A Brief History of the Ill-Fated DuMont Television Network (TV: Gone, But Never Forgotten Episode 1)

[@richardgall6110]

I'm 85 years old. As a kid I remember "Captain Video". They had a ray gun that was made around a pop gun that shot ping-pong balls that my brother and sister had. They taped two coke bottles on each side. Every time they showed that "Ray Gun" we would laugh. At that young age we could still see how hokey and amateur the production was; but we watched a lot of episodes anyway. (It was TV) One of the highlights of my early TV watching was the day Howdy-Dowdy lost one of his arms and it just waved around in the air and everyone, including the camera man, went nuts trying to cover it up. Strange how some of the silly things stay with you over the years. The 50's were a good time to be a kid.

[@acedrips]

How did it ended? Did it just ended with static or something?

[@davidjirik2145]

Thanks for your hard work on the DuMont story. I had heard of the network but never knew the whole story until now. I see that DuMont had 200 affiliates in 1954 across the country, that was a huge presence.

[@christopherdunne7848]

One thing to keep in mind….back in TV’s early days, one station could carry programs from two, three, or all four networks; so DuMont-only affiliates were only in the biggest cities. This “multi-network” practice on one station (not counting today’s digital stations that can run programming on many subchannels) lasted until maybe the early part of this century, with KXGN-TV 5 in Glendive MT running CBS with a little NBC. In fact, up to at least 1995, the unique WAGM-TV Presque Isle ME was primary CBS, but had a little programming from NBC, ABC, and even Fox (NFL football coverage)!

[@sharonpolikoff7282]

As a member of the first TV generation, growing up in the 1950s, I was always curious about what was usually called 'the old Dumont network.' We had stations for NBC, and CBS, and later ABC, but Dumont was kind of a mystery. Thanks for posting this interesting video!

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Another of the early TV networks in the USA was RKO or RKO-General (General referring to General Tire Company somehow). Any others?

[@johnrichards4322]

RKO General owned some local TV stations (such as WOR in New York and KHJ in Los Angeles), but at no time could it ever be considered a “network.”

[@johnpritchard5410]

little mention of their electronic products...

[@claytonbenignus4688]

Actually, Multimedia acquired many of the shattered pieces of DuMont. Multimedia was later acquired by Fox, making Fox the reincarnation of DuMont.

[@thedriver4038]

You mean Metromedia, not Multimedia.

[@mrmjb1960]

It was named Metromedia Television.

[@-oiiio-3993]

@@thedriver4038 Metromedia was channel 11 in the Los Angeles market.

[@rockvilleraven]

@@-oiiio-3993 One of Fox's first O&O's was WTTG in Washington, DC and WNYW in New York. After Dumont folded, they became independent as the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company, they changed their name so they wouldn't be associated with that Dumont failure, John Kluge bought Metropolitan and changed it to Metromedia.

[@brucehutchinson9527]

I remember driving by the Metromedia Studio signs off the west side of 101 in Los Angeles driving through town in the early and mid 70s.

[@kenmore01]

I remember Ed Norton splitting the cost of a TV with Ralph Kramden and coming into his apartment late at night to watch Captain Video lol. Now I get the connection. Thanks, and awesome work!

[@calbob750]

Our family owned a Dumont TV set. Purchased in 1949 it worked with few tube replacements into the early 60s. Relatives with other brands seemed to have frequent tube replacements or other problems. Back in the day most people would go to the local drug store where they had a tube tester and replacement tubes. You’d pull out the tubes you guessed were defective and put them on the tester. Good or Bad. Because TV sets were hand wired loose or bad solder connections could also be a problem.

[@donaldfedosiuk1638]

I can remember the treks to the local stores with my father who'd be clutching a paper bag full of suspect tubes. He'd feed them one by one into the tube tester while I'd stand by in near-despair at the prospect of missing a whole evening's worth of shows. Or worse still, dreading the prospect of a several-days' wait for a repairman to come out.

[@larslarsman]

I go back to those days. We had the first TV, Tele Tone, in our neighborhood, 1949.

[@DyreStraits]

My grandmother had a DuMont tv. She lived in Pittsburgh.

[@davidthedeaf]

Grampa tested the tube and also batteries as I recall in a wood machine near the counter at Orchard’s feed store, same place with got our red or white salt lick.

[@scottpeterson7500]

My small hometown drug store had a tube tester and replacement tubes.😎🍹❤️

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Your video is very informative, and it documents the unfortunate demise of an early TV network. Perhaps, however, the surviving networks have followed a parallel trajectory along the quality dimension -- scant cash-flow killed Dumont; eventually and inevitably thereafter, the stupendous cash flow of the profitable networks has nearly eliminated quality by making quality irrelevant to their mission. The TV industry is going dark without turning off its signals.

[@bobgrassoalsowelcomeharris8399]

Thank you so much for this! I grew up in NYC watching the DuMont Network and remember many of their programs. I learned a lot here I did not know, thank you for your efforts!

[@Musicradio77Network]

After the TV network died in 1956, DuMont continued to used the name on their electronics and appliances until the 1970’s when it was bought out by Emerson.

[@roringusanda2837]

Do you remember on Barney Miller, Inspector Luger had a Dumont television set??

[@mr50sagain]

Thank you for making this exceptional video! We had a DuMont TV when I was a kid and I do quite a bit of early television research myself. Therefore, I know great early television research when I see it and this is the best that I've seen!

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

DuMont was the first network to broadcast NFL games.

[@rockvilleraven]

In prime time, years before Roone Arledge picked up Monday Night Football on ABC.

[@billdonaldson5714]

DuMont died shortly after I was born in 1954, and I have always been fascinated with this early network. Kudos to you for putting this together. I greatly enjoyed your presentation.

