According to an article in The Los Angeles Times by Matea Gold, the database is complete from roughly 1973 to 1992. NBC recorded over the video tapes from 1962 to 1972 and only the occasional black-and-white kinescope footage is available from those early years. Here’s how Deluxe Archive Solutions went about digitization the Carson library, per Gold’s explanation:

The video footage was trucked securely from where it had been stored in an underground salt mine in Kansas to a facility in Burbank, where a high-speed “tape robot” transferred each tape to a digital format. Then a team of transcribers logged more than 1 million words of dialogue and tagged each show by key word, guest and musical number.

It took nine months to get through those 3,300 hours. According to Gold, during the digitization process some original video footage believed to have been recorded over was uncovered, including “a famous 1973 clip of Carson pretending to eat dog food during a live Alpo commercial after the dog refused the meal, before thought to exist only in grainy kinescope.”

The Johnny Carson website will be hosting a rotating block of video clips from the show and a variety of DVD compilations have been released with more in the works. Once the database is open to the general public I’m sure fans of Carson and his version of The Tonight Show will have a field day searching for their favorite interviews and jokes. According to the demonstration video, users only get a limited number of minutes of streaming per month, so its unlikely full episodes will be viewable any time soon. That’s understandable. This database is a huge step forward for access. It’s one thing to have a collection preserved properly (in a salt mine, no less) but making it available to the public is even better.

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After five weeks on WCBS-TV, Mr. I. Magination expanded to three additional CBS stations in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington and shifted to 7PM. It likely continued to expand to additional stations as time went by. For the purposes of this guide I’ve decided to arbitrarily call the Sunday, September 25th, 1949 broadcast the end of Season One, when in fact that series never took a break and continued airing new episodes through June of 1950 before taking the summer off. Beginning with the October 2nd, 1949 episodes the series moved back to 6:30PM, likely as part of the overall plan for the 1949-1950 season on CBS.

Of the 23 episodes that were broadcast from April to September of 1949, three are known to exist, including the very first episode. That’s remarkable, considering the fact that it only aired on one station. The Paley Center for Media has three episodes, including the premiere, as well as eleven episodes without air dates. UCLA’s Film and Television Archive also has a copy of the premiere episode. The Peabody Awards Collection has one other episode. The Library of Congress and the Museum of Broadcast Communications do not have any.

I’ve compiled this guide from television listings in The New York Times, which do not include episode titles. The episodes appear to be named after the historical character depicted. The episode at the Peabody Awards Collection featured Robin Hood so that’s what I’ve called it.

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1. Status Guide – “CBS Playhouse”
2. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Three
3. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Two

Several of the episodes held at UCLA’s Film & Television Archive are in bad shape; “Appalachian Autumn” has “tracking problems,” for example, while “Sadbird” has a “very poor recorded image” and “Shadow Game” has “totally faded color” plus a “thick black scratch down left side of frame from 22-48 minutes into film.” It should be noted that for many of the episodes UCLA has multiple copies and some may be in better shape than others. There are seven different copies of “My Father and My Mother,” at least one of which is in black and white. Both the Paley Center for Media and the Peabody Collection also have copies of “Shadow Game” and hopefully theirs are in better shape.

The Library of Congress does have four books relating to CBS Playhouse but I’m not sure what they are. Two are for “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” one of which is said to be 103 pages with illustrations. There is another book for “The Final War of Olly Winter” said to be 93 pages, plus sheet music for Aaron Copland’s theme or “signature” for the program.

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2. Status Guide – “Coronet Blue”
3. Status Guide – “The New People”

The Atlantic does not mention where the episode was found but according to this YouTube video, which was posted on April 15th, it “was recently discovered in Europe,” suggesting that has nothing to do with the restoration of the other 208 episodes found in the General Electric/NBC Universal. The episode was mentioned during this evening’s installment of The CBS Evening News; an CBS News article can be found here.

