Today on Dr. IP: Type Casting and Rival Relationships
As The IP noted in a post almost a year ago, as a thrift-store collector, he likes to have good examples of many things, rather than a HUGE collection of 1 thing. This is a good approach for when he gets sick of it all and rents out a space in one of those “antique” malls or does the e-bay dump.
Well; not just yet:
Above is the stalwart IBM Model C. It came out in 1959, just before it’s more famous cousin, the “Selecrtric;” that’s the one with the round type ball (spherical typing element) that still amazes when you watch it spin and pivot while in operation. The Model C was IBMs last classic “typebar” type typewriter that totaled over 250,000 sales for Big Blue in its first two years after its introduction, and hundreds-of-thousands more into the 60s and 70s. They showed up on Mad Men regularly, a tribute to that show’s stage design team.
Not only was the Model C successful commercially, it quickly gained a well-earned reputation for classic design and simple-yet-innovative technology. Just it’s weight alone is impressive, and it would not be surprising that some might see it (especially in its green color) as a Government-Issue machine for the Army. It probably did end up in many military offices, actually; and in many military-like corporate offices, too. This particular one (at Goodwill) lived at Georgia Pacific (sticker on the back), an appropriately industrious (and local!) company for such a well-built typewriter. One must imagine that there were probably a lot of people working at IBM and using an IBM typewriter…that would be kinda weird.
And, for whatever it’s worth, it purrs like a kitten and smacks the page with a fast and satisfying “Wack! Wack! Whackety-wack wack!!” And if The IP ever gets involved with the Atlanta mob scene, he can use it as a weight when he dumps that stool pigeon into Lake Lanier; while he’s still alive!! Forgive The IP…He’s been watching too many Peter Gunn episodes lately.
PART II: A Relationship Between Rivals
That would be two Rival Ice-O-Matic electric ice crushers, thank you.
The IP almost shat his pants when he saw the above avocado-green Ice-O-Matic staring at him from the shelf of the Buford Highway Goodwill. All The IP can say is that if he finds a burnt-orange or buckskin beige version, he’ll buy it.
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5 Responses to “Today on Dr. IP: Type Casting and Rival Relationships”
My IBM electric typewriter (given to me by a friend in 1969 and that I used constantly through most of the 1980s) PRE-DATED the example shown. It was all gray, very industrial-looking. Taller, I think. The type was rather small. Finally, something went wrong with it that could not be fixed, not even by the “House of Typewriters” in Huntsville (out of business now, of course). I think I just left it there. Computers were coming along by then, but there was an interim during which I composed things on a typesetting machine for lack of any other writing machine, and “developed” my words on glossy photographic paper made for cutting & pasting.
I used one of those to type transmittals on carbonless forms (three sheet) to keep track of manuscript as it scooted through various editorial people.
Forgot about that.
It was one of the anachronistic yet functional steps of the process before the networked individual computer systems were installed and word processing programs that tracked changes in a single document had been developed.
My friend Lionel Lorant was waiting in an office for a job interview when there were sounds of a violent argument between the two brothers who ran that company, & suddenly an IBM Selectric [easily recognizable] came flying through the glass window of the inner office.
Lionel quickly left the premises.
March 9, 2010 at 5:30 pm
My IBM electric typewriter (given to me by a friend in 1969 and that I used constantly through most of the 1980s) PRE-DATED the example shown. It was all gray, very industrial-looking. Taller, I think. The type was rather small. Finally, something went wrong with it that could not be fixed, not even by the “House of Typewriters” in Huntsville (out of business now, of course). I think I just left it there. Computers were coming along by then, but there was an interim during which I composed things on a typesetting machine for lack of any other writing machine, and “developed” my words on glossy photographic paper made for cutting & pasting.
March 9, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Get the avocado green one!
I’d prefer burnt orange myself, or even brown mustard if they offered that.
I know a great stylist, mostly commercial photo shoots.
She was and is excellent at hunting down the items needed.
And yes, the details are REALLY important for a show such as Mad Men.
March 9, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I used one of those to type transmittals on carbonless forms (three sheet) to keep track of manuscript as it scooted through various editorial people.
Forgot about that.
It was one of the anachronistic yet functional steps of the process before the networked individual computer systems were installed and word processing programs that tracked changes in a single document had been developed.
March 9, 2010 at 9:10 pm
This is a true story.
My friend Lionel Lorant was waiting in an office for a job interview when there were sounds of a violent argument between the two brothers who ran that company, & suddenly an IBM Selectric [easily recognizable] came flying through the glass window of the inner office.
Lionel quickly left the premises.
March 10, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Hey Marlone. I bet you had the Model B. Check out the link to the IBM ads…