PART OF MY PAST: THE STORY OF A 90-YEAR-OLD RADIO

Earlier this week I posted a reflective piece on Wrights Lane where I talked about Sundays in the 1940s and, in passing, mentioned huddling around the radio in evenings with family members. It subsequently dawned on me that it would be fun to do a follow up item on the actual radio that we listened to all those 80 years ago.

Believe it or not, I still have that old floor model console radio (above photo) purchased originally by my parents some time in the early 1930s. It is known only by the name "Radiotrope" and it is a fixture in my study, often visible in the background of some of the videos I produce. You couldn't offer me enough money for it.

As best as I can determine, the Radiotrope dates back to 1928 or '29 and it was manufactured for General Electric by the RCA Victor Company. Of all the new products put on the market during the 1920’s, very few had the impact on society than the radio-a symbol of the radical advances in technology which created fundamental changes in everyday life. A fine example of this “technology” is seen in my prized antique heirloom with its four legs of walnut and cabinet of walnut veneer.

View of cabinet back showing 110-volt
inner workings and GE vacuum tubes 
with single speaker mounted below.

This particular model was considered middle-of-the-road and affordable in post Depression times. The on/off switch is located just below the central station control dial and on the right side. The volume knob is located on the left. The fabric-covered speaker is prominent at the bottom of the arched front panel. It brought in stations best (about six in all) when grounded by a wire attached to the receiver assembly.

Just for history purposes, over several years, starting in 1894, the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi built the first complete commercially successful wireless telegraphy system (radio transmission) based on Heinrich Hertz’s 1888 proof of the existence of transmitted airborne electromagnetic waves (electromagnetism). Marconi then demonstrated the application of radio in military communications. In 1901, he conducted the first successful transatlantic experimental radio communications. In 1904, the US Patent Office awarded him the patent for the invention of the radio. Marconi started his own company devoted to the development and propagation of radio communications services and equipment.

The most common type of radio reception in the 1920s was called a crystal set. An instructional catalog was all anyone needed to learn how to build a crystal radio receiver of their own. Later, vacuum tubes replaced the old crystal sets. These amplifying vacuum tubes revolutionized radios and receivers. In 1912, General Electric’s improvements to the vacuum tube helped make possible modern electronics and the home radio. 

General Electric began manufacturing radios in 1919 through RCA until late 1930, when they began to use their own trademark. In 1919, the US Navy suggested to General Electric that if they could create an American-owned radio company, then the Navy could secure a commercial monopoly of long distance radio communication. Hence, General Electric bought out a subsidiary of Marconi’s company and organized what we know as RCA.

The invention of radio was a miracle in the field of mass communication. A unique entertainment opportunity was brought to the public, especially those who could not afford the luxury of live entertainment. Radio provided the opportunity for the public to be better informed about local and international issues. 

The experience of listening to the radio often brought families closer together as the young and the old would meet around the radio to listen to their favorite shows together. Radio programming was truly a cultural phenomenon that provided general entertainment, information, education and advertising. 

Edward R. Morrow

It also served as a guide to people during times of war. The effects of radio programming created a huge shift in popular culture and changed people’s lives forever.

My first memories of sound coming from our Radiotrope were the distinct voices of Edward R. Morrow, Howard K. Smith, Paul Harvey and Lowell Thomas broadcasting live from the overseas "war front" during WW2. Professional journalists, they brought the devastation of war on a far away battlefield vividly and directly into our living rooms.

It was during the WW2 period that I was introduced to some singing voices too, i.e. British singer Vera Lynn, whose touching ballads helped sustain the spirits of Britons; crooner Bing Crosby and the spirited Dinah Shore had their own programs. Ed Sullivan's talent show got its start on radio and introduced many up-and-coming stars to the world in the 1930s.

Joe Louis

Another memory that has stayed with me was listening with my dad to the heavy weight world boxing championship match between Joe Louis and Buddy Baer in 1943. As a result a tradition of Friday night boxing broadcasts was launched for us right up to Ken Wright's death in 1952.

In my previously-mentioned post I alluded to listening to our favorite radio programs on Sunday evenings, especially Amos 'n' Andy and the hilarious (to me) Jack Benny.

Amos and Andy

Interestingly, Amos 'n' Andy was an American radio and television sitcom set in Harlem, the historic center of Afro-American culture in New York City. The original radio show ran from 1928 to 1960.

The Jack Benny Program starred Benny with Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Rochester, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson. The Jack Benny Show AKA The Jello Program AKA The Lucky Strike Program aired from the 1930’s right through to the 1950’s.

As I recall, the old Radiotrope was only turned on for specific programs and newscasts and never left running virtually all day. Next to newspapers of the period, it was a news source and a cheap form of entertainment for a nation pinching its pennies.

I broke away from the family radio after my dad died and I was gifted with my very own Northern Electric table model, with plastic casing no less. It sat on a desk in my bedroom and very seriously vied for homework time the duration of my school days.

The Radiotrope meantime has remained mostly silent ever since. It deserved to rest in peace, but not out of sight and certainly not out of mind.