Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (NOT ANACHRONISMS)
 

Did a search but couldn't find a thread related to this so I thought it would be good to have one, as I'm sure others find the subject as interesting as I do.

So to start it off, there was a nice long sequence in pub including a zoom into close up of an Ultra TV set on the Titfield Thunderbolt, which was screened last night.
I can't ID the set. I'm sure someone will though. Film was 1953 so the set would have been at least that old.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc seen in films and on TV
 

Cliff Richards The Young ones has a bit of stuff.

A PCR on the Market stall, A Pye Continental TV and a Stereo Decca Decola

Hope thats right all from memory :)

Cheers

Mike T

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc seen in films and on TV
 

I mentioned Monday's excellent "Len Goodman's Dance Band Days" [BBC4] on the Technology Related Anachronisms thread but it seems to have sunk8-\. One or two radios there, in amongst a lot of very interesting stuff! I don't do dancing but Len's program was a treat. Back to fighting the Turkey now!
Dave W

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc seen in films and on TV
 

It's still afloat here:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...4&postcount=43

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc seen in films and on TV
 

Thanks Graham. I was a bit misleading there. Wasn't meaning to suggest that it was removed-simply that nobody noticed it;). Didn't think the program was worth it's own thread but it seemed to relate to these two.
Merry Xmas.
Dave

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Although I don't normally watch Dads Army, I just happened to channel surf through Dads Army, the film, on Beeb 2 this evening at a very opportune moment.
The gang were in a radio/electrical shop when an announcement came over the radio, which happened to be a Philips 934A! There was lots of other stuff in the shop but I didn't have time to i.d. any of it.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Yes, I saw that. I also noticed a GEC console, the one with the diamond fret, a HMV/Marconi radiogram, a round Ekco A22. This stuff was 'only' about 40 (the Ekco nearer 30) years old when the Dad's Army film was made in the mid 70's.

Greg

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I forget which James Bond movie it was - Octopussy? - but the villain had a couple of his hench-people on a balcony using binoculars to watch James Bond's card-hand and radio the details to said villain's "deaf aid" using a Pye Cambridge radiotelephone.

Not anachronistic at all - over bthe range involved I could easily make 10 watts or so of AM from a Cambridge resolvable on a 'tweaked' body-worn hearing-aid, the earpiece-to-body-worn-"amplifier/receiver" being a convenient quarter-wavelength long so serving as an antenna.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I think Saturday Night Fever had 2 x Goldring Lenco GL75 decks featured.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Update on the James Bond sighting - it's Goldfinger and it's definitely a Pye Cambridge but I can't tell if it's an AM10D or FM10D.

http://www.deceptology.com/2010/10/j...gers-card.html

See clip linked to above.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Re#10 - there's also a fine AM10D in use in one episode of the first colour series of the Avengers.
Ekco fans will see a working A239 relaying a Goon show behind Michael Palin and Spike in the "Comic Roots" extra feature on the "Complete Ripping Yarns" DVD set.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Just watched a new movie called Horrible Bosses in which one of the "heroes" had a Pye 1005 stuck on a bookshelf with no room to open the lid! Put me right off the rest of the movie LOL.

Kevin

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

A KW Vanguard HF transmitter appears in the James Bond film "Dr.No", mounted in a bookcase along with an Eddystone 840A (or is it an 888A ? ) receiver.

It is being used by a female spy, shortly before she gets bumped off.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

There's a nice TW 'Communicator' in a Tara King episode of The Avengers. The episode is called 'It's all done with Mirrors'.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

And that's a WWII-era TCS-12 transmitter beneath it!

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Hi
The 2013 film 'Berberian Sound Studio', set in the late Seventies is pretty much spot on, the only proviso being that the equipment is mainly that you'd see in a British studio though the film is set in Italy. Nagras, Revoxes and (I think) an Allen and Heath mixer. This was a relatively low-budget indie film which had more attention to detail than epics costing many times more.
Also actor Toby Jones looks as though he knows what he's doing, lacing machines like he's been doing it for years, and pressing the correct buttons. Amazing how many actors aren't given instruction - surely there are technicians on set who could advise!
Glyn

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

That [2012 sorry to be pedantic Glyn] film is very highly rated. It was on Ch4 Nov 23rd but I missed it somehow-very annoying. Will probaly get the DVD but I have a feeling it's going to be on terrestial again soon. Could be making that up but I think I've seen a ref somewhere. Seems to be on line anyway. You're right about looking competent. I would rate that more highly than exactly the right period gear which might not look as good dramatically. If some one has to appear to play the piano, for example, they get instruction in that! Having seen Gravity recently, I was expecting to find some tech comment on here about it, other than the usual observation that you can't just slip a space suit on and off. The interiors and comms consoles look very convincing in terms of the real thing to me. the exteriors were pretty alarming-you are there in the cinema!
Dave W

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Mr Goldfinger has a very nice wall of Racal RA17s, so he can't be *all* bad, though most people might have been distracted by where his laser was pointing at the time...

