Tonight's special presentation of L.A.'s treasure, Stan Chambers, is brought to you in part by GTE.
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It's three o'clock in the afternoon and one of the reporters for KTLA News arrives for
work.
An ordinary occurrence if it were not for the fact that this star reporter, Stan Chambers,
has been coming to work at KTLA for the past 45 years.
He's worked nowhere else.
His story is the story of Southern California since 1947.
He's seen it all, reported most of it, and along the way he's shared it with you, the
audience.
So tonight we honor this unprecedented achievement by the Dean of Los Angeles Television reporters,
Stan Chambers, L.A.'s treasure.
Hello, I'm Dr. Hal Fishman, Channel 5 News.
On this program, we're going to look back on a remarkable career which is still in progress
and how our city has changed in the 45 years that Stan Chambers has been covering this
town for Channel 5.
We've dusted off the old films and tapes and also did something very unusual.
We sat Stan Chambers down for once in his career so that he could reminisce a bit about
all he's seen and been a part of since the day he started at KTLA, December 1st, 1947.
And let's hope it's a quiet time here in the city because if not, this very program
might be interrupted by Stan doing a special report from somewhere.
We're going to start with some tape shot just a few weeks ago.
We wanted to take you behind the scenes to see how Stan spends an average day.
So we followed him and his crew with one of our own crews from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., a typical
day in the life of Stan Chambers.
I'll be out in the mobile unit listening to the scandery.
Resolved.
I heard one of those incomplete transmissions but in Panorama City, a shooting and perhaps
near a school, I think, I don't know if it was injured or what but I just heard that.
Hi.
Good.
Did you see what happened at all?
We heard what happened.
Basically, what did you hear?
A fellow in a blue car was coming through the intersection.
Someone jumped out, apparently someone jumped out of the car, shot him.
What can you tell us at this point?
Well, right now, we don't have much to go on.
Hi.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Well, thank you.
The shooting took place just across the street from Sepulveda Junior High School.
The victim was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for further treatment.
From Sepulveda, Stan Chambers, Channel 5 News, at 10.
What's your name?
Arthur.
Huh?
Arthur.
Can I shake your hand?
Oh, there.
Thank you, Arthur.
Hi.
We're just leaving now.
Should we head back your way?
We're going to check for the intersection shooting.
Five, four, three.
Late this afternoon, a gunman in a car fired several shots into this blue Monte Carlo.
Both vehicles were moving in the intersection.
No, the truck's ready and we're all set to go.
Okay.
So you want to go ahead and just wait till lunch and we'll keep our ears open.
Okay.
I must have picked up a nail.
It's still hissing, Eric.
Yeah, I see it.
We hit the curb there.
Well, all we got to do is call the AAA in there if some kids out here.
It's part of the news, you know.
What is it, that?
Valley of Oosters.
There is a fatality.
How are you, sir?
Fine, Sarge.
Stan Chambers.
Just fine.
Nice to see you.
Well, feeling good.
Oh dear.
Was it lost control or what was that?
No, it appears as though he was coming around this corner.
He's under the influence and he drifted.
It just smacked the rear of the truck and the driver was okay.
He's intoxicated.
And the passenger, of course not wearing a seat belt, went straight forward and hit either
the beat pillar on the truck or the back.
We have shots that we can use, don't they, put the blanket up over the body?
Yeah, we do.
Why did you use shots without the blanket?
Okay.
Track for the El Sereno fatal.
Five, four, three.
Officers are waiting for the coroner this evening.
One man is dead at the scene.
Didn't know you had the duty tonight.
Yeah, I had the duty today.
Good.
Yeah.
They made their first arrest for the UI.
Oh, they did.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
They go in this school parking lot.
They go in this school parking lot here.
Oh, good.
Had a bottle of case beer with them.
So, we'll be seeing everything.
So, that's the first arrest today.
Yeah, you just hand it out.
Ready to set up your signal to Mount Wilson for a stand by shot.
Right you are, Jim.
Thank you.
I can't, loud and clear, Kim.
Thank you.
And you say about 14 for us, right?
10, 14.
Fine.
Thank you.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has set up a sobriety check point in San Jose.
We'll be right on Rosecrans right here at Paramount High School.
All the cars that are going eastbound on Rosecrans have been funneled down to a single lane.
And as they come by here, the deputies either wave them through or stop them.
At the check point, they take an observation as to if a driver might be drinking, if he
might be under the influence, if there are any symptoms.
If so, they are held, brought off to the side.
And then those that are going on through, they're asked to help the community.
This sobriety check point will continue for some time.
We'll be standing by.
But right now, back to Hal.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thanks a million.
Very good.
Sure appreciate it.
No problem.
Good.
Hope we get some good results.
Oh, yeah.
And that was a slow day for Stan.
It was a very different Los Angeles back on December 1st, 1947, the day that Stan Chambers
started work at KTLA.
The mayor at the time, Fletcher Bowron, announced there would soon be a marked improvement in
the smog situation.