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

he died in 1965

[@billdonaldson5714]

@@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu I was speaking of the demise of the network, not Mr. DuMont personally.

[@dwightpowell6673]

@@billdonaldson5714 I'm dumb and I knew what you were referring to.

[@caroltenge5147]

Surely DuMont was a genius.

[@barbiejaye8623]

What was very important is that DuMont owned the patent for the long life CRT that would run hundreds of hours as opposed to other CRTs that would last a couple of dozen hours. DuMont TV sets were a masterpiece of engineering. Their TV tuners would receive from about 50MHz to about 230 MHz. The tuners had roller inductors that were ganged. You could get FM on a DuMont set. They also had a green tube tuning indicator with two bars. I remember DuMont well.

[@allyncooper]

We had a DuMont television. I remember that green tube tuning indicator. We lived in the Pittsburgh area which was DuMonts biggest market I have read.

[@Bogframe]

@@allyncooper My parents got a DuMont TV for their wedding present in 1956. We were still watching it when it finally died in 1977. It was a well-made TV with a clear picture and great sound!

[@dwightpowell6673]

@@Bogframe OMG. you old like dust.

[@elveggoloco]

The entire commercial FM band is located between the frequencies for TV channels 6 and 7. I can recall back in the analog 1980s my stepdad would tune the car-radio down to the lowest end of FM to hear the audio from channel 6, which in our area was an ABC affiliate that ran a lot of sports that he'd listen to while driving.

[@johnv339]

@@elveggoloco Channel 6 audio carrier was FM 87.75 mHz. Channel 6 video carrier was AM 83.25 mHz. Channel 6 is still VHF-Low & Channel 7 is still VHF-High. Channel 7 video carrier was AM 175.25 mHz. High-band begins approx. 144 mHz--this includes the seven NOAA weather channels at 162 mHz. Aircraft starts at 108 mHz above FM broadcast radio in Low-band. It is not unusual for VHF-low to travel in excess of 2,000 miles, but very rare for VHF-high.

[@James_Knott]

You can thank Jackie Gleason for the fact The Honeymooners are still available. He owned the rights to it and kept the copies. That show is all I ever saw of Dumont. "To the moon Alice."

[@roncarguy6361]

In 1949-1950 Gleason starred in the Life of Riley. He got offered his own show on CBS in 1952, and William Bendix took over the lead of Chester A Riley on NBC in 1953. The Honeymooners as its own program was only in 1955 and reverted to its original skit on the Jackie Gleason Show. Where did all the time go? What a revolting development this is.

[@James_Knott]

@@roncarguy6361 Those shows are before my time. I only saw The Honeymooners in rerun.

[@revinhatol]

_" One of these days... ONE of these days... _*_POW!_*_ "_

[@Blimpie1000]

Just to add for history, and these are memories from when I was 7-9 or so years ago in the early 1950s. If I recall correctly, there was a show, I think on Dumont, with Charity Bailey, a terrific person and singer with children. Some of her songs, like, "yes indeedy" are on KZbin. If I also recall correctly, there were a lot of public service announcements decrying racial discrimination (songs like, "You can get white mild from a brown skinned cow; the color of the cow don't matter nowhow") , and similar. Great video. Thank you

[@jamesbond_007]

[you might want to fix "white mild" to be "white milk"]

[@michaelszczys8316]

Typical spell check thinking it knows what you want more than you do.

[@jamesbond_007]

@@michaelszczys8316 I know -- those damned computers. I mean everyone knows you get white MILD from a cow, right? ;)

[@faboofour]

Very nice work! I've been a sort of "TV historian" since I first saw a TV when I was 4 years old. I lived in New York which had a whopping 7 channels to watch. I was 5 when DuMont died in '56 so I have no memory of its shows, but I've certainly read a lot about it and, once the internet became a thing, seen some of the few kinescopes that exist. There was SO MUCH information in your video that I've NEVER heard of before! Thank you for this. Normally I don't comment much, but I want more videos from you so this'll help the algorithm I hope (also like and subscribe). Thanks for your hard work!

[@davefsmith6040]

Beautifully done ... I wrote old television articles for a few years for a now-extinct blog, and your research and presentation was excellent. You SOUND like a "young-un" :) but your presentation and research are impressive. I'm sorry for your loss -- my only word of advice is -- you could give everyone $1M and someone would STILL gripe about it... don't be discouraged... an occasional unsavory response means that you actually are making an impression.... Looking forward to your next installment - -You already have some fans

[@karinlearned7150]

Thank you for your fine video. It was presented in a clear and informative way. I can see why it took you a year to put it together...lots of research time. By the way, I'd never heard of the DuMont Network,,, I enjoy learning something new every day.

[@doctorcraptonicus7941]

Thanks. I almost watched this till I saw your comment.

[@adiedo]

If you watch the end credits of The Honeymooners you will see the mention of Dumont.

[@billchambersmarquez1964]

Filmed on the Dumont electronic film video film system I think

[@leedaniels7196]

Yes that is true.I have seen and remember that.

[@dwightpowell6673]

So sad they dumped the Hazel Scott Show

[@xtraceex]

The DuMont "Electronicam". It was a film chain that filmed the image directly from the face of a CRT. Videotape recorders wouldn't be perfected 'til much later.

[@nostalgia6578]

The DuMont "Electronicam" system, an upgraded kinescope system that filmed the live telecast without aiming the camera at a TV monitor screen.

