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Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Turn the Radio On

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, my parents had a transistor radio, almost exactly like this one, except it was green instead of brown. Look at that nifty flip-out stand!
Vintage Zenith Royal 275 7-Transistor Radio, Made in the U.S.A., Introduced in 1959 (11695587475)
By Joe Haupt from USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Probably around 5th grade, I remember desperately wanting a small transistor radio and a wind-up alarm clock of my own. I absolutely did not want one of the new clock radio combinations, as I wanted to be able to carry the radio around with me. One December day my parents had gone to a big city (west to Pueblo, Colorado?? southeast to Garden City??) for a day of shopping while my brothers and I were in school. When they arrived home I went out to the car to help them bring things in the house, and there was a receipt, the kind where they used to write every purchase out by hand, that I couldn't help but begin to read... "1 radio  $?.??" Oh dear! I wasn't supposed to see that! There was a brief moment of excitement knowing they had bought it, but as Christmas approached that changed because the fun of not knowing what I would receive was gone. The receipt I saw may have actually listed both the radio and the clock, I'm not sure now. At any rate, they were both Christmas gifts I received that year, and I enjoyed many years' use of them. Since then, I've always been careful to try to not figure out what gifts are ahead of time. It's much more fun that way!

The hand-sized radio I carried around had two rolling dials, one to turn it on and control volume, and the other to tune in your favorite station. It came in a black leather case. Kids today would surely be aghast to have to use such an antique thing, but it brought in the tunes of the day, and was the coolest thing ever at that point in my life!

These are similar to the radio and case I had, though I remember my radio as being black and silver.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/guest-column-collecting-vintage-transistor-radios-of-the-1950s-and-60s/
https://www.vintagetoys.com/toys/classified/30030









Here's a page from my little sketchbook portraying that magical little box of electronics.

Visit this page of Scribble Picnic to see what others are tuning in on this week.

18 comments:

  1. I had a transistor radio and remember spending a lot of summer days listening to it. This is a great representation of the theme.

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    1. Thanks, Lorraine. Seems like I listened mostly in the evenings or at night, as the station I liked, out of Oklahoma City, was allowed to broadcast with more power at that time.

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  2. Oh I couldn't agree more, Joeks. I always wanted my presents to be a surprise. I had a friend in Jr. High that used to sneak peaks into her presents while her parents were at work ... no fun:(. I, too, had a transistor radio and then my kids had boom boxes. We have come a long way from that, but music is always wonderful no matter what the source. Your drawing is right on :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Surprises are definitely more fun!
      I will say, my taste in music has changed dramatically over the years, but I've always enjoyed it and always will.
      "Right on!" :-) Thanks, Andrea!

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  3. Hi Joeks :) That is a lovely story! Your drawing is really nice. I remember having a transistor radio when I was very young, it was a hand-me-down from my grandfather. It was yellow, that's about all I can remember!

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    1. Thank you, Rain.
      I'm not 100% sure on the details of the radio I had. Looked at many images on the internet, but none of them struck me as exactly what I remembered. It's probably out there somewhere!

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  4. Oh my gosh, my Uncle Joe used to have a room FILLED with radios and my daddy had one just like the radio in your first photo. Great sketch. SO fun! :)

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    1. Alexandra, that's fun that your daddy had the same radio (except green) as my parents! Zenith must have made it well, because theirs lasted for years and years and years!

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  5. Nice collection of Photos. I think your sketch would make a great poster for a teenagers room....Vintage posters HaHa

    I liked your comment to "tune in" to see what the other had. Nice touch.

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  6. Thanks, Wanda! That poster would certainly have to be vintage, right? I imagine most know of the Beatles, and even maybe the Monkees, but doubt many today have even heard of Paul Revere and the Raiders! (The Association was another group I enjoyed listening to.)

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  7. I loved Paula Revere & The Raiders way back!
    Thanks for the memories - and love your take on the theme. Yeah, for the radios of youth!!!

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  8. That's a great story, Jolene. Love it and, actually, that style of radio has aged well over time. it still looks fun and trendy. I think my youngster kids would probably enjoy them! ha.
    Your lil' sketch is so sweet and I still LOVE the Monkees! Actually, both Alex and I do.
    Great contribution. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks, Michael.
      So fun to know someone else who enjoys the Monkees! My older brother, a die-hard Beatles fan, never ceased to tease me about liking them.

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  9. Hi Jolene,
    I remember having a black one in a black case. Heavy thing. But I love it never-the-less.
    Blessings,
    Janis

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    1. I do remember them as being "sturdy"!

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  10. Nicely done and great memories!

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