David

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I spotted a couple of RA-17s in the recent remake of Le Carre's "Tinker, Taylor, etc", they show up in a few sequences.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I don't normally take much notice, but on BBC4 last night, on a programme about the 60s, an elderly "Rocker" was playing a bass guitar through an equally elderly Murphy Baffle.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Yes that was another repeat of Rock and Roll Britannia which has quite a few vintage bits in it [suitable for vintage viewers;)]. He was demonstrating the kind of Bass guitar available before the embargo on American Instruments was lifted [described as a "plank"8-\]. The Murphy was the model with VHF so early sixties. It caught my eye as amps were expensive and only available on HP at that time so it was fairly common for us to resort to an old valve radio-sometimes through an extension spkr as the mags had warnings about radio spkrs/output stages not taking the strain. Of course distortion became the name of the game anyway. It took him ages to get any sound out [after 40 years he said]. Seemed to be the usual dodgy jack plug/socket problem. I presume he was just going in through the pick up socket. I suppose the baffle sets are pretty close to an amp cabinet anyway.
Dave W

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Thats a good spot, I'll have to watch that.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Hi
Some nice equipment in the film American Hustle (my review on glyn-james.blogspot.com). Theer's a couple of Revox B77s, a Teac A3340S, a Sony reel-to-reel (possibly a TC788) and an Akai reel-to-reel I don't recognise with 10 1/2" spools and early logic control. Lots of contemporary Ameican TVs and a big and scary 'science oven' (a microwave) unwisely given to Jennifer Lawrence's character.
Glyn

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I don't know what it is, but the Boomtown Rats 'I don't Like Mondays' video features an old TV set at the back of Bob.

Philips 290U in the film "The Railwayman"
 

Hi. Not sure if this is the right slot to mention this? The other day I thought that I might go to see a film called "The Railwayman" (starring Colin Firth). Anyhow, some one must have had an interest in old radios, because in one scene there was a brief shot of a Philips 290U radio. Anyone else seen this film? I think that the props dept got it right as this scene was set after WW2.
Cheers
Mike

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Bond film, From Russia With Love, scene just after Bond arranges an explosion beneath the Russian consulate, he enters a room with about 10 or 12 'scopes. I think it's intended to be some sort of comms room, thats movies for you! Anyway, they looked like Teks from what I could see. FRWL was released in 1963 so they would have been valvers!

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Sink The Bismarck. Scene where Kenneth Moore is giving some sympathy to a rating thats just become ill, there is a what looks to be a pre war Radio on a shelf but I can't ID it.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Andrew Marr's "Making of Modern Britain" is currently having a rerun on BBC2 daytime. Though I knew about it I haven't seen this programme before. Yesterday's programme had a lot of shots of Writtle and the 2MT set up plus archive footage of big valves. There was reference to the ex-Army shed where the 2MT transmissions were made but the other footage looked a more 'professional' installation perhaps from early BBC days. The programme will be on the iPlayer for a while.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

The advert for Sheba cat food featuring the astonishing Eva Longoria and a beautiful blue-grey cat has a blink and you'd miss it shot of what appears to be an early to mid 70's stereo receiver but I can't identify it. It looks to me like one of the posher Fisher receivers but does anyone know for sure?

Regards,
Paul

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

I caught a good chunk of "Enigma" film/drama on BBC4 last night. Lots of period technology apart from the machines themselves. I caught glimpses of HROs at the listening stations, etc., and a nice Art Deco bakelite radio - though I don't know what it is - in the Adephi Hotel bedroom set (a good close-up almost at the end of the film). I was also trying to place where the railway scenes were shot - unfortunately the credits rocketed by - plus there was a nice roadster car. And Kate Winslet.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Not a bad film. Better than the book in some respects as the Kate Winslet character gets to do some code breaking.

