The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I watched an excellent movie last night about an expedition to Greenland back in 1909. The two main characters, stuck on the ice in a hut, were listening to records on a simple portable suitcase-type phonograph. It struck me as being a bit of a stretch, I thought they didn’t appear until the 1920’s. Am I wrong about that?

The movie was on Netflix: “Against The Ice”. Wear a sweater if you watch it.

Raphael

If it's anything involving a phonograph/gramophone, the prop department generally gets it wrong. The omnipresent Crap-O-Phone is normally the prop of choice, oftentimes with the tonearm positioned on the wrong side of the record.

I know that the Decca Trench model -- https://iwmvolunteerlondon.wordpress.co ... ramophone/ -- is often cited as the first suitcase-type (ready to play) gramophone designed specifically for portability, but I believe that there may have been a few that predated its 1914 introduction. Carrying cases were also sold, prior to that time, to house various small models.

OrthoFan

The first portables started to be sold in England around 1909, so the film is not that far fetched, depending on which model the explorers are playing. Both Columbia and Decca started to sell portables around that time, HMV only getting in that market in early 1920s.

In 1909 small "hornless" machines, some with carrying handles and/or fitted carrying cases were advertised as portables, but the suitcase style portables with which we are all familiar did not appear until about 1912. The Decca of 1914 was probably the first of this style to require no assembly before it could be played.

A detailed article on the history of portables by Christopher Proudfoot appeared in the CLPGS Magazine "For the Record" No.29, Spring 2009.

Never realized that portables came out that early. The first Victor was the VV-50. Very late in the game.

Around these early days, there was the hmv Pygmy gramophone... Isn't it?

Inigo wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 6:54 am Around these early days, there was the hmv Pygmy gramophone... Isn't it?

The Pigmy Grand had no carrying handle and is therefore not regarded as a true portable. It was however available with an optional carrying case.

Even HMV's first true portable, the PAO of 1920, was in effect a table model with a carrying handle. It could play a record with the lid closed and cost a hefty £15. It was not until the Model 101 of 1925 that HMV challenged Decca as the portable market leader.

epigramophone wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:05 am It was not until the Model 101 of 1925 that HMV challenged Decca as the portable market leader.

With respect, the first HMV portable was the 100, launched in June 1924. It had the same case as the first front-winding 101.

Barry

Phono48 wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:15 pm

epigramophone wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:05 am It was not until the Model 101 of 1925 that HMV challenged Decca as the portable market leader.

With respect, the first HMV portable was the 100, launched in June 1924. It had the same case as the first front-winding 101.

Barry

I never said that the 101 was HMV's first portable. What I did say was that it was the first to challenge the Decca as market leader.
I also said that HMV's first portable was the PAO of 1920.

epigramophone wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 4:08 am In 1909 small "hornless" machines, some with carrying handles and/or fitted carrying cases were advertised as portables, but the suitcase style portables with which we are all familiar did not appear until about 1912. The Decca of 1914 was probably the first of this style to require no assembly before it could be played.

A detailed article on the history of portables by Christopher Proudfoot appeared in the CLPGS Magazine "For the Record" No.29, Spring 2009.

Roger, when the Columbia portables started to be marketed? I remember reading somewhere that it was around 1910, but never found documentation about it, as happens with everything related to Columbia.