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ETV Opens Time Capsule to Look at SC Life in the 1960s
Profiles of Select SC Cities Part of "ETV Classics" Series Celebrating ETV's 50th Anniversary

Airs Sundays at 3 p.m. in January

For Immediate Release
December 18, 2009

Columbia, SC… In January 2010, ETV opens up a time capsule created almost 50 years ago. What does it contain? Video snapshots of select SC cities. The series of documentaries produced in the 1960s capture a slice of life in South Carolina that would otherwise be all but forgotten. In fact, many of these programs have not been broadcast since they were first produced. Steeped in nostalgia, and with a bit of unintentional kitsch, these black and white programs have a very distinct visual style, and an almost constant soundtrack reminiscent of Disney-esque programs of the period.

What has changed and what hasn't over the last 40-plus years? You might be surprised.

For instance, in the first program in the series, "Profile: Charleston and the Low Country," airing Sunday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m., against the backdrop of a remarkably empty four-lane highway—noticeably absent of cars, billboards and shopping complexes--is narrator Michael Harris noting that the "super highways are moving closer to the scene; indeed they are nudging at the city limits." A quick drive down one Summerville street shows the now bustling Charleston suburb as dotted only with a few houses here and there, and described as the "year-round refuge of those who wish to avoid the rush and bustle of modern Charleston."

The snapshot of the Holy City is replete with many other landmarks that have not changed as much, including the houses along Rainbow Row, Market Hall, College of Charleston, The Citadel, and many more, not to mention the many historic church spires rising above the city.

Additionally, the program presents rare footage of two of South Carolina's most famous artists. Towards the end of the program is an interview with Archibald Rutledge, South Carolina's only Poet Laureate, who was chosen for that position by the SC General Assembly in 1934. Additionally, sketches from Elizabeth O'Neill Verner are included, showing bucolic scenes of life in early-20th century Charleston.

The first half of the program documents the history of Charleston, beginning with Joseph West's 1669 expedition to colonize the area that had recently changed its name from Florida to Carolina. It then chronicles some of the most critical points in the city's history up through the Civil War, before providing its "present-day" perspectives of 1964.

The series of programs airs Sundays at 3 p.m. on the following schedule:

• Jan. 3 – Profile: Charleston and the Low Country (1964)
• Jan. 10 – Profile: Face of Columbia (1966)
• Jan. 17 – Profile: Allendale Barnwell (1967) and Profile: The Pee Dee (1967)
• Jan. 24 – Profile: Beaufort – History's Graceful Bridesmaid (1966)
• Jan. 31– Profile: Greenville – Accent of Action (1968) and Profile: Columbia – A Capital Tour (1966)

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.