THE 1954 STROMBERG-CARLSON TV

BY DAN MILLER

This picture shows the second -- not the first, but the second -- TV set our family ever owned.
Yes, it's a beautiful 1954 Stromberg-Carlson... and I found this catalog picture on the Internet.

I'm sure most people can remember their first cars, their first dogs, their first grade teacher, and many other important "firsts". But how about your family's -- and your neighbor's -- first TV sets.

I was a kid in the 1950's, when many families were buying their very first television sets.... and I clearly remember the first one my father brought home.

It was a rather large table model Manor Crest. I've searched the Internet trying to find a picture of a Manor Crest, but have never found even a mention of such a brand.

I've talked with other TV aficionados, and no one's ever heard of a Manor Crest. Some have even questioned my memory..... but I assure you, it was a Manor Crest.

I called my childhood pal Bob Smith the other day to see if he could still recall the brands of TV sets we all had. He could.... and we rattled them off.....

The Millers had the table model Manor Crest.....
The Beckums had a console Philco.....
The Danish's TV was a console Sylvania (with Halo-Light)....
and the Smith family had a table model Admiral.

Why do we remember such stuff? I don't know. I do know neither Bob or I ever lost our fascination with television and radio.

I'm here in Nashville doing the news, and Bob's in Augusta doing the weather on Channel 12 there.

Anyhow, the picture you see with this column today is just like the one my father bought after the Manor Crest started looking funny. And, in case you're interested, next came a Zenith.

One other thing...... before I started writing this, I asked my wife Karen about the brand of her family's first TV set.
She said all she could remember was that it was made of blond wood.

And she also recalled how the station down in Mississippi would quite often put up a picture reading "Please Stand By".... and that she'd go up and "stand by" the TV, thinking that's what they meant.

And her parents didn't tell her any different, because when she stood by the TV, it seemed to help the reception.

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