All information below was previously part of www.roadkillontheweb.com and was written by Lee Exline, National DeSoto Club.
Highway Hi Fi 16 2/3 rpm Record Players
It seemed like a good idea at the time! Of course so did 8 track tapes! Back in the 1950s radio stations were not as plentiful as today. And if you did not like the choices that were within range about your only option was to suffer through what you could find or shut the radio off and listen to the road, engine noise and the sounds of bugs going splat on the windshields. They say necessity is the mother of invention, well Peter Goldmark of Columbia broadcast system research department to the rescue. In time for the 1956 model release Chrysler corp. was able to offer new car buyers a choice in their listing pleasure. The players were made to mount on the bottom edge of the dash directly above the transmission hump and plug directly into the car radio (top of the line radio of course). By pressing the button on the front cover of the player the door to the player would be open. The turntable could then be slid out to aid in loading the record. Flip the red switch on the left-hand side of the player and the player is on bypassing the radio tuner. The amplifier circuit in the radio was used to boost the signal from the player and volume, tone, balance, etc. were controlled by the regular radio knobs. There were a few problems that needed to be dealt with for the players to work properly in a car environment. Besides the obvious keeping the needle on the record. One of them was safely operating the unit while driving! In order to fit the player had to be small so the 45-rpm record size was ideal. Only one problem you would have to change the record every few minutes, this is not only a chore but also it would be dangerous while going down one of the new superhighways at warp speed. So the new 16 2/3 rpm speed was used (ultra-microgroove) with the 7” format (same as 45s) but this would give extended long play and this also added the benefit that the slower speed was less likely to kick up the needle. And with up to 60 minutes per side of entertainment you could drive quite a distance. The records were also easy to load, unlike the standard phonograph the tone arm was not lifted then lowered onto the start of the record. The tone arm only swiveled across the record; the stylus (needle) was mounted on a pivot at the end of the tone arm. And worked like a see saw with the stylus on one side and a red button on the outside of the arm opposite the needle. By depressing the red button this would lift the needle. Moving the tone arm over the record would start it spinning, when the bottom of the red button would hit a stop next to the turntable the button would be released and the needle would be placed in the starting groove. Then the turntable could be pushed back in and the front cover closed. A light shining through a red plastic lens on the cover would inform the driver that the player was working. Once you got used to it you could do it with out looking. Let me now dispel a couple myths about these players 1. They were never mounted in the glove box 2. The needle was not spring loaded to keep it on the records causing excess record wear (plastic shavings on the floor give me a break!) 3. The records are thick to keep them from warping inside the car in the summer not to make them last longer or keep them from jumping when you hit a bump! If you were to order one of these on your new Chrysler, Desoto, Dodge or Plymouth you received with it the first 6 records in the series in a box set, along with a registration card and order form for more records and a carrying case. Only 36 were available when the option first came out with an additional 6 added in early 1956 for a total of 42 available to the general public.
Dealer Demonstration Records
The only other records that were made specifically for this player were not intended for distribution to the general public were dealer demonstration records. When a salesman would bring a prospective buyer out for a test drive in the option loaded demo car these records would be put in the player and the customer would be told about all the new bells and whistles by a strange voice coming from the radio speaker. I have seen these for the 1956 cars only. Also available but not intended for this player are storybook records that used the 16 2/3 rpm 7” format when you went for a test drive in a new 1956 Demonstrator model the dealer did not have to go along! There were dealer demo records available that told the prospective customer about the new features of the car through the record player as they drove. I currently have the Chrysler and Dodge demo records in my collection. they are one sided and came in plain white sleeves! the dodge record carries the #ZR120 and the Chrysler record caries the #ZR122. I have seen one for the Plymouth and it carries the #ZR12? I have never heard of one for the Desoto series and I can't believe that it would be the only series that did not get one.
Test Records
These are probably the rarest highway HI-FI records of all! I never even knew that they exsisted until I found two of them. I had the good fortune to locate a Gentalman that used to work for Columbia records. He was hired by Peter Goldmark (inventor of the Highway HI-FI) after World War II and was one of the service techs that would service the units in the field when they were having problems. He still had a player that he had used to practice and approx. 18 records. When I bought out his collection i recieved the test records with the package deal. He could not remember what was on them and I do not have a player at home that runs 16 2/3 rpm and my car is far from finished. they came in plain brown sleeves and were single sided like the demo records but with no label at all. one has the #ZRD688-1B and the other is #ZRD688-1C the number is melted into the record with a small stamp near the middle.