[@jeffreymarkwerle7898]

Great video! thank you. Perhaps the biggest downfall of Dumont was THE federal government?? As you mentioned the FCC did not want a 4th major network. Who are they to really decide that ever, let alone then. Over governing seems to me in favor of the powers that be status quo. Who knows. Thank you again for this very fine and well done video. P.S. Great job in sticking it out for nearly a year to make the video. Your time and effort does show through. kudos to you

[@stanleycostello9610]

I was wondering about that, too. Was there some backroom deals going on between NBC/RCA and the Feds? Possibly.

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Technical reasons for not having a 4th network in 1950: 1. Not enough channels. Only channels 2 through 8 were suitable for high quality distribution that all the networks would want. Technical standards required 170 mile separation of stations on the same channel, and 60 mile separation of stations on adjacent channels (but channels 4 and 5 were not adjacent, and neither were channels 8 and 9). Not easy to cover the big cities of the Northeast, where much of the potential audience was most easily reached with 4 networks given those rules. 2. Not enough stations (bad situation sustained by the moratorium) to support four networks until Dumont was gone. But the moratorium was probably a good idea -- wait a little while to make sure we are building the right system. For example, England rushed ahead with 405-line TV, then switched to 625 lines, but because the 405-line sets had already been sold, they wound with both incompatible standards on the air until 1985. One uncertainty was that technical future of color TV was not fully resolved; although the NTSC standard dates from 1941, CBS had a successful public, over-the-air trial of an alternate system in early 1950, and RCA didn't really get NTSC to work until 1954. 3. There was no coast-to-coast network TV distribution until late 1950, and the hardware was very expensive. 4. Korean War starts in early 1950. Time to not accelerate civilian sector demand for electronic hardware and electronics know-how. 5. Not enough homes with TV sets until the Milton Berle and Lucy shows and the McCarthy hearings circa 1952-1954.

[@billschindler1381]

@@lucasmembrane4763 yes to all....but what wasn't mentioned where Dumont could've gone to UHF when the FCC started to allocate. Many of them that could've been a Dumont affiliate but most were licensed in medium markets and took gobs of power just to cover the cities proper. Plus you had to get the converter box with a loop antenna which certain TVs didn't have if manufactured in the 40s. It wasn't worth doing if the local was just on a few hours of the day with a spaghetti western or two. One station tested it's viewership by giving away 100.00 to the first viewer to call in to the station. Nobody called after an hour and they decided to hit the switch and signed off for good

[@AEMoreira81]

The problem was that you had to share the VHF spectrum with different markets, and by that time, you weren’t taking away any stations from NYC (which already had 7 VHF stations up and running on 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13). Most areas got 2 or 3 VHF stations only…for instance, in markets near NYC: Philly got 4 stations, 3, 6, 10, and 12. Connecticut got 3 stations: 3, 8, and 12. Albany got 3 stations, 6, 10, and 13 The Poconos got none. Springfield (MA) got none. Rhode Island (eastern Long Island would get Grade B coverage) got 3 stations: 6, 10, and 12 Binghamton got one station: 12. VHF was more desirable then because it travels farther than UHF. Ironically, today, UHF is preferred over VHF for digital broadcasting.

[@AEMoreira81]

@@lucasmembrane4763 - You had channels 2 to 13 which were desirable. However, with markets so close, and complicated by NYC already having 7 VHF stations, the maximum possible, that limited everyone else.) Other 7 VHF station markets would include DC/Baltimore (before that was split), Utah, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, but San Francisco eventually lost channel 13 to Sacramento). The desire was to give 2 commercial stations and 1 educational station to most larger markets, although some other larger markets managed to get 5 or 6 stations…Chicago got 2, 5, 7, 9, and 11, Miami got 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10, and Dallas got 4, 5, 8, 11, and 13, as examples). The rule was: you needed 160 miles separation between stations on the same frequency, and 60 miles separation between stations on adjacent frequencies. That’s why a market like Charlotte only got two VHF stations, 3, and 9, and why Atlanta only got 3 VHF stations, 2, 5, and 11 (8 in Athens provides city grade coverage to Atlanta but Grade B west of it, to protect Chattanooga). Madison, WI, the second largest market in WI, was only able to get channel 3 (to get neighboring Rockford to the south its one frequency of channel 13). This was also coordinated with Canadian authorities in markets near the USA border.

[@bluepacificsurf]

In the early 1970's, when the Dumont network shows were dumped into the Upper New York Bay, true Americana was lost forever. Which makes for an interesting consideration: the only persons to ever see them were those involved in making the shows, and the realtime TV viewing audience. The network which acquired the Dumont assets really should be acknowledged for destroying priceless one-of-kind original TV broadcasts. Tragic.

[@jc1305tv]

They were. And Ernie Kovacs wife sued them for that because she wanted kinescopes of her late husband's material.

[@radicalross7700]

Serves those polluters right! To think that happened during the "Give A Hoot. Don't pollute!" decade.

[@alanr4447a]

Who/what company/network was that that did such an idiotic thing?

[@flyswryan]

The same one that still thinks Trump is a great American patriot.

[@michaelmckenna6464]

Talk about a total lack of hindsight! History lost forever! Maybe “Colouring the Past” could be hired to restore the few kinescopes to higher quality black and white.

[@gotnoshoes99]

It also didn't help that the FCC relegated Dumont to the world of UHF at a time when the majority of televisions did not have UHF tuners.

[@AEMoreira81]

Everyone wanted to be on VHF, but to reduce the amount of UHF islands, and you still ended up with some, markets typically got 2-4 VHF stations only. Also, selling the Pittsburgh station to Westinghouse hastened the DuMont demise.

