Tag Archives: Radios in Movies

Balázs spots a vintage receiver in “Jakob the Liar”

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who writes:

Jakob the Liar (1999)

A radio receiver plays a main role here next to Robin Williams in a Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland in the second world war.

Here I added three additional photos about the radios from the last year when we visited the Kraków area, the museums of Oskar Schindler’s Factory and Auschwitz.

Thank you for sharing your images, Balázs. I do not recognize the tube radio in Jakob the Liar. I do love the tuning eye. Anyone know the model? Please comment!

Of course, I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film!

Ed spots a Super-Power Long Range Panoramic 11-71 in “The Interview”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes:

Whilst watching the 1998 movie The Interview on Netflix, I spotted a Kriesler Radio Company Super-Power Long Range Panoramic 11-71 made in Newtown (Sydney) Australia about
1:11 into the movie (the opening scene.)

More information here: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/kriesler_11_71_117.html

I’d never heard of the Kriesler Radio Company before, probably because they were in Australia. The Super-Power Long Range Panoramic 11-71 was made in the late 50’s is beautiful, and it has interesting bandspread markings.

I agree, Ed! The bandspread/dial on the Kriesler is beautiful. I was not at all familiar with this Australian radio–thank you for sharing!

I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film.

Balázs spots a number of radios in “Fear the Walking Dead”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balázs Kovács, who discovered a number of scenes in Fear the Walking Dead that feature various radios. Balázs notes:

In the last episodes (after a hurricane) various two way radios were quite frequently used.

Thanks, Balázs! That looks like a Kenwood HF transceiver on the table. Anyone know the model? Please comment!

Of course, I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film!

Dan spots a Barlow Wadley XCR-30 in “The Looming Tower”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:

[This Barlow Wadley XCR-30 (above)] appears in Episode 4 of The Looming Tower on Hulu. Shown sitting in a slum in Nairobi (or a location posing as Nairobi), tuned to what sounds like Radio Australia…

Great catch, Dan! If I ever find an XCR-30 in great shape, I think I’ll snag one. I’ve always loved their simple, all-business front panel and legendary–once benchmark–performance.

Of course, I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film!

Kris recognizes Italian receiver in “The Same Sky”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who shares the following comment regarding John Harper’s recent post:

The receiver which featured in Same Sky is of Italian manufacture, it’s from Geloso but I’m not able to identify which model.

Here is a link to a very interest and comprehensive page, by Tony I0JX, about John Geloso the founder of the company. Scroll down, but read enroute, and there are pictures of the receivers and transmitters bearing the Geloso name.

http://www.qsl.net/i0jx/geloso.html

Yes, you will agree it’s a Geloso in the film.

It must be fifty plus years since I was allowed to touch one. As a teenager one of the ‘Elmers’ at the local amateur radio club in Torbay had a complete Geloso station.

What a beautiful receiver! Thanks for the follow-up, and links to this company’s history Kris!

Numbers station in a Netflix series “The Same Sky”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Harper (AE5X), who writes:

I don’t know if you’ve heard of a new series on Netflix – “The Same Sky” is a Cold War spy series regarding an attempt to gain access to an American eavesdropping facility in Berlin in the 1970’s.

Not a lot of radio-related activity in the series but there is a scene of a spy receiving his coded instructions via a numbers station. I’ve posted a YouTube video of the scene here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=KqyIqn926eM

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thank you, John! I’ve just added The Same Sky to my watch list–I love Cold War spy films and series!

I’ll add this post to our ever growing archive of radios in film!

Self-powered shortwave radio spotted in Battlestar Galactica

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce F, who writes:

Here is a photo of a radio from the 2004 – 2009 TV series “Battlestar Galactica“. This radio is perhaps unique and worthy of careful study! Why? Because not only was it NOT MADE on Earth, but there is no connection in its design with any other known radio ever.

The reason for this is quite simple. This sci-fi TV series takes place in a distant future when all humans had left the Earth generations ago and migrated throughout the galaxy. The humans in this series have lost all touch with humanity’s origin planet. They do not know where Earth is, or even if it still exists, or if it ever actually existed.

“Earth” is an important part of their religion and mythology. So here is a totally un-Earthly radio. Odd though. it does closely resemble a Grundig wind-up radio I owned sometime in the 2000’s…

Ha ha! Yes indeed, Bruce. And I can confidently say that I’ve personally distributed hundreds upon hundreds of this particular radio model for Ears To Our World. Grundig used to market it as the Grundig FR-200, and Tecsun still offers it as the Tecsun Green-88 (or GR-88). It’s a brilliant receiver, although I’m not sure how effectively one can monitor shortwave while in a spacecraft! 🙂

I also grabbed some screenshots from BSG with a number of radios some time ago. I’m not sure I ever posted it, though. I’ll have to look through my (rather deep) drafts folder.

Thanks for sharing, Bruce. I’ll add this post to our growing archive of radios in film!