Seventy years ago this month, the cover of the June 1949 issue of Radio Electronics showed the very stylish and useful Radio Hat, a product of the American Merri-Lei Corporation of Brooklyn, New York. I’ve only seen one of these in person, and I was always curious as to how well it performed. The magazine put the set to a test, and declared it to be a good performer.

With a price of under $8, the editors assumed that the original market was for children. But for travelers or sports fans, the set was quite adequate for adults. The magazine reported that in New York, it pulled in all of the stations well, especially outdoors, and even performed quite well inside steel buildings. The hat weighed only 12 ounces and was adjustable. The batteries, a 22.5 volt B battery and two A batteries, were carried in a pocket and connected to the hat with a cord. An earphone was in the hat over the left ear, but it was possible to move it to the right.

The two-tube set used a 1S5 as regenerative detector, with a 3V4 amplifying the audio.  The tubes were coated in plastic to prevent them from shattering in their exposed position.

If the model wearing the hat looks familiar, it’s because she is a 15-year-old Hope Lange, who went on to become an actress, probably most familiar as Mrs. Muir in the Ghost and Mrs. Muir.  You can also read more about the Radio Hat at its Wikipedia article, which is based largely upon the Radio Electronics article.