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Completed Status Guides

Season	Air Dates	Published
Season One	May 7th, 1947 – September 15th, 1948	May 16th, 2009
Season Two	September 22nd, 1948 – September 14th, 1949	September 26th, 2009
Season Three	September 21st, 1949 – September 20th, 1950	January 9th, 2010
Season Four	September 27th, 1950 – September 5th, 1951	February 7th, 2010
Season Five	September 12th, 1951 – September 24th, 1952	March 30th, 2010

The fifth season of Kraft Television Theatre premiered on September 12th, 1951 with the 227th episode of the series and ended on September 24th, 1952 with the 279th episode. Coverage of the Republican National Convention pre-empted the series on July 9th, 1952 while coverage of the Democratic National Convention pre-empted the series two weeks later on July 23rd. The Classic TV Database has an episode titled “The Intruder” airing on Tuesday, July 22nd, 1952 but listings in The New York Times and other newspapers indicate that additional convention coverage was shown that day. An episode titled “The Intruder” did air in July of 1953, however.

At least one source gives the name of the October 24th, 1951 episode as “Interference” while most sources call it “Intolerance.” Also, according to one source, the August 27th, 1952 episode was originally supposed to be “Mr. Barry’s Etchings,” with Geoffrey Lumb and Leola Thatcher. Instead, “The Small Hours” with Lauren Gilbert and Grace Kelly was broadcast on that date. “Mr. Barry’s Etchings” was shown the following week on September 10th. The Library of Congress holds twelve episodes in its collection. UCLA’s Film & Television Archive, Museum of Broadcasting and The Paley Center for Media do not have any episodes from this season in their collections.

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1. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Four
2. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Two
3. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season One

Still from Hawaii Five-O Episode “Bored, She Hung Herself”

The following is from the Quick FAQ at the Hawaii Five-O Home Page:

No one at CBS or Paramount has offered a direct explanation as to why this is so. According to Mrs. Leonard Freeman (wife of the late creator of the show), speaking to some fans at the 1996 Five-O convention, someone tried the hanging technique depicted in the show (supposedly yoga-related, but more like autoerotic asphyxiation) and killed themselves. As a result, the show was not rebroadcast and never included in any syndication packages. As far as the DVD set is concerned, including this episode would have necessitated having a 7th DVD with one episode (or spreading 25 episodes over 7 DVDs), which would result in extra expense for Paramount as far as packaging was concerned.

A disclaimer located on back of the Season Two DVD noted that “the second season episode ‘Bored, She Hung Herself’ aired only once and is not included in this set.” Here‘s an August 3rd, 2007 article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin about the Season Two DVD release that mentions the missing episode.

It should be noted that the episode is neither lost nor missing but simply unavailable (read more about lost, missing and unavailable television programs here). I am all but certain that CBS and/or Paramount has a copy somewhere. According to the United States Copyright Office, copyright on the episode was renewed in January of 1997 by CBS, Inc.

Still from Hawaii Five-O Episode “Bored, She Hung Herself”

Furthermore, a copy of the episode has been in the hands of private collectors for some time, apparently from a rather poor quality 16mm print of the episode that includes CBS identification and network bumpers, suggesting it may have come from an affiliate. That’s just speculation on my part, though. Take a look at the above video clip and the various images from the episode for an indication of the quality.

Still from Hawaii Five-O Episode “Bored, She Hung Herself”

Has “Bored, She Hung Herself” ever aired in the United States since its original broadcast? Or internationally? I can’t say. Will it ever make its way to DVD? Unlikely. But who knows, it might be included in a complete series collection after all twelve seasons are released individually.

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3. Television Programs – Lost, Missing or Unavailable

The 1954-1962 “General Electric Theater” tapes, most believed to be damaged or lost, were recently uncovered in the General Electric/NBC Universal archives. They were restored to broadcast quality for use in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

[...]

“The opportunity to represent GE back in the 1950s, and the encouragement he received from the employees he met along the way, really launched Ronnie’s career in public service,” Mrs. Reagan said in a statement released Wednesday. ”I know he would be honored by this tribute.”

