[78-L] music for exercising

[Michael Biel]

From: "martha" <MLK402 at verizon.net>
> A special set ; there's even a set for sale, right now: 
> http://tinyurl.com/nt2dr9
 
For those of you who have never seen this set, this is a tri-fold.  The
cover on the left will fold out for a panarama of three record holders
with pictures and instructions.  And then it will fold back to one
record size with the embossed front on top.  These pictures show a man
doing the exercises, but there were other exercise sets on other labels
designed for women.  I just got anoter copy of the electrical version of
the Walter Camp set which pictures women.  I didn't get a chance to
check yet with my other two sets, one acoustical and the other
electrical, to see if those also pictured women.  I think they were sold
both ways because I think my other sets picture men. If they do, I don't
think there are any changes in the recorded exercises The Walter Camp
sets were widely advertised in the back pages of many magazines.  You
could send away for a sample, and in the acoustical days you got a
7-inch sampler.  The electrical set I have starts with record two, and I
think they send a full 10-inch size exercise disc as the sample.  Very
often these sets are found in the original mailing box because the
records are in individual 10x20 cardboard folders which are difficult to
store except in the box.  The boxes are not padded in any way, and it is
amazing that the records survived, but I guess the Post Office had a
different attitude in those days.  I have a couple of other sets from
other "experts" that are designed for, or at least illustrate, women. 
Very fit and trim men are usually shown, but the women are usually quite
voluptuous in the cotton bathing suits of the era showing large busts,
butts, and tummys -- not the flatchested flapper image!   

> Victrola No.50 was the model (and the price, I think) ..
> they also had a Victrola 35, same deal

I don't think the model number equaled the price.  That was Edison's
original plan for the Blue Amberolas (30, 50, 75) and Diamond Disc
machines (MUCH higher in price!!!)  but the prices eventually went up
without changing the model numbers!  Victor had too many models to do
something like this, and they offered many of them in variations that
changed price, such as electric motors, different finishes, etc.  
Baumbach's "Look For The Dog" details all this.  
 
Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 

 From: "Donna Halper" <dlh at donnahalper.com>

 >I just found an advertisement from mid August 1922 for Victor
 > Records-- it was in a number of newspapers. It advertised a
 > "Portable Victrola No. 50" and a set of exercise records. As you all
 > know, I am not an expert in the machines of the 78 era-- so, was
 > there a portable Victrola number 48 or 49, or was 50 just a brand
 > name? Also, what were the records that went along with the
 > record-player? The ad says the records were specially designed to be
 > used in an exercise regimen-- but it doesn't explain what songs they
 > were. It just says they will enable people to "Exercise to
 > Music". The records are only described as "three double-faced Victor
 > Records for Health Exercises," sold in a "compact container" and
 > planned by an (alleged) authority named Professor Charles H. Collins.
 > Any further explanation would be very interesting for me, and I'd
 > appreciate it.
 
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