[Jeffhs]

Thanks for the info on my Zenith Sentry 2 TV. I didn't know they all made the sound I described when first plugged in.

It sounds like that RCA New Vista set had a power supply problem, such as a shorted input filter capacitor, if the picture pulled in from both sides, then returned to normal (I've seen this before); that or else the thermistor which controls the degaussing coils was shorted such that the degausser stayed on all the time (if it had one--I don't know if RCA TVs from the late '60s had this system). Even so, I'd be surprised if the degausser itself would draw enough current to overload the power supply, causing it to overheat to the point of causing a fire, unless, as I mentioned in my post, the main power supply fuse was overrated or had been jumped. Even then I'd have expected the house fuses to blow immediately in the event of a short like that, and certainly if an electrolytic was dead shorted.

In any case, you were lucky all that happened was the living room wall got scorched; it could have been much worse--the set could have burned the whole house down. I don't blame your mother one bit for not wanting that TV back after it was repaired. A problem such as that set had, causing as much of a fire as it did (and in a brand-new set), would be enough to cause anyone to think at least twice before buying another TV of that make. Once burned, twice shy, as the expression goes.