Thanks to another Ricky for today’s post.
Rick writes: “This was an hysterical scene to say the least and Lucy & Desi played it to the hilt. If you recall, Lucy tortured Ricky with several things; one in particular was an Electric Scalp Massage Vibrator. In the scene, she even mistakenly goes too low on his face and starts massaging his eyes.
I cannot locate a similar 1950’s version that was used on the show, but it really did exist in the 1920’s and 1940’s.
Here are a few articles on these torturous devices and a few screen grabs.”
NEW SCALP EXERCISER IS DRIVEN BY ELECTRICITY
BALDNESS seems to be the fear of all men. Here is the newest remedy for that fear. The new motor-driven scalp exerciser is guaranteed to give the scalp all the exercise that it needs. Scientifically the principle that this machine exemplifies is correct. Since blood is the food on which all the tissues of the body feed, the supply must be kept fresh and plentiful. Exercise will draw the blood to that portion of the body that is being so developed. The scalp does not receive sufficient exercise to warrant the growth of hair and as a result baldness ensues. To overcome this condition, the use of hair tonics became common. The chief value of any tonic is the process of application. The rubbing that is always prescribed makes the blood circulate and thus helps the hair gain new life. It was found that the hand could not deliver as much exercise as was really necessary, so the inventor of the scalp exerciser got busy. His machine possesses four rubber pads that are comparable to the human fingers. The motor is at the top and by means of vibrating rods causes the pads to move, which action exercises the scalp. (Popular Mechanics Feb 1929)
Multiple Electric Vibrator Massages the Scalp
FOUR hundred and eighty artificial fingers give the scalp a gentle and beneficial massage, in a multiple electric vibrator just introduced. Light in weight, the appliance may easily be self-manipulated as at left, with the aid of two convenient hand grips, while four vibrating disks do their work in unison. The machine is said to stimulate the circulation of blood to scalp and brain cells and to remove all dandruff and loose hair. Source Popular Science – Oct 1940 – Page 126