[@foxdavani4091]

The kid doing this voice over speaks really nicely and clearly. I loved listening to this whole video. Learning is enjoyable when there is a good host like this kid. I love how he doesn't drown out his voice with horrible music like lowfi or hip-hop. It's just him and the information, spoken directly and very professionally. Nice job kid. You made me interested in old TV stations. Thats how well you did your video.

[@neville132bbk]

Watching this from NZ.... it is very interesting....I would only suggest that something be done about the wide fluctuations in sound volume. Well done to the presenter.

[@packardexelence]

FOX DAVANI--WAIT FOR IT;---THAT KID WROTE & PRODUCED THIS WHOLE THING!!!!!!!!!!!; & "HE" IS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

[@-oiiio-3993]

Anna May Wong is to appear on U.S. circulating commemorative quarter dollars later this year (2022).

[@syxepop]

Tell that to Ben Minotte, YT Creator of The Oddity Archive. He might smile at it, as he did a doc on DuMont.

[@zack41564]

This is one of the best documentaries on Dumont that I have seen, lots of new information to me that others have not covered

[@roringusanda2837]

🐙I still remember Inspector Luger saying his Dumont has finally crapped out..."They don't MAKE Dumonts anymore!" (Barney Miller) Some how it seems exactly the right brand for him!!

[@Celluloidwatcher]

Thank you for your piece on the now-defunct DuMont TV network. If those old shows had not been thrown into New York Bay, today's generation would have been witness to what previous generations saw from DuMont in the late 40's and 50's. Also, it was interesting that DuMont produced their own line of TV sets in order to promote their network.

[@AEMoreira81]

At least The Jackie Gleason Show survives, as Jackie Gleason’s estate owned the show and not DuMont.

[@leecrt967]

Very good! Nice presentation. I am a collector - and restorer - of post-war vintage b&w television sets "Televisors, in DuMont-speak) and four of them are DuMonts. The latest is the 1951 giant, the Royal Sovereign, with the 30" b&w CRT. The earliest is a 1947 DuMont "Chatham", a 12" tabletop model. They are amongst the very best performing sets of their era. Again, congratulations on a fine documentary. Lee

[@mrmjb1960]

Sadly most of those programs were wiped or thrown away destroying a lot of crucial programs like Lunch With Soupy and Your Shows Of Shows.

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Lunch with Soupy?!?! -- Was Soupy Sales on Dumont? Where did that one originate?

[@michaelszczys8316]

Soupy Sales was from Detroit. But I believe he was the first Detroit show to be network broadcast. It must have been Dumont. I read somewhere that major network newscaster John Daly ( did What's My Line ) was upset that he missed out on some early network TV award because some yoyo from Detroit with a kids show beat him in popularity.

[@sandratuttle]

@@michaelszczys8316I remember watching Soupy. It must have been on WDTV.

[@jayanxiety]

Very interesting video! Just imagine if DUMONT had been allowed to succeed. TV might have been quite different today. I find it interesting that Paramount tried and failed to form a partnership with CBS back then. Well, it took decades, but that partnership is now set in stone! The biggest travesty has to be their film library being unceremoniously dumped into the river. It's amazing how the industry had no foresight of the historical value of this footage. Sadly, this was a practice done well into the 1970's. Much of the BBC archives were discarded to make room for new programs, forever erasing their own history.

[@joestrike8537]

congratulations on a well-put together & fascinating piece of mass media history. However, watching it made me wonder about a couple of things you mentioned in passing where a little more detail on them would've been enlgihtening: - You mentioned "mechanical television" but didn't explain exactly what that was. I believe it involved a spinning disc in the TV set itself synchronized to the broadcast cameras that were similarly constructed. (I might have that totally wrong, but something along those lines.) - Why didn't the FCC want a 4th network in 1948? - Exactly how did Rocky King take advantage of its limited budget? Overall though, really enjoyed your video; thanks for sharing it.

[@almostfm]

You're spot on with how mechanical television worked. It was invented in the 1920s by John Logie Baird. If fact, for close to 10 years, the BBC alternated broadcasts between the Baird system and EMI's electronic system. The EMI system won out because mechanical television was a bit of a dead-end from a technical standpoint-you were limited in resolution, because higher resolutions required larger disks, which meant they had to spin very fast to get an acceptable frame rate. There also wasn't a practical way for people on camera to move around much because they had to stay in the "flying spot" that illuminated the scene.

[@larslarsman]

The TV at 15:31 looks similar to our Tele-Tone. We were the first in our neighborhood with a TV. !7 inch screen in 1949 was "big screen" compared to the small round oscilloscope screens of the first TV's back then. I would get up early in the morning to watch the test pattern until the broadcasting started later in the morning. ❤

[@nostalgia6578]

Didn't you turn down the volume to nothing so you didn't have to listen to that annoying and scary sine wave with the test pattern? (OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - Good morning, this is WHY-TV in Who Cares Falls, Alabama 🤣)

[@Yojimbo47]

I got my Ph.D. in TV history from Northwestern and MA in Communication from Annenberg School at Penn. VO is excellent! This history of DuMont Net was full of historical facts that need to be remembered. Role of FCC Phonevision first PPV. I am not surprised this took a year. Keep up the good work!

[@johnvietnam13]

Very well done. Thank you for the history lesson. Im old enough to remember watching Dumont.

[@flyswryan]

Maybe Dumont lacked a radio presence, but it adopted RCA's business model of having its own factories producing televisions and studios producing content: except Dumont TV's were more reliable...unlike their studio management.

[@packardexelence]

AH; WRONG!!!!!!!;--NBC WAS FIRST FORMED & WHOLY OWNED BY RCA TO PROVIDE QUALITY PROGRAMING FOR RCA RADIO OWNERS; & YES TV!!!!

[@bubca12]

@@packardexelence Alan B DuMont formed the DUMONT TELEVISION NETWORK to provide programing for his DuMont TVs

[@redwingfan9393]

Dumont predates ABC.

[@micksbiggestfan4006]

That DuMont logo sure looks like the DuPont chemical logo. Hmmmmmm...Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

[@MoonjumperReviews]

Very interesting and informative breakdown of the history. Well done!

[@DerBingle1]

This is great! Thanks! This is about the only documentary about Dumont that there is and 99% of the time it's just a foot note. Dumont was so important. So many of it's innovations are still with us.

[@roringusanda2837]

Did you ever watch Barney Miller? Inspector Luger had a Dumont, that was the first time I ever heard the name! Somehow, it seems so right for his character to have a Dumont instead of any other brand.

[@ladyrose7793]

Did you search and there is so many videos about DuMont Television?

[@averymorgan7619]

I like dumont network I cavalcade of stars the honeymooners

[@ericsonhazeltine5064]

Dumont had a mystery show starring Anna May Wong!!!

[@danielbell9779]

They built some of the best picture tubes and televisions in the industry. They should have stayed out of network broadcasting and built televisions only. Perhaps they would still be around.

[@luislaplume8261]

In that case if they did that , they could be considered the Packard of television and Zenith would be Cadillac. Packard cars were better built than Cadillac and lasted longer. They are considered the best luxury cars in America. I don5know of any American TV set manufacturer today. In my time the1960s Zenith was considered the best made TV set company in America and was compared to owning a Cadillac. My late uncle had a Zenith color TV set in the 1960s.

[@allenjones3130]

Very nicely-done documentary. Rest in peace, Dumont.

[@roringusanda2837]

I never heard of Dumont before, except on Barney Miller, Inspector Luger had a Dumont!

[@luislaplume8261]

@@dwightpowell6673 No I am not. My late father's father was French who immigrated to Cuba circa 1920. My late mother's parents were born in Spain. Her father immigrated to Cuba in 1888, her mother immigrated to Cuba in 1916. My parents were born in Havana,Cuba as was I.We immigrated to America on August 2, 1956, originally to stay there for 5 years before I started kindergarten. But in 1959 Fidel Castro took over from General Batista who overthrew the former President of Cuba on March 1952 which my late mother remembered very well. If not for the coup d etat by General Batista, I would be in Havana,Cuba doing I do not know. But whatever job I had if I saved enough money I would travel to NYC, the financial and cultural and media capital of America! Believe it or not even though I am a New Yorker I never went to the Cyclone rollercoaster, the last wooden one in New York State. Just like a typical New Yorker who grew up there but didn't bother to visit so many places that NYC is famous for. I do have distant relatives from my father's father one of who was studying in NYC in Columbia University and found us from the New York telephone directory and we met her on her final day before she went to Paris where her family lives now. She is the granddaughter of my father's French uncle who was his father's brother. Laplume family branch lives in Paris and we originally came from Biarritz 400 years ago.I have a mansion by direct inheritance named the Laplume mansion if ever decided to move and live in Biarritz where possibly I also have distant relatives there.

[@francisjacob8929]

As a kid in the mid-1950s, I watched with fascination Captain VIdeo & His Video Ranger. I was already a fan of sci-fi books back then. I was born in 1940. My father was a radio engineer at WWL-AM in New Orleans. He had bought a TV set in 1948 when a rival radio station in New Orleans, WDSU, came on the air on Channel 6, where it still is today. I thoroughly enjoyed your video of DuMont and its story. The 3 major networks held such a sway over the FCC back then, it made it hard for TV stations to get licenses. In 1957 I got a job at the brand-new Education TV station in New Orleans, WYES-TV. I was a camera operator in the studio and the camera was a DuMont.

[@mrmjb1960]

DuMont a network founded Allen DuMont to promote his Television..the Call letters was WABD Soon morphing into WNEW 5 Metromedia bought the former DuMont company in 1960.

[@syxepop]

Actually Metromedia DIDN'T bought the DuMont assets. They WERE those assets (they didn't retain the programming copies, otherwise those wouldn't be dumped by ABC). WABD kept its' callsign and immediately (1956) became an independent, then later changed its' callsign to WNEW* (became WNYW in '86) in 1958 and spun-off the broadcasting assets into Metropolitan Broadcasting (becoming Metromedia in 1961). Metromedia kept adding stations until its' triple merger in 1986 with Chris-Craft Industries (owners of WWOR 9-1 in NYC and WSBK 38-1 in Boston, among others) and Fox Broadcasting, merging into the latter. Those stations that couldn't become in '86 Fox affiliates formed what it is today part of the My Network syndication service (they discontinued it as a broadcast network years ago). * the other station they spun was WTTG in Washington DC, which still has its' callsign as a Fox Owned and Operated station.

[@FreemonSandlewould]

Baah. This was just the big guys killing off a competitor using the government.

[@masterpainter72]

Many of the remaining Dumont stations would ban together to form what would become the Metromedia services...

[@jayski9410]

This made me think about how early television didn't really know how to produce their content at first. Most of it was just pointing their camera at a stage show. I wonder when they started to think more like movie makers? And began to use multiple cameras and close ups? Or tracking shots.

[@Emstory]

I did some research on this, and some say that I Love Lucy pioneered the multi-camera setup, but it was already in use a year earlier with The Silver Theater, an anthology series. I'll link the Time article from March 6th, 1950 here: web.archive.org/web/20080111214551/www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858670,00.html

[@jayski9410]

@@Emstory Thanks, the title of this article "Flight to the West" was really very telling. Because it was identifying a second flight to the west since the first movie studios were in New Jersey and then they moved west for better weather and shooting conditions in the 1920's. Then this article shows the same thing happened in the 1950's with TV. But of course for reasons of cost and the fact that the techniques were already being practiced by the film industry.