GE CEO Jeff Immelt plans to deliver the tapes to Mrs. Reagan at the library Wednesday evening. General Electric is sponsoring the Ronald Reagan Centennial festivities with $15 million.

In addition to the episodes of General Electric Theater, GE is helping to renovate the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; it will eventually feature a new General Electric Theater that “will focus on Reagan’s career in radio, television and film.” The Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, a two-year event, will culminate in February of 2011. Reagan was born February 6th, 1911. Here‘s a press release announcing GE’s sponsorship of the celebration.

General Electric Theater premiered on CBS on Sunday, February 1st, 1953. It wasn’t until September 26th, 1954 that Reagan began his stint as host, which would last until the series went off the air in September of 1962 (the final new episode was broadcast on June 3rd, 1962). According to TV.com and the Internet Movie Database a total of 300 episodes were broadcast during its nearly ten years on the air. The program’s entry in the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Encyclopedia of TV (1st edition) puts the number at just 200, which can’t be right given that 208 featured Reagan as host. Regardless of how many episodes were produced, one would hope that those not involving Reagan have or will also be restored and perhaps eventually made available to researchers and other interested parties.

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1. Another General Electric Theater Episode Found
2. Status Guide – “Colgate Theater”
3. Listing the Status of Existing Episodes

Jack Gould, writing for The New York Times, had this to say about the opening ceremonies:

The formality of opening the games admittedly was not conducive to exciting TV: even Vice President Nixon was allotted only one sentence. But C.B.S. missed what could have been story of more than passing interest. Some close-ups of the sports representatives of the world, as well as a better description of the setting at Squaw Valley, Calif., could have been informative.

Instead there was the familiar manifestation of television’s preoccupation with television’s role in reporting the news. Walt Disney was presented before the cameras; Lowell Thomas and Art Linkletter were there and the C.B.S. reporters were painstakingly introduced. Even Mrs. Andrea Mead Lawrence, the last skier to carry the Olympic torch, was revealed as a C.B.S. aide. [1].

The New York Times also wrote about the live coverage shown on Sunday, February 21st:

The spectators at Squad Valley got a more dramatic over-all view of the ski jumping than did the television viewers but the slalom provided more effective close-ups on the screen than were available to the crowds lining the slopes. [2]

The only live broadcasts were presented on Sunday, February 21st, Saturday, February 27th from 4:30-7PM and on Sunday, February 28th from 2-5PM (the Saturday, February 20th coverage may have also been live). Many days, the only coverage was a fifteen-minute selection of taped highlights aired from 11:15-11:30PM. And it was all in black-and-white, of course. Here’s a full breakdown of the CBS coverage, taken from television listings in The New York Times:

Thursday, February 18th, 1960 [3]
7:30-8PM – Opening ceremonies, from Squad Valley, Calif.

Friday, February 19th, 1960 [4]
11:15-11:30PM – Taped highlights of day at Squad Valley, Calif.

Saturday, February 20th, 1960 [5]
1-2PM – Women’s downhill skiing event.
4:30-6PM – Olympic Winter Games.

Sunday, February 21st, 1960 [6]
2-5PM – Men’s giant slalom skiing and 60-meter ski jump.

Monday, February 22nd, 1960 [7]
11:15-11:30PM – Highlights of day’s events (Tape).

Tuesday, February 23rd, 1960 [8]
7:30-8:30PM – Women’s figure-skating finals.
11:15-11:30PM – Highlights of day’s events (Tape).

Wednesday, February 24th, 1960 [9]
11:15-11:30PM – Highlights of day’s events (Tape).

Thursday, February 25th, 1960 [10]
11:15-11:30PM – Highlights of day’s events (Tape).

Friday, February 26th, 1960 [11]
9-10PM – Men’s free-figure skating finals.
12-12:15AM – Highlights of day’s events (Tape).

