The 1961 Curtis Mathes line production.
 

The mother of all mothers wall unit.:banana:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/924...7130116001.jpg

Here she is in a larger frame.
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9...7130116001.jpg
The Lexington so retro very early 1960's
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/4...7125829001.jpg
The Nantucket very Early American.
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2...7125909001.jpg
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/5...7130043001.jpg
I have a whole book to show! More to come later!
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/301...7130206001.jpg
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/329...7130239001.jpg

My consolette should be in that catalog.

w0w! look at the legs on that Nantucket! Speaking of CM I found a huge box of CM tubes and parts in the trash the other day. What a random find in LA.

I think the "Imperial Dane" console shown at the beginning of this thread must have used the old "AM/FM stereo" quasi-stereo system, which broadcast one channel over an AM radio station and the other over an FM station; since the console was made in 1961, it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. The FCC didn't authorize the FM "multiplex" stereo broadcasting standard here until the following year. The tipoff is the phrase "AM/FM simulcast" in the description of the console. If it were equipped for stereo multiplex, I'm sure the ad would have said so.

:banana:More beauties from the 1961 new line production of Curtis Mathes!
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/7...0111224001.jpg
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6...0111139001.jpg
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2...0111040001.jpg
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3...0111200001.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2...0111328001.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9...0111351001.jpg

Awesome. Thanks for this! My "Portabout" was the last set I ever expected to see in a catalog. It's interesting to see it was available with or without the legs and shelf, and the casters were optional.

How about the "Montgomery" - over nine feet long! Couldn't stand on its side in most houses.

....An' they weren't even Color....

Wonderful!!
AUdubon5425
Awesome.
Here I made this one bigger for you!!
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6663/...0111139001.jpg

Here is some more very cool stuff from 1961:banana:
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/167...0111505001.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4...0111647001.jpg
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/858...0111524001.jpg
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3...0111102001.jpg
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/185...0111559001.jpg

:drool:

I only wish DuMont was still around in 1961; but DuMont stop broadcasting in 1956! That would have been awesome to watch that network of a Curtis Mathes. The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont Laboratories, a television equipment and set manufacturer. The network was hindered by the prohibitive cost of broadcasting, by Federal Communications Commission regulations which restricted the company's growth, and even by the company's partner, Paramount Pictures. Despite several innovations in broadcasting and the creation of one of television's biggest stars of the 1950s, the network never found itself on solid financial ground. Forced to expand on UHF channels during an era when UHF was not profitable, DuMont ceased broadcasting in 1956.

DuMont's latter-day obscurity has prompted at least one notable TV historian to refer to it as the "Forgotten Network". A few popular DuMont programs, such as Cavalcade of Stars and Emmy Award winner Life Is Worth Living, appear in TV retrospectives or are mentioned briefly in books about U.S. television history, but sadly almost all the network's programming was destroyed in the 1970s.

One of DuMont's best series of the '50s -- The Honeymooners
 

At least one of DuMont's best series still is (or was) on cable; that show is The Honeymooners, starring the late Jackie Gleason. This program was shown in northeastern Ohio over television station WCLQ-TV (now Univision WQHS), channel 61 in Cleveland in the early '80s, and may have been (or may still be) shown in syndication in other markets as well. I have VHS videotapes of many Honeymooners episodes, some of poor quality due to signal variations (I didn't have cable when I taped these shows); the tapes include vintage station IDs from WCLQ-TV and, at the end of at least one tape, there is at least one episode of the 1980s sitcom "Newhart", which was a CBS Late Movie presentation at that time.

BTW, I didn't realize the DuMont network, in the '50s, was ever on UHF channels. There are several US cities that had at the time (and still have) only UHF TV channels (Youngstown, Ohio, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Fresno, California, et al), so I don't see how UHF was "not profitable" in the '50s, unless you are referring to independent UHF stations that started out with big plans and, perhaps, an eye towards an eventual network affiliation, but eventually fizzled out due to financial difficulties or any one of 1001 other reasons. There was one such station in Cleveland that failed after only seven years; this was (now defunct) Kaiser Broadcasting's WKBF-TV, channel 61. This was an independent UHF station that showed off-network reruns and old movies, and even, IIRC, tried to launch a ten o'clock news program, to no avail. The station went off the air for good in 1975, only seven years after its initial sign-on in 1968, to be replaced in 1982 by WCLQ, a locally-owned independent station. Then, some years later, the station was sold to the (now defunct as an OTA TV network) Home Shopping Network, and the call sign changed to WQHS. That station remained on all northern Ohio TV dials until just a few years ago, when Univision purchased it from HSN and converted it to Spanish-language programming, keeping the call sign.

