General Electric Ads late 1950s

[a78jumper]

Those GE ads from the late 1950s I suspect were neat (Picture of the Day 28 May 07).

Two points, the turquoise fridge has a foot pedal to open the door, which my parents 1958 GE fridge also had. We had that relic in our basement until about five years ago when it finally expired. It was supposed to be "Frost Free" but that feature never worked too well. Had really neat rotating shelves that circled around a centre pole as I recall that locked into place with a little button.

Second, has anyone ever run accross any vintage GE ads of this era that featured Ronald and Nacy Reagan's all electric General Electric house that was built in Pacific Palisades in the late 1950s. I know that the appliances were state of the art for the time and apparently Ronnie used to joke that the house was connected directly to the Hoover Dam. Somehow I just can not imagine Nancy gushing about how she loves cooking on her GE stove or washing dishes with her GE dishwasher, but apperently they were featured on ads both in print and on the GE Variety Show Reagan hosted in those days.

 

[a78jumper]

The pic I am referring to

 

[bajaespuma]

Maybe they needed the cash

Yes, I've seen those Reagan ads. I remember they featured that weird GE vacuum cleaner that looked like an oil drum laid on its side (which was used in an "I Dream of Jeannie" episode where Major Nelson traps her in the vacuum). One has to remember that this was at the end of Ronnie and Nancy's unillustrious movie careers and probably right before he switched from Democrat to Republican and headed for politics.

 

[a78jumper]

I can just see Nancy vacumning! And yes they did need the cash, one of the reasons cited in his biography for moving aside from needing a bigger house was the fact the GE was willing to foot much of the bill so long as the place was used to showcase a modern all electric home owned by a movie star (of sorts)

 

[tomturbomatic]

There was a big GE kitchen in the Governor's mansion in California, or at least GE put a big kitchen in that place when Reagan was elected governor. I have an article about it somewhere and it stated that a microwave oven was going to be installed soon next to the double builtin ovens. Maybe leaking microwave radiation was responsible for everything. "Look Mommie, the potato exploded!"

"Get away from that thing before it turns your hair orange."

 

[jetcone]

I'll take the Merry Manor Kitchen

for $52/month!! Even though the washer doesn't have a window!

 

[rp2813]

Tom, to my knowledge the ill-conceived governor's mansion that Reagan commissioned is still to this day a white (maybe harvest gold?) elephant. Even Arnold wasn't interested in it and decided to keep commuting to LA every weekend instead. It would be interesting to see interior shots of the place, especially the kitchen. It must be a very deluxe late 60's time capsule.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Hey Ralph, Thanks for the update. Tom