PAGES

Ambidextrous Appliance

The chevron-shaped lever that controls the direction of the door swing on this 1954 fridge shares some traits with an airplane's emergency-exit handle; not only do you need to possess a certain amount of brute strength to operate it, but once you make the commitment to open it, there's no choice but to follow through. The need for a quick deplaning is clear, but it's hard for me to say the same for a two-way refrigerator. Passing off Philco's 'new miracle of convenience' as capable of 'saving you hundreds of steps each day' strains credulity...but it's certainly an amusing feature in its own right, isn't it?