Radio of the Future (1942)

The radio of the future is... a television? This 1942 ad for Admiral radios featured modernist designer Samuel A. Marx and his vision of a "radio of the future." Like most American visions of the future from the 1940s, this one is drenched in talk of war and what technological advancements are just around the corner; after the war.

Source: Duke University Libraries

Previously on Paleo-Future:

• Tomorrow's Kitchen (1943)
• After the War (1944)
• Plastic Skyscrapers and Frozen Dinners (1945)
• 'Brain Wave' Music Possible (1949)
• Television: Medium of the Future (1949)

Comments

[Jonathan Badger]

I realize that all the mention of the war effort was supposed to be patriotic, but advertising that the company is wasting time thinking about future products to sell after the war rather than focusing on the war at hand makes it sound like they don't really care who wins.

[Wutzke]

Re: comment #1 - people needed something to look forward to, a dream of a better tomorrow. I'm sure Mr. Marx and Admiral didn't spend *that* much time on this design and ad. In any event, compared with the complete absence of public sacrifice and belt-tightening with respect to our current "wars" -- "Soldiers are dying somewhere? Really? Still? Huh -- well, more tax cuts, anyone?" -- we hardly have room to throw stones.

As for the ad - I rather like the design. Very 30s streamline. But it's interesting that even a "noted designer" didn't envision that in a fairly short period of time people would want larger and larger TV screens -- TV wouldn't be an ancillary adjunct to radio, but would supplant it.

[Hiyram]

IBM and other US companies secretly supported the Nazis incase they won WW2.

Hows that for patriotism?

[Anonymous]

Look at that multi-DVD player!

[Jonas David]

Hopely we have many other people like Samuel A. Marx with their briliant idea to create something new - something different especially in technology field for a better world that we lived in...

by, Jonas David

[Mike G]

Another future prediction has gone horribly wrong!

[aberclombie]

Abercrombie&Fitch

Abercrombie&Fitch Europe
Abercrombie&Fitch UK
Abercrombie&Fitch Ireland
Abercrombie&Fitch Spain
Abercrombie&Fitch France
Abercrombie&Fitch Germany

[mn]

cooool

[Jota]

Amazing!!