Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (partially found NBC broadcasts of parade; 1953-1980)

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The iconic Happy Dragon balloon in the 1972 parade telecast.

Status: Partially Found

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual event held in New York City every Thanksgiving Day. The Parade was founded in 1924 as a Christmas pageant by Macy's immigrant employees who wanted to celebrate the holiday, akin to parades held for special occasions in Europe. The Parade is perhaps best known for its iconic helium balloons that depict characters from pop culture such as cartoon characters, brand mascots, and original Macy's characters.

Since 1953, NBC has held the telecast rights to the Parade[1]; prior to this, CBS broadcasted the Parade. NBC's broadcast of the Parade traditionally lasts three hours, with the first hour dedicated to performances by Broadway musicals and the Parade progressing to the finish line. The other two hours consist of the Parade itself, which features giant balloons, floats, cultural performances, celebrity appearances, and musical/talent ensembles. The Parade ends with Santa Claus riding on his own float, signaling the unofficial arrival of the holiday season.

Hosts of the NBC telecast have included such personalities as Bob Hope (1960), Lorne Greene, Betty White (from 1963 to 1972), Ed McMahon (from 1974 to 1981), Helen Reddy (1975), Bryant Gumbel (from 1977 to 1980 and 1982 to 1984), Willard Scott (from 1987 to 1997), Katie Couric (from 1991 to 2005), and Al Roker (from 1995 to the present day).

Availability

Out of the 28 Parade broadcasts that aired on NBC between 1953 and 1980, only three of them have surfaced in full. Video recording equipment was not readily available to the general public until 1971, meaning the 1953-1970 broadcasts have a lower chance of being found than the 1971-1980 broadcasts. Clips from various pre-1980 telecasts have been used in Parade anniversary specials produced by NBC, meaning at least parts of the broadcasts remain in the NBC archives.

During the first several years that the Parade was aired on NBC, the Parade experienced many changes that made the Parade what it is today. Many of the Parade's most iconic balloons were introduced in this period, such as Popeye, Bullwinkle, the Happy Dragon, Underdog, Smokey Bear, Linus the Lionhearted, Sinclair Oil Corporation's Dino mascot, and the first two Snoopy balloons. The toy float concept - smaller floats that feature sculptures of animals and children's toys - was introduced in the 1960s. The Parade's unofficial mascot, Tom Turkey, was also introduced during this time period, making his first appearance in the 1973 Parade.

Notable lost parades include the 1956 Parade (when all balloons succumbed to blustery winds, with Mighty Mouse crashing in front of NBC cameras), 1960 (the debut of the Happy Dragon, Macy's longest-running singular balloon to date) and 1971 (when all the balloons had to be removed due to heavy winds and rain)

List of Parades

# Parade Year Status Notes
1 1953 Lost
2 1954 Lost
3 1955 Lost
4 1956 Lost
5 1957 Lost
6 1958 Partially Found Clips of the Spaceman balloon exist
7 1959 Found
8 1960 Lost
9 1961 Partially Found A clip of one of the Marching Bands exist online
10 1962 Partially Found Footage of Donald Duck was used as part of a special in 2011 and footage of Bullwinkle was used in 2016. Audio of the ending exists[2]
11 1963 Lost
12 1964 Partially Found
13 1965 Partially Found Footage of the Dino balloon and the Monroe Girls Corp exist online, and can be viewed on YouTube and Facebook respectively.
14 1966 Partially Found Audio exists[3]
15 1967 Partially Found Audio of the Carlisle High School Marching Band and the first few seconds of The Happening's performance on the "Rock Candy Mountain" float exists on YouTube.
16 1968 Lost
17 1969 Partially Found Footage of the Broadway cast of Jimmy Performing exists, as does audio[4].
18 1970 Partially Found Stills of Dino and Donald Duck exist
19 1971 Partially Found
20 1972 Partially Found Audio exists[5]
21 1973 Partially Found Audio exists[6]
22 1974 Partially Found
23 1975 Partially Found Audio of the Christian County High School Band exists on YouTube.
24 1976 Found
25 1977 Partially Found
26 1978 Partially Found CBS' unofficial airing of the Parade is found, however NBC's broadcast remains lost.
27 1979 Partially Found
28 1980 Partially Lost The majority of the 1980 Parade is found, with approximately 30 minutes missing.

Gallery

Photos

Videos

The 1959 Parade, the oldest surviving parade in full.

The 1976 Parade, the 2nd oldest surviving parade in full.

Parts of the 1972 Parade.

The intro, band performances and Santa Claus from the 1979 Parade.

Wrangler Belles performance from the 1971 parade.

Wrangler Belles performance from the 1973 parade.

Wrangler Belles performance from the 1977 parade and longer introduction to the 1977 Parade.

The Broadway Cast of Jimmy Performing "The Mayor of New York" in 1969.

Diana Ross's famous appearance in 1979.

Sinclair's Dino in the 1965 Parade.

The Village People performance in 1978.

Tom Turkey, known in 1974 as the Toy Turkey, makes his second appearance.

The Patriot Band performance in 1978.

The Independence High School 76th Cavalry Band in 1978.

The Salem High School Marching Band performance and Santa Claus in 1977.

Mason Reese performance in 1975.

The Dover High School Tornado Band performance in 1972.

The Ohio Youth Choir in 1975

Audio of the Christian County High School Marching Colonels performance in 1975.

The Spring Branch Sr. High School Marching Band performance in 1974.

The Spring Branch Bruin Brigade performance in 1974.

Audio of the Carlisle High School Marching Band performance in 1967.

Short silent clips of the 1966 Parade

See Also

Refrences