The population of Van Nuys went from 26,000 in 1940 to 72,000 in 1947.
Subdivision became the magic word, mass production by methods developed during World War II.
12,000 veterans were arriving in Los Angeles every month.
The head of the LA Veterans Service Center suggested we should put up a sign in every
major railroad center reading, veterans don't come to Los Angeles.
We can't give you a job, an education, or a roof over your head.
There were about 3,000 television sets operating in Los Angeles.
Stan Chambers was born in LA, went to Loyola High School, USC, and then into the US Navy
during World War II.
When I got out of the Navy, I went back to USC on the GI Bill.
What a great place it was to be because everybody was getting out of the service.
They were coming back here, doing what they wanted to do.
All of those restraints from the service were over, and it was a whole new life for everyone.
One of the things I did right away was to get into radio and get into magazine publishing.
I was at KUSC and working there doing sports casts and news casts and really enjoying it.
And then one of my real loves was a program called Campus Magazine.
In fact, this is the office right here.
This little office, the other side was Silver Woods, but this was perfect.
It was right on the road where everybody came on by and we were quite a social center.
Well, at one time I was an editor on Campus Magazine, and I was also working on that radio station.
I heard a program one night saying that one of the local television stations had expanded its broadcasting schedule.
I didn't even know that television was on the air.
I thought, you know, that might be a good idea.
Why don't we take an issue of Campus Magazine, we'll show the Cover Girl,
we'll show some of the humorous articles, rewrite them for television,
show the UCLA basketball star who was always out ahead of everyone else, put it together and do a broadcast.
Well, I called up Gordon Wright at KTLA.
I remember going to the pay phone at Sunset and Vine Street right across from NBC,
and Gordon Wright picked up the phone.
I said, how about doing a program on a Campus Magazine?
So that sounds interesting.
I'm too busy right now, but call me next week.
This was Tea Day, the first big promotion for television, and that was the day I called Gordon.
Next week we went over, went to Oblatch for a brand muffin and a cup of coffee,
and I explained the situation and said, great, let's do it.
So about 25 of the students here at school took our Campus Magazine.
We all did different things.
Went over to KTLA and put on Campus Magazine of the Air, the television version,
because we started the radio version on KLAC just a couple weeks before.
That was my debut, and after it was over, I thought, oh, this is a wonderful job.
And then I went back here for a long period of time, about six months,
and I got a call from Gordon Wright.
They were expanding the broadcast schedule.
Would I be interested in going to work for KTLA?
That was December 1, 1947.
In those days, KTLA was located just across the street from the Paramount Studio Gate in Hollywood,
which was not so unusual since Paramount owned the fledgling station in those days.
Recently, we took Stan back to that first studio, which served later as the home of KMEX, Channel 34.
You can imagine going into the industry and working right outside the Paramount Gate,
that famous gate that's known all around the world.
And then to actually go into the studio, this great old garage, and the garage is what it was,
and anybody could walk in, the door would swing open,
and when you got inside there, there would be a lot of empty chairs around for the studio audiences and everything.
Another thing I really loved, this was a very, well, it's a regular city street, but we had commercials,
and we didn't have any place inside to do them.
So we used to bring out red carpets, a couple of potted plants, and bring in the cars,
and sell them right here in the street.
The people were very kind, and they'd wait for us to finish the commercials.
We did that for a long time, and then we'd get very fancy, put up a different set,
and one night the wind knocked all the sets over, and a couple hit the cars, but we went on anyway.
Now another place that was very effective, a good alley here,
nothing like an alley when you have to do some real work.
So what we did, we'd line up a lot of the used cars, and they could go right on down here.
So they'd run up right here, we'd give certain details on that car,
it'd move on down, and then the next one came up.
So this was a great place, a lot of memories, quite a building.
Well, it really looks pretty much the same. It's painted now.
KMEX entrance. Oh, they have doors here now.
This used to be the ramp going up into the garage,
and we'd bring all of the props over from the Paramount Studios,
and ride up the ramp into the set.
Let's see what's in here. Oh boy, have things changed.
Look at this. This is really different.
Stuckle walls, and the tile on the floor, and the railing here.
Oh, I remember this. This was the only bathroom at the station.
There wasn't such a thing as a men's room or a women's room,
and it really was quite serviceable, except one night we were doing magazine of the week,
and on the animal page we had a frisky monkey,
and they just couldn't keep it under control, so we put it in the bathroom.
Worked out okay, except for the people who didn't know it was there.
And news would be roughly about here, and it was much smaller.
One thing, this is the exterior wall, and we didn't have any door to get out on this side of the building,
so the building and safety people worried about fires,
said we've got to do something about that.
If we took a door in there, we wouldn't have an office.
So a lot of negotiations, and what they did, they came up with a decision.
We'd have what's like a drawer about two feet off the ground, horizontal,
and you would open it, and then you'd just roll out in case there was a fire.
Nobody ever had to use it, thank goodness.
Well, now this door looks pretty much all, again, we didn't have doors.
