Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Back When TV Signed OFF for the Night; with Music, Test Patterns and Nobel Indian Profiles
Sept. 10, 13 | Lee Martell

Posted on 09/10/2013 8:32:11 PM PDT by lee martell

Nowadays, thanks to the internet, cable, and satellite media, there is programming literally around the clock, at least in today's United States. There is never a time when you could turn on your state of the art, flat wall screen tv, press all the button combinations, only to find "nothing is on". This seems to be what the public wants, a never ending access to shows, movies, youtubes and music. It is nice to have but a short road to almost any type of production, at almost anytime. Of course, all depends on a reliable electrical grid to keep everybody connected, if that's what you want. I recall when local stations would sign off, I mean really sign off the air for the whole night. Many local stations would end the day with a solemn reading by a famous historic figure, or when it was near Christmas and Easter, Psalms were read. Then a test pattern, then a fade to black, or all night static. One Easter, the Kyrie by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was used; a combination adult and children's choir.

As late as in 1983 this was the case. I recall vividly the weekend the world found out that Lady Astronaut Sally Ride had gone into space. After all the interviews and hoopla, it was time for Channel 4 to go off the air. Channel 4 then played what is probably my favorite, a piece by Gabriel Faure called Pavane, Opus 50 for flute and orchestra. The scene shows a swan on the water slowly going to sleep.

I was a fan of the late shows, when I got older, the late-late shows, long before pioneers like Tom Snyder of the Tomorrow Show gave more of us a reason to stay up late. We no longer had to settle for yet another showing of a B movie. When I say B movies, I mean something like the one with Tallulah Bankhead, called 'Die, Die, My Darling!", or Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?".

Other classic B films came out during the "rodents are the perfect pet" phase, one was "Ben" a story about a Boy and his Rat. Theme song by Michael Jackson, prior to his 10th facial reconstruction. The second Rat film of the time would be "Willard" with Ernest Borgnine. This film centered around a nerdy young man who was as they say nowadays; bullied. His only friends were rats, which he trained to do his bidding. the Willard character was being pushed around by whoever Ernest Borgnine was playing. Willard's classic line was "Tear Him UP!!" as he sicced his ratty pals on poor Ernest B.


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: signoff; testpattern; tv
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-92 next last
To: lee martell
What a great post! {^) Thanks for the good chuckle!

I remember waking up to the sign-off drone plenty of times. I loved it when it was on the old Indian head or the target, somethign like that. But toward the end, it was just vertical stripes of obnoxious colors. Maybe I'd fallen asleep in my Nth watching of "The Big Sleep." I loved the crap-shoot of old movies on late-night TV. The wierd thing is while I saw "The Big Sleep" literally about 100 times over my late-night TV-sneaking youth, I still regularly watch and love that movie.

But hey, I remember when an Apple III computer cost about $4,000 and was treated with such respect in the office that few dared to approach it. It had big green screen square lettering on the screen. I think you could play pong on it, but don't recall exactly. Four thousand dollars, in the early '80s. Five years later, that fancy computer wasn't worth fifty bucks.

61 posted on 09/11/2013 12:13:54 AM PDT by Finny (Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

and let’s not forget the ‘blue dot’ in the center of the tube as the television shut down.


62 posted on 09/11/2013 12:18:01 AM PDT by Pelham (Deportation is the law. When it's not enforced you get California)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Finny

Those prices dropped fast

I do remember seeing an external CD burner once costing nearly a grand. Now every old computer has one.


63 posted on 09/11/2013 12:22:39 AM PDT by GeronL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: Windflier
"There was an episode involving a clown that was particularly spooky."
Is that the one that started in 2008 and ran to the present?

LOLOL!!

64 posted on 09/11/2013 12:23:17 AM PDT by Finny (Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: lee martell

Here are some links to video of different sign-offs...

A generic Sign off from a station in San Francisco KBHK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M29IW13fDjQ

Another one from Texas station KRGV-TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkDPvuidzLg

Here is one with a sign-off for four stations with the same closing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Qvev8EaF0

And one from Philadelphia in 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW2_rEBgeOo

a 1960s sign off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMZ_rQKAy7c

Sign-off from the 50s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuIic17ijP8

One More
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hZROQtZlYM

It is neat seeing the different kinds of sign-offs.


