[quote name=\'TwoInchQuad\' date=\'Oct 27 2003, 01:52 AM\'] Well, aside from the fact that there appears to be very little in the way of surviving tape from that period in NBC's vaults, the short answer is that we just haven't found any color tapes with an ep on it (or even a true color photo of the set, for that matter)... They almost certainly were recorded on color tape for at least a short period of time, if only for delayed broadcast to the West Coast.
As was pointed out earlier, though, the general habit around the studios was to re-use tapes as much as possible, since tape was (relatively) very expensive to use only once. Further, G-T's preservation contract with the network most likely predated the development of video as an archival format, and therefore, as with WML?, IGAS and TTTT, the only available format was kinescope.
Now while it is true that NBC had a special "lenticular color" kinescope system set up during this time, in practice it was seldom used (though Jerry Lewis apparently had his NBC series preserved in this manner), again largely because of cost considerations.
And Ampex actually **did** have color 2" machines in place during this time period-- the show ran on NBC until 1963, which was well after they were available on the marketplace, but you may be quite correct in stating that the network insisted on using their own RCA system. This of course, begs the question: if we **do** find one, will they have to re-tool a quad machine in order to play it?
That's what happend with the Fred Astaire specials from the 50's.
I **do** remain hopeful, but the search still goes on...
-Kevin [/quote]
Actually, Matt has found a color photo...