We just had like curtains to go in.
Oh, this looks more like it now.
Look, the same acoustic tile.
And the props are on wheels, we used to do that too, because you can't hammer into a cement floor,
so you had to do that.
And look at the overhead, those are the same beams, that's the way the lights hung.
And oh, was it hot in here.
It was absolutely unbearable.
You know, air conditioning was really just coming into its own at that time.
We did have air conditioning at that time, but that was in there for the equipment,
not for the human beings, it was for the new equipment.
So out here it was just unbearably hot.
And we used to have a bank of lights right here, and we'd move it right up right next to the camera,
and there would probably be 20 lights on that, and we'd have 20 on behind.
And boy, it's just impressive to see the new set, because our set would have been a good side desk,
a chair, a map, and that was probably it.
You know, one of the first commercials that we ever had was Rancho Soup.
Gil Martin was the newscaster, and Rancho Soup was the sponsor.
Well, you know, in those days we were very proud to have our commercials,
and so we worked out a format to where Gil would give the news,
and then halfway through he would stop and he'd say,
mmm, this chicken gumbo is delicious, it's Rancho Soup.
And he'd take a couple of spoonfuls and then go back to the news.
Can you imagine if Hal Fishman did that today?
We just couldn't do that.
Here are the props, we have plenty of props over here.
And I got pretty good at moving couches.
Oop, no, they're still heavy.
But you know, we had a small staff, and we had all of the executives
who worked during the day until about 6, about 5 o'clock, and then they became stage crew.
They took their coats off and they came out and they pushed the camera dollies
and they moved, worked the mic booms, and they actually helped put on the show.
So that was really something that I decided I'd rather be on the stage crew side,
because I started out helping building sets.
I had to help, I didn't know really how to do it.
Moving props in, getting, dressing the sets, moving the light booms in.
I was pretty good with the booms and with the camera dollies.
The cameras are so big, we actually had to have someone with a camera dolly to push it in there.
And back in here, it would be all of the engineering equipment.
That was something.
And I noticed they have a door, it's probably not the same door,
but we used to bring our cameras through here.
For example, a show is going on at this point.
The show finishes, two minutes of commercials go on the air, everybody goes racing out here.
Opens up the door. Can we come in?
And the other commercial, the other set, goes on over here.
So now they have cameras in both sides, but when these cameras went through the door
with ten or fifteen crew members, it was really quite a traffic jam.
And of course, one of the shows I did do was Tricks and Treats with Corus Guy.
And we did the cooking show every day, and it was a wonderful, wonderful experience.
Tuesday night, in time for KTLA's home economist, Corus Guy in Tricks and Treats.
Hello everyone. It's good to be with you again tonight.
Oh, Sam, what are you doing?
Oh, come here, look at Joe.
What are you doing?
Look like he's farming or something. You've got to, look at that.
He's got, oh, I guess about a three by four plot or something.
Isn't that amazing?
Oh, can't be any bigger than that, really, Joe.
Poor old Joe.
Oh, they're up there too, there.
Hi, Joe.
I'm glad you got to about a three by four plot of ground or something.
But it's very ambitious.
Hope it keeps busy.
What have we got here, Corus?
Well, you know, Sam, I don't usually do any comparative testing of foods.
I know you don't.
Well, tonight I'd like to have you try, though, two different cups of coffee.
Well, that's fair enough. Is there something new, though?
This is marked A for your benefit.
A.
What do you want? Oh, I know. Oh, I know.
Let's see. You want me to tell which is the MJB.
Uh-huh, that's right.
Well?
I want to see if you can tell.
Mmm. That's good.
When I went to work, my voice was very high, very unusual,
and Klaus Landsberg said that he really didn't want me doing any off-camera announcing.
Wait a while. So I never got to do that.
But I got to do some live programs.
In fact, my first program was right here in the studio.
It was members of the Australian polo team who were visiting Los Angeles.
And we talked polo for ten minutes.
But the thing that happened is that with the old cameras where you didn't have the detail,
my lips kind of, well, they looked as they called them, Betty Boop lips.
And that is hardly the way you start a television career.
So they didn't want me to be on the air because of my lips,
and I couldn't be off the air with my voice because of my voice.
It was kind of a slow start.
Then when the new generation of cameras came in,
the lips began to look more in their natural form.
I was very thankful for that latest invention.
The man who ran KTLA and put it on the air and who hired Stan Chambers was the late Klaus Landsberg,
a German immigrant who had started to create an experimental television station for Paramount during the war.
Klaus Landsberg's wife at that time was Evelyn DeWolf.
Everything was beginning to look like there were going to be networks,
and there were going to be so many things, and a little bit of the competition was sneaking in.
And that was the year, actually, that Stan joined KTLA.
And I remember that this was a very handsome man.
That was the first impression I had.
And the second impression, I found him running around the studio, you know,
pushing little sets and doing odds and ends and working in the back room.
And one day I said to Klaus, what's that good-looking guy doing in the back room all the time?
He should be in front of the cameras.