[@lucasmembrane4763]

I recall hearing that two of the shows that pioneered close-ups relatively early-on for TV were Dragnet and Medic.

[@jlacob]

Excellent documentary, thank you!

[@jubalcalif9100]

I certainly have a notion to second THAT emotion !

[@pianopappy]

I was a small fan of Dumont's "Small Fry Club", which was seen in the Philadelphia, PA area on WFIL-TV, Channel six. When my family got it's first TV set, there were only two channels we could watch--the aforementioned channel six, which carried Dumont's programs, and WPTZ, the NBC affiliate. Not too much later, WCAU-TV, Channel 10, came on the air as the CBS affiliate (with a weaker signal, by the way). So from my vantage point, it was ABC not Dumont which was "the fourth network" (chronologically). Your presentation was well done. Thank you.

[@BrianCScott-br2cu]

@Pianopappy@ Wonderful to hear from another Philadelphian on-line, God bless and take good care Sir! Scott- South Philly.

[@pianopappy]

@@BrianCScott-br2cu Great to hear from YOU too, Brian. Truth be told, I can't claim to be a Philadelphian. I grew up in the Allentown area and went to college in Chester--But, I rooted for all the Philly sports teams, including the Philadelphia A's (that's how old I am). I saw baseball games (including the 1952 All Star Game and one Eagles game) at Shibe Park/ Connie Mack Stadium. BTW, the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik and the Phillies' Curt Simmons were from the Lehigh Valley. (Pat's steaks were great!)

[@stevearmstrong4561]

I repaired a few Dumont black and white TV sets at Armstrong TV many years ago. Thank you for this informative and entertaining video.

[@crankychris2]

I worked on a couple of Dumonts in the 60's. Curtis Mathes and Dumont receivers were top ranked. Emerson, which bought out Dumont was so poor, we called them 'flamers' as they often would start a fire when not in use.

[@stevearmstrong4561]

@@crankychris2 We had a joke in the shop about Emerson in the day. At Christmas we would sing Chestnuts roasting over an open Emerson..

[@kellycoleman715]

Have you noticed that the Dumont and DuPont logos are almost identical? It was no accident I’m sure.

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

Excellent job! I didn't know it was an inaugural video until the very end. You are to be commended for using an actual voice-over and not a computerized "voice". Fun Fact: The call sign WDTV mentioned at 13:50 is today in Bridgeport-Clarksburg, West Virginia - and has been since the 1960s. It is on Channel 5. About the only time one sees or hears anything about Dumont is seeing old news reels of President Truman behind a bank of labeled microphones, one of them with a Dumont placard.

[@adamantman3200]

DU MONT's roster of stations eventually became METROMEDIA. That same roster more or less stayed intact and eventually became FOX. WTTG, Channel 5 became DU MONT's flagship station for Washington, DC. It was part of METROMEDIA and is now part of FOX. So, FOX' origin can be traced back to DU MONT.

[@Mynamesalexa]

Hommina hommina The Honeymooners was on the Dumont System.

[@tonywestvirginia]

What a great research story. Well done.

[@jubalcalif9100]

I agree 100 per cent ! Quite well done !

[@Audiea]

Excellent well-crafted documentary. Thank you.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indubitably !

[@nicoleknight9412]

Wonder why DuMont didn't try to broker a deal with Mutual to bring it's radio programs to DuMont, the way the other three did theirs?

[@albo2006]

nicely done!!

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indeed !!

[@davekingman1271]

I was born in September of 1952. I was among the first generation of children to grow up watching television. I know I watched things on Dumont but all I remember was turning on their channel one day and seeing a message that Dumont was no longer operating. I believe shortly thereafter the channel it was on became an ABC affiliate. It was in Wisconsin

[@chadwickwhite6107]

The DuMont Network was the FIRST network to QUIT.

[@rockvilleraven]

Fox is just Dumont rising from the ashes.

[@karlc2869]

@@rockvilleraven Yep since Fox owns the former DuMont network in NYC.

[@mrmjb1960]

More like put it the Garbage.

[@syxepop]

@@karlc2869 - yes, the Allen B. DuMont TeleCentre in NYC is the same building where the Fox Network and its' stations WABD / WNYW (5-1) and WWOR (My Network on 9-1) broadcast from. The building appear on an episode of Futurama...

[@syxepop]

@@rockvilleraven - a bit after the DuMont network was discontinued their NYC and Washington, DC (WTTG) stations remained as independents and their company name changed to Metropolitan Broadcasting (later shortened to Metromedia), which with its' triple merger with Fox Broadcasting and Chris Craft Industries (owners of WWOR 9-1 in NYC, WSBK 38-1 in Boston and a few other stations) made the foundation for the Fox Network of today. In 1986 those stations that couldn't become Fox affiliates after the merger, like both WWOR and WSBK, became part of what is now the My Network syndication service. So, part of DuMont's ashes revived as Fox in more than spirit and Fox became DuMont's spiritual successor.

[@rockoorbe2002]

Interesting enough, I did find that last boxing match. Interesting in itself because me being a boxing fan it's fascinating to see an old school blocking match, but it's also the swan song for Dumont. I also think you should do a doc on Metromedia, the Dumont successor that eventually became Fox kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6vXnpljnr6op6c

[@marshallhackett990]

Well done. I great first post! My parents are in their 80s and remember the Dumont Network well. They remember shows like Bishop Sheen (I come from a Catholic family and am one myself) and Captain Video. They were before my time. I only remember reruns of "The Honeymooners" on late night; definitely not PC stuff! I enjoyed the bits you were able to grab from the late, great network. It is the ultimate shame that ABC just dumped all of Dumont's content in the drink after buying out the last of the defunct network's assets. Just a pity. Again, well researched and well done!

