A thread about--test pattern instrumentals.

Self | 5/30/'08 | Zionist Conspirator

[Zionist Conspirator]

Those of you of a certain age will recall a time when TV stations didn't stay on the air constantly but signed off late at night (with the National Anthem) and signed on again early in the morning. And in those days televisions had tuning buttons on them that had to be adjusted by hand so the snowy signals from far away could come in as clearly as possible.

Each morning the station would begin the day with a "test pattern" (usually with an Indian's head somewhere about for whatever reason) so the viewer could tune his set for the day (including getting the color right). Anyway, during these fifteen minutes or so of the test pattern the station would play the most beautiful, delightful music--always instrumental and perhaps what would be called "easy listening."

Ever since getting on the Internet I've been trying to find material on these test pattern instrumentals. Unfortunately, their title and performers were never given so it's very hard to search for them on YouTube or Napster. Just by accident I know a couple of them: Java by Al Hirt and That Happy Feeling by Bert Kaempfert (the holy grail of all test pattern instrumentals, available on YouTube), but there are so many more that I can remember but whose titles or performers I am totally ignorant of.

One in particular I've been thinking of lately is one that was (I believe) featured on an episode of "I Love Lucy" when Ricky sang in in full "native" costume (of course, the test patterns only used the instrumental version). I've tried to find that episode of "I Love Lucy" online just so I could get an idea of the title and look for it.

Is there anyone else out there who has a nostalgia for these long-departed phenomena of those days? Does anyone else know any specific titles or performers?

[weegee]

How many people are nostalgic for watching the tv picture tube turn completely OFF as the picture shrank down to dot before fading out?

[Zionist Conspirator]

Arg! This thread isn't about local television! It's about the music they played during test patterns!

And for your information, local kiddie shows ruled! Show me a national network with the guts to show a Bosko cartoon!

[Zionist Conspirator]

Thanks, wideawake. I knew I could count on you!

Do you have any idea of what some of the frequently used titles were?

[weegee]

[i_dont_chat]

I don’t remember hearing music with the test pattern.

Just the annoying static, which we turned down.

[doodad]

Sorry ZC. I am with the other guy in regarding it as localized to what the station had. Being in military towns we were as likely to hear Souza marches as anything. When The Star Spangled Banner came on; time for monsters.

[weegee]

It’s all relative though.

It wasn’t national networks airing test patterns. It was the local channels.

And the local tv programs used their own bumper music too.

In Cleveland, for example, they used instrumental songs by Jimmy McGriff. He had a hit with “I’ve Got A Woman”. It was played as movie program bumper music for decades in Cleveland.

And he died this week:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/arts/music/28mcgriff.html

[i_dont_chat]

test card music

http://www.testcardcircle.org.uk/

[chimera]

That was a cool effect. I learned later that it was due to the sweep circuits for horizontal and vertical deflection turning off more quickly than the electron gun in the picture tube. The sawtooth wave was generated by vacuum tubes and as soon as the “grid” voltage dropped below a critical level the tubes would shut off. The lack of sweep would cause a brief centering of the beam, and that coupled with the persistence of the phosphors would result in the slowly-fading central “dot”.

[The KG9 Kid]

I know that there were variants of the RCA test pattern already shown in this thread, but for station signoff I recall several different clips used by my local TV stations as a kid.

YouTube has these that I remember:

Flag Evolution

This one has a Pittburgh PA station ID, but the following USAF 'High Flight' segment I remember well.

I remember the USAF 'High Flight' poem with footage of a silver F4 Phantom II with early '60s markings the best. The version of 'High Flight' I linked above shows F16s, which came far later. I was unable to find the F4 'High Flight' footage on YouTube.

[weegee]

Korla Pandit had his own show in LA. Maybe his records were also used there...

Les Paul used to also have a tv show.

This was back in the days I think when tv shows would be even as short as 15 minutes.

[weegee]

I’m glad I never had to explain to my parents what I was observing. I’m just glad that I got to extend my bedtime by like 5-10 seconds waiting for it to disappear.

[N. Theknow]

This was back in the days I think when tv shows would be even as short as 15 minutes.

Huntley/Brinkley NBC News used to be 15 minutes and then there was 15 minutes of local news, weather and sports.

[N. Theknow]

Hiya kids...Hiya, Hiya, Hiya

I'll be good!
I'll be good!
I'll be good!

And now Midnight the cat.

Nice....Nice....

[weegee]

Coolest test pattern?

Channel One Test Pattern by Ed Epstein, � 1967, Pasta Productions, Inc.

[NCC-1701]

Some Memphians will surely remember this guy:

[weegee]

Another tv staple was Take 5 by Dave Brubeck.

So was A Taste Of Honey by Herb Alpert At The Tijauna Brass.

And there were a lot of “industrial” records just use for background and bumper music and in house advertising.

[Lurker]

OMG!!! I remember The Ghoul. I grew up outside of Akron and used to beg my mother to let me stay up late to watch that show.

He helped begin my life long love affair with B grade sci-fi movies.

Thanks for digging that up weegee.

L

[doodad]

Yes we ended the day at Ft.Bragg with the poem. F4 as well.

[weegee]

Another hit: