THE BIG PICTURE
The Big Picture was a documentary television program that ran on the American Broadcasting Company from 1951 to 1964. The program consisted of documentary films produced by the United States Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service, showing weaponry, battles, and biographies of famous soldiers.
From the official government catalog: “THE BIG PICTURE is the official television report by the U.S. Army to its members and to the American people. Subject matter for episodes ranges from historic moments in the Army’s proud history to up-to-the-moment coverage of current actions and accomplishments.”
The series was conceived by Albert Gannaway Jr and David Burkey, a former television producer who served with the Signal Corps in the Korean War. They saw it as a way to use film footage accumulated by the Army Pictorial Service, packaged in a way that would be attractive to commercial television. The first series of 13 episodes was broadcast on CBS in late 1951, with each episode about an aspect of the Korean War. It had a positive reception from audiences and the Army decided to expand the scope as a publicity tool. Army information units from around the world suggested topics with the Signal Corps filming all the segments. Topics varied and included military history, contemporary weaponry, training exercises, cooperation with allied forces, and Army sporting activities
The show’s main host was MSG Stuart Queen who sat behind his desk for most of the 600 episodes. Narrators for filmed segments included Audie Murphy, Lorne Greene, Robert Mitchum, Alexander Scourby, Walter Cronkite, Raymond Massey, and Ronald Reagan.
After The Big Picture’s run on ABC ended, it aired in syndication for several more years,
Military District Of Washington – The Big Picture
featuring the 3d Infantry Regiment with a focus on the caisson platoon and the tank platoon with their M41 Walker Bulldog tanks, and The US Army Band
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Images of America – Fort Myer is a pictorial chronicle of the first one hundred years of history containing over two hundred photographs, maps, and images. Beginning in the 1860s and carrying through the 1960s it provides a view of what was over time. An autographed copy of the book can be purchased at BUY THE BOOK.
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