The Draper Dishwasher:

[danemodsandy]

In another thread, there was some curiosity about the dishwasher seen on the set of the Draper kitchen in Mad Men. It's clear at a glance that it's a D & M machine, but which D & M machine?

Below is an enlarged detail from a still frame, showing the clearest view of the dishwasher's control panel I can find. This had to be heavily tweaked for contrast, gamma and focus to get it this clear, so no kvetching that you want a clearer shot, mmkay?

John combo52? Whaddya think?

 

[danemodsandy]

P.S.:

The coffee service on the counter above the DW is the kind of little "touch" set decorators pride themselves on. The stuff is called Ikora, from the German manufacturer WMF (Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik). It's silverplate with a fancy surface treatment, done with heat and chemicals, to give it a pearlized look.

Since Betty Draper's ethnic heritage is German - her maiden name was Hofstadt - this makes Ikora a very suitable choice for her character.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The coffee server, at least, looks like it has an insulated metal shell or cozy over the ceramic pot. A family friend had a tea pot with a metal cover with insulation.

 

[danemodsandy]

Tom:

Yes, the coffee pot has an insulated outer shell over a white ceramic pot. The sugar and creamer also have removable shells. The surface of Ikora was not supposed to get put in the dishwasher, nor could it withstand harsh cleaning methods of any kind. It had a lacquer layer over the pearlization, and if the lacquer became eroded, it was goodbye, Charlie for the finish.

 

[turquoisedude]

I'd guess it's one of the more unusual D&M rebadges like a Caloric or O'Keefe & Merritt.   That 'starburst' panel is something I don't immediately associate with a specific manufacturer. 

 

[scoots]

Coffee Set

My grandmother gave my mother this coffee set; it's gone now and I miss it greatly, not only because it was stylish, but for sentimental reasons.

It was beautiful, with a dimensional look to the brushed metal shell, but as Sandy pointed out, the lacquer could not be damaged or the whole thing turned into a rusty mess. How ours ever got damaged, I will never know, it was NEVER used and set aside as a show set. We did live in a damp and foggy climate in coastal California at the time, perhaps it was the climate itself that did it in.

 

[cuffs054]

Could the round blurred mark be a W for westinghouse?

 

[jamiel]

my wager is Gaffers and Sattler

 

[laundromat]

Gibson

 

[danemodsandy]

Am I the Only One....

....Who thinks this DW must be another anachronism - something wrong for the period?

God knows I'm not an expert on D & M, but this just reeks early '70s to me. I was very familiar with Kenmore DWs at the time, and that door trim and latch lever are exactly the ones used on Kennies then.

 

[alr2903]

Kelvinator? 

[this post was last edited: 11/26/2014-06:07]

 

[tomturbomatic]

The only reason I would not say early 70s was that the period had fake woodgrain on everything, it seemed.

John is on a trip so he might not see the question until a bit later than usual.

I wonder if this could be the D&M Speed Queen DW.

 

[combo52]

Weird DW

The DW is a late 70s or early 80s D&M basic DW that has a doctored control panel.

 

[turquoisedude]

That would make sense.... At least when Betty moved to the new house in later seasons, the pink KitchenAid dishwasher was little more era-appropriate. 

 

[gansky1]

I have seen this starburst design on a D&M panel before, think it was Kelvinator. The selector buttons look mid-70's Kenmore like to me, it wasn't uncommon to see similar knobs and buttons across the D&M offerings and spanning several years of manufacturing.

Like Johnny Cash working at the Cadillac factory!

 

[danemodsandy]

I Hope....

....Someone can really nail this DW, because it's driving me nuts. I have everything else in this kitchen I.D.'d, even the laminate on the counters (Arborite's 'Sky Tulle,' which is current stuff, but looks vintage, except for its matte finish, which was a plus for filming, since it does not create unwanted reflections).

But not the DW. AHHHHHHHHH! And grrh.

 

[classiccaprice]

Didn't they change dishwashers in that kitchen at least once in the series run? I seem to recall another one at one point.

 

[danemodsandy]

Will:

I think you might be thinking of the KitchenAid seen in later seasons, after Betty remarried and moved to that mausoleum in Rye. Different house.

 

[classiccaprice]

Nope, I seemed to recall something else there... Turns out it was the cabinets before the dishwasher.

 

[whirlcool]

I'm Gonna Agree With Caloric

The Partridge Family had a Caloric kitchen and their Dishwasher looked very similar to the one they had.

 

[roto204]

G&S

It's a Gaffers & Sattler.  Here's a link to a similar unit:

http://thumbstumbler.com/2013/01/06/2468/

 

[danemodsandy]

Nate:

Hats off to you, because you have definitely solved the mystery: "What brand is this?" Looking at your photo above, which appears to be a later model than the unit chez Draper, the indicia, their fonts, everything is a match.

However, we are still left with other mysteries, which may not be solved anytime soon. The site you linked to is quite interesting, but the author makes a very simple, yet critical mistake when they assume the dishwasher is at least as old as the acquisition of Gaffers & Sattler by Magic Chef.

The Website that author links to in support of their theory that the DW goes back to 1969 at the latest actually says that Magic Chef acquired G & S in 1969, not that there were no more G & S-branded appliances after that date. In fact, both the Draper DW and the one in the photo you posted look very much like "acquisition specials' - cheaply-made appliances using a once-exalted name. 1950s and early 1960s Gaffers & Sattlers appliances I've seen pictured are obviously well-made, expensive, luxurious appliances. These two dishwashers are no such thing. And I know enough about their D & M DNA to suspect that they're later than 1969.

I am under a distinct impression that Gaffers & Sattler was very much a West Coast brand, not often seen in the East. I have never seen one of their appliances in person. If that is true, that would put Betty Draper's dishwasher rather a long way from home.

At any rate, we don't know everything yet, but we have an excellent start, thanks to you, Nate. Cheers!

 

[danemodsandy]

Will:

Interesting photo you posted, because it shows something that is hard to spot on the show itself.

That is a modern self-rimming sink, which was later changed to a correct drop-in model with a Hudee ring.

 

[a440]

I have found this dishwasher twice.  Once behind Lowes, the other behind a Home Depot.

It is a D&M Kelvinator badge machine.  The one behind Lowes was a total loss with parts taken off.  The other was in good shape but I decided to pass.

What is written above the Starburst is "Automatic Dishwasher".  I think the buttons to the left was for heat on, heat off for drying.

The Starburst craze for dishes and such was around 1965 through early 1970's.  The dishwasher could be a late 1960's model.

One of the reasons for passing it by was because it was the crazy D&M design with the huge spray arm ABOVE the glass rack with no spray arm directly below the upper glass rack.  I always wondered what the design group was smoking to think this was a effective design.  

 

 

[danemodsandy]

Brent:

While I can certainly believe that D & M made the identical dishwasher for Kelvinator, I am persuaded that the Draper DW is a Gaffers & Sattler.

If you will look at the photo Nate posted, you will see the Gaffers & Sattler logo in the center of the control panel, under the words "Automatic Dishwasher" in script.

Now look at the photo I posted. While it's blurry, the logo matches the one on Nate's example.

Last, there is an example of the Kelvinator logo posted upthread, by alr2903. It does not match the control panel of the Draper unit.

Because D & M would make damn near anything for damn near anybody, I can certainly believe that they made a Kelvy version identical except for the logo. But I'm also convinced that the Draper machine has a G & S logo.

 

[a440]

Actually Sandy on the Kelvinator versions that I saw with the Sunburst in the middle....

The Kelvinator Stamp was NOT over the Sunburst.  It was over the Timer Control.  

If I remember correct it said above the Sunburst "Energy Saver".  To the left of the Energy Save was a Sunflower or something.

Perhaps if I see another I will snap a photo.

 

 

[peteski50]

D&M

I think it is a Gaffers & Sattler and I bet the 2 buttons from left to right are rinse&hold than full cycle! I love to read the d&m brochures does anyone heve displays?
Thanks Peter

 

[roto204]

Kudos to jamiel

He got original dibs on the right answer, so 500 points for him this round!  

 

[roto204]

Acquisition special

You're absolutely right, Sandy--recall that Chambers D&M I have hiding in the shed.  The Mercedes of stoves?  You betcha!  Not so much the dishwasher, though.  It was a cute match style-wise to the built-ins of the time, and there were elements that were slightly better than your average D&M, but it was still a D&M--clearly made so that they could have a fuller-line offering.  And yes, as with any brand, the date of the sale means nothing when the trademark gets exercised for years to keep it from expiring, so the blog is dead wrong there.

 

Of course, they were dead wrong when they posited that they had the oldest dishwasher on Earth.  ;-)

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?50129

 

[jkbff]

I'm glad to see someone else mentioning Mad Men... I've been hooked on this show the last week or so, watching 6 seasons in less than 10 days...

I was hooked on this show because of the scene shots I saw...

The decor has me hooked... The infidelity sickens me.... :/ To the point Don was causing headaches........