by Mark Oppat
Detroit is renowned the world over as a mechanical manufacturing center. It is the “Motor City” in most everyone’s mind. Oddly enough, with all the manufacturing done in Detroit (and Michigan), there were hardly any major radio manufacturers.
The Detrola Radio Corp. was the largest probably ever in Michigan, and was featured at the exhibit during the Michigan Antique Radio Club’s “Extravaganza,” held annually the second weekend of July in Lansing.
I will give you a quick overview of Detrola. We don’t know a whole lot about the company, as it was closely held and did not produce any promotional materials that would help document the company and the radios. Around 1936, they made the claim that they were the sixth largest radio manufacturer in the country. And possibly they were, if you count number of sets made as opposed to income, value of assets or number of employees.
The company was founded about 1931 by John J. Ross and was located in Ecorse until 1934; then in Detroit, first on Fort St., then on Beard St., where the majority of their sets were made.
1931 was a rough time to start making anything, but there was a demand for inexpensive radios, and Detrola specialized in “cheap”! Its first sets were the small table-top “midget” sets we today call “cathedral” style. (These had the famous arched tops. If the top has a flat area and it is taller than wide, we collectors call that a “tombstone”.)
The performance of the first sets was very poor. By 1934, circuit improvements gave the sets a respectable quality, even though Detrola continued to market only economy-type sets. At some point Detrola began selling chassis or complete radios to other companies, most notably Western Auto for its “Truetone” brand, and Sears for its “Silvertone” brand. There were others, and one Detrola radio made after WWII was reportedly sold under 40 names!
Detrola’s heyday was 1936–1941. During this time, console radios were added to its line (although they were a small part of the sales) as well as Bakelight, Plaskon and Catalin.
Several of the brightly colored sets of this period are among the most sought- after radios of the “Art Deco” period.
Most notable are the “Super Pee Wee” which came in red, green, blue and an extremely rare lavender (which can price above $6,000). Similarly, the Catalin model 281 “Split Grille” model can run well into the thousands, depending, of course, on condition. Catalin, as most collectors know, is an unstable plastic material that shrinks as it ages, which can cause cracking. The color changes as well. The famous “butterscotch” color often seen was originally ivory.
Detrola’s primary output remained wood cabinet economy sets and table-top radio/phono combos. In 1941, Ross sold out and Detrola became a supplier of war supplies, including land mine detectors. After the war, many smaller companies like Detrola found it hard to compete with the larger companies like RCA and Zenith. Detrola considered entering the new television market, but the start-up costs were too much, and they were having trouble finding inexpensive labor in the post-WWII tight labor market.
Although the model 571 was probably its best-selling ever, the margins were too small, and Detrola closed by 1948, without ever having made a television.
It is interesting to see how many different models Detrola made. The first model codes were single digits with letters (ex: 4D, 5D, etc.); then they went to a three-digit code starting with the 100 series and continued up to high 500s, going consecutively.
Some pre-WWII models have a four digit model code. Detrola chassis in other brands can usually be found by looking closely at the patent license plate on the rear of the chassis. It will say in VERY SMALL letters at the bottom of the tag “Made by D. R. Co., Detroit, MI.”
Following this model code, it is possible Detrola made over 400 different models during its 17 years in business.
Many of the Detrola models are shown in radio collectors’ books. One of the best is Machine Age to Jet Age Vols. 1 & 2, by Mark V. Stein. I can assist any DAADS members with identifying and restoring any Detrola or other radio, and am interested in buying radios, parts or literature. Contact me at moppate@juno.com or 734-20-RADIO.