[78-L] NBC (was: YOU)

[Sammy Jones]

I've just spent some time reviewing the 1936 and 1937 seasons of the Jack
Benny Program.  Here are some notable variants on the NBC system cues:

June 14, 1936,  This program originates in the NBC Studios in Hollywood.
This is the National Broadcasting Company.

October 4, 1936,  The Jell-O Program starring Jack Benny has originated in
the NBC Studios in Hollywood over the Red Network.  This is the National
Broadcasting Company.

October 11, 1936,  The Jell-O Program starring Jack Benny with Mary
Livingstone was a Red Network presentation of the NBC Studios in
Hollywood...This is the National Broadcasting Company.

October 25, 1936,  This program originated in the NBC Studios in Hollywood.
This is the Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company.

December 27, 1936,  The Jell-O Program comes to you from Hollywood over the
Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company.

January 3, 1937,  The Jell-O Program reaches you over the Red Network from
the NBC Studios in Hollywood.  This is the National Broadcasting Company.

June 27, 1937,  The Jell-O Program has come to you from Hollywood over the
Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company.

October 3, 1937,  This is the National Broadcasting Company.

Most of the chimes heard in these programs sound like the hand-struck
versions, but occasionally the Rangertones are heard.

I must have been dreaming that I heard NBC, the National Broadcasting
Company this early.  I was probably thinking of the mention of the NBC
Studios.

Incidentally, prior to fall 1936 a series of nameless NBC announcers
(obviously in a different studio) gave the system cue at the end of
programs.  Don began giving the cue on the October 4, 1936 season premiere.
At some point later, the cue was given by nameless NBC announcers.  Anybody
know the reasons for this?  I should mention that the Benny show was on the
Blue network in 1935-36, and moved over to Red for the 1936 season.

Sammy Jones


> Message: 8
> Date: Thu, 14 Oct 10 17:10:17 -0400
> From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl at midcoast.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] NBC (was: YOU)
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Message-ID: <201010142110.o9ELAIYZ006355 at pan.gwi.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> on 10/14/10 12:13 PM Michael Biel wrote:
> 
> >From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> >> Even if the music had been from earlier, wouldn't a 1930 audition
> >> disc have opened with "The National Broadcasting Company presents.."
> >> instead of "NBC presents.."?  dl
> >
> >What an interesting thought.  Did they ever refer to themselves by
> >initials that early?  I will have to start listening for this and ask
> >the OTR people about this.
> >
> >Elizabeth, what do you think?  Although the mics did say NBC on the
> >side, when did they first start uttering those initials verbally?
> >
> >Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
> >
> 
> A standard NBC outcue in 1931 was "this program has come to you from
> the
> NBC studios in New York/Chicago," but in 1930 they were still saying
> "this program has come to you from the New York/Chicago studios of the
> National Broadcasting Company."
> 
> They don't seem to have started saying simply "This Is The National
> Broadcasting Company" until the very end of 1931, and that remained
> standard, with a few exceptions, until 1946, when they began saying
> "This
> is NBC, The National Broadcasting Company."
> 
> As for the recording in question, there was a nighttime Clara, Lu and
> Em
> half-hour variety-type series in 1936 and this could conceivably be an
> audition for that. The syndicated revival from 1945 would feature a
> different actress playing Lu, since the original died in early 1937,
> bringing the original series to an end.
> 
> Elizabeth
>