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Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - Printable Version

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Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-24-2016

Just bought this Philco 20 Baby Grand with this on the back of the cabinet.  Looks like it says Mary Brian as the Paramount star that sponsored the radio for the auction.  She's on Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Brian.  I won't be able to see the tag in person until late in the month.

Has anyone ever seen one of these tags on a radio?  I'm really stoked about finding this one!  The cabinet has a really old alligatored gold finish on it, which looks as old as the radio.  Could it have been a promo job with gold over the varnish, since it was a movie star sponsored fund raiser for the Salvation Army?

It'll need some correct knobs, but all else seems correct?

Any thoughts on this one?

[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/Philco_20.jpg]
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/P5040676.JPG]
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/Philco_20_d1.jpg]
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/Philco_20_b1.jpg]
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/Philco_20_f.jpg]

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - morzh - 04-24-2016

Interesting thing.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-25-2016

The dial knob appears correct, so I'll need the two smaller knobs. Can someone post a pic of the correct style for those two knobs? Any chance that someone on the board has a decent used speaker cloth they don't need? Thanks!

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - klondike98 - 04-25-2016

Here's a picture from Ron's gallery....
http://www.philcoradio.com/gallery/1930b.htm#a

and some sources:
http://www.philcoradio.com/resourceb.htm#l

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - KCMike - 04-25-2016

http://www.radioatticarchives.com/radio.htm?radio=1932
I think this is the style you would need.
That's an interesting radio and history but I wonder about that finish. I had an stewart warner speaker cabinet with that crinkle type finish.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-25-2016

Mike and Bob,
Thanks for the leads. I can't tell if the small knobs in those pics have the hex design on them or fine grooves. I have some with the fine grooves.

Mike,
I don't think it was a krinkle finish originally, but I do think the gold has been on that cabinet a really long time and may be the reason the finish underneath cracked like that. Usually the factory finish doesn't do that with age. Also you can see the wear on the gold finish from using the radio, which tells me it was on there while the radio was still used on a regular basis. Who knows.....
Steve

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - morzh - 04-25-2016

Mike Koste will have some, I am sure. He has lots of Philco knobs.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-25-2016

I'm sure he would have them also, I just want to make sure I don't have the correct ones already.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - morzh - 04-25-2016

You don't.
The only one seems to be correct is the tuning knob (the big one).
The power (I think on the left) is not correct but can do as it is the same size, just I think the 20 both power and volume are knurled types. The right one (volume) is Philco but from totally different one. Like 620.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-25-2016

My mistake.  I didn't mean what's on the radio itself, they're obviously wrong.  I meant in my spare knobs.  Here's a picture of what I have in that size.  I'm thinking it's the pair on the left?
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/P4250667.JPG]

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - morzh - 04-25-2016

I think the two on the left are the correct ones.

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-26-2016

Mike,
Thanks for the affirmation on the knobs.

I need to give packing instructions to the person I'm getting this radio from. Along with the precautions necessary for the fragile cabinet face, I'm having them pack the speaker and chassis separate from the cabinet. It looks like the speaker unplugs from the chassis. Is that correct?

Luckily, this thing is only coming from about 225 miles away, not across the country. Trust me, my fingers will be crossed the whole time it's in transit!

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - Arran - 04-28-2016

(04-26-2016, 11:39 PM)SteveG Wrote:  Mike,
Thanks for the affirmation on the knobs.  

I need to give packing instructions to the person I'm getting this radio from.  Along with the precautions necessary for the fragile cabinet face, I'm having them pack the speaker and chassis separate from the cabinet.  It looks like the speaker unplugs from the chassis.  Is that correct?

Luckily, this thing is only coming from about 225 miles away, not across the country.  Trust me, my fingers will be crossed the whole time it's in transit!

 Shipping by bus would be my suggestion.
Regards
Arran

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 04-28-2016

Arran,
Thanks for the suggestion, but I have a UPS account and can email them UPS labels to make it easy for them.  It was a CL find, so I'm lucky they even want to ship it.  Nearly all the CL sellers wont do that.  They live in a small mountain community, so Greyhound isn't an option.  This lady has owned this radio for about 20 years and was happy to have it go to someone who will appreciate it for, hopefully another 20 years.

I plan on displaying it with an original press photo of Mary Brian, the Paramount star who sponsored the radio for the auction.  This can only serve to make my shop look that much better..........she's a knockout!
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/s-l500.jpg]

RE: Philco 20 Baby Grand Movie Star! - SteveG - 05-05-2016

Got the radio yesterday.  Very happy with it!  Hopefully someone will find me some speaker cloth at Kutztown!  I still wonder if the gold wasn't done at the dealer for the Hollywood giveaway?  The radio had to be dis-assembled to paint under the speaker screws and dial escutcheon, not usually something done by an amatuer.  Plus the fact that it's very worn around the knobs, speaks to it being in regular use enough to wear that gold off....

I've added photos of the cloth and both sides of the chassis.  Hopefully someone knows who has a close match for the cloth or an old decent original would be great! Maybe, since I'm electronically challenged, someone will chime in as to what they see with the chassis.  Is it unmolested or butched up?

I'm thinking that in 1930, the winner of this auction considered this golden radio, one of their prized possessions!
[Image: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/500/medium/P5040681.JPG]
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