Chuck Jones 1984 interview & demonstration

Cartoonist Mike Peters interviews animator Chuck Jones in a 1984 public television interview broadcast that was part of a 14-episode documentary series on cartooning. The BetaGems channel also has "7-10-89 Mel Blanc death reports, ABC & more," "Don Bluth VS Ralph Bakshi December 1988 TV report," "Ralph Bakshi Dec. 1988 intvw, Basing cartoons on toys is bad for kids," "Osamu Tezuka 1987 profile & interview Astro Boy creator," "Animator David Silverman 1982 Strange Case of Mr. Donnybrook's Boredom," "The Making of Frog & Toad animator interview 9-3-87," and "Phil Hartman host segments Dec. 1994 Grinch TV screening," which include Jones interview clips.

BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from 1983 into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on Youtube or online. Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads.

In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.