Thank you Mr. Houghtaling!

There was an article in the newspaper about a 92 year old man who recently passed away. I had never heard of him - John Joseph Houghtaling. It almost sounds like a made up name but it is real, he was real. When I read about his passing away I couldn’t help but smile. Not that he was dead but because of what he had done when he was alive.

You see, John Joseph Houghtaling invented something that quickly became a highlight when traveling with your parents when you were a child and then later on a must try with your significant other. For his contribution to Americana was none other than Magic Fingers, yes the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed.

If you are giggling at the mention of Magic Fingers then you remember the promise it invoked. But I am sure there are a large number of readers who have absolutely no idea what Magic Fingers was. Ah you missed out on one of the delights of the 1960s and 1970s for travelers, excited children, tired parents and eager lovers.

Just the sight of that metal box attached to the bed in your hotel room would make you wonder if maybe you had a few extra quarters; for that is all it took, 25 cents. One quarter in that metal box and your bed would rock you and bounce and massage you for 15 minutes. Parents would gladly hand over quarters if it meant fifteen minutes of near silence from overly excited children who had been cooped up in a car all day. And to a young lover it seemed almost decadent, to have the bed move on its own beneath you and your lover. Although frequently the mood would be broken as you both dissolve into laughter. Not only because it would bring back childhood memories but also because it would seem so silly and so very kitschy. And by the time you got your chuckles under control the fifteen minutes were over. But find another quarter and it will start all over again.

I think the real “Magic” in Magic Fingers was the promise and not the actual results. As a child it was something different, something exciting and fun which could only be found in motel rooms. There was also the idea that you were constantly told not to jump on the bed and now here was a bed that would bounce you around. How cool was that? For young lovers, or lovers of any age, there was the promise that it would enhance your evening. That somehow it could make a magical night more magical and even a shade naughty if only for fifteen minutes. Most of all, there was the promise to the weary traveler. It was advertised that it could help “you experience a relaxing, soothing sleep environment”. The promise that in fifteen minutes all the hassles of the businessman’s day, the traveling, sales calls, business meetings etc. would fade away thanks to the Magic Fingers.

Magic Fingers are now a thing of the past. Over the last decade it faded away until only a few roadside motels had them. I think Magic Fingers suffered from the same fate as Drive In Movie Theaters, Polaroid pictures, Paint by Number and roller skates. No one is quite sure why they slowly became obsolete, perhaps technology passed them by or people became too sophisticated for these simpler pleasures. Whatever the reason, thank you Mr. Houghtaling for giving us Magic Fingers. But with their passing, and yours, the world is now a slightly sadder place now.