Philco Portable Televisions - Philco Are Goco!

Just to remind you how spoiled we are, please enjoy this ad for Philco portable televisions, from 1957. And to spoil you a little more, have a Graphic Gift or two.

 Advertisers in '57 loved to make up bogus names for things even more than we do now. See the handle on top of that TV where the antenna comes out? Well, because the antenna "rotates to locate the strongest signal" (which, they would have loved for you to assume was an automatic, motorized type of thing, but surely wasn't), it was called the "Scan-Tenna" handle.

These TVs are all pretty neat looking. I'm sure they were available in colors besides brown and orangey-brown. They probably just chose those colors for the ad to adhere to a vague color scheme, and maybe to keep the lady at the bottom - the only element of the ad with yellow or green in it - nice and prominent.

Oh yeah. The affordable price that Philco is so proud of? Well $160 is over $1300 in today's money. Oof. But I'm sure the fake alligator skin cabinet was an optional extra, so you probably didn't have to have that on your Philco unless you suffered from Elvis Presley levels of taste.

Art students, take note. The woman is holding out her pinky. This was done to try and show you how light the TV is, and how effortless it is to move around. Why, even this Slender Seventeen-year-old slip of a girl can whip it around without breaking her smile. Holding out the pinky is a dainty hand, used effectively here.

However, don't use the dainty pinky for everything. I've reviewed portfolios in which every hand not shoved into a pocket was holding out the pinky. There was a drawing of a fantasy dude holding a sword... with a dainty pinky. We get it: you've discovered a secret of "good art", but your new discovery is not the solution to every hand problem you're faced with. Use the pinky judiciously. If you're using the dianty hand for fantasy warrior art, you need to learn to draw more hands. Back to the woodshed with you!



This TV-lugging lady would be useful for your next movie night flyer, or a note to remind your wife about your next "hugging grownups obscene infotainment date night" together. Here she comes. You knew her in the Philco ad, but now she's on a transparent alpha background to slip into whatever composition you have in store for her. Get ready to right click her with your erect pinky in three, two, one....CLICKWITHERECTPINKYNOW!!!

Click for big.

 And because you'se gots an honest face, here's the questionably styled fake alligator skin TV too. I clipped off the Scan-Tenna. Sorry. It was in my way. You're welcome.

Click for big.

Click for big.