Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

[fran604g]

American Titans: Edison vs. Tesla.

A scene showing Edison speaking to his crew at his Lab in Menlo Park, saying, "Remember gentlemen, genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration."

Geez...

[Lucius1958]

Geez, indeed...

So much wrong with this, I can't even.

Bill

[SteveM]

I watch a lot of old movies on You Tube and often especially in British movies I see some type of phonograph. Many are the later type portables like my Telefunken or the HMV version of that, thin and lightweight. Last night in fact I saw a movie in which the phonograph plays a sort of bit part in a jewel heist. Not too bad for an early 40s movie, but then the music is canned and not from the actual portable I doubt.

Its called the Secret Place, 1943 I think it was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksy-j020uj8

Great, thanks for this! I'd been trying to find this film in one of the other movie threads!

[AmberolaAndy]

As seen in the new Lady And The Tramp movie...

[VanEpsFan1914]

Columbia BKT--nice and clean, with original pin-striping! Great look for that era.

[phonogfp]

Just watched Sinner's Holiday (1930) on TCM. It stars James Cagney and Joan Blondell, and was based on a play called Penny Arcade. Much of the action takes place in an amusement park directly in front of a penny arcade, and immediately behind the chair where Mrs. Delano presides over it, there's an Edison coin-operated Eclipse/Acme. The signboard reads, "Edison's Phonograph; Latest Popular Four-Minute Records." The selection is "Come Home Chiquita" (which was never recorded on a Blue Amberol or Indestructible!). Behind this machine and to the left is a row of 4 Eclipse/Acmes. At one point about 10 minutes into the movie, a man walks up to the machine behind Mrs. Delano, drops a coin, and listens to the record through ear tubes!

In the Delano's apartment, there's a nondescript table model with its lid closed, but that's pretty tame after watching those Edison coin-ops. The final scene returns to the penny arcade for several more good looks at them.

George P.

[TinfoilPhono]

Unfortunately the entire movie isn't online, but here's a screen capture showing an Acme in the background.

[phonogfp]

Unfortunately the entire movie isn't online, but here's a screen capture showing an Acme in the background.

That's the one! But how can we know it's an Acme and not an Eclipse?

The image on my TV was much clearer - - I could read the entire signboard.

George P.

[TinfoilPhono]

Okay, not from a movie but this still seemed like an appropriate thread to post an image from a video that just came out on Youtube from the group Postmodern Jukebox. I've seen an Edison Standard in the background of some of their other videos but this is the first time I noticed that it has no reproducer. They just crammed the horn through the reproducer hole and propped it in place.

[krkey1]

They just crammed the horn through the reproducer hole and propped it in place.

At least they tried....