The radio on "The Waltons" is apparently a Zenith 7-S-232 (or 12-S-232) from 1938. The episode I just saw showed the radio, but the tuning eye is missing the button that covers up the center part of the (6T5 according to the source I looked on, though 6U5 and others were common also) tube so you just see the green part. The whole circle is green. Other than artistic license, doe anyone know why they did that?
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Radio On The Waltons
- Thread starter Schroedingers Cat
- Start date
Schroedingers Cat said:
I don't know why they did it, but I like it.
Hey, what about the radio that was often seen on Gilligan's Island!
It was an AM only radio with an extendible antenna but I never knew the brand or if it was an actual radio sold at the time.
And think about this, that may be the only show where AM DXing was being demonstrated, as they were supposed to be about 250 miles from Hawaii but the stations they listened to whether it was when they were listening to news or Gilligan was listening to music sounded like local signals in the daytime.
Makes sense because many stations from Hawaii should sound like that 250 miles away on a saltwater path.
I wonder if those who wrote the script were aware of that or if they didn't think that kind of reception was possible and just did it anyway like other things that really can't be explained on that show such as why thay all had so much clothing and other things on that island when they were supposed to only be on a 'three hour tour'. LOL
It was an AM only radio with an extendible antenna but I never knew the brand or if it was an actual radio sold at the time.
And think about this, that may be the only show where AM DXing was being demonstrated, as they were supposed to be about 250 miles from Hawaii but the stations they listened to whether it was when they were listening to news or Gilligan was listening to music sounded like local signals in the daytime.
Makes sense because many stations from Hawaii should sound like that 250 miles away on a saltwater path.
I wonder if those who wrote the script were aware of that or if they didn't think that kind of reception was possible and just did it anyway like other things that really can't be explained on that show such as why thay all had so much clothing and other things on that island when they were supposed to only be on a 'three hour tour'. LOL
h and another thing that I want explained is how those batteries in that radio lasted so long on Gilligan. ;D
C
cd637299
Guest
^ Maybe the Professor created perpetual batteries....he crafted so many clever things, yet made no way to get off the island....(I think I read that somewhere 
)
Which reminds me....to true Gilligan fans----was there, or was there not, one episode where the voice on the radio said that "This is KGU in Honolulu"? ISTR the announcer saying that...or, I am dreaming/hallucinating again.
cd
)Which reminds me....to true Gilligan fans----was there, or was there not, one episode where the voice on the radio said that "This is KGU in Honolulu"? ISTR the announcer saying that...or, I am dreaming/hallucinating again.
cd
The radio on Gilligan's Island was usually tuned to 640 kHz, so I thought over the years that it was spposed to be KFI, or, since those transistor radio dials were notoriously inaccurate, KORL on 650.
The tuning eye tube on The Waltons radio just looks eerily green in the episode I just watched, kind of like a green mist.
The professor on Gilligan's Island also seemed to come from a nebulous background. I could never figure out on what subject he was a professor.
The tuning eye tube on The Waltons radio just looks eerily green in the episode I just watched, kind of like a green mist.
The professor on Gilligan's Island also seemed to come from a nebulous background. I could never figure out on what subject he was a professor.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Schroedingers Cat said:
the radio on Gilligans Island is apparently a Packard-Bell transistor model (AM only) to which a handle
and extending antenna were added by the prop department for visual effect.
http://www.gilligansisle.com/radio.html
I am a bit surprised that the radio on the Waltons is a 1938 Zenith. Didn't the timeline for this series start
earlier than 1938? And even if the timeline is correct, could that family have afforded a brand-new radio?
Household electronics were far more expensive in real dollars than they are today. I would have expected
them to have an older model.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
cd637299 said:
I have seen an episode where the announcer says he is broadcasting from Honolulu, though I don't remember what
call letters he gave. There is definitely an episode where the announcer says he is from KDKA in Pittsburgh (which would
have been quite a DX catch!)
KDKA-TV is a CBS affiliate, and would have been running Giilgans Island at the time.
I wonder if perhaps this was some kind of cross-promotion strategy CBS was offering
to their affiliates?
Thanks for the info and the link.
Seemed weird an AM only radio would have an external antenna like that.
Speaking of announcers heard on that radio, I remember an episode where it was John Facenda and he also said 'WCAU'.
He originally was a popular local Philadephia personality before he was later known nationally for NFL films.
Often the AM/SW transistor radios had a telescoping antenna for the shortwave. We had a Magnavox radio like that. I seem to remember some of the early AM transistors may have even had them. The early transistor radios were quite insensitive, and could have used an external antenna with another tuned radio frequency stage. I remember doing that with a telescoping whip on a Sony AM-FM, clipped through a series loopstick and variable capacitor for AM, and to a ground. It worked quite well, but I probably should have worried about ground loops. Since it had a power transformer, it was probably all right though. Maybe I just ran it on batteries for that.
a little searching found a link to this photo:
http://www.myretroflix.com/tv/gilligan/ShowPictureTV.asp?ID=89
http://www.myretroflix.com/tv/gilligan/ShowPictureTV.asp?ID=89
cd637299 said:
Ya think maybe it was "this is KGMB..." instead? KGMB 590 (now KSSK) was the
CBS radio affiliate in HNL then, whereas KGU 760 was NBC. Gilligan was on CBS
(gotta keep it in the family
).
C
cd637299
Guest
oldiesfan6479 said:cd637299 said:
Ya think maybe it was "this is KGMB..." instead? KGMB 590 (now KSSK) was the
CBS radio affiliate in HNL then, whereas KGU 760 was NBC. Gilligan was on CBS
(gotta keep it in the family
I understand that....hmmm.....maybe it was a dream I had.....maybe that website ( gilligansisle.com) could help. True fans will know every line from G.I.
I think it depended on the show. He seemed to be a master of every topic, except, of course, boatbuilding. And he had a million books on a million topics for research (for a 3-hour tour).Schroedingers Cat said:
Maybe "Professor" was just what he wrote on his info sheet for the cruise. Maybe the title was exaggerated. ;D
FreddyE1977 said:
They could have cross referenced by having Bob Crane do the announcing on KNX 1070. I'm not sure if there was any time overlap between Gilligan's Island and Hogan's Heroes though. Bob Crane was also on WICC Bridgeport, CT, and mentions in one or more epidoses being from Bridgeport.
speaking of actual radio calls on TV/Film - in the movie "The Deer Hunter" you hear the ID "KFAR Fairbanks" heard on his radio (660AM)
Also in "Born In East LA" (Cheech & Chong) you hear the calls for "KRLA" on his radio.
Also in "Born In East LA" (Cheech & Chong) you hear the calls for "KRLA" on his radio.
One other oddity about Gilligan's Island (aside from all those clothes on the Howells, Ginger and Mary Ann), you'll notice the Professor, the Skipper and Gilligan wore roughly the same outfits.
There are no clothes to my knowledge that could withstand being worn day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year like that. And can you imagine the SMELL after a week with no deodorant?......
There are no clothes to my knowledge that could withstand being worn day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year like that. And can you imagine the SMELL after a week with no deodorant?......
Bongwater said:
They probably bathed in the ocean, we just never saw it. ;D
- Status