Anybody Got a Quad Machine I Could Borrow?

[MrBuddwing]

So help me, somebody on eBay is auctioning off what are purported to be a pair of two-inch quad recordings of "The Hollywood Squares," one episode from Jan. 1975, the other from July 1976.

The seller doesn't even know it's quad tape, and uses the term "film," but the photos make it clear what's being offered for sale.

Now, I suppose one shouldn't automatically assume these are HS recordings - I once read a sad story about a Canadian TV person who excitedly found an old quad recording of a Canadian TV show from long ago, threw it onto a two-inch deck and quickly discovered that the show had been recorded over years earlier by some clown who was practicing his insert-editing technique.

But assuming these tapes haven't been recorded over, wouldn't it be great to be the only kid on the block to own these things?

Then again, the tapes are 30 years old, and who knows what condition they're in. And obviously they're of the syndicated version, so they're probably not one-of-a-kind copies. (But wouldn't  it be something if they were?)

And no, I'm not connected in any way with this auction - I'm not a shill.

[Jimmy Owen]

If there's no way to see them, how do you know what you're getting?  Maybe it's a mis-labled tape of "High Rollers."  

I may have told this story before, but the TV station where I used to work had old quad tapes of 70's TTTT in those bulky blue plastic boxes, which they would use to tape local programing, time shift net feeds, etc.  Though the label said TTTT, the show had been wiped many times over.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'167955\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 09:37 AM\']
If there's no way to see them, how do you know what you're getting?  Maybe it's a mis-labled tape of "High Rollers."  

I may have told this story before, but the TV station where I used to work had old quad tapes of 70's TTTT in those bulky blue plastic boxes, which they would use to tape local programing, time shift net feeds, etc.  Though the label said TTTT, the show had been wiped many times over.
[/quote]

Unless the tapes were the end of the line, I wonder if the next station down the bicycling line was ever questioning why they weren't getting their tapes.

Or, more likely, if the station was the end of the line, I would assume that they were supposed to return the tapes to the distribution center but didn't.  Either way, I'm surprised the station didn't get into trouble--or did they?

[TheLastResort]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' post=\'167962\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 11:40 AM\']Unless the tapes were the end of the line, I wonder if the next station down the bicycling line was ever questioning why they weren't getting their tapes.

Or, more likely, if the station was the end of the line, I would assume that they were supposed to return the tapes to the distribution center but didn't.  Either way, I'm surprised the station didn't get into trouble--or did they?[/quote]
How do you know these weren't station dubs?  I worked in TV operations for many years, and dubbed off countless boxes of tapes before sending them to the next station.  If that's the case, then the copies should have been destroyed or erased when the contract ended...in which case the station did what it was supposed to.

[clemon79]

That's quite possible. At my old TV station, I wandered through Tape City once, and came across several shelves full of WML reels. And never did check them out further. Yes, I know I suck.

[Jimmy Owen]

It was 1979 that I worked there and TTTT was out of production and not airing first-run anymore.  I would imagine Firestone didn't need them back. (After all, the masters seem to be all intact and GSN could show them if they wanted to.)  The cases came from Screen Gems/EUE distribution in New York, so maybe it was just the cases we had.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'167964\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 12:57 PM\']
That's quite possible. At my old TV station, I wandered through Tape City once, and came across several shelves full of WML reels. And never did check them out further. Yes, I know I suck. [/quote]
Well, at least we've gotten a bunch of WML? from GSN.  The problem is obscure stuff that may be lost even though it's physically right there in front of us.  I know of some 2" tapes that are sitting in a garage in Southern California.  The owner would love to see what's on them, but not to the tune of several hundred dollars apiece.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'167968\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 10:26 AM\']
The problem is obscure stuff that may be lost even though it's physically right there in front of us.  
[/quote]
Right. It's not really obscure per se, but the station I worked at also carried Classic Concentration (as in, Trebek) for quite some time (because the normal NBC affil didn't want to reschedule Donahue or something) and if I'd been extrapolating, that might have been worth searching for. (Of course, who knew how hard something like that would be to see one day.)

[BrandonFG]

It reminds me of when I interned at an inferior a rival station five years ago. While wandering around the second floor, I discovered some shelves labeled LORIMAR (I'm assuming CBS' 80s primetime soaps i.e. Dallas and Knots Landing, which said station aired reruns of in the late-80s). I could've sworn I saw either some tape cases or a shelf, marked "Cross Wits", which WTKR aired in the 70s (hold your fire).

I wanted to check it out...trust me I did. :-P But I don't think it was much to it.

[tvmitch]

At my station where I'm currently working, I've been on our archive floor where a lot of old dubs are kept, and there isn't anything at all along the lines of game shows. There is barely a mention of any older newscast.

We have many reels similar to the ones listed in the auction on a few shelves, but they're all labeled as soaps. Our station aired many games - most of the NBC network games, The Challengers, TTD, you name it.

[Ian Wallis]

Or, more likely, if the station was the end of the line, I would assume that they were supposed to return the tapes to the distribution center but didn't.

What would happen to all of the tapes once they were returned to the distribution center?  Would they all be destroyed at that point?

Maybe old syndie games should be easier to turn up than network games (?) ...

[snowpeck]

[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'167985\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 04:52 PM\']
At my station where I'm currently working, I've been on our archive floor where a lot of old dubs are kept, and there isn't anything at all along the lines of game shows. There is barely a mention of any older newscast.

We have many reels similar to the ones listed in the auction on a few shelves, but they're all labeled as soaps. Our station aired many games - most of the NBC network games, The Challengers, TTD, you name it.
[/quote]


Just curious, which soaps?


Greg

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'167998\' date=\'Oct 26 2007, 09:15 PM\']

Or, more likely, if the station was the end of the line, I would assume that they were supposed to return the tapes to the distribution center but didn't.

What would happen to all of the tapes once they were returned to the distribution center?  Would they all be destroyed at that point?[/quote]

Just like at the networks--bulked and reused.  Expensive two-inch tape was expensive two-inch tape, no matter where it was being used.