The Best of "Garroway at Large"

(Video Downloads)


Curator's note: The video segments linked below (some of the few that have survived) are essential primary sources for any student of television. They illustrate the concern of the practitioners of the "Chicago School of Television" with establishing a unique medium based on the technical capabilities (and limitations) of broadcast video aimed at a small audience in a living room. What you will see is clearly neither cinema nor theater. It's live television---at its earliest and at its best. Thanks not only to Dave Garroway but to Director Bill Hobin, producer Ted Mills, writer Charlie Andrews, choreographer Edith Barstow and scenic designer Jan Scott, all of whom helped invent our medium.
  • Part I: "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue". A breathtaking performance for three cameras, two dancers and orchestra. Richard Rodgers, a "Garroway at Large" fan, gave his imprimatur, making this the first television performance this work.
  • Part II: The "Boom Ballet". Garroway et. al make the boom microphone (and its operator) part of the performance.
  • Part III: The Art Van Damme Quintet. Art Van Damme, the world's premier jazz accordionist for more than half a century (he still plays) was an NBC-Chicago staffer and a part of many Garroway broadcasts.
  • Part IV: Johnny Hodges. Garroway was a jazz lover. No surprise, therefore, that he booked Hodges for a Sunday night performance not long after one of the greatest alto saxophonists of the age left the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

    (For more Garroway material, watch streaming video of "Christmas Time in Chicago", a 1989 WMAQ-TV production)

QUICK ACCESS LINKS:
Introduction and main index to this site
WMAQ radio history | "Amos 'n' Andy" | "Fibber McGee and Mollie" | "The Breakfast Club"
Dick Kay | Television at the Merchandise Mart | 1970 television facilities tour | Channel 5 turns 20
The "Chicago School" of television | "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" | Dave Garroway | Mary Hartline
"Lights Out" | Sound effects | 1930 studio tour | WLS | "Empire Builders" | Barry Bernson
Floyd Kalber | The Queen of Love and Beauty | "Today's Children" | Staff announcers | Carol Marin
Ron Magers | Studs Terkel l "Chicago Tonight" | Channel 5 News scrapbooks |Roger Miller recalls
Zoo Parade | Clifton and Frayne Utley | Val Press | Len O'Connor | Johnny Erp | Bill Ray | Daddy-O
Experimental Television: 1930-1933 | Bob Deservi | Kermit Slobb | Ding Dong School | Quiz Kids
Bob Lemon | The Korshak Chronicles | KYW: The Chicago Years | WENR | O.B. Hanson | Renzo
Jack Eigen | Ed Grennan | The World's Best Cup of Coffee | Glenn Webster | Mr. Piano | Hawkins Falls
Chicago Television for Kids |
Radio Hall of Fame |The NBC News Night Report: 23 February, 1967
Audio and video downloads
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Created by Rich Samuels (e-mail to rich@richsamuels.com)