And Klaus, you know, pretty much decided what he wanted to do in his own time.
I would say that I helped to speed the process.
Klaus Landsberg used to love to take his live cameras out of the studio
to show all parts of Southern California to the greatly increasing number of viewers
that were now watching Channel 5.
These days, with satellites and miniature equipment,
it's very easy to get a television signal from virtually any location.
But back in the late 1940s, it was a major undertaking.
For example, a program from right here at the corner of Hollywood and Vine
meant taking the microwave dish to the top of one of these buildings
and aiming it at Mount Wilton with heavy cables hanging over the roof
through the remote trucks below.
Wallisand's first regular host job came from this very spot.
Bill Welch and I were some of the announcers on that program.
People would just go up to the corner, we would talk to everybody
and talk as long as we could about whatever were the big issues of the day.
It was interesting because people would go up there to be on television.
In those years, it was quite a thing to be on television.
You'd be the local celebrity when your friends and neighbors say,
hey, I saw you in Meet Me in Hollywood.
And it's interesting, just the past, well, just recently I got a letter from a lady
who said she used to go up to Hollywood and Vine to be on the air,
went up several times, but never made it.
She didn't get her few moments of glory.
There are no recordings of Meet Me in Hollywood to be found.
But back in 1981, Channel 2's Two on the Town with Steve Edwards
took Stan and his Meet Me in Hollywood co-host Bill Welch
to the corner of Hollywood and Vine one Friday evening
to recreate Meet Me in Hollywood.
Good evening, everyone. This is Hollywood and Vine.
There go the two ladies I wanted to talk to across the street.
What's your name? Beth Button.
And Beth, do you sell roses? Yeah.
How's business? Very good.
Where do you get the roses? From my supplier.
Tell us about them now. What kind are they?
Pick them up and let's take a look.
I think they're about 22 inches.
They have red and pink.
And how is the rose business? It's blooming.
It's really good. It's fine.
Where else?
I know this is something by Beethoven, but can we interrupt it?
Yes, go ahead. What do people say about your music?
I get a lot of positive response.
I've been doing it since my last lifetime.
I've been doing it for about three and a half years
down in New Orleans.
I've been getting a lot of positive here and a lot of places in the nation.
What do you say to people who say there are a lot of characters in Hollywood Boulevard?
Well, there are. I agree.
But there's a lot of good energy down here. It's really nice.
Okay, something by Bach, maybe?
How about a little bit of Chinese bluegrass,
Russian punk and country reggae?
Sounds great.
Whatever it is, I'm for it.
There we go.
I tell you, you have a single rose there.
Where do you have a single rose?
There's a lady walking down the street selling them.
Welcome to Hollywood Boulevard.
Thank you very much.
Where do you live?
I live right down the street and around the corner in the valley.
I see.
We have been standing here watching, first of all, the crowd is getting bigger and bigger here at Hollywood and Vine.
And this has been interesting.
I have the feeling that somebody's going to watch this thing tonight and say,
get those two guys, find out if they're under contract.
We've got a new show to put on the network.
Well, you know, we would still have been here if the Clouds Lanford had decided on a new musical show
called the Marks Wealth Show. That's what preempted it.
You guys lost out to wealth?
As you can tell, for the first couple of years of television in Southern California,
most of the programs were light and fluffy.
There was very little news on the air, and sports programming took up quite a bit of time.
But on April the 9th, 1949, television grew up.
San Chambers was here as what is now San Marino High School,
when the turning point came for a medium that had been primarily entertainment.
On April 9th, 1949, this was a vacant lot.
And right about here was an abandoned water well that reached 230 feet down into the ground.
Three and a half year old Kathy Fiscus lived nearby,
and on that fateful day she went playing in the lot.
Somehow she tumbled into the well.
So we started in and having no idea that we'd be here any length of time.
It was, let's see what's going on.
The thing that is so incredible looking back now,
we had no idea of the impact that this was going to make.
I can remember sitting in the front of a pickup truck, kind of cold,
maybe two in the morning with a microphone on my lap,
and thinking, who in the world would be watching this?
It really brought the city together.
Los Angeles was a big city, but on this one weekend it became a small town city.
Neighbors would visit neighbors that they didn't know very well.
They'd sit in front of the set. They'd have dinner there.
They'd go to sleep on the floor, really right up to the end,
well until an hour or two before the end.
We really thought that she was going to be saved.
And all of a sudden the word was that she was dead.
And everybody broke into tears. Everybody was quiet.
People walked away to be by themselves.
And it was a very emotional thing.
And I think that's the impact that people watching had,
for the first time they experienced the long form of television,
that they were a part of this whole broadcast from the moment they started looking.
And having spent that much time and that much emotion and that much energy
to find out that she was dead, the whole city really suffered a personal loss.
With the Kathy Fiskes telecast, we went into it and did it.
And it was over before I had any idea of the impact of it.
And then to look back and say, gosh, we were on the air for 27 hours.
It was a very impressive program that moved people.
