IBM Selectric I

A sexy typewriter you say?  Yes, this is one perfectly designed typewriter in both form and function.  This typewriter and its ball type element revolutionized the 1960s office.  And if you do not believe me, talk to a secretary from the era and they will confirm.

Space Commander 200 TV Set and Clicker

Wow - here is the set and the clicker!

HERE IT IS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I lived in Illinois - I would have purchased this.  This is without doubt the finest looking stove EVER.

Rant!!

I haven't ranted about anything yet, so I figured it is time to rant about something.  As I sit here watching That Girl, I realize that there are only 2 more 9:30 PM episodes before the programming boneheads at MeTV move it to an early morning time slot.   I promised myself that I would not pop a cork and start attacking other programs in their evening lineup that could be shifted rather than That Girl.    Oh, and here is a representation of their general wisdom - why the hell do you run a commercial for That Girl during the show itself??  Of course I know when it is on - I am watching the show already!  Maybe if you ran the commercial during MTM you could pick up viewers.

What is the big deal about this program?  Well, it really is an amusing TV Show - Marlo Thomas is perfect in the role. Yes, yes being the daughter of Danny Thomas certainly opened the door for her to land the part. But, those connections could not keep the show on for five seasons - the public found the weekly antics of Ann Marie making her way as a young actress in NY funny.   Is That Girl the best sit-com from the 1960s? Probably not - but it is quite entertaining and was created from two writers from the Dick Van Dyke Show.  Are some episodes less than stellar? Sure, but no program - even those that garnered Emmy after Emmy - had clunkers (including MTM).

So, now I am going to go back to watching That Girl and giggle. I enjoy many other classic TV shows, but no one can make me laugh out loud like the adventures of Ann and Don.

Inside Zenith Space Commander Remote

An associate snapped this great image of the inside of my Space Commander 400 remote.

One Button Zenith Space Commander

Here is a single button Zenith Space Commander.  This is the first one I have seen and judging from the Zenith emblem it is from the late 1950s.

1960s Mobile Phone

I've been watching quite a bit of ME TV and Antenna TV and with having the opportunity to see some great 1960s/1970s tech on the television programs they carry.   Here is a fine example - while this might not be the exact unit that you would see Cannon using, this is one very cool looking mobile phone.

Now this brings me to my students, who seem to feel that the 1960s were the dark ages or even a time when woolly mammoths roamed the planet.   Apparently, there were no mobile phones, televisions were a rarity and only a few folks had land line phones.

So here is a 1964 Bell System CC56 IMTS mobile phone.  What is the IMTS?  It is the Improved Mobile Telephone System and in 1964 with more than 1.5 MILLION subscribers.

Interested in reading about the history of mobile phones? http://www.privateline.com/archive/TelenorPage_022-034.pdf

Kelvinator Foodarama Side-by-Side

All of this talk about the Frigidaire Flair oven/stove starting me thinking about our kitchen when I was a child in New York.  What was the most striking member of the kitchen appliance stable was the Kelvinator 'Foodarama' side-by-side fridge.  It was avacado green, of course.  What I recall from this fridge is its size, it was HUGE. You simply would not believe how wide the freezer unit was.  When we left NY my mom refused to leave it behind and it lasted another 12 years before she had to get a new one.  So I am guessing it lasted about 18 years.  Looking around on the web for images I came up with these two - the first is a 1966 ad and it is even in avacado green!  The second provide a series of exterior and interior images - it states the unit is from 1955 - this is impossible.  Looking at ads from 1955 for Kelvinator units - they clearly were another generation of the Foodarama line.  

And after all these years - my mom still uses the wire egg basket from this fridge in her current refrigerator.

Mary Margaret McBride

Before Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet hit the airwaves there was Mary Margaret McBride.  Well, kinda sorta - Mary Margaret McBride really was not a cook. MMM was a popular radio personality from 1935 to 1955.  So why am I talking about her?  Well, to me Mary Margaret McBride is synonymous with the Encyclopedia of Cooking - 1536 pages of recipes, how to carve and how to set a proper table.  This book is THE cookbook to get if you want a glimpse into 1950s/1960s food.  Apparently in the late 1950s and early 1960s you could purchase a section to this vast encyclopedia and assemble it week by week.  Our version is  from 1961, but over the years I purchased the 1959 edition as well.    So why is this book such a bid deal?   The illustrations provide a glimpse into how chickens and turkeys appeared prior to all the engineering in the last 40 years, how marbled beef once was and what was once considered 'exotic' is accepted today.   And on top of it - the recipes really are great.  If you only had one cookbook this is the one to have - forget all the trendy crap you find in books by the Food Network celebrities. 

And if you are fortunate enough to have that Frigidaire Flair unit - then this is what you want next to it. Oh, and she is who the "Mary Margaret McMertz" character was based on in I Love Lucy.

