Clint Eastwood's HiFi


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/Airframe7/hifi%20pics/100123-c-eastwood.jpg

I found this picture of Clint Eastwood and his first wife Maggie showing WAF to Clint's mono HiFi system!
128x128ex_midwest
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Whatever it is it appears to be a single 12" driver with a whizzer cone... Electrovoice or University sounds about right, Doesn't look like Bozak driver, definitely not Advent, maggies - are you serious?
Given the size of the lo freq driver, the size of the speaker, and the corner location my guess is some version of a klipschorn although none that I have ever seen.
Ex_midwest,
I am not sure anyone got your joke...
except maybe the guy who said "Maggies"... :^)
It looks absolutely identical to a Stephens speaker shown on page 73 of a 1960 Allied Radio catalog I have, except that it appears to be somewhat bigger. The driver is listed as an 8 inch Stephens model 80FR, and the cabinet as a Stephens model 816, measuring 24-1/2 x 15-3/4 x 11-3/4 inches. It was offered in a choice of mahogany, blonde, or walnut veneer. Perhaps the one shown is a similar model but for a 12 inch driver.

It is described as being a "ducted vent enclosure." In the photo Shadorne linked to you can see the shadow of what I assume is a vent, a few inches above the bottom. Although in the picture in my Allied catalog the lighting is such that you can't tell what is behind the grillcloth.

The amp on the floor, with the four knobs, looks like it is probably a Knight (Allied Radio's house brand), or possibly a Bell (which was a brand that Allied carried). He probably bought the whole system at an Allied Radio store.

Best regards,
-- Al
I thought it might be an old Allied too. I figure that someone on Audiogon will know for sure. Knight amp seems likely to. Is that a Garrard TT?
They look like they ahve a port on the bottom and a horn in the upper RH corner. Klipsh?? That photo looks like he was between rawhide and the Movies career so I would say mid 60's.
Does anyone recognize the album covers??
The album behind his head in the photo that Shadorne linked to is The Greatest Garner, by Erroll Garner, originally released in 1956.

Ironically, Erroll Garner's most famous composition was Misty, composed in 1954, which played a central role in the 1971 film "Play Misty for Me," starring and directed by Clint Eastwood.

Regards,
-- Al
For those of you that don't know, this was a picture taken of Clint and Maggie celebrating the better sound quality of his system after Clint tweaked his speaker with a wine glass.
Re: Knight amp.
Darned if my father didn't have a Knight amp which I have come to suspect was a Scott variant. Can anyone shed any light on this? Maybe a Scott 222c?
Truman -- In my moderately extensive experience with vintage equipment of that period, I've never perceived any particular similarities between Knight amplifiers and those made by H. H. Scott.

Information on, and pictures of, the Scott stereo integrated amplifiers of that time, including the 222C, can be found here:

http://hhscott.com/integrated_amps_stereo.htm

Allied Radio, btw, in addition to selling Knight products (their house brand), also sold equipment made by most of the leading manufacturers of that period, including (among makers of electronic components) Scott, Fisher, Marantz, Pilot, Bogen, Eico, Harman Kardon, McIntosh, Bell, Sherwood, Dynaco, etc.

Best regards,
-- Al
Here are some old Radio Shack catalogs everyone should enjoy.They really used to be a real electronics store![http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalog_directory.html]
OK guys look what I found..

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-EV-ARISTOCRAT-THREE-WAY-CORNER-HORN-SPEAKER_W0QQitemZ350321345204QQcategoryZ50597QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m8QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DMW%26its%3DC%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D16%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8273509165783276247

the mystery speaker appears very much to be the "EV Aristocrat"
Xie -- No, I don't think so. There are several differences:

1)The EV has a horn near the top; the mystery speaker has a rectangular opening near the bottom.

2)The grillcloth is different, of course. Although grillcloths sometimes get changed over the years, the cloth on the EV appears to be original, as you can see by comparing to this catalog page.

3)Looking at the photo Shadorne linked to, it appears likely that the mystery speaker is rectangular as viewed from the top, while the EV is shaped for corner placement.

4)As Theo pointed out, the mystery speaker has something behind the grill near the upper right corner, while the EV does not.

Regards,
-- Al
Those are close, Shadorne, but no cigar (I believe). They both have the wood surfaces meeting without the 45 degree bevel that CE's speaker had. Also the wood of his speaker appears to be thicker than on the Tannoy's. The Lancaster has the driver mounted closer to the top than on CE's speaker, and the bottom cutout on the Devon is different.

My guess is still that it was a Stephens, similar to the model shown in my 1960 Allied Radio catalog but bigger. Stephens was a California company which made some well regarded speakers, some of which (although I'd assume not this one) were physically designed by the famous furniture designer Charles Eames.

So as a celebrity living in California, he figures to have been aware of the Stephens brand and its reputation. Considering that, and the fact that the rest of the system looks like it could very well have been purchased at an Allied store (which sold Stephens), that theory seems to me to hang together pretty well.

Best regards,
-- Al
Hi Al,
Your welcome.I hope others look at it too.I just received it in the past week and need to send it to more people that I think will enjoy it.I was surprised to see all the products they used to carry.
Best Regards
Almarg.. yes on closer look I think you are right.. but the woofer driver does look the same to me.
Just in case anybody wants to see it Eastwood did a really nice bio pic on Johnny Mercer which they showed on Turner Classic Movies.Has his young daughter from current marriage as ell as many well known singers and his son Kyle Eastwood who is a professional jazz bassist).

He also made Johnny Hartman a "star" (though any jazz fan worth there salt who didn't know about John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman wasn't worth their salt-followed up by a the other fine Impulse LP "I Just Dropped By To Say hello with Illinois Jacquet.Every LP he did other than two early 70's LP's on Perception are worth checking out especially after 1960 where his "own voice came in).He bought rights to an OOP Hartman LP "One In A Life" and put it on the S.T of "Bridges of Madison County" and what cuts not used (as other musicians and singers are on it) is on "Remembering Madison Co." which is also worth picking up.

Other than that he has had long relationship with West Coast pro Bud Shank who has done the music for a number of films.Clint has been a long time jazzz fan since he was 17 and saw Charlie Parker.But like Brit folk cult Nick Drake artist became huge when his tune "Fruit Tree" in a VW commercial Eastwood should be thanked by anyone who thought Johnny Hartman was one of the greatest jazz singers ever and through Eastwood's film he became a star.Funny Blue Note recoded one Tina Brooks LP and kept 3 others in the can because of poor sales.Brooks appeared on a few other house sessions for Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burell (and wrote all and played on what maybe Freddie Hubbard's best Blue Note LP "Open Sesame") but until Mosaic came out with his complete 4 Lp box set.But he died broke and desolate because he didn't "make it" now he is a star.Of course the Cognoscenti were shelling out big bucks for the Brooks "True Blue" LP but now everybody knows him.Sad commentary on what exposure takes.but jazz fans should thank Clint Eastwood for being a booster and fan himself.
Chazz
Chazzbo: good info, thanks...
I'm a fan of the Coltrane/Johnny Hartman LP: love it!
Don't forget when Clint sang on "Paint Your Wagon" ! lolol
(Has that ever been put on CD?)