Helo Leuchten 1950s Desk Lamp –Vintageinfo

Helo Leuchten 1950s desk lamp round ringed brass base curved rod mushroom lampshade metal socket Germany

Lamps in the movies!

A Helo Leuchten desk lamp was used as a prop in the 1958 Belgian film Het Geluk Komt Morgen (Happiness Comes Tomorrow). A story about a professor who accidentally discovers a remedy that takes away all tiredness and gives new life force. Starring Charles Janssens, Anni Anderson and Dora van der Groen.

A green Helo Leuchten desk lamp was used as a prop in the German film Ballon from 2018. A movie about two families from the GDR who flew to West Germany with a homemade hot-air balloon in 1979. It was used in an East German house what is very unlikely at that time. Helo was a West German lighting company and the East was communist and had his own lighting firms, cars, motorcycles and so on. Everything that was sold came from behind the Iron Curtain.

A green Helo Leuchten desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2015 – 2018 French parody spy TV series Au Service De La France (A Very Secret Service). Starring Hugo Becker, Wilfred Benaïche and Christophe Kourotchkine. Many lamps were used, mostly French lamps. Here in episode 11, season 1.

Many thanks to Lluís from Eclectique Vintage for the photos and the enthusiasm.

Helo Leuchten 1950s Desk Lamp

Materials: Completely made of brass. Round ringed mushroom style lampshade and round curved base. Iron counterweight inside the base. Red felt on the bottom of the base. Curved brass rod. Some metal parts. Brass E27 socket.

Height: 38 cm / 14.96”

Lampshade: ∅ 31 cm / 12.20”

Base: ∅ 18 cm / 7.08”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1950s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Helo Leuchten, Am Schwalbanger 48, 86633 Neuburg an der Donau, Germany.

Other versions: This Helo Leuchten 1950s desk lamp exists in several colours. Made in green, blue, brown, maroon, red and so on. Several comparable lamps were produced.

This desk lamp was a big succes for the company. It was made for a long time. Early versions like this one from the 50s have a brass socket. Later versions have a Bakelite socket.

Helo Leuchten

Helo was founded in the 1930s by Henry Gerhard Senior as Elektrogeschäfts Helo in the city of Breslau, at that time a German city. Today a Polish city named Wroclaw.

He fled to Neuburg with his family in 1945 with only a flashlight and some pictures. The three shops were destroyed in a night of bombing. The Helo Leuchten company was registered after World War 2 in 1946 in Neuburg (Neuburg an der Donau). Helo is derived from Henry and his son Lothar.

From old war material such as brass and aluminum from the airfield, he begins with the production of work lamps, today we say industrial lighting.

The company grows fast and moves twice in a couple of years to the address of today.

The company Gebr. Kaiser & Co. Leuchten KG, Lichttechnische Spezialfabrik from Neheim-Hüsten acquires the rights to use the Helo brand and individual models, such as the “commissaire” lamp, the 6631 Luxus. Today (2018) produced by Lightyears/Fritz Hansen.

Lothar Gerhard, who took over the company after Henry Gerhard’s death in 1964, sees himself forced to gradually abandon the factory and transform the company into the trading company it is today. Helo is now owned by Henry Gerhard Junior, his son and since 1980 a member of the Expert group.

Lamps in the movies

A green Helo Leuchten 1950s desk lamp was used as a prop in the biographical comedy-drama film Stan & Ollie (2018). Starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

A Helo Leuchten 1950s desk lamp was used as a prop in the 1985 dystopian science fiction film Brazil, directed by Terry Gillian. Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro & Katherine Helmond.