Predicta Pedestal

MANUFACTURER

Philco

MODEL

G4654 “Pedestal”

COUNTRY

USA

YEAR

1958

SIZE

45"h x 25"w x 18"d

INTRO

Hello. Welcome to the MZTV interactive presentation of the 1958 Philco “Pedestal” television set. My name is Kelly and I’ll be your virtual host.

 

HISTORY

The marketing of television was immensely successful in the 1950s. It was aimed primarily at middle-class households — in its design as household furniture, in its promotion as a family-oriented enhancer of domestic life, and in the kinds of programming that the networks provided.

 

As television established a presence in the home, it began to alter patterns of family life and routine more powerfully than had radio. It was becoming, in a sense, a new member of the household. It was in this period that television began to position itself as a significant creator of mass culture.

 

The Philco Predicta television line, produced between 1957 and 1960, represents quite possibly the most distinctive television set ever produced in North America. Philco’s engineering department helped to turn the designers’ dreams into reality, by first making it feasible to separate the viewing screen from the bulky receiver chassis. As advertising described it then, Predicta indeed offered “TV Today from the World of Tomorrow”.

 

DESIGN

This particular Predicta was the television that inspired our collection and it was adopted as MZTV’s logo in 1992. Catherine Winkler, the original designer, modeled the set after a woman’s “ideal” figure, intending to suggest a slender woman’s body tapering from a proud, majestic head to a slim waist. The set’s introduction created quite a stir in the market place. Responding to the Predicta’s popularity, RCA’s president, David Sarnoff, was quoted as saying, “Philco has reinvented the industry and made TV more exciting again”. Other renowned Philco designers included Severin Jonassen and Emil Harman who designed the tabletop versions of the set and Richard Whipple who contributed to both Pedestal and tabletop designs.

 

As you can see, the Pedestal features a 21 inch black and white picture tube mounted on top of a vertically oriented cabinet. It stands 45 inches tall and only 18 inches deep.

 

The Predicta’s innovative design not only emphasizes the intrinsic beauty of the cathode ray tube, but the set’s brass bezel and supporting frame enables the tube to rotate 180 degrees at the “neck”. This feature ensures that a viewer can watch the set from any seat in the living room.

 

The set’s cabinet is made of blonde-finished walnut, but it was also available in oak and mahogany. Its three supporting feet – also made of walnut, steady the Pedestal.

 

On the front of the set, we can see that this model is equipped to receive both VHF and UHF signals – a rare feature at the time of the set’s creation. Other knobs adjust brightness, vertical and horizontal hold and power.

 

Looking at the set, we can see the famous “Philco Predicta” logo on the back cover of the picture tube, and the set’s serial number stenciled underneath.

 

ECONOMICS   (THE PHILCO COMPANY)

Shortly after the introduction of the Predicta, Philco’s stock price rose from 11 dollars to 26 dollars per share. However, the early, rapid success was short lived as technical problems with the Predicta’s swivel picture tube, and resulting negative press lead to a decline in consumer confidence and sales. The Predicta was discontinued in 1960, and sadly, in 1962 the Philco Company went bankrupt and the Ford Motor Company purchased its remaining assets.

 

ADVERTISEMENTS

The original Predicta ads that ran in 1958 proclaimed, “you’re looking at 1965”. Today, the legacy of the Predicta lives on into the 21st Century, and the quality of the design has stood the test of time. Today, TV enthusiasts and collectors clamour for Predictas at auctions, and “retro” versions of the Predicta line are now manufactured with colour picture tubes. The design of Apple’s “iMac”, launched in 2002, with its separate swivel screen, adopts Predicta design qualities, giving new meaning to the Philco slogan, “TV today from the World of tomorrow”.

 

Thanks for watching.