1959 Zenith Space Command Television

[bartsimpson67543]

my dads grandpa had one of these tvs in the 1960s when they went to vist them in fort wayne, in the one thing he told me was the channel wurring with a remote

[MrKEGreene]

We had one of these when I was a kid. Sometimes, when our dog used to scratch and jingle her collar, the TV would change stations. We thought the remote was just amazing! My grandmother who remembered her house being wired for electricity, was transfixed that she could just sit and change the station and adjust the volume. It really was a marvel!

[miviezgeneration]

so the unit was designed to self fine-tune??? the ultimate couch potato device

[pioneerz450]

Old sets are so beautiful, i think im gonna get one and never watch anything on it except, old american shows. :D

[1FenderGuy]

Tube TV's FTW!!!!!! im gonna try and find a cheep toob tv and restore it

[Mr1960Fury]

Those 50s-60s-early 70s Zenith TVs were better because they used vacuum tube & chassis technology...no printed circuits. If the TV went on the fritz, you just popped off the back & replaced the bad tube for $4-$20. Problem solved! I know because we did that when I was a kid. Today I have a 1960 Zenith TV combo and a 1961 Zenith console, both still work. Also, I love the warm, dry wood smell when the tubes warmed the sets up--very "homey!"

[SuperMegaUberGenius]

highest priority sir

/watch?v=z_lwocmL9dQ&feature=r­elated

[Mrphatbastard1]

Seems like these old floor standing TVs and consoles had very good sound without the use of any external amps, speakers or wiring. My parents always bought the portable or table top models which usually sounded like crap through either a 3x5" or 4" hard cone single speaker, I recall them being very irritating at high volume levels...

[thenicedudejay]

i wonder what this television set price tag was when new , in today money worth? wow , such a nice looking furniture ! i hope some of the flatscreens will survive 50 years , but i doubt it :-(

[logume1881]

I want to know what channels you were watching!

[Irvin700]

Those clickers hurt my ears, that high-pitched chime. ouch!

[buzzclick500]

"Zenith! The quality goes IN, before the NAME goes ON! Zenith!!" ;])

[albertusj]

I would still prefer a Space Command style remote today. No batteries to change.

[barf245]

@muskypucker we can't because of the freetrade agreement that sent all our companies overseas.

[scifi75]

What an awesome set.  Zenith was the definition of good quality TV's up until the late 80's.

[paulj0557]

I bet people remembered what they saw back then better when it was broadcast than we do now because they didn't have any way to record it at home. Kinescope and video tape were outside of the reach of the average viewer. In fact I recall when I was a kid that whatever was on TV would be recited the next day by everyone who saw it. If enough people remembered enough bits and pieces then you could almost relive the moment. Although most of the science fiction could be contained in one nerdy kid.

[buzzclick500]

@paulj0557 : Accurate, fulfilling and enriching comment!  ;])

[josys36]

Makes me yearn for good television again!

[DesiluTrek]

Cool to see Fred Allen show up at 1:34!

[themamagoatshow]

where did you get that fablous television set

[OlegKostoglatov]

@muskypucker You`ll like the 46`` flat screen until it breaks down in another year or two, then you will find out that it can`t be fixed, or that it will cost the price of a new one to do so, because it`s a piece of Chinese crap. As for watching a streaming movie in the palm of your hand, yep, you can do that, but who wants to watch a movie on a two inch screen and spend two hours downloading applications to play it.

[vantageIIx]

@muskypucker New things are great, but they just aren't made as well as they were then. This Zenith from 1959 works great, yet most Zenith plasmas from 2005 (after LG bought them out) don't even work at all.

[wurly1100]

I enjoy the new technology too but, Besides having far better styling the old TV's were quality built and Made in the USA.

[telefonbil]

A vintage Zenith TV and Fred Allen? I'm in nerd heaven!

[telefonbil]

A vintage Zenith TV and Fred Allen? I'm in nerd heaven!

[TheNascarfan14]

What Is That Other Remote That Is Hanging On The Tv For????

[genoteleno]

there use to be such quality not only from products, but also in television productions. Such a sad lost art, today, in so many ways. Yes we know the lives of so many of those performers weren't saintly, but they always separated those facts from the performances. Today it's part of the show... HATE that! Thanks for the demonstration of the set, GREAT!!!

[phmayor]

Very cool!

[aberdurant]

how is changing to so many different old TV shows

[stanlymanly2]

how are these shows still playing? :p

[6452ss]

is there a vcr hooked up

[ueberRegenbogen]

Complete with vintage ads for butt freakin ugly cars!

[kelboswell]

It warms up really quick! :)

[senilyDeluxe]

@kelboswell I don't want to know how much juice this set uses while in standby. (I guess it keeps the tubes warm in standby).

[SuperSmasher97]

amazing,does it realy have every original tube?beautiful set too,and do you have anything made by sears silvertone?

[64098]

The Quality Goes In Before The Name Goes On!!

[dynamic881964]

Proof they just don't make things as good as they used to !!! Quality is something they don't seem to care about any longer . . . .sad.....

[lrd9999]

We're seeing the cream of the crop; the sets from 50 years ago which died early deaths (or worse) are no longer around to be seen. Though people must have been nearly as inclined to junk perfectly good stuff then as now. In 1970, my father brought 2 nearly identical Zenith portables, each with a bad vertical output tube, in to be fixed. The guy somehow talked him into buying a new set (which never worked particularly well) instead, so they both went to the dump.

[peugeotrider2012]

really nice set.I have always wanted a set ike this

[batterymaker]

Sounds like Dick Tufeld speaking on that commercial.

[acuraRule12355]

LOVE IT......

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Very nice TV. The programming was amazing to see again. A wonderful demo it works like new.

[KKD1247]

Thats why the old-timers call the Remote, the "Clicker".

[spacehelmetforacow]

@KKD1247 Yep. And those old remotes weren't at all electronic, either. Completely mechanical. 

Inside there's a bunch of little chimes that make ultrasonic sounds we can't hear, but the TV can, and it responds to them.

[frankp3]

@spacehelmetforacow Tuning forks!

[spacehelmetforacow]

@frankp3 Pretty much, yeah. Ultrasonic tuning forks.

[Debbiesblessed]

Isnt that cool! Just go to show, they made things alot better than they do now... Thanks for sharing!

[Oldtimegospelmusic]

Great, Jeffery!!

[sweetthing77203]

Hi Jeffery: Gee, this looks like my first TV. The video is good, and thanks for sharing.

[jefferyb304]

I like the sound this set makes as it changes channels !

[ny718bx]

That's a Gem! Enjoy her and treat her with TLC. They don't make'em like that now days.