I love Lucy Props, Vintage Electrical Appliances

Ricky Ricardo’s Radiant DeLuxe Champion Projection Screen

September 28, 2015 Patricia

Radiant-screen-ad-Popular-Mechanics-Oct-1949 — Radiant ad-Popular Mechanics Oct-1949

Ricky Ricardo is seen on his home projection screen in the I Love Lucy episode Home Movies. A closer look at the logo tells us it is a Radiant DeLuxe Champion Projection Screen from the Radiant Manufacturing Corporation. The original Radiant Champion model was renamed as the Radiant DeLuxe Champion in 1949 and was advertised at a price of $15 that year. It was described as made from a new glass beaded fabric called Vyna-Flect “which overcomes the hazards of fire and mildew“.

Radiant-DeLuxe-Champion — Radiant DeLuxe Champion Projection Screen seen on eBay – click picture for details

Logo seen on the Radiant DeLuxe model seen on Amazon.com – click picture for details on Amazon

Popular-Photography---ND-May-1950 — Popular Photography May-1950

Popular-Photography---ND-Dec-1949 — Popular Photography Dec-1949

In the video clip above there is a section of the western sketch in Lucy’s home movie where the video and sound in some of the segments run backwards, on youtube there is anther video clip from the show that reverses the video so you can find out what they are saying at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57oENa8VeXc
References

50s Retro, Anchor Hocking, Little Ricky

Little Ricky’s Fish Bowl

September 26, 2015 Patricia

Anchor-Hocking-Fish-Bowl1 — Little Ricky’s Glass Fish Bowl on I Love Lucy

Little Ricky keeps his pet fish, named Mildred and Charles, in a large shallow glass fish bowl. If you search eBay for vintage fish bowl you will usually find a few just like the fish bowl Lucy is carrying in the above screen capture from the I Love Lucy episode Little Ricky gets a Dog

The Anchor Hocking 1 gallon fish bowl is a good match for Little Ricky’s one.

Search for Anchor Hocking fish bowls on eBay

50s Clocks, I love Lucy Props, Mid-century, Vintage Electrical Appliances

Ricky’s Telechron Alarm Clock

September 26, 2015 Patricia

telechronalarclock-ilovelucy — The Telechron Dorm Electric Alarm Clock with the front cover removed on I Love Lucy

In the Season 5 episode of I Love Lucy entitled Lucy Hates to Leave Lucy is awake at night worrying about the move to their new house in the country. On the bedroom shelf there is a hexagonal alarm clock.

TELECHRON-ALARM-CLOCKad3f — 1953 Telechron Electric Alarm Clock Ad

The shape and dial of the clock is an exact match for the white dial verson of the Telechron “Dorm” alarm clock. A closer look at the clock in the screen capture reveals it to be missing the cover in front of the dial. With the cover removed we notice clips at edges of the clock face to keep it in place. Pictured below is a black version of the same clock on Etsy (US) and from the photo we see how the window in front of the dial is curved and catches the light and would be too reflective for the studio lights- a practical reason for removing the front cover on set.

TELECHRON-ALARM-CLOCK-dorm — The alternative dark dial version of the Telechron Dorm model – also seen in the ad above

Telechron Alarm Clock on Etsy (US)

1950s ad for the Telechron Dorm Alarm Clock

See more like this on eBay

50s Retro, Borghese Book Ends, Owl Book Ends

Owl Bookends

September 25, 2015 Patricia

Owl Bookends on I Love Lucy In an earlier post we looked at the owl bookends on the I Love Lucy set. The were identified as Vienna Cold Painted Bronze bookends like those seen on Etsy HERE. Since that post I came across another pair quite like them. They have the heavy stone/marble base and are painted metal but the metal appears to be cast iron on the spots where some paint was missing.

See the Borghese Owl Bookends on Etsy (US) and another pair on eBay this week.

owl-bookends2 — Vienna Painted Owl Bookends like the pair on I Love Lucy

The most expensive are the Vienna pair but the others work well as less expensive substitutes. I got a Borghese pair and am tempted to try to repaint them to look like the Austrian pair after watching the video below on how to paint a marble effect for the base.

Ethel Mertz, I love Lucy Props, Mid-century, Vintage Electrical Appliances, Vintage Tape Recorders

Lucy and Ethel use a Tape Recorder

September 24, 2015 Patricia

taperecorder-ilovelucy-oilwells — Lucy and Ethel use a Crestwood tape recorder on I Love Lucy, Oil Wells episode.

