Television Digest and FM Reports stated in its issue of Sept. 8, 1945:
HOW TELEVISION WORKS: Television itself will probably get first crack at showing of Army Signal Corps film titled "This Is Television" recently completed at Fort Lee studios. It's the best graphic presentation yet on how television works, designed primarily for 15-20 minute showings to Army personnel as part of Army's "Tomorrow" series. It takes viewers inside studios, explaining in lay language all phases from transmitter to receiver. Dr. O. H. Caldwell is narrator, and shots include David Sarnoff, Gilbert Seldes and Dr. Vladmir Zworykin.
We learn nine experimental stations were on the air at that time. They were WNBT, WCBW and WABD in New York, WRGB Schenectady, WPTZ Philadelphia, WBKB and W9XZV in Chicago, and W6XAO and W6XYZ in Los Angeles. We see the WRGB studio (and test pattern card) at 1:38 .
The footage of the NBC remote vans at 2:45 got a lot of use over the years.
Animation of the NBC logo at 4:46 is very cool. It sounds like Ben Grauer doing the voice over. (Ft. Lee had an animation dept. with drafted Hollywood and New York animators toiling there).
We're treated to General Sarnoff reading cue cards at 7:19 .
The cutting is generally top-notch (other than a bad edit at 8:58 and unmatched shots at 9:28 and 9:45 during Gilbert Seldes' portion), and the stock music well selected.
Imagine: WCBW had a whopping four hours of programming a week.
As a final note about Caldwell, from Television Digest and FM Reports, Oct. 6, 1945:
SMOKES AND COOL DRINKS: Veteran editor and onetime radio commissioner, Dr. O. H. Caldwell, a television enthusiast, who runs a sort of "television theater" for friends and neighbors at his home in Greenwich, Conn., estimates that he has operated his TV receiver at least 300 evenings or afternoons an average of 2-3 hours per day during the last year. With average audience of 5 viewers, he says that, had they bought that number of tickets (1500) to the movies, at 50 cents each, the year's outlay would have been $750. Nearest cinema being 4 miles away, to go by car would have entailed 2,400 miles of travel costing $200 or more for gas and tires, not to mention time consumed. "Instead," he adds, "with television we were able to enjoy ourselves relaxed in our own living room to the accompaniment of smokes, cool drinks, shoes off and minimum dress -- that that's the kind of tele- vision enjoyment that is awaiting everyone in all of the 30 million American homes that now have radios and who will eventually be seeing as well as listening."

Good overview on what television promised to the masses post World War II. This was in terms of jobs, not programming. Plenty of jobs were to be had, everything from the production of the tvs, sales to even work in the studios themselves. Everyone had TV fever back theb! 200 dollars for a tv in 1941 or so in today's prices would amount to 3000 dollars. But.. everyone was waiting for one!

Even though the sound was a bit soft, I wouldn't have passed up seeing the old NBC logo for nothing!

Possibly the best film in the archive, this film brilliantly shows early television. i loved seeing the NBC ident from the 40's, footage of which may not exist anywhere else. We get to see early television, something thats very hard to see. If you love television, you simply must download this film. I love the public domain!. Big thanks Mr Prelinger!

Excellent 1945 documentary that informed the American civilians about the television industry that was ready to expand and develop. This film was made just before War II ended in Europe. Excellent photography & narration.

Great film showing the earlier making of television, good shots of the hunkie heavy big studio equipment they used to use. I wonder what they would of thought of TV cameras small enough to hold in your hand back then.

I am old enough to remember the first time I saw a TV picture, and growing up in Schenectady, I remember visiting the WRGB studio when it looked pretty much as in the film.

This brings back lots of memories.

Mike

Part of a series of post-WWII job recruitment films aimed at soon-to-be ex-servicemen. Of great historical interest and reasonably accurate about television behind the scenes and in the future.