MovieChat Forums > My Blue Heaven (1950) Discussion > The TV that Kitty Watches

The TV that Kitty Watches

posted 16 years ago by bachstradivarius
4 replies | jump to latest

Can anyone who was around in 1950, or who knows about the history of TV sets, comment on the TV set on which Kitty Moran watches her husband performing with Gloria? (Kitty is in their apt with the baby, watching as Gloria stands in for her.)

The TV is a beautiful wooden box, with a lid that, when lifted up, reveals a screen. From the side the lid seems to open only to about 45 degrees, which indicates that the Cathode Ray Tube may be in the box, facing upwards, and maybe there is a mirror in the lid, reflecting the image?

What a cool-looking device. Did such an early "projection TV" actually exist? Who would have manufactured it?

Thanks!

[–] rdfarnham 16 years ago

This type of TV was actually fairly common in the early 50s and they were manufactured by a number of companies. The picture tube was mounted facing up and there was a mirror mounted under the top lid which opened to a 45 degree angle. In order to make the picture look right (since it was a mirror image) the circuitry in the TV was set up to reverse the picture right-to-left. As a former TV repairman I can state that these TVs did actually exist and I have worked on many of them. The one flaw in the picture that is shown in the movie is that the early color TVs were nowhere near that good.

[–] bachstradivarius 16 years ago

Hey, thanks for that info. very interesting.

[–] Dave-137 12 years ago

We watched the film on Turner and didn't have the ability to replay this scene, but it looked like when Grable lowered the lid, it was completely flat, as opposed to the look it had earlier when she was actually watching it ... when it looked like it had that 45-degree angle back. Anyone get a better look?

Also, even if color TVs were available in 1950, why would the TV show in 1950 have been broadcast in color? How common was that?

Seeing this was startling ... very futuristic-seeming, and neat that way.

[–] rdfarnham 11 years ago

The top of this type of TV cabinet did, indeed, open to a 45 degree angle for watching and then close completely, giving the console the look of a piece of fine furniture with a flat top when the TV was off. At the time these were popular most people kept them closed during the day since there was little, if any, daytime broadcasting.
In 1950 there were only a few stations broadcasting, very sporadically, in color. A color TV averaged $700-$900 at time when you could buy a top-of-the-line car for under $2000 so few people had them and, to the best of my knowledge, no one made a color TV of the type she is watching. Color TV didn't become commonplace until the late 1950s-early 1960s.