And then to have the reaction and all of a sudden to feel like,
you know, maybe I'm going to be a television broadcaster,
was a very, very big thing.
Our salute to Stan Chambers, 45 years with KTLA, continues with Frosty Frawlicks,
the first TV helicopter Stan's motion picture debut.
I know. Say we can get the package.
Martha!
Tom!
Did you get our package?
Gee, I never got here.
Really?
Introducing tracking software from Federal Express.
It was delivered to your place at 922 A.M.
Oh, it's probably stuck in the mail room.
No, it was signed for by your partner, Brian.
Now you can track packages right from your computer on your desk.
Brian, are you there?
Oh, that package, Martha!
We can negotiate a deal.
The Grouper.
On a good day, you dive to depths of over 8,000 feet.
If you think that's low, you should see GTE's new proposed long-distance rates.
They will drop overall by 34 percent, daytime calls by 42 percent,
and GTE will introduce new residential discount calling plans
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This cream cheese dip will win first prize with my secret ingredient.
Pasta Pocchi sauce ain't no secret.
I use Pasta and Picasso dip.
Just add pasta, there'll be the cheese spread in the microwave.
And you, paste the Pasta Pocchi sauce to lighten up any dip.
I got a secret ingredient.
That stuff made in New York City.
New York City!
Pick up your party dips. Pick up the pace.
That's one secret you ought to keep the lid on.
Ha ha ha!
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Most car owners praise the quality of their purchases.
But only one car line has been ranked best in the world in initial quality by GD Power & Associates.
Lexus.
So the question isn't whether you put your car on a pedestal.
But how often?
And the Lexus LS is thousands less than the leading European competition at your Southern California Lexus dealer.
Gravity.
It's more than a fragrance.
Force of nature.
Gravity.
For men.
You couldn't resist it.
Even if you tried.
It took a lot more than tough cowboys to win the West.
Lady's death fin.
The spirit of the West.
The power of a woman.
Lady's death fin.
It's how the West was won.
The 1950s in Los Angeles was a time of tremendous growth.
In December of 1950, the last streetcar made its run from downtown Los Angeles to Venice.
The Hollywood Freeway is completed in 1952, and by mid-decade there are more than 350,000 televisions set in LA.
And in the early 1950s, KTLA's news coverage is booming.
You could expect to see Stan Chambers everywhere.
In Wilmington for a refinery explosion in 1951.
At present, the fire is contained.
It is not what you would say under control, but it is contained right now.
It is being fought from several different locations.
And right now on the, they're calling in some men, they're calling for some help right now.
Men are going up there. We don't know exactly what their purpose will be.
There is a bulldozer working over there.
There is a bulldozer working at this point to further protect the actual area.
And in 1953 at the Atomic Test Site in Nevada for coverage of an above-ground aid bomb test,
along with then-KTLA news director, the late Gil Martin.
Gil, have you seen many more desolate places in this place where we are today?
There's a lot of snow and kind of a flat top there. That's the actual peak, the top 11,000 feet of Mount Charleston.
It is interesting to bring this following information to you.
I mentioned it earlier that no chapter could be possibly closed without paying tribute to the achievement here today,
which was made possible by scaling some of these mountains and barren peaks which you see here today.
18, 19, 20. What do you want to say it is that brilliant flash, that white light that recedes the explosion of the atomic bomb number 17?
Forty miles away, a brilliant white flash, almost blinding with those rocket trails coming out of it.
It's a tremendous thing, Gil, that huge ball of fire on that, almost the horizon there and jumping up in that tremendous mushroom cloud.
It really scares you. I have a lot of respect for that bomb even from 40 miles.
As those troops go in, they're able to actually determine how their particular equipment will fare under atomic bomb attack.
It was a tremendous thrill to see that tremendous fireball, and I know our viewers at home got a good look at that.
The cameras are right on it so they could see the real fury of the atom bomb.
And while the cameras are in Nevada anyway, why not send Stan and longtime KTLA favorite Dick Lane to cover the Hel Dorado Parade in Las Vegas.
Klaus Landsberg made certain that all his television personalities were versatile.
They could do all kinds of television from news to cooking shows to variety programs.
Frosty Frolic started on KTLA in 1951 and for most of its two-year run originating from the Winter Garden in Pasadena.
The building is now a storage facility. Stan Chambers was the host of Frosty Frolics.
It's Frosty Frolics, your musical comedy on ice.
Wanted opportunity for young men. Mediocre appearance will do.
No salary, but free tourist class accommodations for friends.
Oh boy, it's the real chance.
Paris, here I come.
I know you've been waiting oh 20 minutes or so, but please pardon.
Our chef insisted everything be cooked to the perfect perfection.
Pardon me, one moment and I will check with the chef. Pardon?
It was a musical variety on ice.
It was here at the Pasadena Winter Garden and also at the Polar Palace in Los Angeles.
And the performers were all really great skaters. They were in ice capades or ice follies.
Most of them lived in Los Angeles and this way they were able to keep their ice skating and careers going and work at other jobs.
