The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Watching "Leave it to Beaver" season 2 episode 13 "Happy Weekend" and what should appear and actually be shown quite a bit but a very nice Victor Talking machine:

I have an adopted Chinese son and he's obsessed with this show (and loves my mechanical machines, always wants to help with them) so we constantly watch Leave it to Beaver together. We keep an inflation calculator handy, and it's quite fascinating: Wally and Beave recently saved up for a $400 bicycle, and they bought Ward a $295 hunting jacket.

We'll probably move on to Get Smart next.

Look at the expresson on Wards face after June told him "I think someone stole the reproducer..."

blizz

This Victor VI probably came from one of the prop houses around Hollywood. Who knows were it ended up. Many of the old prop houses are now out of business. I attended the auctions of three of them, and bought several items, including a nice Amberola 1A. Many of these independent prop houses are now gone along with their collections of real phonographs.

I toured the Warner Brothers studio last weekend and the tour included the prop department. The only phonograph I saw in there was a crapophone with a reserved tag on it (for an upcoming production). Of course it would have been pointless to mention this to the tour guide. To a set designer anything with a big horn is a Talking Machine, so unless someone really cares we are destined to see nothing but crap in future movies/TV.

fmblizz wrote:Look at the expresson on Wards face after June told him "I think someone stole the reproducer..."

He's already angry enough that someone stole the crank. Looks like the Beav and Wally may be in for a whipping tonight.