a large part in our future. One of the products was a hand-held radio/transmitter, whereby a person could talk with another person, via airwaves, a block away. At that time these two-way radios were considered very futuristic. Like so many scientific advances, the two-way radios made great strides during World War II.
Another of the wonders was an electric light bulb, extremely small, but so powerful that it lighted the entire MJC Auditorium, bright as day. It was said that six of these bulbs would adequately light a football field. There was just one small drawback -- the bulb generated so much heat that during the demonstration it had to be immersed in a large tank of water to keep the glass from melting.
Of all the innovations demonstrated that night, Corky's favorite was the television set. A small receiver set was set on the stage. Then one of the College Science teachers was chosen to make the broadcast. She went into the studio (a trailer outside the gym), and wonder of wonders, her image and voice appeared on the set inside the building. The receiving screen was only six or seven inches in diameter, and the image was a bit distorted, but that mattered little. Now days, we take TV for granted. It is such an ordinary part of our life. But that was not the case in the '30s.
That night a miracle had happened, and everyone in the auditorium knew it. They had seen TV for the first time!
In 1940 my Mom and Dad, sister Judy, and I visited New York City for the World's Fair. One of the high lights of our trip was a visit to the Empire State Building, at that time billed as the tallest building in the world. It certainly was a memorable experience. The elevator, which whisked us up the 102 stories to the observation platform took our breath away. From that vantage point we could see all over the city, and we delighted in watching a very large ocean liner sail past the Statue of Liberty. One of the features of the Empire State Building was the steeple, which towered over the building and carried radio towers, and a new television tower that the NBC Company had recently installed.
In 1940, one of the NBC Vice presidents was a fellow by the name of Frank Mullen. Frank had grown up in Presho, S.D., as had my dad, Walter. The two had been classmates and boyhood chums. So, when we got to New York, Dad called Frank, who in turn invited us to have lunch with him. Having lunch at the Radio City Headquarters of NBC was an experience in itself. We found that the officers did not eat in the company cafeteria with the workers, but instead ate in a private dining room, where the floors were covered with a thick carpet and tables were adorned with starched linen and stiff napkins. There was an extensive menu from which we placed our order, and there were uniformed waiters hovering about us, ready to refill our water glasses, or replace a dropped fork, and ready to cater to our every whim.
But the highlight of our visit with Mr. Mullen was the tour of the NBC studios. At that time a number of the radio programs were produced there and we got to see where a number of our favorite shows were made. We even got to sit in on a live broadcast of an episode of one of the soap operas. It was rather disappointing. Just a few people standing around a microphone, reading their script, and a fellow in the background doing sound effects with a number of odd contraptions.
At the end of our tour we went to the TV studio. Though NBC had been in the radio business for many years and were at that time a principal player in that field, TV was strictly experimental. Mr. Mullen told us that President Roosevelt had recently appeared on TV -- the first American President to do so -- and that NBC held high hopes for the medium in the future. But at present they were only producing a few programs. (Alas, World War II, and its aftermath set development of TV back for most of another 10 years. And Vice President Frank Mullen, somewhere during this time, came to a disagreement with President David Sarnoff over the direction that NBC and TV should take. The result of that confrontation was that Frank Mullen left NBC in the early '50s)
Mr. Mullen invited Judy and me to appear on a TV show that was about to begin. We were game, of course, though we really didn't understand about TV. Our folks adjourned to Mr. Mullen's office, where they were going to watch the program on closed circuit TV while we joined the TV show. It was a Kids' Party, produced live, as were all TV shows at that time. We were told that it would be beamed to as many as 300 TV sets in NYC, and by a cable to Philadelphia, to another 100 sets. These 400 sets represented almost all of the TV sets in the world at that time.
The whole experience was strange. The emcee wore a blue shirt, and wore so much facial make-up that he looked like he was suffering with severe sunburn. We were told that when his picture appeared on the TV sets his shirt would appear white and his facial appearance would be quite natural. Judy and I wore no make-up. The star of the show was a clown, complete with baggy pants, a red wig and a bulbous red nose. He had us join with a dozen other kids in playing some games, after which he handed out prizes. But he was funny, and so busy doing goofy things before the camera that we probably paid more attention to him than the games.
After a while he began to interview kids, including Judy and me. When he found out we were from out of town he went on for a time about how the World's Fair had brought people from all over the world, and how lucky we were to be appearing on a TV show. He said we were really pioneers in an industry that would change our lives. How prophetic he was. I'm sure he asked us a lot of questions, but after all these years I just remember one. He asked us where we were from. I answered, Nebraska, but he didn't know where Nebraska was, or even if Nebraska was a city or a state.
I was indignant, and fear I ruined my big chance to be a TV star, as I attempted to set him straight on his geography. Later, I decided that he might have been putting me on, and it was a part of his act. He might have thought he was having fun, but at that moment 1 didn't think it was fun. I was thoroughly disgusted.
Imagine, a grown man, who didn't even know where Nebraska was!