The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Touted as the "unofficial" start of the holiday season, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is watched by millions every year on Thanksgiving Day. The parade itself began in 1924 at Bamberger's in Newark, New Jersey and then transferred to Macy's in Manhattan. The employees, most of whom were new immigrants to the US, wanted to show their love for their new country.
The parade continued to grow through the '30's where the use of balloons first began. The parade was suspended during WWII to use the rubber for the war effort and resumed in 1945.
In 1947, the parade was the backdrop for a Christmas favorite - Miracle on 34th Street. The movie is a perennial favorite and starred Maureen O'Hara, Edmund Gwen and a young Natalie Wood.
The parade first began its' network coverage on CBS in 1948. NBC became the official broadcaster in 1955. At first, the broadcasts were only one hour long. In 1961, it expanded to two hours and, by 1969, all three hours were broadcast. Lorne Greene hosted the show with Betty White from '63-71. Ed McMahon took over with various co-hosts and from '87-'97 Bryant Gumble and the great Willard Scott hosted the parade along with various co hosts that included McMahon and Katie Couric. Al Roker joined in 1995 and since 1998 Matt Lauer took over duties after the depature of Willard Scott.
Since 2006, Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera and Al Roker have been the hosting team for NBC. I have uploaded the opening for the 1981 Macy's Parade and it features Ed McMahon as host.
Enjoy!
Thanks for posting this Robby. When I was about 2 or 3, my mother took my older sister and myself to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC. I don't really remember anything about it. She also took us to see The Rockettes during that same time.
You're welcome Susan. This was a hit or miss tradition in my house as it depended on whether we were traveling that year or not. I sat down for the first time and watched it again in 1990 and have looked forward to it ever since.
What's funny is you can hear what is obviously either the audio intro to a previous parade or there was a last minute lineup change in hosts. Gotta love live TV!