And it was one hour, fine music. We had a good German band under Manny Strand.
We had built an Alpine Hotel and it was right there on the ice.
In fact we used to get phone calls at the station from people saying,
can we make reservations at the Alpine Hotel for the show next week?
Your Majesty, it is with great pleasure and honor that we present subjects from your vast empire
from many of the great nations of the world in this command performance.
First, from the land of Scotland, some of their native dancers, some of their most expert dancers.
Your Majesty, may I present them?
We go over to Paramount and bring out the props they happen to have available.
Build a Moroccan village one week, a Tahitian village the next week, a German forest the week after that.
And then one of the skaters on the broadcast was going to get married.
And we were all excited about everything and Klaus decided why don't we televise the wedding.
Incidentally, speaking of last minute, you know we're having a big wedding up at the hotel today.
The whole village is just well all excited about it.
Shirley Lander is getting married today. I'm not kidding, this is a real marriage.
Shirley's being married up at the hotel about a phosphatotic tonight.
All of you are invited to attend the wedding.
So I'm going to head off right now and go up to the Hotel Alpine.
Music
I was the only performer on the show who couldn't skate.
So what we would do at the end of the broadcast, I would always somehow get out toward the middle
and do something and I would fall.
And then the skaters, the Frawlettes, they were, I guess they were half a dozen or a dozen of the chorus girls you might say.
They would come out and make a big circle and dance around me as I was there on the wet ice.
And I think I fell down on every Frosty Products show for several years.
KTLA, as you know, is located in Hollywood and so it was only a matter of time that
Sam, handsome and well-spoken, would be asked to play a part in a motion picture.
Until it was that in 1957, right over there below the Griffith Observatory,
Sam Chambers made his feature film debut.
Ladies and gentlemen, you're witnessing a manhunt for the biggest man in existence.
We're in Griffith Park and it's been surrounded by troops.
They're moving up to try to make contact.
That building you see up there is the Griffith Observatory.
Now the searchlights are swinging over to our left.
Quickly, we have to go.
Look! Look at the giant!
There he is! He's tremendous!
That film was called The Amazing Colossal Beast, in case you may have forgotten it.
To this day, it is Stan's only film role and fortunately for us,
he had not given up his KTLA job to make that picture.
This is Skycam 5, KTLA's television eye in the sky.
News helicopters are pretty commonplace today, but back in 1958,
KTLA introduced the first television helicopter to the world.
The live inaugural show started in the KTLA parking lot and almost wound up in a disaster
as the newly named KTLA helicopter momentarily did not retract its antenna.
An integral part of that inaugural show was Stan Chambers.
This is the helicopter station, KTLA Channel 5, Los Angeles.
There is a beautiful live shot right now. The helicopter is over the Memorial Coliseum.
There are the instructions for the helicopter to proceed to land
and it will now circle again and come in this large cement area.
A beautiful shot from that picture, the first live telecast from a helicopter,
a truly history-making event. Now, we are shooting it from our camera on the ground
in a circle over the tall tree. It will come in during that particular area there.
It's coming in very slowly now.
It will hit just about this spot in the middle of the cement area.
You hear the loud roar of the pops.
The skids are there. A big blast of wind hits us there.
And the helicopter has made its rendezvous here at the Coliseum.
We are going to have a very novel item on the helicopter very soon.
It's a tremendous flashing light on the underside of the ship
that will be able to be seen for 30 miles in broad daylight.
We are going to have to eliminate eight pounds, which we already have figured out.
This will allow the public, when they see a flashing light in the sky,
to go in there and turn their set on because they know something is going to be happening.
So this means when you see that flashing light on this helicopter,
get to Channel 5 right away for the big story.
Here comes our remote unit right now. Excuse me one second, sir.
Here is the unit coming up right here. We saw it televising live on the freeway.
If you remember earlier, our helicopter picked it up.
It received the signals, had a little traffic help from our helicopter.
This is our plow car. This is the special that is on the scene
to bring you all of the news as it takes place.
Well, there she goes, our airborne special helicopter number one.
Ladies and gentlemen, your first historic telecast,
our first live telecast from a helicopter has been completed.
We invite you for all special events to watch KTLA Channel 5.
So watch KTLA for telecaster number one.
In 1959, Stan became one of the first local television reporters to broadcast from Russia.
Here in Moscow, he shows local residents something they've never seen, a Polaroid camera.
Our program will be back with Stan's coverage of the Bel Air fire,
the Watts riots, and more of the turbulent 60s.
Tonight on the Channel 5 News at 10, a suspect is arrested in the poly class kidnapping.
Antoine Miller is formally sentenced while Damien Williams awaits his.
World AIDS Day promotes knowledge, hope, and anger throughout the globe.
An anniversary celebration turns violent.
Our own Stan Chambers story continues on the front lines of the Southland's biggest stories.
Hold on tight, this bundle of joy weighs in at 14 pounds.
And will the body ducks fly with the kings in the Pacific Division?