Lucy and Ethel use a Crestwood Tape recorder on the episode Oil Wells (15 Feb. 1954). The Ricardo’s new neighbors claim to be Texas oil tycoons and a tape recorder features prominently in the story line. The Crestwood tape recorder was a new model that was widely promoted that year. Reporting on the appearance on the show an article in the popular Tape Recording magazine 10-1954 p. 42 followed with a picture of Lucy and Ethel on set.

taperecording-10-54 — Tape Recording Magazine 1954 Article mentions Lucy’s Crestwood Tape Recorder

On eBay recently I came across a listing for a vintage Crestwood tape recorder that looks very like the one used on the I Love Lucy show – click on the picture below to see the listing.

A Crestwood Taperecorder similar to the one used as a prop on I Love Lucy

1954 Crestwood tape Recorder on I Love Lucy — 1954 Crestwood Ad for the Tape Recorder on I Love Lucy

The Crestwood is the second tape recorder we have seen on the I Love Lucy show – previously we looked at the Webcor tape recorder used by Ricky to record his song “There’s a Brand New Baby in Our House“.

Lucy devises a plot involving the the use of a tape recorder in the episode "Oil Wells" — Lucy devises a plot involving the the use of a tape recorder in the episode “Oil Wells”

References:

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Little Ricky, Vintage Toys

Little Ricky’s Superman Costume

September 19, 2015 Patricia

In the I Love Lucy episode “Lucy and Superman” Little Ricky is seen wearing his official Superman playsuit. A similar costume pictured below was seen in a past auction at liveauctioneers.com

50s-superman-costume — Vintage child’s Superman costume 1950’s, marked “Copr. National Comics Publications, Inc.” Image source liveauctioneers.om

Superman Playsuit ad
SUPERMAN Issue No. 101 November 1955

50s Retro, I Love Lucy Nursery, I love Lucy Props, Little Ricky, Vintage Toys

Little Ricky’s Mr Squawker The Duck Toy

September 19, 2015 Patricia

rickys-duck-toy — Fred entertains Little Ricky with a Mr Squawker duck toy

In the above capture from the I Love Lucy episode “Ricky Minds the Baby” Fred Mertz tries to amuse Little Ricky with a squeek toy. The rubber squeek toy is a Mr Squawker The Duck toy made by Rempel of Akron Ohio who also produced Froggy the Gremlin which we looked at in a previous post.

Rempel-mr-squaker — Mr Sqwaker The Duck Toy original

From the original patent application:
Mr. Squawker the duck, [Fanciful figure of clothed duck in walking position] Rubber, H. 12 in,
Appl, author: Dietrich G, Rempel, © Rem-
pel Enterprises, Akron, Ohio;
10 Mar52; GP3259.

Click Here to find Mr Squawker toys on eBay

Books on I Love Lucy, Ricardo's Bookshelf

Ricardo’s Bookshelf: The Great Events of the Great War

September 18, 2015 Patricia

In I Love Lucy Season. 2 episode 13 Lucy Hires an English Tutor Lucy prepares for motherhood by studying to become “a walking book of knowledge” for her new baby. On her bedroom shelf we see a selection of reference books, among them a set of decorative hard bound history books.

The Great Events of the Great War Volumes 1-7 Hardcover – 1923, Edited By Charles F. Horne and Walter F. Austin (Author) 7 volume set. “These volumes are an earnest effort to give the reader such frank and full information as will enable him to comprehend clearly this greatest of all wars.”

Detail from the eBay listing: “This copy of The Great Events of the Great War is registered in the name of Captain George Hl Ormrod, the binding design on these volumes is an authorized facsimile of the original art binding on the official French copy of the Versailles Peace Treaty, which was signed by President Poincare and Foreign Minister S. Pichon, and deposited in the Archives of the French Government, gilt decorated front covers and spine, top edges gilt”

50s Retro, Canisters, I love Lucy Props, Kitchen, Mid-century, Nesco, Restoration Project, Toleware

I Love Lucy style Bread Box and Canister set

September 17, 2015 Patricia

Nesco Breadbox and Canisters restoration - Just like Lucy Ricardo's Set — Nesco Breadbox and Canisters restoration – Just like Lucy Ricardo’s Set

A fine Nesco breadbox and canister set expertly restored to look like the set in the Ricardo’s kitchen on I Love Lucy – pictured above- submitted by a contributor to this blog who was inspired by the previous blog posts. “With the help of my dad, who sandblasted, painted and clear coated everything and a friend who helped with the graphics, I too now have those Nesco canisters that are used in my kitchen every day!”

Read more about the original Nesco design in this post.

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Kitchen

Wall Matchbox holder like Lucy’s