Liberace "Nola" on 1950 Zenith Television

[jbranstetter04]

I have an old Zenith flashlight that I got from my Grandma. Why did they make flashlights? Maybe so you could see when working on your TV? Maybe they broke down a lot back then. It's pretty neat looking. It has a trigger on it like a gun.

[davidrodgersNJ]

I once saw an old TV where the tube was facing straight up, and it was viewed on an angled mirror above. I was told it was one of the very early sets, and it was working when I saw it.

VERY cool TV. Thanks for posting.

[JerrysTube]

I can still remember the days of Black and White Television, but I don't recall alot of these particular styles of TV. I used to watch Liberace on TV so many times. Back then people Enjoyed and Loved Him. Nowadays the Sickies seem to need to bust his chops for having been Gay. Don't tell Ellen Degenres this tho....she would never understand.....lol. :o )

[yolowell]

I never knew old TVs were round.

[suedebear]

Georgious old set, great picture quality.

[douro20]

Fantastic musician and composer, but flamboyantly gay.

[jd7x7jd]

@douro20 What? Liberace? Gay? Oh no. My delusions are shattered! :((

[grendeljack]

Oh man I want one!....The TV, not a Liberace.

[MashBananaPirate]

@grendeljack

That made me chuckle

[jd7x7jd]

@grendeljack lol and molto lol :)

[martybhoy72]

Why were some of the earlier tv's of this era made with a round screen? The manufacturers must have know some of the picture was missing. Amazing quality on these old tv's though.

[tripleJ1955]

Incredible two pronged nostalgia! Bravo Wurly, thanks for sharing this gem.

[stevekosareff]

I have a related video on YouTube you might be interested in about how television sets were sold from the 1950s-1970s entitled, "TV MAN: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST INDEPENDENT DEALER."

[djlobb]

whoa, did they make tv round in the old days?

[boy2057]

that soo cool. Classics never get old

[chg657]

The first "Rectangular" screen TVs were sort of an odd-"squared circle" kind of deal, too..Color sets were by & large all roundies up til about '65, & to deplete the stock of "Round" CRTs, they were sold up til '70 or so. Yeah, I'd LOVE to have me a restored "Claridge"...Wouldn't you ?

[dandydonaldo]

Gazing in my crystal ball, I see a flamboyant piano player in your future...

[kellyberry]

wheres the color? was this before i was born? im so confused im glad i have color tv and cable

[chkjns]

Oh, you kids !....................(that little screen is only about 5" around, too)

Seriously, color was available in the mid 50s in the US, but you had to be rich as sin to afford it, and less than 10% of programming was in color.

By 1967 nearly everything was in color and most had color sets by then.

Color BROADCASTING did not even happen in Germany until August 1967 and even 10 years later in Chile.

Those who live in the US frequenlty don't realize just HOW fortunate we are to live here !

[SUPERMANfromMETROPOL]

since it is more in the technological genesis for TVs to be round than square, I wonder why it was so hurrying to make them square as soon as possible. Why couldn´t they have stayed round?

[OLTCITKA]

Good question.The reason why they changed to square is because a lot of the image is "cut off" because of the roundness.If a square TV displays 100% of a picture,a round one only displays around 80%,because it has no corners.The surface of a square is bigger than a circle's of the same diameter.

[CrazyFlamininus]

Wow, beautiful!

I collect radios from the 1920's to 1950's, and have 3 TV sets from 1958/59&60, but this Porthole is unbeatable, I love it and would like to add one to my collection...

Great video! Thanks :-)

[TheTarrMan]

Nice to see these old thing still working, Thanks! 5/5

[BrotherBearAZ]

I like the idea of the round screen, it ads a sense or magic or something.

[XxSTICH666xX]

wow that sound is phenomenal!!!

[1980sguy]

They sure don't make them like they used to!!!! Today is such a disposal economy. You are lucky of a TV set lasts 5 years now a days. I don't have a TV but I have radios that are over 70 years old and they have perfect reception and clarity to rival radios of today. Thanks for the posting, it's great to see vintage items are still working and put to use.

[RadAlly]

this is giving me the chills!  amazing to think that only 50 year ago this is what TV was like!

[W2QYVkz789]

It´s GREAT!!!!!!!

[eleog813]

Most fun I've had watching TV in decades!

Thanks!

[wurly1100]

I use a 2 dollar 75 ohm transformer on all my sets. One end of the transformer connects to the 2 antenna screws on the back of the TV set and the other end accepts a Coaxial cable from a cable/Satelite receiver, VCR etc. Of course in Feb. 2009 you'll need a convertor box too, But not if you're only running a DVD player (connected with an RF modulator) like the Liberace segment in this video.

[akumacornflakes]

I'd love to have a classic TV like this. Is it possible to hook up cable to a TV this old?

[jspen2]

Wurly, how are you feeding this video to the tv? I've been able to broadcast vintage radio programs to an antique radio... but THIS? Wow! How did you do it?

Very nice set! Great picture and sound. Very nice looking piece all around.

[chg657]

We lost SO much when TVs became an appliance...Put this guy & a new LCD/plasma thingy side-by-side, & see which one draws the most grins...

[pm0501]

GREAT! This brings back my memories of TV in it's infancy. I remember when my folks and I watched Liberace and Lawrence Welk on an old Philco TV back in the mid 1950's. I've had my face glued to the tube ever since!

[seconteen13]

that's a cute TV set.

[skinnyblinddude]

Beautiful set! However, I don't remember them sounding this good. Did you feed the set with a signal from your own source or was it an over-the-air broadcast? Thank you for sharing.

[Organgrinder010]

Beauty! My grandmother used to have a porthole years ago. I heard they took it to a landfill back in the 70's. Such a shame.

[chg657]

LOVE this TV !!!