1957 Model Year
The option died at the beginning of the 1957 model year. It does show up in some early model year literature and service bulletins. But getting info about things like the proper brackets to mount them in 1957 model cars is a difficult task. I have heard reports of them showing up in cars up to 1959 but they were no longer a factory approved option as of the first part of 1957. The dealer could have easily installed one in a later car as long as it had the top of line radio with proper plug receptacle on the side. Why did the option die so soon? If you read between the lines on the service bulletins related to the player you can see that they had service problems. After a short time the dealers were to send customers to authorized radio repair shops instead of trying to fix the units themselves. My suspicions are that this was not an idiot-proof machine. The record skipped when we went over the railroad tracks doing 90, must be something wrong with it! I don’t understand the road I use to go to work was just paved in 1924 it’s not rough! They work fine on good roads and on decent highways but lets face it you can’t go four wheeling with a record player and expect it not to skip! Limited availability of records could not have helped either! Records had to be ordered from Columbia records and of course only artists on contract with Columbia records were available!
Available Records
MR 1° SIDE 1: Tchaikovsky: SYMPHONY NO. 6 IN B MINOR (Pathetique) -- Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor. MR 2° THE PAJAMA GAME -- The last word in Broadway entertainment, this original cast version features fifteen full-length production numbers from the famous show starring John Raitt, Janis Paige, Eddie Foy, Jr. and Carol Haney. $4.95 JR 3° WALT DISNEY'S DAVY CROCKETT -- KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER -- featuring Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen, orchestra conducted by George Bruno: Davy Crockett -- Indian Fighter; Davy Crockett Goes to Congress; Davy Crockett At The Alamo. CHAMPION (The Horse No Man Could Ride) -- Gene Autry, with supporting cast. $3.25 CR 4° SIDE 1: ROMANTIC MOODS -- Percy Faith and His Orchestra: I'll Take Romance, The Girl That I Marry, Carousel Waltz, The Nearness Of You, plus six other mood favorites. CR 5° SIDE 1: MUSIC OF COLE PORTER -- André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra: Begin The Beguine, In The Still Of The Night, Night And Day, and five more Porter favorites. MR 6° PAUL GREGORY PRESENTS THE FIRST DRAMA QUARTETTE -- starring Charles Boyer, Cedric Hardwicke, Charles Laughton, Agnes Moorehead in Bernard Shaw's DON JUAN IN HELL -- directed by Charles Laughton. $3.95 CR 7 SIDE 1: MUSIC UNTIL MIDNIGHT -- Percy Faith and Mitch Miller: Nocturne, Elaine, The River, Music Until Midnight, Contrasts, and seven other delightful melodies. CR 8 SIDE 1: I LOVE PARIS -- Michel Legrand and His Orchestra: I Love Paris, Autumn Leaves, Under The Bridges of Paris, Paris In The Spring, April In Paris, La Vie En Rose, The Last Time I Saw Paris, and nine other Parisian favorites. CR 9 SIDE 1: SOUNDSTAGE (Hi Fi From Hollywood) -- Paul Weston and His Orchestra: Gone With The Wind, Love Letters, Duel In The Sun, The Song Of Bernadette, A Streetcar Named Desire, For Whom The Bell Tolls, and six more movie-made hits. CR 10* SIDE 1: ANNIVERSARY SONGS -- Ken Griffin at the Wurlitzer Organ: The Anniversary Waltz, Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Remember, Anniversary Song, I Love You Truly, and seven other sentimental favorites. CR 11 SIDE 1: COLUMBIA HALL OF FAME -- Percy Faith, Doris Day, Mitch Miller, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Les Elgart, Woody Herman, Jo Stafford & Paul Weston, Harry James -- Swedish Rhapsody, Percy Faith -- Hey There, Rosemary Clooney -- Make Love To Me, Jo Stafford & Paul Weston -- The Yellow Rose of Texas, Mitch Miller -- Secret Love, Doris Day -- Stranger In Paradise, Tony Bennett and seven more all-time hits made famous by Columbia stars. CR 12 SIDE 1: FAMOUS OPERETTAS -- Morton Gould and His Orchestra: Lehar, The Merry Widow -- Friml, The Vagabond King -- Kern, The Cat and The Fiddle -- Oscar Strauss, A Waltz Dream -- Kalman, Sari. CR 13* SIDE 1: SWING AND SWAY with SAMMY KAYE: Yes Sir, That's