EDUCATION & RESEARCH > LIBRARY > COLLECTIONS > MANUSCRIPTS ARCHIVE
 GEORGE SPELVIN PAPERS |
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The original George Spelvin was a mythical character, a name listed in theater programs to indicate an actor who was playing two or more parts. For the more important role, he would be listed by his actual name; for the lesser roles, he would be George Spelvin. In April, 1968, CATV Pioneer Ben Conroy inserted the name “George Spelvin” into a list of CATV Pioneers as a joke. Two Pioneers, Ben Conroy and Bill Adler, picked up on the spoof immediately and sent Conroy an indictment of Spelvin, copies to the membership, and the ruse was on. Quickly, more Pioneers became aware of the hoax. George Barco’s subsequent defense on Spelvin’s history and character caused some Pioneers to react with horror and concern over the Spelvin affair. At that point Conroy and Adler knew they had something exciting going and the mailings ran amok. They prepared letterhead for George Spelvin’s company, Spelco, and a mail drop was arranged. Their campaign was on for Spelvin’s spurious emissions to the affiliates of the CATV industry.
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James Y. Davidson, 2000
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The collection includes: An introduction to the George Spelvin theatrical character. An explanation of the “Spelvin Spoof” with a copy of the membership listing which reflected Spelvin’s Cable Television (CATV) Pioneers’ membership at the 1968 Boston CATV Pioneer Meeting. Correspondence between numerous CATV Pioneers concerning Spelvin’s character and suspected allegations of questionable CATV practices. Copy of newspaper article with picture of Spelvin. Correspondence to and from Spelvin including a letter from his brother, Shorty, and Spelvin’s son, George Jr. Also, marketing collateral for “Signal Suck-Up”, a phony CATV product from Spelco, Spelvin’s electronics company.
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