[@CatholicTraditional]

Yes, Bp. Sheen was originally on Dumont before going to abc.

[@dwightpowell6673]

Those catholic priests love those young boys

[@highpath4776]

Pity it didnt hang on a few more years. ITV was getting established in the UK in 1956 and had both a need of partnership programming ( which it got from europe, UK colonies and the three in the USA but another would have been usedful - and It with its regional structure could have provided programmes for the USA. Executives of NBC would take some ITV productions , but not always , and they missed out particulary on some Drama and Childrens Television as they could not understand the ways British scripted and screenplayed some programmes.

[@tomdegan6924]

Excellent presentation. My aunt Viv worked for Dumont.

[@dwightpowell6673]

Did Dumont have any African American employees?

[@dwightpowell6673]

Tom Degan is your Aunt Viv still alive? Ask her for me please....did she have any African American colleagues....maybe the Janitor or the bathroom attendant...you know..returning WW2 VETERANS maybe?

[@tomdegan6924]

@@dwightpowell6673 Her name was Vivian Devine. She passed away about twenty years ago.

[@dwightpowell6673]

@@tomdegan6924 I'm so sorry for your loss.Thank You for responding...I bet she was a great Aunt.

[@lancelot1953]

Hi Emily, please, do not give up! Emily, I am using this video to answer your "update" video. Emily, I am a Baby Boomer (b. 1950), I lived that era - I experienced "American Graffiti" (in the Northeast which was 6 months a year - the rest under snow!), I watched what I would call the "Golden Age" of American Television. Under the Hays Code, my generation enjoyed wholesome shows that reflected and promoted traditional American family values and life principles - it was not perfect, but it gave us hope. I remember "Father knows best", Donna Reed Show, Mickey Mouse Club, the original Star Trek, the Twilight Zone, Leave it to Beaver, Bewitched, Kraft Theater Movie, Wonderful World of Disney, ... to name a few. These well-created/made shows reinforced ethics and morals that we learned at home, at school, at church, through social groups (4H, Boys/Girls Scouts/...), along with the community... We were young and we had some "flaws" but society did set boundaries that most of us ... observed and/or survived to become productive citizens. Selective service (military) was part of the "growing up" of most young men - our parents did it, our families served - all these experiences bonded us as we were becoming part of America, ..."one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". Emily, these memories that you are bringing up and the time you spend researching OUR history is remarkable as it is what (used to) binds us. Do not give up, let go of YT viewers that just love to criticize or destroy; your presentations bring many Veterans like me to a time of innocence, peace, and hope (before the wars). May Peace be with you, Emily and thank you with all my heart, Ciao, L (Veteran, three wars).

[@TnseWlms]

The name and logo shape look suspiciously like DuPont chemicals. They couldn't get away with that today.

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

this is probably why the logo was changed in the early 50s

[@CatholicTraditional]

@@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu Or it may had the same graphic designer as Dupont; or they gave Dumont permission.

[@hatednyc]

9:39 CAPTAIN VIDEO AND HIS VIDEO RANGERS!! Okay I only know that because of Ed Norton!

[@cosmoeticalist929]

FYI- the network was pronounced DOO-mont, nit Do- MONT.

[@GregJoseph82546]

Thanks so much from a retired television critic. Beautifully and thoughtfully done. I'm a baby boomer and watched many of these shows and they influenced me in many ways (including my career.) The accompanying comments amplify the impact this network had -- and that many, including you, refuse to let its memory and influence fade. It deserves to be remembered, and thanks to you, it will. Looking forward to your other posts.

[@phongpit]

I remember watching Captain Video! It was on 6 nights a week for years! There must have been zillions of episodes of it! I have some old documents dealing with their special effects budget, which was I believe, $50 per week! I remember some of the 'controls' on the rocket consoles were painted on, and they used sparklers stuck in the tails of little model rockets, and the smoke from the sparklers would just rise vertically even though the rocket was supposedly moving from left to right on the screen! Nice job on this documentary, Em, thanks for bringing back the memories and expanding my knowledge of the old Dumont network!

[@jackdoyle9448]

The narration of this video its so utterly grating it makes it unwatchable.

[@halnwheels]

Thank you for this very informative history lesson about the Dumont Television Network. It helps preserve the fragmented bits and pieces that remain about them. I found it easy to listen to, right to the end.

[@glennso47]

Paramount has CBS now or vice-versa

[@CatholicTraditional]

Viacom owns both.

[@jameslong3351]

You should do a history of Brunswick records and the distruction of the recording studio logs when RCA purchased it.

[@larslarsman]

Guess what street Fox is on in LA ??? BUNDY. I love it.

[@miklosernoehazy8678]

...the WB has it's origins in something called the P.T.E.N. (Prime Time Entertainment Network)... ...it was where the shows "Babylon 5" and "Hercules, the Legendary Journeys" got their start...

[@josephcostello695]

heck a few family members had Dumont tv sets. I think the last one died In the 1990s. now they are furniture pieces in a couple of cousins houses. funny

[@simplestanswer]

Thanks! Very informative and well presented.

[@jubalcalif9100]

You speak the truth, Kemo Sabe !

[@mikewrasman5103]

It's stil around - it's called Fix. Metro media purchased the former DuMont stations and ran those stations as independent TV stations. Rupert Murdoch bought most of the former DuMont stations and those stations became Fox.

[@bobwitkowski6410]

Fulton Sheen is now blessed a step away to sainthood.

