[Jeffhs]

Jim, I am no expert, but I think Zenith may have offered that particular porthole set in several different cabinet styles. I just saw the pictures of yours, and am inclined to think you may have a darker cabinet after all, something like oak, maple or even cherry.

I don't think, however, that a blonde cabinet would darken as much as you seem to think yours has, even after 54 years (assuming your set was made in 1949). Some woods do darken with age, but I've never seen light wood darken as much as that.

P. S. I live in a small town near Lake Erie and just love the idea of this set being referred to as a "porthole" model. Sounds very nautical and makes a lot of sense. (I wonder if Zenith got the idea from the fact that, in the 1950s, their main plant was in Chicago, near Lake Michigan, as well as because the screen is round like a porthole?) If I were a betting man (which I'm not), I'd bet a lot of these sets were sold in lakefront and/or coastal communities because of that nautical appearance.