American Television Classics is a proposed new television series, bloc of programming, or dedicated 24/7 channel, built around the library of 850 "Golden Age of Television" dramatic anthology programs which are either owned outright by Showcase Productions, Inc., or are owned jointly by Showcase and N.B.C.  They were broadcast live, in prime time, primarily from 1952 to 1957, at a time when the major film studios were boycotting television productions -- Showcase was the "major studio" of television packaging at the time, and there is no comparable library anywhere.  The programs, intended by RCA's David Sarnoff to increase demand for color television sets incorporating RCA's color technology as mandated by the FCC,  were broadcast in compatible color but preserved on B&W kinescopes.  The budgets were huge, reaching as much as a million dollars, at a time when an hour of B&W programming cost about ten thousand dollars, and a house in Levittown cost about the same.  It is only relatively recently that kinescopes can be digitally mastered and brought up to current video and television standards; it is only relatively recently that AFTRA has enacted contractual retroactive amendments that permit the programs to be rebroadcast on cable, satellite, and the Internet; it is only relatively recently that the Copyright Act has been amended to provide that the programs are good copyright for 120 years from the date of their original live broadcast.  Virtually all of these programs have major talents at every step of the productions -- writers, directors, composers, producers, actors.   While most programmers believe that they are primarily attractive to a 55-and up audience, video tests have indicated that there is considerable overlap with younger demographics. A full catalog would run thousands of pages, but you can get a sense of the quality of the library on the following pages.  To hear the "Producers Showcase Theme" which introduced our "spectaculars," press the Play button on the audio player below.  To see the opening of the Producers' Showcase presentation of "Mayerling," with Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, press the Play button on the video player below.