Whole lotta shakin' going on

[David Paleg]

John Joseph Houghtaling, 'Magic Fingers' inventor, dies at age 92

By Jennifer Kay
Associated Press
Posted: 06/20/2009 09:37:32 PM PDT
Updated: 06/20/2009 09:37:33 PM PDT

MIAMI — The inventor of the "Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed," which brought weary travelers 15 minutes of "tingling relaxation and ease" for a quarter in hotel rooms across America during its heyday as a pop culture icon in the 1960s and '70s, has died. He was 92.

John Joseph Houghtaling died Wednesday at his home in Fort Pierce, Fla., his son Paul Houghtaling said Friday.

Tinkering in the basement of his New Jersey home, Houghtaling invented the "Magic Fingers" machine in 1958.

The device was mounted onto beds, and a quarter bought 15 minutes of "tingling relaxation and ease," according to its label.

"Put in a quarter, turn out the light, Magic Fingers makes ya feel all right," Jimmy Buffett sang in "This Hotel Room."

Kitschy and titillating, Magic Fingers remained a staple of American pop culture even after the device began disappearing from motels. The vibrations triggered a beer explosion in the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and FBI agents Mulder and Scully relaxed to the pulsations in an episode of "The X Files."

Full story at Mercury News.

[Scott Reppert]

Okay, if this is what it takes for me to go back to my original first "quote" down at the bottom of posts in the signature, so be it...