television by radio

 

Yesterday, researching the career of Marc Lawrence - it was astounding to see a seemingly endless list of movies he appeared in.  A very busy character actor.  With a long career - made his last appearance on film at the age of 93.

Going through that list of movies:  so many that I had never heard of!  In the days before television, Hollywood put out a lot of product.

And speaking of TV - on that list, the 1936 movie "Trapped by Television" - ? - ? - ? ...

[excerpt from Wikipedia] ---------------- Trapped by Television is a 1936 American comedy-drama crime science fiction film directed by Del Lord and starring Mary Astor, Lyle Talbot and Nat Pendleton.   The film is also known as Caught by Television in the United Kingdom.

Plot

An inventor is working on his latest creation, a new form of television monitor and camera, but is struggling to complete his invention due to lack of funds.  

His monetary problems are compounded by an aggressive bill collector looking for payments, and competition from a rival scientist.  

        When organized crime figures are added to the mix, the desperation level rises for our intrepid inventor. ------------------------------ [end / excerpt]

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I was somewhat confused by this whole concept - how could they know about TV in 1936, when people didn't have TVs until the '50s?

        OK, online info:

Televisions were being made in the 1920s.

[Wikipedia] -------------- Readers did see an amazing color TV on the cover of the July 1922 issue of Science and Invention.  It was perhaps the first color depiction of a color TV in the world.  At the time it was explained as "television by radio."

[Google] ------------------ Electronic television was first successfully demonstrated in San Francisco on September 7, 1927.  The system was designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a 21-year-old inventor who had lived in a house without electricity until he was 14.

[New York University] ------------------ The number of television sets in use rose from 6,000 in 1946 to some 12 million by 1951.

[Google] ----------------- In 1950 only 9 percent of American households had a television set, but by 1960 the figure had reached 90 percent.

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Two titles that caught my attention in that long list of movies:

Key Largo (1948) - a claustrophobic noir crime drama, it expresses hope, and determination, for a better world in the post-World War II time segment.  A classic.

and

Johnny Cool (1963) - Elizabeth Montgomery was in it!

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