...That at some point in my life, I should like to have a nice, restored 1950 Zenith "Claridge" porthole... That is all.

*Blink*

IIRC, this was on a thread here-but there is a YouTube video of an immaculately restored one playing a video of Liberace playing "Nola"...Watch it & see if YOU don't get a hankerin' for one, too...Those old portholes are just so ODD lookin' to our 2008 eyes...Yet at the same time, so INCREDIBLY appealing-to me, anyway..Kinda like Roundie color sets, but even more so...We lost a lot when TVs became anonymous flat square/rectangular grey/black appliances..Back in 1950, a TV was still Something Special...A Majickal window into a different world...That old Zenith had a warm, "organic" feel to it-Soft, voluptuous curved top, covered in leather or fabric, the screen was set off w/a gold-colored frame, flanked by 2 big, meaty knobs that you could TURN, & gave you a tactile pleasure the 1 X2 MM buttons on a remote can never hope to duplicate...Plus, those old tube TVs "felt" alive-they always made little noises, gave off little smells, popped & cracked as they got warm...Yeah, yeah, yeah, HDTV is "better", its color, solid state stuff works better & lasts longer..Blah blah, blah.. Who cares ? Hook up the latest HDTV plasma screen/LCD thingy, and a clean 1950 Zenith porthole, & guess which one gets the most grins & comments as folks watch it...

I agree with you 100%, and give you high praise for your description of these early sets. Brings back some fond memories for me.

I think I may have to get me a porthole someday too. I think I have room in the house for at least one or two more sets. Gotta get em before I wind up with new significant other.:thmbsp:

No argument from me.

A gloriously be-knobbed and distinctive old porthole is related to a knobless and nondescript big screen black plastic viewing unit in the same way a soot-belching old steam locomotive with a big beautiful brass bell is to a boring diesel-electric train puller.

But squeezing a 16X9 image into that porthole format does present a challenge. At least, any future collector of the woodless wonders won't have the problem of tracking down lost knobs - there aren't any to get lost.

Roger

Absolutely right. I looked up the video on Youtube, that's an awesome tv with a charisma nothing today can match :)

I really need to exhume a Zenith porthole I have here and restore it. I got it off a guy for $25 about 20 years ago. He had cleaned out the basement of the old Molleur Brothers store in Pittsfield here, so that a nonprofit organization he was with could conduct their affairs in the space. Molleur dealt in Zenith from nearly day one. The 12LP4 put up a bright raster, and the old set did work fairly well, with a good sharp picture. But it needs to be recapped at this point. Gotta dig this set out this coming winter and do what needs doing. This thread--along with others--may inspire me.... :o

The "Claridge" on youtube playing Nola was my Porthole, Great set that really turns heads. I sold the set a few months ago to buy a 32" LCD HDTV that I use as a TV and Computer monitor. I still have the beautiful restored 1950 Zenith "Saratoga" Porthole that I'll never part with. Glad to see the vintage TV videos I put up on youtube are finding an audience.
The "Claridge model is heading to Pittsburg.
Jim

Just posted a couple new YouTube videos of my "Portholes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7N159eX9a8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z4FJp0z4Og

Jim