Saturday, February 27th, 1960 [12]
4:30-7PM – Ice hockey.

Sunday, February 28th, 1960 [13]
2-5PM – The men’s 80-meter ski jump and closing ceremony of the games.

How much of this coverage still exists? Quite a lot. The Paley Center for Media has the half-hour opening ceremonies (broadcast from 7:30-8PM on Thursday, February 18th), roughly two hours of hockey between the United States and the Soviet Union (broadcast from 4:30-6:30PM on Saturday, February 27th), roughly two hours of the men’s 80-meter ski jump (broadcast from 2-4PM on Sunday, February 28th) and an hour of the closing ceremonies (broadcast from 4-5PM on Sunday, February 28th). According to The New York Times, the February 27th broadcast ran for two and a half hours; the Paley Center has two hours and ten minutes of coverage. In all, the Paley Center has six and a half hours of coverage.

Given that much of what the Paley Center has in its collection was originally broadcast live, it stands to reason that the other live telecasts were also recorded and could exist somewhere. As for the taped segments, they could also still be around somewhere. Who knows what CBS has in its archives. UCLA’s Film & Television Archive has a two-minute segment, a kinescope taken from station KNXT in Los Angeles, of the opening ceremonies as broadcast by CBS. I couldn’t find any mention of the 1960 Winter Olympics at the Library of Congress or the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Works Cited:

Related posts:

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According to a title card at the start of the video, only forty-five minutes of the two-hour premiere still exist:

The first half-hour and the final quarter-hour of Today’s debut are preserved on film, and are presented here in their entirety.

The first portion ends at roughly 7:29AM on the East Coast with a break and returns at 8:44AM. Host Dave Garroway signs off with the following:

I see it is time to say goodbye to our eastern zone listeners. And to sincerely, and I’ll stand up to say this because I mean it that way, thank you for being with us on our very first Today show. Like I say we’ve got lots of bugs but we’ll try to get them out and give you a smooth, interesting, musical, and informative and freedom making show on television in the morning. Thank you, goodbye and ’til tomorrow morning, peace.

The video then continues with a fifteen-minute segment from the January 14th, 1977 episode of Today in which Tom Brokaw speaks with guests Dave Garroway, Jack Lescoulie and Frank Blair (two early correspondents) as well as former NBC chief Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, who created Today. The video is dedicated to Weaver (who died in 2002) and Garroway (who died in 1982). Exactly when it was produced is a mystery to me. Friday, February 12th, 2009 Update: ejp has noted in the comments that this is an updated version of an episode of an MSNBC program called Time And Again from 1997. I also wonder if the remaining portions of the first broadcast exist or any other early episodes. Does NBC have a large collection of Today shows?

The NBC News Time Capsule also contains footage from a variety of important events including the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the Summer of Love, Vietnam 1968, the Kennedy Inauguration, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and more.

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Completed Status Guides

Season	Air Dates	Published
Season One	May 7th, 1947 – September 15th, 1948	May 16th, 2009
Season Two	September 22nd, 1948 – September 14th, 1949	September 26th, 2009
Season Three	September 21st, 1949 – September 20th, 1950	January 9th, 2010
Season Four	September 27th, 1950 – September 5th, 1951	February 7th, 2010
Season Five	September 12th, 1951 – September 24th, 1952	March 30th, 2010

The fourth season of Kraft Television Theatre premiered on September 27th, 1950 with the 177th episode of the series and ended on September 5th, 1951 with the 226th episode. The Library of Congress holds twelve episodes in its collection. Excerpts from the March 21st, 1951 episode (“Of Famous Memory”) were included in the sixth anniversary show broadcast on May 6th, 1953; both UCLA’s Film & Television Archive and the Library of Congress have copies of this episode.

Neither the Museum of Broadcasting nor The Paley Center for Media have any episodes from this season in their collections.

Related posts:

1. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Three
2. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season Two
3. Status Guide – “Kraft Television Theatre” Season One