65 posted on 09/11/2013 1:33:49 AM PDT by Mozilla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Slyfox

‘_______when your baby got you up at 3 in the morning______’

Have thought of that over the years, and think how lucky are these 3am parents nowadays!
With 4 babies spread over 10 years, I would have loved late-night TV!
Did have some good magazines around, tho.

I sure have no babies keeping me up nowadays, but I certainly am a nightowl!


66 posted on 09/11/2013 3:08:29 AM PDT by USARightSide (S U P P O R T I N G OUR T R O O P S)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Kirkwood

‘_____sign off with the Star Spangled Banner___________’

Yeah, that was great.

Here in Southern CA, FOX has been playing the anthem at about 2am for some months now. Very good version.
I rarely see it - just hear it from the other room. I have never heard how this came about.
But the station isn’t signing off. . .


67 posted on 09/11/2013 3:16:51 AM PDT by USARightSide (S U P P O R T I N G OUR T R O O P S)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: lee martell

KMJ-TV24, Fresno (McClatchy before they went hard left...Eleanor was still alive) “Bee” sign off: http://youtu.be/IGmfijNQE8E


68 posted on 09/11/2013 3:23:30 AM PDT by Drago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lee martell
Ah. You mean THIS look:

(I got on a kick of creating these for a while...:)

69 posted on 09/11/2013 3:25:48 AM PDT by rlmorel (Silence: The New Hate Speech)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: greene66

I miss all of those less-known movies you used to see late at night (although these days I’m seldom up late anyway). Seems as though all the stations started running those horrible “infomercials” instead.


70 posted on 09/11/2013 5:29:58 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: cynwoody
That's politically incorrect. Using an Indian and all that rot. Get rid of it now before the PC SWAT team comes for your hide.
71 posted on 09/11/2013 7:35:40 AM PDT by NCC-1701 (The LEFT's intolerance of the RIGHT is intolerable.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: flaglady47

KONO FM 101.1 in San Antonio plays the National Anthem EVERY day at noon.

If I ain’t driving I stand up and put my hand on my heart

My gurls shake thier heads but understand why....

I have it playing in my shop on weekends and will stop what I am doing and pay respect.. to my country.


72 posted on 09/11/2013 7:35:50 AM PDT by Rightly Biased (Avenge me Girls AVENEGE ME!!!! ( I don't have any son's))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

I remember “Rabbit Ears” fondly too! LOL!

And when they didn’t work well, we would tape coat hangers onto them or better reception.


73 posted on 09/11/2013 7:44:44 AM PDT by left that other site (You Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Set You Free...John 8:32)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: rlmorel

That’s amazing! Spooky too..A perfect fit.


74 posted on 09/11/2013 8:01:00 AM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: lee martell
How about this one I made?

The eyes of a tyrant don't lie...

75 posted on 09/11/2013 8:16:24 AM PDT by rlmorel (Silence: The New Hate Speech)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Pelham
let’s not forget the ‘blue dot’ in the center of the tube as the television shut down.

Remember the crackle the screen used to give off as the TV shut down? Some even made a sort of 'zoink' noise.

76 posted on 09/11/2013 9:04:11 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

Why did they do away with this?

77 posted on 09/11/2013 9:06:07 AM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Why did they do away with this?

Because the degraded left pushed every decent, red blooded American out of the broadcast business. Now you have to cover your children's ears half the time during most movies and TV programs.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

78 posted on 09/11/2013 9:09:11 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]

To: rlmorel

Don’t let Moochelle see that. She’ll want another baby!


79 posted on 09/11/2013 9:34:50 AM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: HartleyMBaldwin

That was what really KILLED local late-night television... the advent of infomercials. It ruined everything, virtually overnight. Infomercials weren’t even allowed up until the late-80s. Sadly, I say since I’m a huge Reagan supporter, I believe it was his FCC that got rid of the prohibition.


80 posted on 09/11/2013 11:02:23 AM PDT by greene66
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-92 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson