WBBM Channel 2 - The 20th Annual Chicago Emmy Awards (Part 1, 1978)

The transfer of this video clip made possible by your generous donations!

This is a tremendous find - not only do we have another (mostly) complete Chicago Emmy Awards telecast - this one from the 70s - as part of the 20th Anniversary they decided to have a retrospective of the local TV stations! So we get to see some footage, slides and pictures, which apparently at this point in 1978 were not yet thrown out or forgotten by the TV stations. (Some of the clips or bumpers I have not seen ANYWHERE else and may have been entirely lost until now - one example, during the WLS retrospective they show some of the bumper from The Big Show - the predecessor to The 3:30 Movie). Also look for some rare footage from WSNS TV-44, WBBM Channel 2, WCIU Channel 26, WTTW Channel 11, WNBQ/WMAQ and more.

My only regret is that they didn't do a mini-retrospective on either WFLD or WGN. Their omission (especially WGN's) is particularly curious. The program ran long; it was slotted for 2 hours and this two-tape (1 hour each) recording ran out before the telecast was complete. Would we have seen retrospectives on WGN and WFLD if the recording had not ended early? We can only guess... but they would have had to cram them in - I don't imagine the show could have lasted more than an extra half-hour, and that's with the remainder of the awards to give out too, plus end credits and commercials. So maybe there were some stations that they omitted for whatever reason. Being that WGN arguably has the most relevant local history, I can't imagine they would have left it out.

Another question - if the program was not aired live, why wouldn't they either edit it down to fit the 2-hour timeslot, or extend the timeslot so that the local TV listings reflected the longer running time. As listed, the 10pm news was supposed to start at 10:30pm - but obviously that did not happen.

Here's Part 1 of the Twentieth Annual Chicago Emmy Awards which aired on WBBM Channel 2. This year's ceremonies originated from the Water Tower Place and the Drury Lane Theatre and was hosted by Bob Newhart. Includes:

WBBM Channel 2 Station ID (voiceover by Jerry Harper)

Notice of delayed airing of One Day at a Time and Lou Grant for after the news (voiceover by Jerry Harper)

Opening of Chicago Emmy Awards with ceiling shot from the glass elevator at the Water Tower Place and outdoor shot of the Drury Lane Theatre (voiceover by Jerry Harper)

Featured guest: "singing star" Jane Olivor.

Sponsor billboard tag for:
- True Value Hardware Stores - "It's More Than Just a Name, It's Our Way of Doing Business"
- Illinois State Lottery (typesetting in Egizio Condensed, a font used on Scepter Records labels in the 1960's)
- The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Chicago - "Makers of Coke, Tab, Fresca and Sprite"

Opening comments by President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Jim Ruddle, about how far the Chicago Emmys had come from its first awards ceremony in 1958, and how the nominations are made, and how the winners are picked (he mentioned Arthur Young & Co. which compiled the final balloting). He also thanks Bob DiCervi(sp?) who had taken over the Awards Committee and the work he'd done, and WBBM-TV for the airing of this awards show. He then introduces the night's host, Bob Newhart, who'd performed a comedy routine at the first Chicago Emmy show 20 years before.

Bob then arrives, to the strains of the theme of his soon-to-end 1972-78 sitcom, starts off by cracking jokes about the first Chicago Emmys, and talks about how after that first show, he was offered a "man-on-the-street" program on then-WBKB Channel 7 against Captain Kangaroo on CBS and the Today show on NBC; he lasted only 16 weeks and cited a "-7" rating. He then does some jokes about Catholics and their rituals and teachings, moving on to how CBS President Bob Wussler promised that as long as he was president Newhart's show would remain on the air, and then a monologue about flying in which he mentioned pianist George Shearing. Next, he introduces Jane Olivor who sings "Let's Make Some Memories" from her recent album Stay the Night (Columbia JC 35437).

Commercial: True Value Hardware Stores - with Lee Phillip and Pat Summerall - "Get Ideas to Do Yourself Without a Handy Person Around the House"

Commercial - Coca-Cola- "Coke Adds Life" - with woman walking a big dog at a diner - 5% less calories than "the challenger"

Commercial: Illinois State Lottery - The Three of a Kind Game - "Over 2,500,000 Winners So Far"

Commercial: Chicagoland Oldsmobile Dealers - "The Gallant Men of Olds" - young couple looking for a new car, and pointed to an Olds Cutlass Supreme - "We Make Car Buying a Pleasure Again"

This aired on local Chicago TV on Monday, June 5th 1978 during the 8:30pm to 10:30pm timeframe. (the show ran over the allotted 2 hours - not sure how much though)

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