There are anachronisms in it though like the concrete railway sleepers. It's really let down though by the fact that the exterior scenes weren't filmed at Bletchley Park, a few shots of the mansion wouldn't have gone amiss.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Great Central.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Whilst on the railway theme, there's a rather nice sequence in "The Titfield Thunderbolt" where Sid James's character goes into the pub to drown his sorrows and ends up plotting the downfall of the branch line.... with some shots of an Ultra set and what look like genuine screen shots from it.
If I can find the DVD I'll put up a couple of snapshots.

Pete

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Here ya go, four captured pic's of the "Titfield Ultra".

Pete

PS Filmed on the Limpley Stoke to Camerton branch, what a shame it's gone.

PPS looks like the thread has gone full-circle, but at least we now know it's an "Ultra that looks like this"! (with respects to three-seven)

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

See post #1 :thumbsup:

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Seeing the post ref James Bond FRWL, reminded me of the reactor room scene in Dr. NO, there was a whole row of Cossor dual beam Scopes Model 1045 I think. I was in training at the time the film was released, and was taught to drive a Cossor 1035. I remember being much impressed by the Z modulation function, two 1035s one supplying frame scan, and a source of 405 line video produced a magical green picture. Simpler days..

I attach a screen shot from Dr No.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Bond-movies are always fun to watch: I can't remember which ones have a couple of 19-sets and a Racal RA17.

Goldfinger has a Pye [A|F]M10D Cambridge two-way radio which plays a significant part in the plot.

Another movie I need to check out for equipment is "Eye of the Needle", where the German agent tries to use the 2-way radio in a remote Scottish croft to contact the U-boat he's supposed to be being collected by..

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

See PPS, that's what I meant! :thumbsup:

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Hi Andy, I remember being rather transfixed by that when I first saw the video in 1979 on Top Of The Pops. (I was 9!) Of course back then the shot was gone in seconds and that was that! Now I can see it's clearly the shell of a Decca set with a b&w monitor shoved inside.

At last I can sleep sound.

Steve :)

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Roger that, I was just linking in case others may not have read the post.:thumbsup:

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Following Nationalisation, British Transport Films was established to promote the transport industry.
Their films are fascinating to watch today, as they show the world in the 50's and 60's.
One, Farmer Moving South, has this final shot of the farmer leaving his home in Yorkshire. All the furniture has been taken and he is locking the door, with, what I assume to be, his last valuable item.

(I believe the film was made in 1955-56.)

What is the radio?

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Decca Double Decca?

Andrew

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Hi
Just seen 'The Quiet Ones' - a new Hammer chiller (as opposed to horror). Reasonable film, set in 1974 and nice to see several accurate items:-
TV - Early Ferguson 1400 chassis, non-practical
Audio recorders - Akai M7 valved reel-to-reel (practical), Uher 4000 report (non-practical) and from a Fifties flashback Vortexion WVA (practical) and a Perdio wireless.
Film projector - Bell and Howell 652.
Plus various period amplifiers, speakers, oscillators and chart recorders.
Glad there are still set dressers who seem to care about getting things as right as possible.
Glyn

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

There was a programme on 1950s 'British' Rock & Roll on BBC4 on Friday, and as is usual with BBC4 may be repeated in the next day or so, with lots of vintage footage and vintage radios, box record players, juke boxes, etc. At one point a now elderly rock and roll musician plugs his vintage guitar into a radiogram of some sort. Interesting programme all round.

However, I was a bit doubtful about the street shot of some teddy boys as I could see a circular white arrow on blue background one-way sign just in shot and I'm sure these didn't arrive until the late 1960s.

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

It's often repeated to fill in the late night spot, see post 21

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

The BBC2 programme on Dylan Thomas yesterday had what looked like a Utility set in Thomas's writing shed in 1953. Hopefully it was a battery version ;D

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

The radio used as a guitar amp on 'Rock 'n Roll Britannia' was a Murphy 188C, not the later FM console as previously suggested.

Between 34 to 36 mins:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...roll-britannia

Greg

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Unfortunately I think Dylan's radio was the mains version

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Thanks for the info on the Murphy. I did wonder if it was the first time in 40 years the Murphy had been fired up. It don't go bang!

I'd not seen it before but checking post 21 the prog was last on in January. (So if you missed it this time look out for it in September...)

Re: Vintage Radios, TVs etc in films and on TV (not anachronisms)
 

Vintage film about the 1958 Football World Cup on BBC2 this morning with shots of people in the crowd listening for scores from the other match that was taking place at the same time. Early transistor portables and a number of vanity case receivers make an appearance at about 1 hour and 5 mins. Also lots of interesting cars and vintage technology to spot, not to mention a vintage 17 year old Pele.