Behind Your Radio Dial: The Story of NBC (1947)

★★★★★ · Wonderful - But more likely from 1948 based on last few minutes · The_Emperor_Of_Television · 2013-01-29

A nice view into radio....nice interiors during the Fred Waring segment. Forgive my ignorance, but what is the name of the daytime radio serial shown in rehearsal? As for TV, I'm not sure if anyone cares, but kinescope film prints exist of some of NBC's 1948 classical broadcasts (with Arturo Toscanini, who breifly appears in this short. He did three TV specials in 1948 and none in 1947, so 1948 seems more likely), along with a couple episodes of "Howdy Doody", plus some variety and drama programming.

★★★★★ · Excellent documentary · ERD · 2006-02-17

Made at the end of radio's golden era, this RKO Pathe documentary entertainingly and informatively shows how the NBC radio network functioned. (Mostly filmed in Radio City at 40 Rockefeller Plaza in NY.)There is also a glimpse of the new television network that would eventually eclipse radio.(I loved seeing Howdie Doody)One of the best films from the Prelinger Archives.

★★★★ · Wow! This Is Radio City! · Christine Hennig · 2003-12-17

This late-40s film gives the viewer a filmed tour of NBC studios at Radio City in New York, back when NBC was mainly a radio network. I love old-time radio, so I found this very interesting. We get to see radio stars such as Fred Allen or Fibber McGee and Molly performing, musical performances by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians and the NBC orchestra, and the news being announced by H.P. Kaltenborn. KaltenbornÂs section on radio news is particularly fun, since he narrates it very bombastically. He also tells us that all news broadcasts were permanently recorded for posterity on wax…

★★★★ · Ding.. ding.. ding! · Spuzz · 2003-08-24

Fairly interesting and fascinating look at NBC, circa 1947. The film primarily focuses on NBC New York. We go into Radio City (Now you can see where the name comes from) and visit the many different departments NBC radio has, from the News Department to the putting on of Radio plays, we see all aspects in action. Quite some fascinating facts are revealed.. I like the fact that NBC had tours even when they were just doing radio, by girls dressed as bell-hops and who had to have an engineering background. Also the music, by the NBC Orchestra (Paul Schaffer not included) is quite stirring. All…

★★★★ · And The Year Is · Dodsworth the Cat · 2023-04-01

After watching the restored version of this film on this site and checking newspapers, the story on the AP wire at 9:03 was published in 1948. I like how Ben Grauer plays a younger version of himself at the carbon mikes at 2:45 . Being NBC propaganda, there's no mention that it, more or less, took over WEAF's radio network in 1926. Permanent transcription files at 9:55 ? Where would they be today? Did someone tell H.V. Kaltenborn to ham it up? At least we're spared General Sarnoff and his bad cue card reading in this one. A Fred Allen reenactment at 16:55 . I have no idea who is on stage to…

★★★ · Good Ole Days Of Radio · donwert · 2010-07-01

Interesting behind-the-scenes look at NBC Radio. This film was made at the medium's height, just before television became widespread. In fact, only a few years after it was made, CBS eclipsed NBC in radio and, a few years after that, in television. Sad to think that, nowadays, NBC Radio (like the Mutual Radio Network) doesn't even exist. Only CBS and ABC still maintain radio networks---and ABC is rumored to be trying to sell theirs.