Hi Jeff,
Great information!
Some DuMont programs were produced by other networks but aired on DuMont. For example, Play the Game (1946) was produced by ABC, but aired on DuMont since ABC had no network until 1948. The Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) aired on both NBC and DuMont at the same time, as did Man Against Crime (1953). Pick the Winner (1952) aired on both CBS and DuMont. Some programs, such as Flash Gordon (1954) aired both in syndication and on DuMont. These exceptions are noted in the list.

There were many programs produced at DuMont facilities but which aired on other networks, such as CBS's The Honeymooners (1955), Paramount television series, and programs created by successor companies (DuMont Broadcasting Company, Metropolitan Broadcasting, Metromedia, and Fox Broadcasting Company).

Here are some of the shows that started with "A" on the DuMont Network!

A.N.T.A. Album of 1955 closed-circuit fundraising appeal sponsored by American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) and CARE seen in 31 theaters nationwide on 28 March 1955
The Admiral Broadway Revue (simulcast on DuMont and NBC)
Adventure Playhouse
The Adventures of Ellery Queen
The Adventures of Oky Doky
The Al Morgan Show (originated from WGN-TV in Chicago)
The Alan Dale Show
And Everything Nice
The Armed Forces Hour
The Arthur Murray Party
The Author Meets the Critics

Then there is the "B" list and the list goes on and to "Z" very awesome times in the early days.
Battle of the Ages
Better Living TV Theater
The Big Idea
The Big Issue (aka Keep Posted)
The Bigelow Theatre
Bingo at Home
Blind Date
Bowling Headliners
Boxing from Eastern Parkway
Boxing from Jamaica Arena
Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena
Boxing with Dennis James
Broadway to Hollywood (aka Headline Clues)

There were quite a few CM sets in the small town where I grew up as there was a dealer only 10 miles away. I remember just average looking consoles, not any of these huge, fancy combos. Thanks to Glenn for posting it.

Hi Glenn,

Thanks! for the scans.

Does your catalogue show a small 11 inch B&W portable? my grandparents had one as a second TV in the 1960s.

Best Regards

jhalphen
Paris/France

Every time I issue this correction I hope somebody will pay attention...hope springs eternal I guess:

The Honeymooners did not air on Du Mont. I should qualify that statement since the sketch was introduced on Cavalcade of Stars in 1951: if Audrey Meadows is in it, it didn't air on Du Mont. Gleason was lured away from Du Mont by CBS in 1952 and it was on his CBS show that Audrey Meadows first played Alice Kramden. When Gleason produced the "classic 39" episodes of The Honeymooners in 1955-56 there was no Du Mont network programming grid, all its shows other than Boxing having either ceased production or moved to other networks by the late summer of '55.

The Du Mont Electronicam was prominently featured in the show's credits, that and Gleason's previous association with Du Mont makes the conclusion easy to jump to...but The Honeymooners as we all remember it aired on CBS.

Are these scans from a catalog? Or from a magazine? I have a Curtis Mathis TV in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and they would like to display ads also.

Hi jhalphen,
I will look in my records and see if I have anything on the early portables!
Hi peverett,
The catalog is "Presenting The New CM Line for 1961"
Serving American Homes for 62 years.
Hi David,
Thank you on the information on the The Honeymooners :yes:
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3...0111200001.jpg

Glenn, thanks for all the info on CM! A few weeks ago, wanting one of those models for my collection, I purchased one that looks exactly like the "Provincial" except it has the stereo and turntable on top. Is it listed in your '62 catalog or is it maybe a '63 model?

Hi captainmoody:banana:
This is the Hanover with the radio and turntable on top, but she has a nice television in the center. It could be possible that your console was from 1963; are the turntable and radio on top without at television in the center of the console?
Or another idea is that the console was a special order, Curtis Mathes did a number of special orders in the 1960's and 1970's!
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2...0111427001.jpg
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/482...7130012001.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/280...7125936001.jpg

Do you have any duplicates of this or other CM catalogs of the same era? The 1960s?

Thanks,

Glenn, here is a picture of the combo I have. 1963 maybe?

Would anybody here save either "The Imperial Dane" or "The Montgomery" if one of either were to be available? It is likely we will find one or both somewhere, sometime. I suspect nobody here could take one and maybe would not want to.

