WTTW Channel 11 - Auction '75 (Excerpt, 1975)

Here's some more results from the open reel transfers financed by our generous group of Fuzzketeers during the Reel Transfer Fundraiser #1. Look for a lot more, coming soon!

This is an (unfortunately very short) rare excerpt from Auction '75 which aired on WTTW Channel 11. To my knowledge, this is the only existing video footage that anyone has found of the WTTW Auctions that they used to do (anyone know when they stopped doing these?)

Featured is longtime staff announcer for WTTW (and, later, also WSNS Channel 44), Don Ferris. Includes:

Auction for two Lucas square 8" quad long-range driving lamps (the lamps are seen in first 10 seconds of this clip), item #19306, for $68.00, and 24 model airplanes from Chicago-based Terin Aero Co., Inc. (the "Traveler Sailplane Flying Model Kit" box is shown for 7 seconds), item #19218, for $68.00. Shots of the auctioneer (Harry M. Hardwick, Executive Vice President and Managing Officer of Service Federal Savings & Loan) reading the items for auction are seen at various points in this clip. A brief shot of Don Ferris is seen at 0:50, in-between a shot of the auction board with item numbers, descriptions and prices. The auctioneer reads Happy Birthday wishes from Franny Melecard(sp?). Then a shot of a etching ("Etching/Aquatin") sold for $36.00 to Joy Nanath(sp?) of Chicago, followed by an electric blanket sold for $45.00 to Bob Copeland(sp?) of Chicago; Casal Provision Co. pork spareribs for barbecue, sold for $62.00 to Mike Hollerer(sp?); books from Tri-County Distribution, Inc., sold for $30.00 to G. Johnson of Mount Prospect; the driving lamps, sold for $50.00 to William Burke of Elk Grove; and the 24-plane model kit, sold for $46.00 to Al Ponchisinella(sp?) of Northbrook, IL.

Don, on-camera, mentions that Harry flew all the way from London just this day to preside over this auction, and that he's about to fly back there. Don thanks Harry for his tireless work. Don is about to mention what's going on in Table B when the tape runs out.

[NOTE: This originally aired in color, but the home recording was made in black-and-white.]

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, May 2nd 1975 sometime during the 1pm to 7pm or 7:30pm to 12 midnight timeframes. (the auction took a half-hour off from 7pm to 7:30pm that day)

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