Philco Model 52B Baby Grand Cathedral Radio (1932)
The Philco model 52B Baby Grand, introduced in June
of 1932, was the latest in the company's line of
economy compacts, having been preceded by models
50B and 51B. It featured a new cabinet by industrial
designer Clyde Shuler (1, 2, 3), the likeness of which
would be used for most of the Baby Grand radios
released during the next two years.
The 52B had a purchase price of $36.50, complete with
tubes. It was not a big seller and its roll as price leader
was short-lived, since that honor was soon to be
bestowed upon the model 80B, introduced that fall.
When this radio was introduced in June, many stores
sold it with a free printed program showing the schedule
of radio broadcasts for the upcoming 1932 "Great
National Political Conventions", held that month. The
big issue for the upcoming election was, of course, the
Great Depression, with the Democratic challenger
Franklin Roosevelt claiming that Republican incumbent
Herbert Hoover was to blame for the entire debacle. "I
pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American
people" was Roosevelt's rallying cry at the time.
Roosevelt went on to a sweeping victory in the
November ballot, ending forty years of Republican rule.
I cannot help but wonder whether or not this radio was
used to listen to those historic broadcasts and if so, to
what extent it influenced the voting of its owners.
of 1932, was the latest in the company's line of
economy compacts, having been preceded by models
50B and 51B. It featured a new cabinet by industrial
designer Clyde Shuler (1, 2, 3), the likeness of which
would be used for most of the Baby Grand radios
released during the next two years.
The 52B had a purchase price of $36.50, complete with
tubes. It was not a big seller and its roll as price leader
was short-lived, since that honor was soon to be
bestowed upon the model 80B, introduced that fall.
When this radio was introduced in June, many stores
sold it with a free printed program showing the schedule
of radio broadcasts for the upcoming 1932 "Great
National Political Conventions", held that month. The
big issue for the upcoming election was, of course, the
Great Depression, with the Democratic challenger
Franklin Roosevelt claiming that Republican incumbent
Herbert Hoover was to blame for the entire debacle. "I
pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American
people" was Roosevelt's rallying cry at the time.
Roosevelt went on to a sweeping victory in the
November ballot, ending forty years of Republican rule.
I cannot help but wonder whether or not this radio was
used to listen to those historic broadcasts and if so, to
what extent it influenced the voting of its owners.
...startling new Philco radio designs.
The model 52B uses the same 5-tube superheterodyne chassis as the model 51B. It covers the standard broadcast band only and
has tube line-up 24 (mixer/LO), 35 (IF amp), 24 (2nd detector), 47 (AF output pentode) and 80 (rectifier). The schematic can be
found here, courtesy of NostalgiaAir.
has tube line-up 24 (mixer/LO), 35 (IF amp), 24 (2nd detector), 47 (AF output pentode) and 80 (rectifier). The schematic can be
found here, courtesy of NostalgiaAir.
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