It was a high-stakes race in opposition to time, involving top-secret missions throughout the Atlantic, with jet bombers and fighters flying particular payloads – and a chimpanzee TV star who almost ruined all of it.
As royal followers world wide put together for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, they will relaxation assured that no matter occurs on the day, any backstage drama is unlikely to match what unfolded at his mom’s crowning 70 years in the past.
On June 2, 1953, the world turned to London’s Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II was to be anointed as Queen to some 2.5 billion folks in a second of supreme pomp and pageantry.
However whereas the ceremony can be steeped in 1000-year-old traditions, it could additionally replicate the fashionable post-war world: For the primary time ever, the coronation was to be televised.
This posed unprecedent challenges. In any case, it was a time earlier than videotape, not to mention satellite tv for pc transmission.
However, for a US TV trade in its infancy, it was a chance too good to go up.
The truth is, it proved to be the primary nice battle for supremacy between networks – on the time restricted to CBS, NBC and a fledgling ABC.
On June 2, 1953, the world turned to London’s Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II was to be anointed as Queen to some 2.5 billion folks in a second of supreme pomp and pageantry.
Whereas the ceremony was be steeped in 1000-year-old traditions, it additionally mirrored the fashionable post-war world: For the primary time ever, the coronation was televised.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of her coronation wave to crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
In 1953, round half of People had entry to a tv and, on the day, some 85 million folks tuned in to observe right here.
In London, solely the BBC was allowed contained in the Abbey, with dwell footage made obtainable to international broadcasters free of charge.
However with no method on the time of broadcasting throughout the Atlantic, that dwell footage first needed to be transferred on to film movie within the UK – after which bodily transported throughout the ocean to be broadcast on US networks.
The query was then: who might do it quickest?
It was shortly obvious that newcomer ABC was too small and cash-strapped to compete, and as an alternative organized a deal to piggyback off the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s protection (as a member of the Commonwealth, Canada obtained particular supply of the movie by Royal Air Drive jet).
For CBS and NBC, nevertheless, the race was on to beat one another, and Canada – and executives from each networks traveled in secret to Britain months upfront to put their plans.
Although actual figures aren’t know, the bills will need to have been huge.
First, processing laboratories for each networks needed to be arrange in central London so movie might be shortly developed and packaged for journey.
Subsequent was the somewhat greater problem of flights.
On the time, jet journey was much more in its infancy than tv. There was just one sort of worldwide civilian jet aircraft on this planet, the de Havilland Comet, all fashions of which have been operated by British Abroad Airways Company (BOAC), the forerunner of British Airways.
Pilots with the primary newsreel of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in June 1953, able to fly from London throughout the Atlantic.
An NBC anchor protecting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
In secret, NBC made a suggestion to BOAC who have been initially completely happy to lease them a Comet – however the airline later pulled out after struggling a string of setbacks, together with a crash in India that killed 43 folks.
The one different possibility obtainable, then, gave the impression to be to kind a cope with the RAF Canberra jet bomber – which might be flying to Goose Bay, Labrador, with Canada’s copy of the BBC movie – to get them to hold the CBS and NBC reels.
Now, Goose Bay is a good distance up the Canadian Japanese seaboard, so there would nonetheless be a touch to get the reels again right down to the US.
CBS and NBC each had their headquarters in New York Metropolis – however, since each minute was going to rely, it was apparent they would wish to get nearer to the Canadian border. And a focus turned additional north to Boston’s Logan Airport.
There, each networks spared no expense custom-building complete broadcasting amenities on web site – CBS changing a hangar and NBC adapting the administration constructing.
In the meantime, privately owned P-51 Mustangs, the quickest propeller-driven World Battle II fighters, have been chartered to gather the movie at Goose Bay and race right down to Logan.
For added pleasure, CBS constructed a podium proper out on the runway, in order that their anchor might be captured dashing as much as the coming aircraft to gather the movie reels dwell on digital camera.
And so, the stage was set for the nice coronation TV race. Or at the very least, that’s what CBS thought.
For, over at NBC, deputy information chief Charles Colledge hatched a somewhat ingenious plan, codename Operation Astro, in a remaining try and trounce their rival.
In a terrific stroke of luck, it was found that British jet producer English Electrical was on account of ship considered one of its long-range Canberra bombers to the Venezuelan Air Drive on the finish of Might or starting of June.
An NBC newsman receives a reel of coronation movie footage from a pilot in Boston.
