Royal Crown Derby

Though I was only six, I recall distinctly the day depicted in Reuven Frank’s “The Great Coronation War” (December) concerning the race to present the first images of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to American TV viewers. June 2, 1953, was an important day in our home, because that was the date my father brought home our first television, a twenty-one-inch Zenith.

The day stands out clearly in my memory because the 4:00 P.M. broadcast of the coronation bumped “The Howdy Doody Show,” my favorite, and theretofore a reason for visiting nearby young friends whose families owned televisions. I remember my bitter disappointment in discovering that Howdy, Buffalo Bob, Mister Bluster, and the rest of gang had been pre-empted by the proceedings from London.