Early Village People

[bajaespuma]

Has this machine been discussed before? I apologize if this was ever a POD but I don't remember seeing it. Was the "fluid drive" like the ones used on some early Automatic transmissions? Also, I don't ever remember seeing a washer in colored porcelain before in an early one of these Tide ads.

 

[beekeyknee]

Just guessing here, but I assume it was similar to the fluid drive in a Speed Queen, for spin only with one directional motor. Seems like all the car companies were in the appliance game too.

 

[appnut]

"AMC" wasn't for a car company

It was kind of like a "store brand" for department stores.  Foley's in Houston sold AMC appliances. 

 

[countryford]

I've got a portable AMC TV

 

[brucelucenta]

The fluid drive was in several machines back in the early 50's it seems. I even had an old Hotpoint washer that employed a fluid drive and solenoid for the spin. Looked much like the one speed queen used up until the 80's, but not exactly the same. I actually have this ad that I removed from an old magazine and framed hanging on my utility room wall with others.

 

[jamiel]

This is, I think, the Beam design from Webster City, IA. Other images of it are in the Zenith advertisement and the Marquette spec sheet. AMC (Associated Merchandising Corp) was a sourcing company contracted with by the listed independent department stores (competing with Sears/Wards/May Dept Stores/RH Macy) to provide them hardgoods and domestics (and potentially clothing staples). Similar in the grocery industry to Topco.

 

[vacerator]

I've seen

a few freezers made by Kelvinator with a AMC automotive script logo on them from the early 70's. When the chrome script circled the AMC from off of the tail of the C back to the lower left of the A.

 

[vacerator]

So are they singing

YMCA, or AMCA?

 

[appnut]

AMC/Kelvinator was a completely different beast and not related to THIS AMC.

 

[vacerator]

I belive you Bob

but my friends mom in high school had an AMC freezer, and the script matched the AMC script on their AMC Ambassador. They bought the freezer from a local independant appliance dealer, not any department store.

 

[estesguy]

Autos in appliances

My grandparents had a Philco-Ford freezer on top refrigerator back in the 60's