The Television Ghost
The Television Ghost was one of the first television series, broadcast from July 21, 1931 to February 20, 1933, by W2XAB New York City (now WCBS-TV), an experimental television station of Columbia Broadcasting System. Each episode lasted for 15 minutes. The Television Ghost ran for the entirety of W2XAB's two-year run as a mechanical television station.
The idea of the series was that the ghosts of the murdered would tell the story of their murders. George Kelting was the storyteller and acted as the ghost, wearing white make-up and having a towel draped over his head. Due to the technical limitations of the time the visual effects were not impressive—the camera showed only George Kelting's head.
The series was also broadcast on radio by W2XE New York City and AM 970 WABC (forerunner to modern AM 880 WCBS, not related to the current WABC or AM 970). No audio recordings of the program were ever made, nor were any portions of the program filmed; the only remaining documents are a single publicity photo of Kelting in costume and some newspaper mentions, making it a lost television broadcast.
It is believed to be one of the first dramatic television series in the world. For part of its run it was followed on the schedule by Piano Lessons.
Cast and crew
- George Kelting - storyteller
- Bill Schudt - announcer
- Harry Spears - engineer
References
- Hawes, William, American Television Drama: The Experimental Years (University of Alabama Press, 1986)