Exhibits
In the past some of my articles have been little more than collections of promo spots or commercials with only a minimum of text thrown in to add some variety. I realized that these articles might be better served without the text. If the emphasis was on the video footage, why not just present the video and forget all about the text?
Thus the exhibits section of Television Obscurities was born. Unlike in-depth articles, which present lots of information in text form and are complemented by audio and video, exhibits will be mostly visual or aural.
1953 “Gallery” Promotional Booklet
Exhibit Opened February 18th, 2010
This 26-page booklet from NBC Television was put together for the benefit of potential sponsors interested in Worthington Miner’s new hour-long dramatic anthology. The series never made it to the air.
ABC Promotional Artwork, 1971-1975
Exhibit Opened October 8th, 2009
Eighteen colorful pieces of promotional artwork for ABC specials and regular series, including The Rookies, The Texas Wheelers, “QBVII” and the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.
Computer Commercials, 1984-1994
Exhibit Opened January 22nd, 2009
A collection of nine television commercials for Macintosh, NCR, Intel and AG-Command computers, aired between 1984 and 1994.
Famous Faces Do Commercials
Exhibit Opened June 22nd, 2008
A collection of television commercials featuring actors and actresses, musicians, athletes and other celebrities hawking a wide variety of products, from the 1950s through today. Famous faces include Bill Cosby, Farrah Fawcett, Jay Leno, Andrea Dromm, John Denver and Sandy Duncan.
Famous Faces Do Public Service Announcements
Exhibit Opened March 18th, 2009
A collection of public service announcements for a variety of causes featuring celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner, Carroll O’Connor, LeVar Burton and Kermit the Frog.
FOX Image Campaigns, 1988-1990
Exhibit Opened February 18th, 2009
During its first years on the air, the FOX network used flashy image campaigns to sell itself as an alternative to the “Big Three” (ABC, CBS, NBC). Here are three such campaigns, including three full length image pieces and several shorter image spots, from Winter 1988, Fall 1989 and Fall 1990.
Full Issue of 1948 Television Forecast
Exhibit Opened April 25th, 2009
Television Forecast was one of the earliest television guides, covering the Chicago, Illinois area. Here is the entire September 6th, 1948 issue of the magazine, with a full week’s worth of television listings, articles and advertisements.
Full Issue of 1949 Television Forecast
Exhibit Opened January 21st, 2010
Here’s another full issue of Television Forecast, an early television guide covering the Chicago, Illinois area. It’s the August 20th, 1949 issue, with a full week’s worth of television listings, articles and advertisements.
Full Issue of 1951 TV News
Exhibit Opened September 21st, 2008
TV News was an early, TV Guide-type magazine covering the Buffalo and Rochester region of New York. Here is the entire June 2nd, 1951 issue of the magazine, complete with television listings, articles, advertisements and a crossword puzzle.
Full Issue of 1951 TV Showtime
Exhibit Opened September 17th, 2009
Here is the entire November 5th, 1951 issue of TV Showtime, a local viewer guide for Nebraska/Iowa, complete with television listings, articles and advertisements.
The Good Life Script Material
Exhibit Opened July 16th, 2009
Excerpts from two scripts for The Good Life, including revised pages, and a document containing potential story lines for the sitcom.
Irwin Allen Promotional Spots
Exhibit Opened November 19th, 2009
Watch thirteen promotional spots from five of Irwin Allen’s six television shows: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants and Irwin Allen’s Swiss Family Robinson.
More Famous Faces Do Commercials
Exhibit Opened June 18th, 2009
Another 25 commercials featuring Dorothea McGowan, Bing Crosby, Jane Seymour, Kenny Rogers, Michael J. Fox, The Simpsons, Farah Fawcett, Cliff Robertson and more.
More Famous Faces Do Public Service Announcements
Exhibit Opened December 10th, 2009
Another ten public service announcements for a variety of causes featuring celebrities such as David James Elliot, John Goodman, Mary Tyler Moore, Randy Travis and more.
Network Television Promotion
Exhibit Opened June 22nd, 2008
A collection of network promotional spots, primarily from the 1960s through the 1980s, broken into four distinct categories: the series/season premiere, the episode preview, the generic spot and the network line-up. View promos from such shows as Thriller, The Brady Bunch, Gibbsville, The Wild, Wild West and The Defenders.
Star Trek Promotional Spots, 1987-2001
Exhibit Opened May 14th, 2009>
Ten promotional spots for the Star Trek franchise, aired between 1987 and 2001 and covering the series premieres of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise as well as the series finales of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.
The New People Comic Books
Exhibit Opened July 18th, 2008
In 1970, Dell released two comic books based on ABC’s short-lived The New People, which ran for seventeen episodes starting in the fall of 1969. Take a look at the covers, the first five pages from the first issue, and a Spanish version published in Mexico.
TV Guide – Behind the Scenes of the 1964-1965 Season
Exhibit Opened November 24th, 2008
TV Guide occasionally presented “Picture Features” that went behind the scenes of television programs. Here are seven examples from the 1964-1965 television season, including Gilligan’s Island, The Tycoon and The Baileys of Balboa.
Vintage Sponsor Spots
Exhibit Opened August 20th, 2009
Watch sixteen sponsor spots, or billboards, for products like Marlboro Cigarettes, Breck Shampoo, Kellogg’s, Twister, Bufferin and Camel Cigarettes, from shows like Laramie, Karen, Route 66 and Where the Action Is.
Last Updated February 18th, 2010