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

[Welsh Anorak]

It's always nice to report that someone's been doing their homework.

There's a TV seies called Video Nasty, a sort of YA comedy-horror. Made in Ireland but available on BBC i-player. Set in the mid-Eighties, I spotted - all model numbers appoximate due to age (mine):-

A Mitsubishi C2226 CTV, working well
Mitsubishi C14xx CTV in the all round woodgrain plastic case, again working
A Panasonic TC2205 CTV, working
An early Panasonic (I think) top-loading piano-key VCR. Never seen on like it - working.
A Sharp VC 381 or 481 VCR, working
A Panasonic (I think) all-in-one full-size VHS video camcorder, working. Similar to a Ferguson 3C01
A Sony Betacam ENG camera (possibly slightly late for the period?)
An unidentified black front loading hi-fi VHS VCR, possibly Sharp?
Two Sony KV2704 TVs and (I think) a front loading Sony U-matic VCR. Could have been genuine period footage.
Various portable TVs, working as dressing - period but not identifiable.

The attention to detail continued - videos had to lace up before showing a typical VHS picture. When one was paused, tracking lines appeared as you'd expect. When they searched the tape, no ridiculous Mickey Mouse voices! Period footage, real or made up was shown in 4:3 format.

Also I'd argue that the Eighties and Nineties periods are the hardest to get right.
Well done!

[dave walsh]

Yes much better content than I had expected from a BBC3 series Glyn, especially on the technical side! It's being shown on that channel as well

Dave W.

[stevehertz]

Earlier today I watched the film 'Odette' about the WW2 spy girl. In the the UK headquarters of the spy operation, in the background there were frequent, quite clear views of a very nice Black and Chrome Ekco AC74. Several times I got up to take a nice close up photo and just then the scene would move away or change completely!

Anyway, did anyone else see it? Great film by the way and lots of war time references to the use of radio transmissions.

Photo attached purely to ID the set.

[ricard]

Ok, not the most serious of threads this, but my son and I went to see the latest Paddington movie, and in one scene (a tech room at the Home for Retired Bears), there is what looks like a Grundig TK30, 35 or 54 (can't really tell which) stacked on top of and beside other vintage technology equipment. Not a key plot item, and not even mentioned, but it brought a bit of joy to my heart.

[Kentode]

I hope you gave it a 'hard stare', Ricard...

[Graham G3ZVT]

I just caught this on TPTV when I walked into the lounge. Not quick enough to snap it with my camera but fortunately the film "The ghost Goes West" (1935) is on Youtube.

https://youtu.be/KPGs3vOPpzc?t=4352
1:12:33

Well it made me smile.

Interestingly the film as broadcast on TPTV, carried an "ITV Studios" end-cap.

[Station X]

One post moved to a new thread here:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=218744

[Stuart R]

I'm currently working through the ironing backlog whilst watching Quest TV.

'Money For Nothing' has just started, (series 11, episode 9) A Pye Woodie and a nice cream Bush DAC90A(?) have just been diverted from the skips.

Staying tuned to see what becomes of them - I fear it won't be my kind of thing.....

SR

[SiriusHardware]

Just saw the current Mission: Impossible film yesterday and there is a scene set in a 30-year old arctic base where the occupant has some interesting looking old era-appropriate Amateur Radio gear, one item of which is used to send an emergency morse code transmission by using the PTT key on the microphone as a CW key - unfortunately it wouldn't have been possible to raise my phone to take a photo without the staff or indeed other cinemagoers piling in on me, but keep an eye out for it if you go to see it.

[turretslug]

Originally Posted by saddlestone-man

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but who can identify the Eddystone receiver seen in the background on the Bidding Room?

best regards ... Stef

Don't normally watch daytime telly, but fortuitously caught a glimpse while visiting- it's an Eddystone 670A, I have one. I can sort of see why it might appeal to a set-dresser with its bronze antiquey look and simple, uncluttered layout.

[Analogue man]

Originally Posted by emeritus

I saw that today too. Bush TV boxes, several radios and electric fires, and a scene where a lady is using an electric iron plugged into the light socket.

My Grandmother used to do that, there was only one socket in the room used for everything except best and that had both the radio and television plugged into it so the light was the power source or choice.

[Stuart R]

The Footage Detectives on Talking Pictures TV this evening will be 'Picking up a signal from the Pilot radio factory in 1949'

5:00pm tonight (1/2/26) and repeated at 7:00pm tomorrow. Episode 212 if you're tracking it down via the Encore service later.

[Gridiron]

On the episode of the Footage Detectives on TPTV this evening was a short film of the Pilot radio factory and stand at the 1949 Radio Olympia including the TV model CV34 I think, showing it working.
Mike.

[Uncle Bulgaria]

I saw "No Other Choice" at the cinema last week. One of the characters is a music fan with a sizeable amount of equipment including at least one reel to reel and some valve amplifiers, with the Garrard turntable playing a part in the film. The film was fantastic, too.

[emeritus]

This week's repeat was an episode I had already seen from (I think) the previous weekend, so perhaps the Pilot factory will be in next week's repeat.

[Stuart R]

Radio Caroline Fans 'really won't want to miss' tonight's episode of The Footage Detectives on Talking Pictures. There's a reel of behind the scenes footage from 1965.

5:00pm tonight (8/2/26) and repeated at 7:00pm tomorrow. Episode 213 if you're tracking it down via the Encore service later.

SR

[Gridiron]

On the Footage Detectives Sunday evening a short promotional film on the Ferranti radio range of 1937? featuring models with Magnascopic Tuning.
Mike.

[McMurdo]

Originally Posted by RojDW48

Did anyone else notice the rather stylish Ecko push button radio from 1951 on 'The Ipcress File' the other night? I resurrected one about 10 years ago.

I watched 'saturday night sunday morning' (1960) at the weekend and they were listening to one on that, though none of the presets were lit up, maybe the bulb had gone..

[dave walsh]

I saw the Ferranti Film yesterday. Very brief but going from Power Generation and Broadcasting to the Domestic Radio market. I'd never see the "Magnascopic" Tuning system before but the film graphic involved, to demonstrate how an individual signal is separated out by bandspreading, seemed quite ingenious. It may have been in competition other companies models using the "Teleflix" dial for station location.

Researching Magnascope brought up The BVWS Bulletin V12 No 4 [March 1988] and an article by Jim Forster, re his Ferranti Collection. All the Ferranti Models in the film [1936/7] are mentioned in the article. Jim is circumspect but mentions various factors that may have forced the withdrawl from the market.

Dave W