Where can I get episodes of old TV shows?

[Waluigi]

So I found out my grandmother was a contestant on 'Blind Date' in the late 40's or early 50's. I'm not sure what exact episode she was on. I want to obtain the tape of that show, and give it to her for her birthday. Any suggestions? I'm not even sure where to start....

--Waluigi

[jsw]

It's unlikely that the episode survives on tape anywhere - shows from that long ago are usually lost. I think your best bet would be to write to the network that ran the show and ask for assistance. Best of luck - just be forewarned that it's likely that the show was never taped (most shows were "live" back then and not recorded, and tapes of the recorded ones usually weren't on media which would survive 50-60 years).

[Doctor Q]

I know somebody who tried to get a tape of a kiddie TV show from decades earlier because he was on the show as a child. He tracked down which company produced the show and found the right contact person. It wasn't fast, but eventually he got a VCR tape with his episode on it. So it's possible.

You can also take a trip to New York and go to the Museum of Television and Radio (http://www.mtr.org/welcome.htm), where you can find huge libraries of old shows that you'd find nowhere else. You check them out and watch them in a viewing room with headphones. I like to go to the museum's branch in Los Angeles.