Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: The Mellotron Group

From: Thomas C. Doncourt <tomdcour@amnh.org>
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Laff Machine on Antiques Roadshow
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 9:50 PM

 

Thats a really interesting machine- I'd like to know when it was made- It
seems to have alot in common with our tape replay instruments!

>   That's the one.  Thanks, David.
>   Obviously tape loops.  Note that the tapes stop when the punch hole
> allows arm contact.  I wonder if Harry Chamberlin had anything to do with
> this mechanism?
>  
>    -Bruce D.
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> --- On Mon, 1/31/11, David Jacques <djacques@csulb.edu> wrote:
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> From: David Jacques <djacques@csulb.edu>
> Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Laff Machine on Antiques Roadshow
> To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 8:35 PM
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> Here is the link:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpY0Muy_1qI
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> On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:20 PM, Bruce Daily wrote:
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> Addendum-
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>   Okay, my memory of what it looks like was shaky.  It is on Youtube
> already, and it may be on ebay soon.
>  
>   -Bruce D.
>
>
> --- On Mon, 1/31/11, Bruce Daily <pocotron@yahoo.com> wrote:
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> From: Bruce Daily <pocotron@yahoo.com>
> Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Laff Machine on Antiques Roadshow
> To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 8:14 PM
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> Hi all-
>   I finally saw a tape replay device I'd thought I'd never see.  Charlie
> Douglas' Laff Machine was presented on Antiques Roadshow from San Diego on
> PBS tonight.  This thing has the dubious distinction of
> "flavoring" nearly all of the classic TV comedies with the laught track
> (audience or not).  It was also famous for not being seen until now. 
> The new owner obtained it when the renter of a storage locker defaulted on
> the rent, and the locker was auctioned off. 
>   A mechanical box, about 1 1/2 foot square, it had about 10 tapes in it,
> about 1/2 inch wide (I guess), and 2 rows of large round keys, red &
> black, and an audio cable coming out the left side.  Remeniscent of a
> old typewriter, the keys stuck out of one side.  The tapes were visible
> from the top.  It took just a tap of the key to play it, and the sound
> played until done.
>   There was enough memorabilia and documentation with it to establish it
> is the real thing.  They gave it an value of around $10,000.  But, it
> is so unique I think it is worth much more.
>  
>    -Bruce D.
>    M400 #1221
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