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Later
model Laffing Sal with different gear reduction unit with
camshaft extending from both sides and motor mounted axially
from front to back.
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| Above
left: left side showing torso cam; right: right side
showing arms cam. Both cams show excessive wear. Cam
followers are now made from a single piece of 1/4 inch
steel bar stock. |
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| Of
course, Laffing Sal's most memorable characteristic is her
famous laugh. Former OKC owner John Jackson said that obtaining
a suitable recording of a woman laughing was not as easy as
it might seem. According to Jackson, the final jovial candidate
of choice was actually a man! It was recalled that a male
musician under the influence of Jack Daniel's whiskey was
recorded in an Ohio radio station. That, at least, is how
the legend goes. |
Above:
78 and 45 rpm laugh track records for Laffing Sal and Laffing
Sam
(William Luca collection)
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| In
the thirties, recordings were made on 78 rpm records. Along
with the Sal figure, PTC furnished a repeating phonograph
which would play the record continuously with a loudspeaker
positioned in the figure's base. Twenty double-sided records
were supplied. In later years, the records were phased out
in favor of continuous-loop tape cartridges often furnished
by the Baptist Sound and Manufacturing Company of Jacksonville,
IL. |
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Above
left: Early advertising photo shows Laffing Sal
wearing high-button shoes.
Above
right: These were soon changed to the more familiar
white-stockinged legs and 'Mary-Jane' patent-leather
shoes. These are the legs most commonly associated
with Laffing Sal.
Right:
A Laffing Sal owned by the author with the high-button
shoes.
This is the only such example known to the author
and may be the oldest Sal in existence.
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| Booth
at trade show featuring funhouse models and Sal and Sam figures.
Two phonographs can be seen under the table. (Philadelphia
Toboggan Co.) |
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