"An engineer puts together things in a way that they can be used by others to manufacture things, or to use them, or to inspire additional research."

    About This Interview

    In his three-hour-and-fifteen-minute interview, Sam Christaldi (1914-2008) speaks of his early life and influences and his education. He recounts going to work for the DuMont company as part of the team helping to engineer and develop technical standards for television sets and broadcasts. He outlines World War II's effect on the development of television, and what DuMont did for the war effort. Christaldi talks about Allen B. DuMont and his vision for television, and DuMont's hopes to start and maintain a network. He details the development of color television, and the haggling over standards with RCA and other corporations. He recounts the decline and eventual dismantling of the DuMont network, and discusses his post-DuMont career. Michael Rosen conducted the interview on October 25, 1999 in Montclair, NJ.

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Sam Christaldi

    Sam Christaldi on the early television tube receivers at Du Mont

    05:05
    Thumbnail of Sam Christaldi

    Sam Christaldi on installing the early Du Mont televisions

    01:58
    Thumbnail of Sam Christaldi

    Sam Christaldi on World War II's impact on Du Mont

    02:13
    Thumbnail of Sam Christaldi

    Sam Christaldi on television programming in 1947

    02:06
    Thumbnail of Sam Christaldi

    Sam Christaldi on the job of an engineer

    05:26
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early life and influences; on his early interest in radio; on his doctoral thesis on matching hyper-frequency wave guides

    14:53

    On his early involvement in television; on the first time he saw television and the early "flicker" of television pictures; on going to work for Du Mont

    13:31

    Chapter 2

    On joining Du Mont; on his early years at Du Mont; on Allen B. Du Mont

    16:35

    On building television sets for the public; on early television tube receivers; on the strength of early television signals and programming

    11:43

    Chapter 3

    On television signals; on the financial aspects of the Du Mont company; on early television demonstrations

    15:30

    On making a television tube; on selling and installing Du Mont televisions; on World War II's impact on early television

    12:28

    Chapter 4

    On the two TV stations broadcasting in 1939; on early television cameras; on testing early television tubes

    13:37

    On establishing technical broadcast standards; on VHF and UHF; on Du Mont's activities during World War II

    15:36

    Chapter 5

    On early Du Mont programming; on Du Mont's Wanamaker studio; on the height of Du Mont's operations

    12:19

    On sharing television technology between companies and television technology patents; on Du Mont's Electronicam; on the advent of color television 

    16:41

    Chapter 6

    On his other responsibilities at Du Mont and giving up development; on Du Mont's bid to buy Paramount; on the decline of Du Mont and its eventual sale

    17:13

    On his post-Du Mont career; on Allen B. Du Mont's later years; on his opinion of then-current television

    12:29

    Chapter 7

    On the then-future of television; on his greatest achievement; on the job of an engineer

    09:19

    On his various Du Mont co-workers; on his last words on Allen B. Du Mont

    09:03

    1939-40 World's Fair

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont and the 1939 World's Fair and the early price of television sets

    02:34

    Historic Events and Social Change

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont and the 1939 World's Fair and the early price of television sets

    02:34

    Sam Christaldi on World War II's impact on Du Mont

    02:12

    Technological Innovation

    Sam Christaldi on his early involvement in television 

    02:38

    Sam Christaldi on the first time he saw television and the early "flicker" of television pictures

    02:09

    Sam Christaldi on the early mechanical television

    05:52

    Sam Christaldi on how he came to work for Du Mont

    02:51

    Sam Christaldi on building television sets in the late '30s

    02:32

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont building television sets for the public

    03:12

    Sam Christaldi on the early television tube receivers at Du Mont

    05:04

    Sam Christaldi on the strength of early television signals and programming

    03:27

    Sam Christaldi on television signals

    05:44

    Sam Christaldi on early television demonstrations 

    02:00

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont's model 180 TV set

    03:16

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont and the 1939 World's Fair and the early price of television sets

    02:34

    Sam Christaldi on the two TV stations that started broadcasting in 1939

    06:00

    Sam Christaldi on the early television cameras

    02:47

    Sam Christaldi on testing early TV tubes

    04:50

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont's effect on television technical standards

    03:26

    Sam Christaldi on why television sets did not have a channel 1 and the difference between VHF and UHF

    03:47

    Sam Christaldi on on Du Mont's activities during World War II

    04:48

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont's post-war activities

    04:10

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont's Wanamaker studio

    01:34

    Sam Christaldi on sharing television technology between companies and television technology patents 

    05:04

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont's Electronicam

    02:02

    Sam Christaldi on innovations produced by Du Mont laboratories and the superiority of Du Mont television sets

    02:53

    Sam Christaldi on the advent of color television and the 1949 hearing for color television technological standards

    06:35

    Sam Christaldi on his other responsibilities at Du Mont and giving up development

    02:28

    Sam Christaldi on the technological work done on television prior to World War II

    01:48

    World War II

    Sam Christaldi on World War II's impact on Du Mont

    02:12

    Engineer

    Sam Christaldi on the job of an engineer

    05:26

    Technology Innovators

    Sam Christaldi on the job of an engineer

    05:26

    Allen B. DuMont

    Sam Christaldi on Du Mont founder Allen B. Du Mont

    05:06

    Sam Christaldi on his first impressions of Allen B. Du Mont and the Du Mont offices

    05:12

    Sam Christaldi on the breakup of the Du Mont network and Allen B. Du Mont's later-life activities

    01:53

    Sam Christaldi on his last words on Allen B. Du Mont

    01:15

    Philo T. Farnsworth

    Sam Christaldi on Philo T. Farnsworth

    00:25

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