Eighty-five years ago, the United States was on the eve of war. In New York and a handful of other cities, electronic television was already on the air. There were very few televisions in homes, other than for the very well-to-do. Most sets were in bars and restaurants exploiting the novelty value.

But long before the concept of “home theater” came along, this cartoon in the October 1941 issue of Boys’ Life shows exactly that.