Wednesday Night TV: UNIVAC Computer Commercials (1956 in 3D)

Today we have 2 commercials from 1956. Both are for Remington Rand UNIVAC Computers. The 1st commercial is 27 seconds long. This commercial aired on the CBS Television Network on 5 February 1956. Immediately after the 1st commercial is finished playing, the second will play. It is approximately 3 minutes long and was aired during the 5 February 1956 CBS-TV telecast of "What's My Line?" This last commercial promotes the CBS-TV weather services.

It is interesting to note that these commercials were not originally broadcast in 3D. The 3D effects were added later, as a sort of after market effect if you will. This 3D effect is the old type (Anaglyph image) requiring the red and blue glasses (Red on the left, Blue on the right). I pulled out an old pair of mine and the effects seem to work OK, but I am not sure why you would want to watch a 1956 computer commercial in 3D.



If you like this I can post some more in 3D. All using the Anaglyph image process. By the way, you might be interested in knowing that the Anaglyph image process has been around since 1853. That's right, 1853. Came out of Germany. Who knew his development would have figured so prominently in 1950's Hollywood and beyond?

© 2011 Barry T Horst

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Picture Monday Bonus for 2008-02-18

This is a picture appears to be my grandfather coming out of his house in Robinson. Doesn't he look jaunty in his hat? That is probably my grandmother behind him.

And here comes my grandfather again. I reckon he went to put his hat up. Or perhaps I have the pictures out of order. Maybe this is the first and then he went back in to get his hat and my grandmother. That works for me.

Both pictures were taken in the early '50's. My grandfather died about 4 months after I was born in 1956.

PS. Thanks anonymous! I think Pam is right and I've changed this post accordingly. Thanks again.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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It's 2007 And I Can't Wait For 1938

I was born in 1956. I am 51 years old. I enjoy using my computer, talking on a cell phone, and am still fascinated by spaceflight. I like to watch DVD's, listen to CD's, and other types of recordings.

Today, we take for granted things that were not common yet or would have only been a dream when I was born. Yes, computers were around when I was born. But they didn't sit on a desk or were small enough to carry. They were in a room. More precise, they were as big as a room. Think Univac. Space flight was in its infancy. Sputnik launched on October 4, 1957. Video recording was possible, but not by the general public as it is today. Recording on magnetic tape was still in its infancy in the 50's, having only been developed in the 1940's. Interesting side note here is that Bing Crosby was involved it's commercial development. DVD's and CD's were not developed until the 1980's. The concept behind cell phones began in 1947 but the technology was not developed yet.

Yes, we have that technology and more today. Through much of this technology I listen to CD's on the way to work and enjoy music from the 1940's and 1950's. I can listen to old radio shows from the 1930's - 1950's. I watch TV shows from the 1950's. I am able to retreat to a time period before I was born.

So why do so many of us spend so much money and time to use this modern technology in order to go back to a period of time when this technology was in its infancy? Is it because many of us are afraid of today's world and we search for a time that we think is safer, more secure? I suppose people see the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's as a safer more secure time compared to our world today. Why? In the 1930's we had the Great Depression and the rising threat of Nazism. In the 1940's we had World War II. And in the 1950's we had the Cold War. Presently we are faced with global terrorism.

Was that time any safer or more secure than today? Probably not! The difference is that we know how that time period ended and we survived it. I believe that the same thing will occur today. Then in 2057 our children will long for the "good ole days" of 2007.


© 2007 Barry T Horst



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