Black and White Television Coverage of Figure Skating Competitions

[silverpond]

Do any of you remember watching figure skating competitions on black and white television? Surely, there are plenty of footage of snippets of these events, but actually watching the performances on B/W television was, IMHO, delightful and, by today's standards, definitely quaint.

Watching the Nationals, Worlds, and Olympics in black and white television had its advantages, as far as I'm concerned. It really did not matter whether the costume was flaming red or the dullest shade of gray -- you just did not know what the real color was, unless you were in attendance. Don Jackson's brilliant victory at the 1962 Worlds (first ever triple lutz), on B/W television, made his costume appear to be dark, perhaps black. Actually, his jumpsuit was red, according to the photographs taken at that competition.

Black and white television was the great equalizer, as far as costumes were concerned. The costumes of that day were quite conservative, too. Some of today's competitive skaters wear costumes that are a bit distracting, IMHO, and that wasn't the case in those days. The judges, coaches, and audience concentrated on the performances, without paying all that much attention to what the skaters were wearing.

 

[silverpond]

OK, I know it's a bit nutty to reply to your own post. I can't believe nobody out there has seen black and white figure skating coverage - if not the actual competitions, then in the retrospective pieces that have been aired over the years. There was quite a lot of footage on the 1961 US World team, which tragically was lost in the plane crash enroute to the World Championships.

I can't remember if any of the b/w coverage was broadast live. I suspect it was all on tape, yet it sure was impressive, IMHO. :yay:

 

[jcoates]

Sorry about not responding Silverpond, I lost track of this thread. I have definitely seen many competitions over the years on tape or online of B&W coverage of events. I was too young to have seen them shown live, unfortunately. CTV's coverage of the 1976 Olympics was in B&W. Here is John Curry's LP from them broadcast. Seeing it in B&W certainly gives it a different flavor. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjU0NzEwNDU2.html

Here is his 1973 Worlds LP also.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjU0NDY3Mzcy.html

 

[silverpond]

jcoates -- I also was too young to have seen most of the competitions on black and white television. The first one I vaguely remember is Innsbruck 1964, when the Protopopovs skated brilliantly and won the Olympic pairs title. The coverage was very limited, too, and all of it was on tape. The judges walked out onto the ice with their fur coats, boots, hats, and "boxes" containing the scores, and they held up the cards - 5 8, 5 9 etc. If I remember this correctly, there was very little fanfare, prolonged bowing to the audience, or acknowledgement of the performances. Nobody threw flowers, stuffed animals, and other stuff onto the ice. It was just skate, a quick bow to the judges and audience, and return to the end of the arena to receive the scores.

 

[trains]

This is ABC's 'Wide World of Sports' first broadcast of figure skating. Dick Button does the commentary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alrsemq_mzQ

 

[CoyoteChris]

I must admit that I am old enough to have seen B And W coverage. Please delete this if it is not appropriate, but along with the new Rise DVD, the USFSA is offering a DVD of the 1961 Nationals, and you get a discount if you get both....since these are fund raisers for a non profit organization, I think this is worth mentioning....sales are on now to us UFSFA members and to the public at the big kickoff at SkateAmerica.

 

[CoyoteChris]

BTW, while I certainly have nothing against Don Jackson's performance as posted by trains, the "Greatest performance of all time", but of course by current standards it wouldnt quite cut it. I wonder how many of these past champions, had they been born 40 years later, would have given our current crop of champs a run for their money? Or surpased them?

 

[iluvtodd]

Oh, I loved seeing this on ABC's Magic Memories on Ice, v. 1!

 

[jcoates]

BTW, while I certainly have nothing against Don Jackson's performance as posted by trains, the "Greatest performance of all time", but of course by current standards it wouldnt quite cut it. I wonder how many of these past champions, had they been born 40 years later, would have given our current crop of champs a run for their money? Or surpased them?

I think Don Jackson and several of the other past champions could have been quite competitive with the current crop of skaters. They trained to meet a certain physical standard (triple jumps). That does not and should not mean that that standard was the limit of their physical abilities. If Patrick Chan had been born in 1940, he would not have been doing quads in the late 50's or early 60's . He would have been doing double jumps along with 1-2 triples (likely a salchow and toe loop). He might have practiced other triples and perhaps even done one of them on occasion, but it's very likely he would have skated to the standard of the day. It's rare for someone to actually break the mold in any sport. It's far more common for athletes to raise their level to meet whatever current norm exists. That says two things. First, that there is always something more an athlete can produce given favorable training conditions. Second, current conditions are the most accurate barometer of expectations.

Regarding Jackson, the natural height on his jumps was outstanding. Combine that with the fact that he achieved his feats with far less refined training methods than those used today and his accomplishment become that much more remarkable. Lastly, he was clearly an extremely talented athlete as demonstrated by the fact that he could still do triple sals at nearly 60 years old. Imagine what he could have done with technology like Dartfish to refine his technique.

 

[silverpond]

BTW, while I certainly have nothing against Don Jackson's performance as posted by trains, the "Greatest performance of all time", but of course by current standards it wouldnt quite cut it. I wonder how many of these past champions, had they been born 40 years later, would have given our current crop of champs a run for their money? Or surpased them?

CoyoteChris, I've always believed, and I still do, that if Donald Jackson, Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming, and the other great champions of the past were competing today, they would have a full arsenal of triples and possibly quads in their repertoire. They were the best skaters of their era, and they successfully completed all of the jumps that were the standard of their day. Some people have attempted to diminish Dorothy Hamill's achievements, as she did not perform triple jumps. Most women of that era, and up to the early 1980s, did not land triple jumps. Dorothy was the complete package - solid school figures, great technical jumping ability, beautiful carriage and artistry.

IMHO, Donald Jackson's 1962 World Championship long program was a masterpiece. Not only did he land the first-ever triple lutz, he packed his program with a huge number of jumps and spins. There wasn't an "empty" moment in that skate. Bravo, Don! :yay: