A 1969 camera operators' strike created Upstairs Downstairs multiverse
5 hours ago
- #TV history
- #media technology
- #labor dispute
- In 1966, America's first all-color prime-time TV season began, while in England color programming didn't take off until later.
- A key difference in TV technology was that American color cameras used three tubes (red, green, blue), while British cameras used four tubes, including one for black-and-white.
- In 1969, when ITV in Britain switched to color, camera operators demanded higher pay due to increased technical complexity, but ITV refused.
- As a form of strike, camera operators disabled the color tubes, leaving only the black-and-white tube active, effectively reverting broadcasts to black-and-white.
- This 'Color Strike' lasted three months and disrupted ITV's color programming, impacting shows and ad revenue.
- During the strike, the first six episodes of ITV's new show 'Upstairs/Downstairs' were filmed in black-and-white, while later episodes were in color, complicating international sales.
- To solve this for American audiences, the first episode was reshot in color with a rewritten storyline: character Sarah leaves in the pilot instead of later.
- This created multiple versions of the pilot: one in color where Sarah leaves, one in color where she stays, and the original black-and-white version where she stays (now lost).
- Different streaming platforms present conflicting versions: Roku and Tubi show the color pilot with Sarah leaving, followed by black-and-white episodes where she leaves again.
- The story raises broader angles like labor tactics, technology evolution, personal anecdotes from workers, children's books like 'The Day The Crayons Quit', and patterns in character names.