My Baby; Daddy; Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone; Sweet Sue, Just You; and eight more Swing and Sway selections. CR 14* SIDE 1: BLACK MAGIC -- André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra: That Old Black Magic, Our Waltz, Limehouse Blues, Easy To Love, with four other famous Kosty arrangements. CR 15 SIDE 1: HOW HI THE FI -- A Buck Clayton Jam Session Featuring Woody Herman: How Hi The Fi, Blue Moon. MR 16 KISMET: The famous original cast Broadway musical starring Alfred Drake with Doretta Morrow, in a full-length recording of the scintillating score full of all the hit songs loved by millions. $4.95 MR 17 HOUSE OF FLOWERS: The original cast version of the Broadway hit show, with music by Harold Arlen and book by Truman Capote. You will enjoy fifteen top numbers performed exactly as they were in the theater when this long-run hit was the talk of The Great White Way. $4.95 MR 18* KISS ME, KATE: Still another gem from Columbia's fabulous catalog of original cast Broadway musicals, this one from the pen of Cole Porter. Seventeen selections sung by an all-star cast led by Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang. $4.95 MR 19* Beethoven: SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN C MINOR, SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN C MAJOR, Bruno Walter conducting the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York. $3.95 MR 20 SIDE 1: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade. MR 21 SIDE 1: Offenbach: Gaité Parisienne Ballet -- (Arranged by Manuel Rosenthal - complete version). The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor. MR 22 SIDE 1: PORTS OF CALL: Ravel: Bolero, La Valse. MR 23 SIDE 1: Bizet: Carmen, Opera For Orchestra. André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra. MR 24 SIDE 1: I CAN HEAR IT NOW -- Vol. I. Edward R. Murrow, Fred W. Friendly -- Edward R. Murrow, Narrator. Featuring the voices of Will Rogers, Duke of Windsor, Huey Long, La Guardia, Roosevelt, Chamberlain, Hitler, Lindbergh, Al Smith, Mussolini, Churchill, Wendell Wilkie, Eisenhower, Stalin, Thomas E. Dewey, Truman, MacArthur. MR 25 THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN SPORTS. A priceless recording of actual sporting events and the voices of the star athletes who participated. You will hear such greats as Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis and many others. $2.95 MR 26* SIDE 1: YOU ARE THERE. (Produced and directed by Robert Lewis Shayon) THE SIGNING OF THE MAGNA CHARTA -- June 19, 1215 (Script by Henry Walsh and Robert Lewis Shayon) as reported by C.B.S. Correspondents in the Columbia Broadcasting System's radio programs with John Daly, Ken Roberts, Don Hollenbeck and Quincy Howe. JR 27 SIDE 1: NOW WE KNOW Series (Songs To Learn By). Tom Glazer with Orchestra and Chorus: What Makes The Weather?, Why Does A Bee Buzz?, Why Do Stars Twinkle?, Why Can't I See In The Dark?, Why Are Bananas Picked Green?, How Do Seeds Of Plants Travel?, What Foods Should We Eat Every Day? -- PAUL TRIPP (Mr. I. Magination) with Orchestra and Chorus: We Know The World Is Round, What's Inside Our Earth?, How Many Colors Are In The Rainbow?, Do Animals Talk To One Another? JR 28 SIDE 1: THE STORY OF LITTLE CHAMP. Gene Autry with cast, Carl Cotner Orchestra. Parts 1 and 2; GENE AUTRY AT THE RODEO. Gene Autry with Supporting cast, Cass County Boys, Carl Cotner Orchestra. (Parts 1 and 2) JR 29 SIDE 1: GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS; THE GINGERBREAD BOY. David Allen, Narrator with Orchestra. JR 30* SIDE 1: TIGER (Bring 'Em Back Alive) (Story adapted by Peter Steele and Hecky Krasno from Frank Buck's "Bring 'Em Back Alive"); FRANK BUCK -- Merrill E. Joels, narrator, with supporting cast. Vocals by the Southernaires. Orchestra conducted by Spencer Odom -- RHUMPY THE RHINO. Craig McDonnell as Rhumpy, Karl Weber, narrator, with supporting cast and orchestra. JR 31* SIDE 1: ROCKY JONES AND THE SPACE PIRATES: Story with Sound Effects -- SHIPWRECKED ON PLANET X: Rocky Jones with Supporting Cast -- SPACE SHIP TO MARS: Paul Tripp as Mr. I. Magination. JR 32* SIDE 1: TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. Jules Verne. Adaptation, Charles Dexter -- Narration, Raymond Edward Johnson (Beginning). JR 33* SIDE 