Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Winter is Back - Very cold and sunny.
Winter is Back - Very cold and sunny.
Have a Look at Our Radios
I introduced a new contributor to my block on April 14, 2014. Mr. Pj Perez of Victorian Casino Antiques was glad to help. At the time, Pj recommended that I look at his old radios that would be up for auction on May 2-4, 2014. I took a fast look, but I was busy with spring chores around the house, and writing the introduction for Victorian Casino Antiques. This morning, I returned and had a look. What's most interesting is the fact, that like old toys, things were much simpler then. For radios, you had only AM, most of the time, the dials were simple, and if you wanted a fancier model, it might come with a clock!
But what most amazed me was the fact that there were so many different manufacturers (big and small) of radios, and even Canada had several manufacturers, that I assume exported to the USA. The sad part, for myself at least is that like the toys of today, it's rare to find a radio made in North America.
The contrast of wood (older) and plastic (newer) radios is interesting. Nevertheless, the radios were so simple. 2 control knobs were the "norm:, with one to change the radio station, and one to adjust the volume loader or quieter.
This would have been a floor model for the living room. It was larger and had a larger-sized speaker for the family to listen. At the time (1930's-1940's), families together listened to the radio together. You have to remember that TV was not around yet, although it was invented at the time. What comes to mind looking at this particulate radio are the films of WWII, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced to the USA that the Japanese had bombed Pearly Harbour (Hawaii, USA)and that a declaration of war was broadcast. A whole family was intently positioned around the radio as the President made hit sombre speech.
A beautiful Art Deco 1936 radio. The design and colour make this something I'd like to have.
Below are the tubes that are in the radio. Talk about how simple radios were back then. I would bet that some of the radios presented probably still work. I've recently read that old record players are making a comeback - go figure! I do know someone whoo had a room full of the old black vinyl records and plays them on tube-buring amplifiers!
Whoa ! A fancier model with 3 knobs.
This one has 2 radio frequencies - AM and FM, I assume.
The dial is very interesting. I have no idea what I'm looking at but the from 65 - 550 clockwise, and from 65-175 counterclockwise (AM and FM?).
Wow - the deluxe model with an AM radio, a clock and an alarm.
where do I get one of these "fancy" models?
One of my favourite science-fiction movies is "Contact" with Jodie Foster. It has to do with making contact with a futuristic advanced race of beings. At the beginning go the movie, a spaceship or unmanned vehicle is gravelling farther and farther into space and away from earth. As it travels, the soundtrack changes from current times to older times of the radio serials from the 1930's. Since radio waves are a form of energy, the idea here is that these radio waves keep travelling deeper and deeper into space without losing any energy. That scene always gives me a "rest feeling" and go course goosebumps.
What I'd like to fantasize and happen (not!) would be to find an old radio that when turned on would play old radio. Oh oh, they made a movie of this one with a son in the 1990's talking to his father in the 1940's!
Thanks for dropping by,
and as always,
have a great part of the day or night,
wherever you may be.
Stacey
My e-mail address is toysearcher@gmail.com
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