Could you imagine taking a flight of stairs with the Montgomery?

Hi captainmoody!:banana:
Oh yes this model was a deluxe package a very sweet console.
I think she is a late 1962 or even a 1963 design, a wonderful awesome find!!
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1...ismathes33.jpg
Hi JBSpro,
I would love to have both the "The Imperial Dane" or "The Montgomery" if only I was rich and had a huge house!
So much to save so little time and money:tears:
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/7772/curtismathesa.jpg

I used to have a blonde Curtis Mathis set similar to Glenn's. It took four people to move it.

Hi Peverett,
I will look for any duplicates of this or other CM catalogs of the same era!
It took me almost a year to locate the 1961 catalog in my junk out office. My daughter used it in a school project about the 1960's I thought it was gone for good.
Most of my catalogs are in storage in boxes under boxes from the 1980's. I do from time to time see awesome CM catalogs on eBay!

Thanks, I will also be checking online(Ebay and other sources).

The museum has had my TV for 4 years now, so I do not think things are urgent.

By the way, I cleaned out a TV shop in Athen's, Texa and got several Curtis Mathis Televisions, and CM service literature, but no ads.

The old CM plant is just sitting there empty as far as I know. It was empty the last time I was in Athens.

I love the built in reel to reel set-up. Is that from the factory like that? I am surprised the color is not matched to other componenets.

This is for Matthew Corey, hope you get your Royal Dane.
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7...3165731001.jpg

:banana: What a wonderful 1981 Curtis Mathes Television soon she will be 30.
http://a.imageshack.us/img186/750/cmsmallcolor.jpg
This is my 1981 Curtis Mathes Console Televison.
Check out my Curtis Mathes Web page below:

http://curtismathes.webs.com/

Just looking at those styles makes me smell heavy cigarettes and coffee ;-) And I half expect to see a rifle sticking out the window of the factory (see if you can figure out that reference)

Just how good were CM sets? Reason I ask is because I've heard derisive comments about them as "making nice furniture" In other words, the cabinets were top quality but not the innards.

Also heard that they made studio monitors, anyone know for sure?

The tube CM TV's and stereo's were my favorite. By the time solid state came along, they were getting most of their color TV chassis from NEC of Japan. And, the cabinets went to particleboard and plastic. About two years ago, someone gave me a '74 CM 23" color TV/radio/record player/8-track combo. The TV chassis was made by NEC, the CRT (which was dead) was a 23" delta gun Westinghouse, and record changer was a Glenburn, and the stereo chassis was whatever they could get from Taiwan. The cabinet was cheap particleboard and plastic. By the late '70's, it seemed that CM sets were most commonly sold/rented through "rent to own" stores.

My biggest complaint about the solid state CM sets was how they were much higher priced than the competition and their ad's boasted about how much better they were; yet, were really not any better, if as good, as other cheaper priced sets. I remember one 19" CM color TV that shared the same NEC chassis as a much cheaper TG&Y brand TV.

I will say that CM was probably the last one to market a TV/stereo combo. I remember some models from the mid '80's that had a 25" color TV, radio, turntable, amd cassette and/or 8-track player.

furniture
 

got to love a combo

I used to have a CM combo from the late 1950s(square 21 inch B&W TV). This set had a phono, AM/FM radio(not sure about stereo), and a reel to reel tape player built in.

The reason that I do not have it now is that it took four people to move it. I gave it to another collector. It was about 6 ft long by 4 ft high and 2 feet deep.

About 1965 a CM sales rep came to our store (in Globe, AZ) extolling the brand and trying to get us to take on the line. After several more visits, the Boss finally acceded and we became the official CM dealer in the town. Electronically and workmanship-wise, the sets were junk right out of the crate, but the cabinetry was OK. Almost without exception, every one had to be repaired before it could go on the floor let alone be sold. Once sold, they were a nightmare to keep running. We called the brand "Curtis Maniac". After about a year the Boss canceled and told CM to come get their friggin' stuff the hell out of our store, which they did.

In retrospect, it's sad to relate the experience since CM was an all American company.
Bill(oc)

I restored a 1965 CM B&W set. It was full of Japanese capacitors. Even at that date, CM was buying parts overseas.

Right. I erred in saying it was an "all" American enterprize.

Man, they looked way byoned "R.C.A." :yikes:

Dredging up an old thread, but does anyone have specific model number or production name for the above unit? Looking at getting one of those for a restoration project, but trying to do a bit of research before I dive in. :]