The Channel 5 News at 10.
There's one important option you should know about, the Ford Ranger.
And what an option. You can lease a 94 Ranger XLT for just 192 a month for two years.
After rebate, all you need is just 392 in cash. And look what 392 gets you.
Rear antilock brakes, power steering, sliding rear window, AM-FM stereo cassette, alloy wheels.
Hey, only one compact truck is built Ford-tough, the Ranger.
The Broadway two-day sale has colorful holiday savings everywhere you look.
Start with warm gift ideas that accent the season with bold knits and pure cotton comfort.
Have fun to your weekend in quilted silk and playful hats.
Pick out classic gifts for office hours and more casual times.
Make holiday shopping a lot more fun with two days of savings.
Save on the perfect compliments for any holiday gathering.
Or make sure your best holiday memories will last a lifetime.
The two-day sale Friday and Saturday, 8 to 11 at the Broadway.
The Broadway two-day sale Friday and Saturday, 8 to 11 at the Broadway.
If you have problems falling asleep, now your world is about to change.
Introducing Unisom Sleep Gels with a special liquid center.
They're maximum strength, so they're as effective as anything you can get without a prescription.
They help you fall asleep fast and wake up refreshed.
If you have problems falling asleep, try new maximum strength Unisom Sleep Gels.
A remarkable new idea from Unisom.
201 birthdays.
67 holidays.
16 anniversaries.
One Mix Master Mixer. Sunbeam.
The power that lasts for generations.
Sunbeam. Made for life.
How did Carl's Jr. catch the unique flavor of Baja and a deliciously different new burger?
Start with Carl's Spicy Santa Fe Sauce.
Tangy onions.
A big charbroiled beef patty.
Cheese.
Sizzling bacon.
All topped with zesty guacamole.
The new Baja Guacamole Burger, now just $1.59.
Uh, $1.59.
Only at Carl's Jr. It's spicy, but not pricey.
Carl's Jr., where the food is the star.
This holiday season, give him a gift that will help bring you a little closer.
The revolutionary Gillette Sensor.
The raw store-wide clearance.
Prices have been reduced dramatically throughout the store.
Great savings for men, women, and kids.
The raw, store-wide clearance, now.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Super Lotto. Who's next?
Our friends Roger and Laura.
They own the store where we bought the ticket.
We gave them a pool.
Super Lotto. Who's next?
The 1960s began on a high note, as John F. Kennedy is elected president.
It would turn out to be a decade of turmoil and tragedy.
And in the tranquil hills of Bel Air, catastrophe would be played out in November 1961.
The Bel Air Fire.
I had taken the, actually the day off.
Bev and I were able to, we got babysitters for all the children.
We went down to Malibu. We were down there.
One of the Malibu hotels having our vacation for the year, probably.
And we woke up in the morning and saw this huge black cloud covering the whole eastern sky.
We just couldn't believe it.
We looked at each other and I said, well I'm sure it's nothing.
And so it took us five minutes before I called in.
And then again to go there.
And for me, for the first time to see this widespread devastation.
And to see homes, so many of them, just gone.
And I remember that wonderful phrase when we were saying these are $100,000 homes that have been destroyed.
And then to hear that there are various movie stars and other well-known people that lost their homes.
And for this to continue for, you know, a couple of days.
And then to go back at the end and see nothing but row after row of burned out skeletons, burned out homes,
was another thing that just made a tremendous impression on me.
And you know, another borate bomber coming in right now, coming in very low, right at the front of the fire,
drops its load, and we all pray that it hits.
Stretch Adler has been on the fire line since about nine o'clock this morning.
George, how does the fire look now compared to when you got here early this morning?
Well, Stan, it's pretty hard to evaluate it so fast.
As you can see in front of us, we've got many hot spots and far, I guess it's to the north of us.
Looks like another big holocaust is letting loose.
I hear over in Topanga Canyon they're having a considerable amount of trouble.
I hear there are about 1,500 acres that are on fire.
George, this is all here today. I have no way of really knowing.
Our camera moving down at 810 this morning, five horns right in a row down.
And then as fate would have it, two that are not burnt.
We just had a report that spot fires have broken out in the Presbyterian Conference grounds
at 15601 Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisade.
1962, KTLA starts the first ever local morning news program.
It's called AMLA and of course, Stan Chambers has chosen to head up the show.
In 1964, another first, a local news show which is broadcast from an actual newsroom.
Live, Golden West broadcasters present the sights and sounds of the Southland.
Transmitting with live television units, the exclusive helicopter and telemobile.
KTLA camera crews rush to you each night to news of this day on News Picture 530.
Now from KTLA News Control here is Stan Chambers.
Good evening everyone. Welcome to News Control, first this late report.
The Federal Space Agency says that hurricanes have damaged the Cape Kennedy
and forced the cancellation of the two-man Gemini space flight this year.
The flight has been reset for early next year.
As you can see, we're here in our new News Control.
Our broadcast moving to 530 now.
The reason we've moved here is in order that we can bring to you late developments as they take place.
