“Judy! We’re going to the control room now.”
Judy came out of her trance to realize that Pauline was speaking to her. She was the last one on the line that wended its way toward the glass-enclosed control room where the engineers sat before rows of monitor screens awaiting word from the director.
“He says ‘take one’ or ‘take two,’ and in a split second the picture he wants is on the screen,” the guide explained. “When a live show is on the air, the cameras are working all the time.”
“What about the lights?” asked one of the strangers taking the tour.
“Lighting a show is an engineering feat in itself.” And the guide went on to explain the flashing red and green lights as well as the other technical equipment being handled by the crew on duty in the control room. On the wall above their heads were clocks that told what time it was all over the world.
“Wonderful, isn’t it?” everyone agreed.
A wall chart farther down the corridor explained the inside story of color television. It was complete with push buttons and flashing lights. The men taking the tour were especially interested. Pauline said she recognized one of them.
“I recognize him, too,” Florence agreed. “He works for our agency. It’s funny he didn’t speak to me.”
“He’s too interested in what the guide is telling him to speak to anybody,” Judy observed.
The man was interested. He was young with straight brown hair that kept falling over his forehead as he leaned forward to examine this or that gadget. The guide was giving him most of her attention.