View-Master Reels
View-Master released a set of three reels showing the band members of Cheap Trick in various staged poses. Cheap Trick was the first currently-popular rock band that View-Master chose to honor. This set is now among the rarest View-Master packets although sets still frequently come up for sale. The set is listed as Packet L33 and is dated 1980.
There are three views of Pete Comita with Rick Nielsen’s Hamer B12S 12-string bass.
Image from Reel A: “Pete Comita, Bass Guitar and Vocals”
Image from Reel B: “Pete Comita Gets Down”.
Image from Reel C: “Pete’s In a Whirl”.
Reel C of the production View-Master reels.
Initial Cheap Trick View-Master test reels, dated December 3 or December 8, 1980. (Ex. Sheldon Aronowitz)
We have discovered that the 1980 release date is incorrect - the packaging says 1980 but this set was not actually released until early 1981. The initial test reels are dated either December 3rd or December 8th of 1980. These reels are marked “TEST REEL” and are missing the band name and titles for the individual views. They are also inscribed, “Not Necessarily Final Color Quality” which indicates that the photos were not printed on the normal Kodachrome film.
Final approval Cheap Trick View-Master test reels dated January 15, 1981. (Ex. Mary Ann Sell)
Through a stroke of good luck we acquired the final approval test reels from Mary Ann Sell, the president of the National Stereoscopic Association. These reels were approved for production on January 15, 1981. It is evident from the different handwriting and date formats shown on these test reels that multiple persons were involved in reviewing the final product. Mary Ann told us, “Production test reels are ‘approval’ reels sent through the View-Master plant before producing the actual set. The dates/initials on the back of the reels show it’s ‘OK’ to go. These reels came directly from the factory and the creative department. There are only a few ever made before the final run.”