THOR AUTOMAGIC LIVES!

It's rare, because a lot of people figured that running a load of diapers and then a load of dishes was Not A Good Thing.

Joe: I don't know about "Eagle Eye," but spotting props is part of what I do when writing about film. In movies, props are very, very specifically chosen to give you information. An obvious example is cars: A beat-up Chevy says the character is poor, a Caddy says they're well off and a Rolls says they're very well-off indeed.

The kitchen in A Letter to Three Wives has elements chosen to strengthen the conflict between Rita (Ann Sothern) and George Phipps (Kirk Douglas). She's a successful writer of radio soaps, and he's a high school teacher, which already means there's a disparity in income, slanted towards the wife, which was not common in '49.

Rita's kitchen is 1949 state-of-the-art. She has a GE Airliner range, a double-door GE fridge, a GE electric sink, the Thor Automagic, Guardian Service cookware, a Sunbeam T-50 toaster, a Sunbeam Coffeemaster, an Automatic Electric wall phone in white and St. Charles cabinets. Her radio work is paying quite well. But the flossy kitchen also means she has to keep her nose to the grindstone, because it all has to be paid for. She's not even getting time to enjoy it all; she has to employ Sadie Dugan (Thelma Ritter) to do the actual cooking in it.

So, that's what props in movies do; they give more information to the audience and strengthen the development of characters.

Ron - Do you have photos of your other Automagics? I'm not 100% certain that the Model 22 is the one seen in the movie. I'd be grateful for a look at other models.


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Post# 770200 7/12/2014 at 11:17 (3,568 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Like a mighty phoenix, it rises from the ashes -- well, actually, a third-floor apartment in Dorchester, Massachusetts! Anyway, some of you may remember the posting a few months ago about a Thor Automagic in Dorchester. Well, I rescued it; and after much "tweaking," it is now up and running. One of the last things I needed to get the machine fully operational was a new belt. Did I really think I was going to find a replacement belt for an early 1950's Thor Automagic? Never. A trip to my local hardware store and guess what? They had the exact replacement belt. Obviously, not designated for a Thor. But it was a standard sized belt and I was back in business. Here she is all cleaned up and ready to do laundry. View Full Size

Post# 770201 , Reply# 1 7/12/2014 at 11:18 (3,568 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Here she is washing away! View Full Size

Post# 770203 , Reply# 2 7/12/2014 at 11:19 (3,568 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Spinning! View Full Size

Post# 770206 , Reply# 3 7/12/2014 at 11:21 (3,568 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes All closed up and ready for another day of washing! View Full Size

Post# 770229 , Reply# 4 7/12/2014 at 12:53 (3,568 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Is This....* The same model machine that is (barely) seen in these two shots from 1949's A Letter to Three Wives? You can see the top and front corner of the Thor in these two photos, but it's sort of behind a 1948 GE Airliner range, and therefore a little hard to see. It's the only non-GE major on this kitchen set; everything else (Airliner range, twin-door fridge and electric sink) was from General Electric. If you can confirm that yours appears to be the same machine, I would love to know the model number! Thanks - Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 770284 , Reply# 5 7/12/2014 at 16:43 (3,568 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)
Checkrate/Likes *Sandy,* To be able to spot that machine must mean your friends call you "eagle eye." A very fine film too.

Post# 770286 , Reply# 6 7/12/2014 at 17:02 (3,568 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Sandy, To answer your serial number question, the machine I just posted today is a Model 222 with Serial No. 229425. Not sure if you need this information, but the other two Thor's I have are both Model 244's, one with serial number C241744 and the other with serial number C140508. Ron Kenmore58

Post# 770421 , Reply# 7 7/13/2014 at 00:35 (3,567 days old) by washdaddy (Baltimore)
Checkrate/Likes Ron, Is this the machine that also can be used with a dish insert for dishwashing? If so, do you have that insert as well? It's a great looking machine BTW. Rick

Post# 770436 , Reply# 8 7/13/2014 at 03:16 (3,567 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Yes, Rick, the Automagic can be converted to a dishwasher. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate the dishwasher attachment as of yet. But I figure if I've been able to locate 3 Thor Automagic's, the dishwasher attachment should be around the corner! Ron

Post# 770463 , Reply# 10 7/13/2014 at 05:55 (3,567 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)
Checkrate/Likes *Boy* that cleaned up nicely.

Post# 770459 , Reply# 9 7/13/2014 at 05:49 (3,567 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Dishwasher Attachment:* It's rare, because a lot of people figured that running a load of diapers and then a load of dishes was Not A Good Thing. Joe: I don't know about "Eagle Eye," but spotting props is part of what I do when writing about film. In movies, props are very, very specifically chosen to give you information. An obvious example is cars: A beat-up Chevy says the character is poor, a Caddy says they're well off and a Rolls says they're very well-off indeed. The kitchen in A Letter to Three Wives has elements chosen to strengthen the conflict between Rita (Ann Sothern) and George Phipps (Kirk Douglas). She's a successful writer of radio soaps, and he's a high school teacher, which already means there's a disparity in income, slanted towards the wife, which was not common in '49. Rita's kitchen is 1949 state-of-the-art. She has a GE Airliner range, a double-door GE fridge, a GE electric sink, the Thor Automagic, Guardian Service cookware, a Sunbeam T-50 toaster, a Sunbeam Coffeemaster, an Automatic Electric wall phone in white and St. Charles cabinets. Her radio work is paying quite well. But the flossy kitchen also means she has to keep her nose to the grindstone, because it all has to be paid for. She's not even getting time to enjoy it all; she has to employ Sadie Dugan (Thelma Ritter) to do the actual cooking in it. So, that's what props in movies do; they give more information to the audience and strengthen the development of characters. Ron - Do you have photos of your other Automagics? I'm not 100% certain that the Model 22 is the one seen in the movie. I'd be grateful for a look at other models.

Post# 770562 , Reply# 11 7/13/2014 at 14:23 (3,567 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Jon: Thanks for the compliment. Seeing what you do with machines, that means a lot. Sandy: I'll try and post a picture of my other machine later tonight. Ron

Post# 770583 , Reply# 12 7/13/2014 at 16:07 (3,567 days old) by rberryiii3 (Palm Springs, California)
Checkrate/Likes *thor* I am always amazed that these older machines still exist and every more amazed when rescued, what a great job. I saw this machine once when I was 4 or 5 and was fascinated that these machine could also be used as a dishwasher. Great , Great save.

Post# 770597 , Reply# 13 7/13/2014 at 17:33 (3,567 days old) by kenmore58 (Rhode Island)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks, Rob. As soon as I can figure out how to, I plan to post a video. Ron