In 1953, round half of People had entry to a tv and, on the day, some 85 million folks tuned in to observe right here.
And, with the assistance of a hefty monetary inducement of $1000 (greater than $11,000 in right this moment’s cash), NBC persuaded them to make the journey throughout Atlantic on the day of the coronation, with a duplicate of its footage onboard.
Importantly, the flight was direct to Boston – slicing out the necessity for the change at Goose Bay, and doubtlessly saving hours.
If NBC might pull it off, they might certainly win.
However, sadly, it wasn’t that straightforward. On the day itself, catastrophe struck.
Mid-flight, NBC have been informed that the Canberra bomber had developed issues with its gasoline feed and needed to flip again to Britain.
Reluctantly, they needed to settle for the race from Canada to Boston was again on.
Each NBC and CBS had employed a few of the greatest racing pilots to be discovered – however ultimately that didn’t drastically matter. For the CBS aircraft, piloted by Joe DeBona, managed to take off from Goose Bay at 2.02pm Japanese Time, a whole 13 minutes earlier than NBC, whose aircraft was hampered by ‘ice issues’.
It was a lead DeBona by no means misplaced. And, as he supplied CBS with common radio updates in the course of the two and a half hour flight, his employers began to really feel certain they might win even earlier than he touched down in Boston at precisely 4.12pm.
Whereas the champagne was being placed on ice within the CBS hangar and its information anchors – stationed in Logan’s air-traffic management tower – gave viewers excited updates on DeBona’s progress, a temper of silent despondency prevailed over at NBC.
However then, considered one of their workers had a brainwave: bribe ABC to make use of the coronation footage they have been getting from the Canadians.
Pilot Joe De Bonac (proper) in a P51 Mustang airplane in Goose Bay, Labrador, on the brink of fly CBS movie of the Coronation to Boston Logan Airport on June 2, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation.
In fact, NBS would ideally not have relied upon one other broadcaster – particularly one within the relative TV backwater of Canada.
Certainly, that was your complete reasoning for getting into this elaborate transatlantic race within the first place. However, for the reason that battle had now been all however misplaced to CBS, it was definitely value a attempt.
A hasty telephone name and a suggestion to pay for a similar TV traces from Montreal that ABC was utilizing to acquire the footage – and, at 3.56pm, with the CBS aircraft nonetheless in flight, NBC and ABC rolled out the primary footage of the coronation.
In opposition to the chances, they thought they’d received.
However then – once more – catastrophe struck for NBC.
The Canadian broadcaster was displaying the fallacious footage – of Canada’s coronation ceremonies, as an alternative of occasions in London.
All of the whereas, the CBS aircraft edged ever nearer to Boston, and NBC executives sat helpless ready for the Canadians to roll the right BBC footage.
This was going proper as much as the wire.
However then, at 4.17pm it was over.
The London footage appeared from Canada. NBC had received by simply 13 minutes.
NBC’s line-up of commentators included a chimp named J. Fred Muggs who was the community’s immensely fashionable mascot.
Muggs incensed politicians again within the UK who denounced it as ‘an insult to the Queen’ and even debated the problem in parliament.
Life journal later printed a photograph of 4 surprised CBS executives, struggling to work out how their rival was displaying coronation footage whereas the aircraft carrying their footage was nonetheless within the air.
In a remaining twist to this epic race, nevertheless, it was additionally later revealed that CBS truly managed to drag a quick one itself, by beginning off its coronation protection not initially (as NBC had) however half-way by, nearer to the precise crowning ceremony.
This, they cheekily now declare, meant they have been the true winner.
And the US information networks weren’t alone in enjoying soiled tips that day.
Years later, it emerged that the key Canberra bomber bringing the NBC movie hadn’t truly developed gasoline difficulties in any respect.
As an alternative, the BBC had bought wind of NBC’s plan and had informed the British Air Ministry. Anxious to make sure the Canadians weren’t scooped by enterprising People, officers ordered the Canberra pilots – each members of the RAF Reserve and due to this fact answerable to the UK authorities – to return house.
In the meantime, there was additionally a somewhat weird row over NBC’s use of a chimpanzee throughout their coronation protection.
Sure – the community’s line-up of commentators included a chimp named J. Fred Muggs who was their immensely fashionable mascot.
This incensed politicians again within the UK who denounced it as ‘an insult to the Queen’ and even debated the problem in parliament.
It was a weird, however maybe becoming finish, to this mad media battle. If solely Saturday’s coronation might be a fraction so thrilling.
