At Last, A Predicta!, Somewhere, USA 1961
My eyes just about popped out of my head when I spotted a Predicta, the most beautiful TV of all time in this 1961 slide.
This is an uber-rare sighting of a Predicta in its original habitat. These space age style icons usually don’t show up in family photos. I know because I’ve been looking for a long time.
I’m not sure what kind of masterpiece mademoiselle is in the middle of painting, but whatever it is the Predicta would be a much more interesting subject. Not only does this swivel screen scene-stealer have style, it has personality. Does she even know that a big olive green eyeball of a boob tube is staring at her?! Robot designers take a note!
I once had a Predicta and it looked just like this one. I found it in the window of a TV repair shop in Huntington Beach in the early 80s. Of course it didn’t work but I really didn’t care. I watched it anyway.
Apparently they were problematic from the moment they were introduced by Philco of Philadelphia in 1957, until the last one rolled off the assembly line in 1960.
Oh well, at least they looked good. So good in fact, I find the delightful design mesmerizing almost to the point of being hypnotic. With a Predicta it’s never about what’s on TV – it’s about the TV. They are so beautiful you can watch it when it’s on or off.
Thank you, Philadelphia for Philco and thank you Philco for the Predicta!
Here’s to the painter, the Predicta, Philco Philadelphia and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
love this!
Lux & Ivy from the Cramps had a Predicta. They had a lot of cool stuff, actually.
Telstar.com offers the replica Predictas Thom referenced–with color! They’re available in many of the original designs, just in case you don’t want to watch TV in living black-and-white. (I still remember one of my dad’s friends owned one of the first color TVs. You literally had to adjust it every thirty seconds to keep the color in register. As a five-year-old, I couldn’t fathom why anyone would pay extra so they could watch a woman’s face turn green.)
Would be the crowning touch if your home is decorated in fifties retro.
I had no idea what a Predicta was but as soon as I saw the slide my eyes went immediately to the t.v.
Charles, What an uncanny and timely occurrence! I’m a painter and I just got a Holiday Predicta, which I”m pretty sure is what is in the picture. (you can unscrew the short legs from the bottom to fit a stand.) What most people may not realize (unless you see one in person) is just how BIG one of these sets are! You really wouldn’t want it for a counter top, the thing is HUGE!
It never ceases to amaze me how things looked more modern 50 years ago than today…
The repros they are now making are fabulous! Of course to have an original would be wonderful, but in the meantime they are handmaking these beauties by special order:
This was one of my favorite slides yet!
Funny how things switch places, back then TV’s were beautiful but the picture was horrendous. Now the TV’s are horrendous but the picture is awesome!
Wow, Charles, it is a beauty. I got my Predicta back in 1972, I bought it from a former student who I think may have perhaps “liberated” it from a cheap motel on the old Lebanon Highway in Nashville. In any case it lasted me through three years of law school and my move to Hotlanta. I could kick myself, though, for selling it at my first yard sale back in 1978 since it stopped working and no one here would repair it. Here’s to Phoenix, Philadelphia, Philco, Predicta and philm for slides!
I have a Predicta! It looks much like that one, except mine doesn’t have that nifty stand. It was an anniversary gift from my hubby, about 7-8 years ago. And, it works…but since TV waves can no longer be received via antenna here in SoCal, it has to be hooked up to the cable outlet. Judging from the slide, this person seems to have great style, overall!
Believe it or not, they’re re-making them with brand-new internals in Germany. They have the stand models, and the pedestal models, in a wide plethora of fabulous hardwoods to choose from. The Future is Now…!
Small world, we have a Predicta EXACTLY like that in the living room, recently restored. The rolling cart legs had to be replated and we reassembled it just a few weeks ago. And you’re right Charles, a Predicta is worth looking at, whether it’s playing or not.
This slide really is a great find!
I think she’s painting the bright red flowers and the view outside…
Charles, I am THRILLED to see this! I bought my Predicta back in the early 80s and found a couple of great places to get it overhauled. The picture is awesome; no one can believe it! But you’re right; pictures of them in their first incarnation a rare as can be. Thank you so much!
P.S. Mine is the Holiday, a kissin’ cousin to this one. (Designed for table top use, the rolling cart legs are replaced by shorter, table top legs.)
how amazing if bob villa’s predecessor had been doing a how to on the screen! keep up the great work!