1950 Zenith "Porthole" Television

Here's a restored 1950 Zenith TV playing clips from various 1950's TV shows.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• classic
• TV
• Zenith
• Honeymooners
• Jack
• Benny
• Porthole
• 1950's

[at90percent]

Looks like a radio with a picture on it.

[visaman]

I Love Lucy was filmed, while other shows of that era, were kinniscopes, A film copy of the image from a television monitor.

Keep in mind also, that many older shows have now been digitally remastered with sharper definition. Many television stations up until the 80's were airing shows that were printed on 16mm film, as opposed to video tape, which was more expensive in those days.

It's good that we have Youtube these days to see some of the older tv shows, that were once considered lost.

[gamerboyzful]

Oh hey old men jk :)

[nakamichiguy]

Absolutely fascinating. What a great little piece of electronic history. Watching vintage shows like that on a period set is rather enlightening as far as production techniques go. Directors on live TV shows tended to linger on those medium and tight shots. They had no choice! I assume there was a lot of fuzz and static for many early viewers, further obscuring the little picture. Must have been amazing though to have 'radio with pictures'.

[toddcharry]

Very cool set, thanks.

[at90percent]

@elmerhdga You show your 2 watts of brilliance by not getting that I was joking in stating the obvious.

[elmerhdga]

@at90percent oh, what a brilliant original comment, that has only been going on for about 60 years.

[noah1970]

fake

[inkey2]

@chris061290 (PT2) In 1998 I bought a $600. 27 inch "Panasonic "SuperFlat" TV. This was right before the real thin modern flat screens came in. The set weighs a TON and has a real picture tube (but a flat tube surface). I have been running it about 8 hours a day, every day for 13 years and the picture is as good & bright as when it was new. If you want a good TV that will last I'll bet you could find one of these used for a hundred bucks or less....only draw back it that it is big and heavy

[inkey2]

@chris061290 (PT1)...I dont know about the new flat screen sets but I have about 4 TVs built from 1980 to 1998 and they all still run fine. What killed the old sets was picture tubes went fast and even more important they had "mechanical channel selector dials" that clicked into place for each channel. Those dials got a lot of wear and broke. For example to get from channel 2 to 7 you had to click it through 4 in between channels to get there. You put wear on 4 positions to get to "one" channel

[chris061290]

@inkey2 then what is better. todays or the old days?

[inkey2]

@chris061290 I am 57 years old and In the old days my family never had a TV last anywhere near 10 years. Picture tubes did not last that long in the old sets...and as proof look in any TV Guides from the 1950s and early 60s, they are "loaded" with advertisments for replacement picture tubes.