Broadcasted !

All the TV cameras of World are currently focusing on South Africa as FIFA World Cup kicks off today...

80 years ago, movie and TV broadcast of sports events remained both a human and a technical challenge...  check this early camera, installed 30 feet above Twickenham ground by British Movietone News to bring coverage of the All Blacks tour in 1936. Above are "cameraman Leslie Murray and his sound partner Terry Cotter, at work, opening the 24 inch lens", as explained by Henry Wakeman in his book "The Game Goes On" published the same year (*).

The guys were right there behind the camera to capture Prince Obolensky scoring twice...

These gentlemen "in height" also reminds me of these two French sports journalists, Maurice Martin from "La Petite Gironde" and Fernand Bidault from "La Vie Au Grand Air" who managed their way up to the roof of Bordeaux Stadium to cover the final of French championship in March 1907, and to provide this remarkable graphical and statistical analysis of the game (large pic)...

Kind of "paper broadcasting"...

That day, Stade Bordelais crushed Stade Français 14 (4T 1B) to 3 (1T)... Interestingly, the game witnessed no less than 88 scrums (in these days, every tackle was followed by a scrum... also check these 1901 videos) and 89 throw-ins (direct kicking was then allowed everywhere...)...




(*) Footnote : Capt Henry B.T. "Teddy" Wakelam, after captaining the Harlequins, turned to be the very first to radio broadcast a "live" commentary on a rugby game in 1927 (England v Wales). As rugbyfootballhistory puts it "He became one of the team of all-round commentators, covering not just rugby, boxing, cricket and tennis [...]. His speciality was always rugby, however."... Then, a "fellow" of Edmond Dehorter, French radio "pioneer" in the 20s that I portrayed earlier this year...

Comments

[matthieu]

Aime voir la course de Obolenski. La feuille de route du match est vraiment intéressante. A noter que dans le récap statistique, les points arrivent en dernier. Je crois avoir vu récemment une technique fille pour décomposer un match. Pour les dites-mêlées, je croyais que le nombre indiqué comprenait les mauls. Non ? C'est sidérant.
A+ Fred (en attendant de voir ta photo sur le permis de conduire)

[Steve]

Et il n'y avait pas ni Thierry Rolland, ni Jean-Michel Larque` au microphone?

[Frederic (www.rugby-pioneers.com)]

Hopefully !!