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

He lived in my building growing up. A very nice building on the UES.

[@dwightpowell6673]

@@raygordonteacheschess5501 he sure didn't live in poverty or a pious life.

[@pony053]

WE had a DuMont tv, as did my grandparents. I was born in 55...I have picture of me next to it ...I was like 3 yrs old.

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

That is one super-hottie at the beginning of the video.

[@jenniferthomas3875]

My grandpa had a DuMont TV. It only got channels 2 to 13 and FM radio. It was as big as a washing machine.

[@rongendron8705]

Great video & great memories! I'm 76 & remember the Du Mont network very well from when my family got their first t.v. in 1950, when I was 4! In fact, in June 1950, I appeared on a television show, with three other boys, starring movie "Flash Gordon", Buster Crabbe! Not sure whether it was on" Du Mont" but it gave me a personal look at the workings of early t.v.!

[@regginaldwilliams9381]

That was great. Thanks.

[@louisvillaescusa]

But don't forget that Paramount tried to start their own network. It was called UPN. You should do a video about that.

[@BifMcAwesome]

The CW was formed about that time too. They might have merged. I'll have to wiki it and report back as is my custom.

[@BifMcAwesome]

I was mistaken. UPN merged with WB (remember the promotion by its cartoon mascot Michigan J. Frog?) to form CW which is still around. The "C" stands for CBS which in the convolution of the Viacom conglomeration owns that portion of Paramount and the "W" stands for the Warner Brothers half of the 50-50 share.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Enjoyed this 17 min video VERY much ! Very informative & entertaining ! Kudos to all those involved !!

[@mrmjb1960]

Next explore the eight patter of PBS'Televison hosted by Edwin Newman for more on Dumont and the history of Television. It was on You Tube and I believe it's still on it

[@connro]

Great work.

[@brucehutchinson9527]

Captain Video one of my first TV memories. That I listen to on our ZENITH 10in round TV screen we got in 1950. I first started watching TV at my grandparents house 1948. My front my mother father and I live with my dad's parents after World War II. I remember test pattern before programming started midday or afternoon evening

[@kevinmcnevins3793]

One other item - I note the Bob Emery "Small Fry" Club and consider it might have been an inspiration for Bob Keeshan and Captain Kangaroo as well as Fred Rogers; - all kids programming with remarkable sensitivity and good values, opposing video games, etc. . The breakthroughs of DuMont in racial stereotyping and many areas are truly heroic and deserve major recognition. Again - my thanks for your product.

[@thebrinx9632]

Very well done!!! You told the duMont story quite well.

[@rodneygolden2796]

Just LUV this topic. I almost wanted to propose to you because of the sheer timing of discovering your post. LoL You sounding like that proverbial Jersey Girly that might be a thought worth considering.🤔. Dispensing with the melodrama, to be brief, I did research on the Dumont saga at least 5-7 years ago, and was intrigued to the point ad nauseam, when it sickened me about the destruction by disposal of Dumont's videographs into a body of water in the NYC area. In closing, hopefully only Fr now, the romantic, idyllic stories of genius ideas burgeoning from a basement or a garage as in the cases of HP, or Microsoft, etc. over the years just bowls me over every time Moving onward, back to the case of Dumont's demise, in the interim, they did attempt cable hookups across the country, and even coast to coast for a brief period as far back as the 40s. Can you believe COAX existed as an effective infrastructure medium that far back . In fact ELECTRONO-VISION which later on was employed to broadcast some Major sports and arts and entertainment was around then. I think I might have the map legend of the connection and coverage areas. More later. PLEASE stay in touch!

[@googleboy7]

My sister, Bea, invited The Stranger actor, Robert Carroll to take her to her to the senior prom, in Perryopolis, PA. He accepted and took her to the prom. It was the talk of the town. Women and girls flocked to the dance to get a glimpse of Mr. Carroll. The high school princapal kept cominnng over to their table. Frustrated with his interuptions, she said: "Mr. Hibbs, would you like to dance with Robert?". He got the message. LOL

[@dereckabackus5411]

The tv show Through the Decades did a story on the history of Dumont Network in 2016( with the nephew of Dumont being interviewed)

[@hdgboy]

Fantastic first video. Great job. Thanks.

[@paulshallbetter1080]

Wonderful first effort! One thing though; if the fledgling FCC had granted licenses to Dumont, they would still be here today. I'm wondering what their reasons were? Who paid off the government officials to deny Dumont their network licenses? That denial of a license didn't happen in a 1940's vacuum; somebody really didn't want them to survive. BTW, you can still ocaasionally find Dumont brand television sets in working order, although they are increasingly rare.

[@johnmuller4014]

The FCC back then (and probably still is) headed by a person from one of the major networks -- part of their job was to discourage any competition from NBC specifically. See the book "The Golden Age of Television." UHF was available back in the 50s but NBC wanted no part of that either.

[@RichTeplitsky]

WABD call letters stood for its founder, Allen B. Dumont. It was WABD (1944-1958) then WNEW-TV (1958-1986). Today it’s know as WNYW Fox 5 (sort of ironic). Agreed Paramount helped hasten DuMont’s demise, but their TV sets were too expensive yet great quality. RCA and it’s own network, NBC, used the same model but successfully for the introduction of backwards-comparable color TV.

[@gregburns5638]

I was recently watching an older episode of "The Family Guy", where the late, great Norm MacDonald voiced the "angel of death". When Lois offers to turn on the TV, he snidely retorts something about: "what are we gonna see, the Dumont Network?!" I literally almost peed myself laughing!!! 😅🤣😂😆 Thanks for your wonderful video... 👍 💋