Tonight, KTLA inaugurates a new concept in sports coverage.
The players themselves, the professionals who play the game, will be here at our sports desk.
Tonight we welcome a wonderful fellow, a great pitcher, Don Drysdale. Nice to have you, Don.
Thank you, Stan. Nice to be aboard.
Well, the Fighting Trills of Philadelphia are still six games in front of the National League
and it looks like this is going to be the year for the Phillies.
That's the latest of this hour. Be sure to join us in News Control tonight at 1030.
In August of 1965, the community of Watts exploded in six days of violence.
Thirty-four people died and more than $14 million worth of property was destroyed.
We want to talk to cameraman Ed Clark who just returned from the area.
Ed, you just got here moments ago. You were there all night long.
Could you tell us how it was tonight compared to last night?
Well, Stan, in my 15 years in these business, this is undoubtedly the worst thing I think I've ever seen involving violence.
This is the worst I've ever seen.
But this fire here at Farton is completely out of control.
Fire equipment in attendance.
The one a block away at Carl's Shoestore, out of control, no fire equipment at the scene.
The National Guard had been called and I never was sure in my mind how many were actually there on the line.
But it was my understanding that the National Guard was there and then the tremendous uproar,
literally hundreds of buildings that were burned and the rioting so great.
You wonder just what steps had to be taken if this situation was to be controlled.
By the mid-sixties, L.A.'s Chamber of Commerce,
the Claire's at Los Angeles, has now passed Chicago to become the second largest city in the United States.
And the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center is dedicated.
Well, there is other news and Stan is there to report it.
1966 was a busy year for KTLA's television station on wheels, the Telemobile.
Able to transmit live picture and sound from anywhere in the Southland to viewers at home,
the Telemobile was on hand for a variety of dramatic stories.
Perhaps the most exciting of these was the mid-November crash of the Goodyear Blimp.
Videotape Enterprises cameramen, recording a commercial nearby,
train their cameras on the impending crash, just in time to record these scenes.
A moment later, the Channel 5 Telemobile was rolling.
As we arrived, the 160-foot blimp was draped over power lines.
Although no one was injured, damage to the bag was extensive.
Repair work took nearly eight weeks before the blimp was airborne again.
Then less than a week before the blimp crash, violent weather was making its toll on the Southland,
and for the first time in several years a tornado struck with enough force to do major damage.
The Ramona Elementary School was among the structure's damage,
and the KTLA Telecopter and Telemobile again brought viewers the live drama.
The KTLA Telemobile has now moved to the Ramona School, which is about 135th Street in Ramona.
That's a good 20 blocks from our last transmission over on Turo Street at 119th.
Here you see some of the damage done to the school.
Fortunately, there was little structural damage, but trees were blown down here on the school grounds.
There was considerable damage to windows, trees, tarp papering of the roof.
And right now, from the Hawthorne Public Works Department, the men are repairing the tarp paper on the roof.
A roaring fire in Maywood, California, here on Atlantic Boulevard near 61st Street.
A food giant market is completely engulfed in flames.
A shoe store next to it has been completely gutted.
And there a big section falls down.
A huge section of the market just crashed into the ground.
A huge section of the market just crashes to the street below.
The flames are 50 feet into the air.
One of the major local stories of 1967 involved the visits of the Los Angeles by President Johnson on June 23rd.
Flying to the City of the Angels at the conclusion of the Glassboro, New Jersey Summit Conference with Soviet Premier Kosevian,
the chief executive arrived by helicopter at the Century Plaza Hotel.
Facing his arrival were thousands of anti-Vietnam War protesters who filled the Avenue of the Stars with placards and later clashed violently with police.
The holiday season of 1967 was given an additional boost of gaiety with the long-awaited arrival at Long Beach, the Britain's pride of the sea, the Queen Mary.
The 81,000-ton vessel has been purchased by the City of Long Beach for $3,444,000.
It will be converted to a museum, hotel, convention, and shopping complex.
The huge vessel on its way to Pier E following the lengthy trip around Cape Horn.
Her arrival in the Southland is a fitting conclusion to 1967 and a promise to start 1968 as she prepares to serve as a marine exhibit of worldwide fame.
KTLA salutes the Stanned Chambers' return.
With a look at the 1970s and Stan's most unusual assignment.
I'm Hal Fishman. Coming up tonight on News at Ten, a late-breaking story about the crash of a commuter airplane, a prime suspect arrested in the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl.
And another chapter in the Stanned Chambers' story, this time a story that terrified the Southland just a few weeks ago.
Well, of all the latest news tonight, on News at Ten.
The 94 sales event makes November the 5th time to buy.
This is the best time of the year!
Murphy, that package you sent to Denver, it never got there.
Introducing tracking software from Federal Express.
So it was picked up at 520 last night and it was delivered at 942 a.m. and signed for by Kate Donovan.
Really close, will you, sir?
Never mind.
Now you can track packages right from your computer on your desk.
The check party mix is for the desk? Good grief!