Production information for "The Midnight Special" tv show from the 1970s

April 13, 2023 5:31 PM

I've been wondering this for a very long time. On the old 1970s-era tv show "The Midnight Special", the artist name is presented in giant neon letters behind them. Were those real neon letters that likely had to be assembled by the crew before each artist went on?

Or was it projected on a screen? I've tried searching for this but no luck, and would love to know more about the production values for this show.

This is a US-based question, although it's possible the show was broadcast outside the US.

posted by sundrop to Technology (3 answers total)

If it's anything like this Bee Gees performance, where they have Beatles imagery appearing behind them as they do a medley, it looks to me like chroma key aka blue screen / green screen.
posted by Superilla at 6:02 PM on April 13, 2023

It sure looks like neon to me, at least for HEART and WILLIE NELSON. But they're all the same font, which makes me wonder if you could rent neon letters back then.
posted by credulous at 6:33 PM on April 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: According to this "For the earlier shows producer Sugarman constructed giant neon signs with the performer or group's name "
posted by Sophont at 1:50 AM on April 14, 2023