WLS Channel 7 - Ending of Saturday Night Movie, Reflections and Station Sign-Off (1977)

[@timharper73]

Can't get over how crystal clear the picture of this unearthed gem still looks for being on tape since 1977!

[@RyanSchweitzer77]

Indeed--its high quality is due to the fact that this video was originally recorded on 3/4" U-Matic videocassette (as mentioned in the video description), which provides a much better picture than VHS or Betamax at the time (although Beta recorded at it's fastest 1-hour BI/X1 speed came very close to 3/4"s quality). In fact, U-Matic's quality was decent enough for most TV stations themselves to use for on-air programming (I used 3/4" almost exclusively when I worked master control for a few local TV stations about 15+ years ago).

[@michaelbrantley.8628]

Good memories.

[@dt2phillips]

7:42 "This is WIK 22 and WBE 787." PPFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!! The scariest ending to any sign-off we'll ever see!

[@lindenly22]

I watch television so heavily, and I had seen various station sign-offs, so I know that WIK and WBE - these are microwave stations of ABC7. Sometimes, microwave stations in a major TV channel would start with "K" instead of "W" (like KTO-43, KBD-34, etc.). The carrier cut is when you do not see the color bars anymore and you see "snowball" - this means the transmission is officially off-line for good, hence "cut off", or in brief, "cut." When the carrier is cut, the TV channel is completely off the air.

[@flatcapman]

sounded more like me toneing "F*UCK" then snow. Geez TV People MAKE YOUR MINDS UP

[@ApartmentKing66]

Yeah, those are microwave IDs.

[@haroldfridkis3879]

Agreed 👍

[@luisreyes1963]

Didn't think big city TV stations needed microwave relays.

[@DavidFell]

Wayne Atkinson is reading the sign-off announcement. A water color by him hangs in my home.

[@kengomillia]

FYI, the "Bless the Beasts and Children" VO is by the late Al Parker. 😉

[@PaulGreen11]

"For the land of the Free and the home of the Brave"

[@mikehunt4986]

The ending of this video reminds me of the beginning of Poltergeist!

[@AmusedChild]

Great memories!

[@hf6150]

@2:50 An era when the AARP was considered non-profit and apolitical. In 2021, much has changed.

[@thekidfromiowa]

I can only imagine what was originally on the tape before it was taped over with gymnastics.

[@bryanttheus7214]

Does anyone know who did the theme music in the begining and end of reflections with John ware

[@MichaelPhilipMaunes]

Great memories. I also liked the music video of the American national anthem, which includes American history and the founding fathers of the United States, including my favourite, George Washington.

[@erickpaolod.santos3719]

6:15 Poltergeist (1980's movie) opening Used the Sign off

[@sgtbrownty]

This used to scare the shit out of me when I was 6 years old. All that I could think about was dead presidents and the fact that I lived across from the graveyard on 71st and Chicago on the east side of Chicago.

[@Xpk951IsBack]

Fuzzymemories, is there an opening of the wls channel 7 Saturday night movie intro to "The Guns of Navarone" at the beginning?

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Nope. Just girls gymnastics as mentioned in the video description.

[@wmbrown6]

And the opening titles would have been the same as the closing titles. On another front, wonder how those "swirling stars" would have gone with Walter Raim's "Big Show" theme as heard on WABC's "4:30 Movie"?

[@Musicradio77Network]

wmbrown6 The "Swirling Stars" was inspired by the Hanna-Barbara logo as it was first used in 1979 during the Taft era.

[@vinniemorciglio4632]

Wow, AARP ...

[@gidzmobug2323]

How did the last part of the movie get a blue tint?

[@judacia]

1:56 the third voice was provided by Peter Thomas.

[@Tmetrvlr]

For some reason I think this particular one began in 1968 or so.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Looks like they had a faded print of that movie to show.

[@wmbrown6]

Would you know what color processing system would have been attributable to that fading to the point where the blacks were bluish . . .

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

wmbrown6 It could've been red (an Eastman print), and they were compensating for it by adding blue to the picture.

[@wmbrown6]

That seemed to be a characteristic of films of such fading being shown via RCA TK-27 film chains.

[@fromthesidelines]

"Scan-and pan" of widescreen movie.......

[@Musicradio77Network]

Barry I. Grauman Yep! This was a pan-and-scan version of the film when it was originally released in widescreen in 1961. The movie was also released on DVD many years later when it was presented in widescreen.

[@SuperTony1968]

Does anybody know who was the WLS sign off announcer??

[@timharper73]

staffer Wayne Atkinson.

[@SuperTony1968]

Thank you.

[@paullarue2010]

I remember Christina Marinoff is from Chicago.

[@Wizardof]

AH THE SEVENTIES....Anyone had the Tele1st service?

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

You were supposed to just cut off the carrier, not me with it!

[@aldrich1201]

This channel is signing off because the American Revolution is going on in there location wow just wow

[@hollypietrzak5214]

What was that talking for over the test pattern at 7:45?

[@wmbrown6]

Almost sounded like a cross between Al Parker and Gary Gears.

[@hollypietrzak5214]

wmbrown6 who are they anyway? never even heard of them before?

[@bryanyancy6100]

That is ABC 7 Chicago from way back in 1977.

[@paullarue2010]

I remember Christina Marinoff is from Chicago.