1: FAMOUS FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. Adaptation, Charles Dexter -- Narration, Raymond Edward Johnson: The Emperor's New Clothes, Red Shoes. CR 34 SIDE 1: MELODIES FROM BROADWAY -- Lee Raine and His Orchestra. Sixteen great hits from famous Broadway musicals. Such as Summertime (from Porgy and Bess), You'll Never Walk Alone (Carousel) and The Girl That I Marry (Annie Get Your Gun). CR 35* SIDE 1: CONTINENTAL FAVORITES -- Lee Raine and His Orchestra: Vienna, City of My Dreams; Parlez-Moi D'Amour; Loch Lomond; Barcarolle; and eleven more charming selections make up this melodic collection designed for reminiscent listening. CR 36 FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE -- Lee Raine and His Orchestra: Dancing In The Dark, Love Is The Sweetest Thing, Flamingo, I'll Remember April, Stormy Weather, Smoke Gets In You Eyes and twenty-five other top melodies for your listening pleasure. $1.95 CR 37 THE COLUMBIA ALBUM OF GEORGE GERSHWIN -- Percy Faith and His Orchestra. SIDE 1: Fascinatin' Rhythm, A Foggy Day, Soon, Clap Yo' Hands, Embraceable You, Mine, Somebody Loves Me, I Got Plenty O' Nuttin', Summertime, Bess, You Is My Woman Now, My Man's Gone Now, Nice Work If You Can Get It, For You, For Me, For Everyone, Liza. CR 38 THE COLUMBIA ALBUM OF JEROME KERN -- Paul Weston and His Music From Hollywood SIDE 1: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, You Are Love, She Didn't Say Yes, They Didn't Believe Me, Why Was I Born?, Who?, Yesterdays, All The Things You Are, Why Do I Love You, The Touch Of Your Hand, Look For The Silver Lining, The Song Is You. CR 39 THE COLUMBIA ALBUM OF RICHARD RODGERS -- André Kostelanetz and His Orchestra SIDE 1: How Was I To Know?, A Ship Without A Sail, You Took Advantage Of Me, Soliloquy, Waltzes: Wait 'Till You See Her, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Lover, Carousel Waltz, Do I Love You, Ev'ry Sunday Afternoon, Have You Met Miss Jones?, Over And Over Again, Little Girl Blue, Thou Sweet, I Could Write A Book, It's A Grand Night For Singing. CR 40 COLUMBIA ALBUM OF COLE PORTER -- Michel Legrand and His Orchestra SIDE 1: Begin The Beguine, In The Still Of The Night, Just One Of Those Things, Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye, What Is This Thing Called Love, True Love, Ridin' High, Love Of My Life, Too Darn Hot, So In Love, Don't Fence Me In, Anything Goes. MR 41 MY FAIR LADY -- SIDE 1: Overture, Why Can't The English?, Wouldn't It Be Loverly, With A Little Bit Of Luck, I'm An Ordinary Man, Just You Wait, The Rain In Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night. CR 42 COLUMBIA HALL OF FAME, VOLUME II -- SIDE 1: Johnny Mathis, Ray Ellis, Tony Bennett, Percy Faith, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Norman Petty Trio, Les Elgart, Vic Damone. |
° These records comprise the library which you receive with the machine. * Material available November 15, 1955. Other items available now. |
Suggested Additional Reading Material on the Highway Hi Fi
Nov. 1955 popular science
Apr. 1956 radio and television news
Highway HI FI service instructions
Maverick Inventor (Peter Goldmark)
Sams Photofact # 383-6
1960 RCA Version
Chrysler corp. licked its wounds and tried again in 1960 this time the unit was made by RCA the RCA victor. It played 45 rpm records. So those owners could go to the local store and pick up a record for it not order through the mail. You could even get Elvis, something that would never happened as long as Chrysler executives were picking out your choices for you. You could stack up to 12 records at a time in the player so that you would not have to change all the time! Take everything your home player would do and reverse it the records loaded from the bottom. The tone arm would come up on the bottom of the record. As the record was finished playing the tone arm would move out of the way, that record would drop to the bottom of the spindle and the next record would start playing. This time the option lasted a full 2 years 1960 and 1961 but I am sure it suffered the same problem as the first, skipping! The next time you had a choice like this in a Chrysler corp. car was 1968? With 8 track tapes.
Additional Highway Hi Fi Items - base set, cases, records, advertisements
Pre-production Tone Arm (below)
