Philharmonic 15" ad on ETF

[Dave A]

Steve posted this today. An ad from A&S department store in Brooklyn for their house brand color set (AMC) proudly made by Philharmonic and dated January 21, 1954. It's layout is like nothing ever seen. Complete with doors and spindly bent metal legs to hold up a lot of weight. Time to knock on doors in Brooklyn and search for the new holy grail...if it really was sold.

[miniman82]

Ad says 'place your order today'. How much you wanna bet these things never made it to market?

[Dave A]

True but for the side note that says you can stop by and see Dinah Shore in color on NBC. Something was happening that night. Time to see if Dinah was in color that night.

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by Dave A

True but for the side note that says you can stop by and see Dinah Shore in color on NBC. Something was happening that night. Time to see if Dinah was in color that night.

The Dinah Shore Show was broadcast in color on Thurs. Jan. 21st 1954 7:30 PM. The 15 minute program originated from New York City. The previous Tues. Jan. 19th Dinah was also telecast in color. Her first color broadcast. NBC network news w/ John Cameron Swayze filled out the next 15 min to 8:00.
Dave, I also question what is an artist's drawing of the set and the spindly metal legs supporing it. I like the idea of a lo-boy console w/the chassis along side the picture tube. False advertising? The store had to come up with something. Didn't they?

-Steve D.

[Mal Fuller]

Interesting. The ad specifically mentions that the set features a three-gun RCA tube. That tube's screen looks nothing like the screen on the one in the drawing. Like others here on the forum, I doubt the set was ever produced, although one of the engineers who was associated with RCA's tricolor tube development told me back in the 1980s that RCA shipped two 15GP22s and two deflection yokes to every US TV manufacturer for them to use in color TV development.
As an aside, My old shop is air-conditioned with an old AMC air-conditioner of that vintage in the wall.

[kx250rider]

I vote artistry only; not even feasible or possible to make a color TV in that design. #1, the set weighed WAY too much for those wire legs, and #2, to get the HV and convergence and focus voltages so far from the chassis to the tube, would have been foolish.

Charles

[Steve McVoy]

I think the set could have been made. The Motorola 19 inch sets from 54 are on very small weak legs, and I don't think it would be any problem to run the HV leads for several feet. We do it all the time when we are using a test jig.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/motorola_19ct1.html

As to whether it was sold to the public, I doubt it, but I think they may have had a set on display.

[reeferman]

Notice the ad says "color TV sets". Are they talking different model numbers, or possibly two sets? Price seems to be right on.

[Dave A]

I was thinking a split-chassis arrangement...one the base and the rest on the vertical.

And what was Philharmonic actually making at the time or did they source from others? Nothing to see on Tom's site for the year.

[leadlike]

This is an all new company to me-did they produce B&W sets as well?

I could see this being a one-off display piece, as I'm sure you could get quite an audience into your store to watch color tv, thereby upping your sales in other departments.

As for the reference to the plural "sets", possibly they had a deal with Philharmonic to produce more cabinets IF there were any orders. I see they did offer them in two finishes, and given that even the major manufacturers weren't doing that in '54, that leads me to think these sets were all made to order. Did RCA ever just sell 15" chassis? Could a CT-100 chassis be modified to sit sideways like that, with separate mounting brackets for the crt hardware?

[Steve McVoy]

Philharmonic has several sets in Riders Vol 7-16.

[Tim]

Doing some internet research, Philharmonic Radio was Avery Fisher's first company. The company was started in 1937 sold in 1945. They made custom and high end radios. Fisher then went on to form the Fisher Co. I guess this is the same Philharmonic?

[Steve D.]

Here is a dealer ad for the 1952 Philharmonic TV.
Notice in the list of features: "Simply adaptable to color TV."

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1952-Philharmonic-Ad.JPG

Of course, nothing to do w/the 1954 15" color set, but shows that color was still a selling point in 1952.

Ad courtesy of Tom Genova's TV History site

-Steve D.

[reeferman]

How many of you professionals ever ran across this brand set? I never saw one come through our independent shop (in St. Louis) in all the years I worked there, and I thought I saw 'em all.

[vintagecollect]

Hello,

Just had to chime in. Cool set, 1 may turn up in future. Reminds me of 1940's B/W sets with doors, very modern, to hide set when not in use. Legs were most likely steel and probaly strong enough for set. Upper base of legs made right helped to distribute weight correctly. If this set was made looks like the most modern 15" set.

You know early color sets REALLY had an uphill battle to simply survive. Minimal programming in color in most areas along with limited to poor support service. That 15" crt design is fragile, when I was growing up most people junked color TV's when CRT died, regardless of rebuilding , too costly. I'm amazed half of the older people I talk to don't think color tv came out til the 1960's or 1970's.

Standardized parts for different makes, LIKE FBT's etc could of made obtaining parts in general easier to make and obtain. Better color programming could of better justified getting such pricey sets repaired and kept longer.

Simply frustrating that some worker at RCA couldn't tried to save egineering data and other on early color designs now in trash heap. RCA must of known of 15" CRT problems.