I can't help myself - more Flair

It is getting late and I need to stop surfing and call it a night.  But before I do, this website is a must to note.  You can download the complete 1961 owners manual and 1960  Tech-Talk manual here.

http://obviousdiversion.com/personal/frigidaire-flair/

Training the next generation in style

Remember when your doorbell button welcomed you to an ‘all electric home’?   This Edison Electric ad from 1965 demonstrates the move to electricity and in the process delivers a ‘training the next generation’ of homemakers message.

“Flameless Electric Cooking is a wonderful way to start your family toward the joy of total electric living. With a modern electric range, your kitchen keeps cool. Walls, cabinets and curtains stay clean longer. And, of course, only electric ovens have the exclusive new improvements that make then so easy to keep clean.”

Remember ‘You Live Better Electrically’ and in the process make certain your daughter starts cooking early.

Oh – of course they used the coolest electric range ever made – Frigidaire’s Flair!  

One more

Surfing for additional images, I found this site with images of the 1962 brochure.   Not only does it have a space-age feel to it, the instruction booklet outlines the 'control panel'  and as you can see below - it rivals the control panel in John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule.

And the roast pictured in the booklet would make even Mary Margret McBride proud. It isn't some ultra-trimmed standing rib roast that you find today - this roast is well marbled AND has a fat-cap. 

Clearly

OK, clearly I obsess about the Frigidaire Flair stove as much as the Zenith Space Commander clicker  : )
Remember Frigidaire was a division of GM - check out this page. 

Searching for more information on the unit, I discovered that I am not the only one that appreciates the Flair.

Here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now if I lived within 500 miles of Chicago, this would be mine.  Unfortunately, it is up for auction on eBay and it is in Morton Grove - a Chicago suburb.  Here it is in Samantha's kitchen and a series images from a remarkably well preserved one.  This could make me say to hell with cooking with natural gas.

"Americana" Electric Range by GE.

I must admit that when it comes to a stove and oven - I am firmly in the natural gas camp. Electricity just can not match the precise control on the burners and even heating of the oven.  Having said that - the Frigidaire Flair stove seen in Samatha's kitchen on Bewitched has always left me secretly yearning for a Flair.  While this is the GE Americana  it is a semi-sharp looking unit - even in Coppertone. But it pales when compared to the Frigidaire.....

True, this is the GE Americana version - but still it is one sharp looking unit - even in Coppertone.  

Breakfront Refrigerator

This is the most unusual refrigerator - a Breakfront.   At first glance it looks like a French Door fridge.  But notice the ledge that you can place items on.   I've never seen one in person and suspect the design did not live beyond the 1960s.  You can see a great b/w image of one in an actual kitchen here and the same unit in coppertone

"Lowboy" Blender Part II

Of course, the idea of a 'lowboy' blender intrigued me and I had to search for a few images. It appears to be a very practical blender from a storage standpoint.  I know that my old blender is a pain in the tush and due to its height takes up far too much room in the cabinet as the motor unit and container are too tall to store in 'operation' mode.  This is ideal ...

"Lowboy" Blender

Apparently a "Lowboy" blender is a "woman sized" blender.  At least that is what this fabulous Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer ad from GE professes.  My mom had one of the hairdryers. It was harvest gold in color and took FOREVER to dry your hair.

Another RCA

Well, here we are with another RCA unit.  I just bought this one today and when it arrives I will let you know about the guts.  It truly is amazing as to how attractive the Zenith units are in comparison to all others.

RCA 'clicker'

Here is a RCA "Wireless Wizard" remote control unit.  As you can see it utilizes the same technology as the Zenith Space Commander.  But while the 'guts' may resemble each other, this unit lacks the trim lines and beauty of Zenith.

TV Museum Website

If you are interested in early televisions you may want visit this website ....

http://www.earlytelevision.org/postwar_american.html

Great site

Sure, this site has nothing to do with TVs and small appliances of the 1950s and 1960s - but it does provide an interesting glimpse into housing styles of the period.

Take a look ....  http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/Architectural.Styles.Postwar.htm

1950 DuMont TV

How do TVs today differ from those in the 1950s and 1960s?  The easy answer is the lack of the CRT (Picture Tube).  However, I look at something else as the defining element of  the primary difference - a cabinet.   What I remember most about TV's when I was a kid is how they were viewed as a piece of furniture and the cabinet was a 'style' - Colonial, French Provencal, Chinese Modern, Danish Modern.   At times, the cabinet actually hid the screen so that the unit appeared like a closed cabinet.   Below is an excellent example of  'Furniture TV' - it is a 1950 DuMont.   BTW - this set is wayyyyyyyyyyy older than I am.

Another Zenith Space Commander 400

One more Space Commander 400 .....