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Sorry about the poor quality photo, but is this a phonograph?
I was watching Hogans Heroes & this appeared in the communications room. It was only on briefly, and by the time I picked up the camera & got to the TV, this was the only pic I got to take.
It has the general shape/features of a phonograph, but it could just be a frankenphone TV prop, or something else entirely.
Anyone recognize it?

I was looking on Youtube for it, I think its at 25 seconds into this vid what you are looking at.

Im not sure what it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69BvtQcf ... re=related

This is just a guess, but could it be a facsimile machine from the era?

Brad wrote:This is just a guess, but could it be a facsimile machine from the era?

Yeah, I vote fax

Very possible- here's some footage of a 1930's wirephoto machine in action- you'll see the details starting about 2 minutes in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TeXcOYK2N0

Are you sure it's not a " loose coupler" that is to say a tuning coil used in long wave wireless transmission? It would have been quite obsolete by WW II but it would be a nice prop for Hogan and the Boys. The smaller coil slid in and out of the larger coil providing the " coupling" between the tuning circuits. Hogan's looks as if the smaller coil were all the way in .

Jim

Bingo!!! Lenoirstreetguy--Bravo! I was about to post the same thing when I found your posting. In the early days of radio, tuning mechanisms were created that look quite strange to us today. This did the same thing as a normal tuning condenser with a set of moveable plates and a set of stationary plates. For another strange tuning condenser, look inside one of the late Victor "MicroSynchronous" Radios. Both sets of plates move there.
Bob Ault [ex-broadcaster & radio collector]