Category Archives: Phonograph History

1946 Philco Radio-Phonos

Eighty years ago today, the February 18, 1946, issue of Life magazine carried this ad for two of Philco’s latest offerings.  The model 1213 was a console radio-phonograph.  The ad mentions that the radio tunes both AM and FM (the new postwar band).  But it also covered 9.3 through 14.5 MHz shortwave.

But the model 1201 was revolutionary, having just been invented by Philco engineers.  There was no more fussing with lids, controls, tone arms, or needles.  You simply inserted the record (of any size), closed the cover, and the record would play itself.



1941 Home Recorder

Eighty-five years ago this month, the February 1941 issue of Popular Science showed how to put together this home recorder, which also doubled as a phonograph. The two-tube (plus rectifier) circuit could be connected to a microphone, or it could tap into the family radio to record programs. In that function, it could also serve the boost the volume of a weak station to play through the speaker.

The only part, of course, which is unobtainium today (along with the blank records) is the recording head.



1951 Muntz TV

If you were looking for a home entertainment system 75 years ago, you couldn’t go wrong with this 19 inch Muntz TV, AM-FM radio, and phonograph combination, for only $399.95, which could be paid over 15 months.

The ad appeared in the January 28, 1951, issue of the Washington Evening Star.



1941 Teen Girls: Swing More Important then Vitamins

Eighty-five years ago, the January 27, 1941, issue of Life magazine showed these teen girls listening to records. The magazine noted that for these “subdebutantes”, swing was more important than vitamins.  The magazine identifies only two of the girls shown, Edith Seyburn, at the phonograph, and her sister Isabel, standing at the right.



1956 Home Hi Fi

This gentleman and his canine companion are relaxing seventy years ago to music from a state-of-the-art Hi Fi system. The photo appears on the cover of Radio News, January 1956, which notes that some of the equipment was bought assembled, while other parts were put together from kits.



Custom TV Installation, 1951

Seventy-five years ago, it was a red letter day for this housewife when the man in the white lab coat showed up at her door to do the custome installation of what would later be called a home theater. This particular installation included a Radio Craftsman Model RC 101 16″ television and model R-10 AM-FM radio. The record player came from Milwaukee Stamping Co., and the speakers were from Jensen. Atop the extra cabinet unit was a Talk-A-Phone “Chief” intercom, and there was a storage compartment that could later be used for a tape recorder.

The picture appeared on the cover of Radio News, January 1951. The accompanying article noted that custom installation was once considered a novelty, but was rapidly becoming an important factor in the trade.

This unit was a free-standing cabinet, but the article noted the many options for built-in equipment. Architects, interior decorators, and home designers were said to be having a field day with the new options. The magazine traced the evolution of home heating. It began with open fireplaces, then stoves, then fancy baseburners, and finally a furnace hiddn away in the basement or utility room. It predicted a similar progression for home electronics.



1926 Guarantee Portable Phonograph

If you were a retailer a hundred years ago and wanted to sell portable phonographs, you couldn’t go wrong with this model from the Guarantee Talking Machine Co., 109 North Tenth Street, Philadelphia. Your cost was $11.50, and it retailed for $25. This ad appeared in the January 1926 issue of Talking Machine World.



1940 Motorola Model 61-F Radio-Phono

If you were Christmas shopping for someone in a small apartment 85 years ago, then you really couldn’t go wrong with this radio-phono from Motorola.  The record player was automatic, it had “BIG” reception, and the cabinet was beautiful walnut veneer.  The model number is not stated, but it appears to be a Model 61F (or a slight cabinet variant).

If that small apartment already had a radio but not a record player, then for only $29.95 you could get a fully automatic wireless phonograph (sometimes called a phono oscillator) to listen to your records over the radio.

The ad appeared in Life magazine 85 years ago today, December 2, 1940, and also reminded readers that Motorola had radios designed to fit your car.



1950 Television Excise Tax

If you were thinking of being an early adopter and getting a television 75 years ago, it might behoove you to act fast, since Congress had just enacted a 10% excise tax.  But if you acted fast, you could get one without the tax, as reminded by this ad in the November 18, 1950, issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from the Hahn Furniture store.

This handsome Philco 17-inch set also featured a three-speed phonograph, all for $379.95.



1925 Record Sales Methods: The Audak System

1925One hundred years ago, times had changed in the record business, and the progressive record dealer had abandoned old-fashioned, profit-absorbing methods. Instead, they had adjusted to modern conditions by getting the Audak System, from the Audak Co., 565 Fifth Avenue, New York.

Instead of expensive booths, customers could privately listen to records they might want to buy the Autek units, six of which could be put in the place of the old-fashioned booths.

The ad appeared in the November, 1925, issue of Talking Machine World. Of course, very soon, most customers would probably reviewing records by listening to them on the radio.