What happened to COLOR in America? Cars, product design, transistor radios, clothes

Описание: Cars were COLORFUL in the 1950s. And not just red and the occasional blue. There were turquoises, pinks, greens, corals. Two tones and tri-tones! A regular palette of piston-pumping pulchritude.

There was choice. Today you have choice. White, black, or silver. And for the car's interior, did you want the beigey-gray? Or the grayish-beige? Whoppee. In the 1950s there were dozens of colors to choose from and not just the outside color... for example, buying a 1956 Ford, you could choose any of these fabrics in any of these colors, in all kinds of combinations.

The story with transistor radios was much the same. The 1950s offerings were fun-- and colorful--and decorative. But in the 1960s, like most of the cars, they got drab. They were reduced to being a single color, often black or white--which some will argue aren't even "colors." And these color-free radios were often trimmed in silver metal... not unlike the dashboard of a '65 Chevy. Color, starting in the 1960s, was beginning to be, not just avoided, but SHUNNED--almost as if... it was FEARED. And we are in the same sorry state today. I hear you grumbling. You don't think it's true. Well, today there is color but it has been assigned... to children. Adults aren't allowed. Certainly not male adults. Men are permitted all the sartorial flair of...Chairman Mao. Rampant, colorless uniformity infests the business world. Even so-called "business casual" forbids color. Wear color and you're "just not serious." You try wearing a green outfit and see how far you get. That wouldn't even be allowed as sportswear. And a pink shirt, as business wear or sportswear? You're not going to want to do that in most parts of America if you know what's good for you. It's not quite so bad over in the women's department, where they're allow pink and a less limited palatte...but go into any department store and you'll have no trouble finding the men's section. It's that gray one. That sea of brownish-gray, that colorless blob where hangs, waiting for you, the clothes you are allowed to wear.

As bad as that is, nowhere is it worse than in consumer electronics. Once again, children are exempted and are allowed to have electronics devices that are yellow or red, or even multicolored. But take a look at what YOU get to choose from. THIS is what's being offered up at your local electronics store for you. See what I mean?

After turning on color in the early '60s, there was, in the late '60s and early 1970s, a short-lived resurgence of it--a brief golden age when color was back. Panasonic issued their Panapet and Toot-a-Loop radios in primary colors. Harvest gold, and avocado-color appliances showed up in the kitchen. This brief golden age of color was quickly swatted down and is spoken of today only derogatorily. "Remember that avocado color refrigerator we had? What were we thinking?" And "oh my gosh, an orange can opener--how could we live like that?"

It's this particular little golden age we are celebrating today, this little island of freedom from the tyranny of monochromism that has gripped this country since the early '60s.

During this time we saw RCA produce "The Floater" radio. JVC made the "Balance-Type Fashion Radio," Hitachi made this. And RCA produced this sweet little radio, which they refer to as a "Color Radio." From the RCA logo used we can date this radio to 1968 or later. My guess would be around 1970. When I first found this radio, in a flea market, I saw that the box says "Made in Hong Kong expressly for RCA." Having seen many radios from the Hong Kong era that were in promising boxes--and having opened those boxes only to be disappointed with drab, bland radios inside, I was very pleasantly surprised to see this beauty come out of the box. Now have a look at this most interesting hang tag, labeled "Color Radio." In it, RCA takes credit for the whole idea of colorful radios--a rather grand statement--while immediately equivocating on the idea. Quoting from the tag: "Color is here, there and everywhere. Now RCA adds color to radio. Accent color that helps decorate a room; express a personality. Bright color, quiet color and warm wood color. Plenty of black-and-chrome for traditionalists, too. This is Color Radio from RCA." End Quote.

What? Did you get that? They say they also offer black & chrome for traditionalists? That's considered traditional? At that point in consumer product design, black & chrome styling was just a short-lived fad less than 10 years old. How did that get to be perceived as traditional? Victorian, Colonial, French Provincial, those are traditional. But black and chrome? RCA's apology to "traditionalists" doesn't sound like much on the surface but it is very revealing. It shows just how strong the anti-color movement was, and is. So strong that RCA had to assure its adherents that they were safe. Color wouldn't hurt them. They could still have their color-free products.... But the so-called traditionalists weren't having it...