Ford Typewriter Ford Typewriter The Ford typewriter was an early prototype typewriter introduced in 1895 by Eugene A. Ford, who later became chief development engineer at IBM (no relation to Henry Ford who founded the Ford Motor Company). It was a commercial failure and only a few were manufactured. Unlike many competing typewriters of this time, it was a forward-striking machine, meaning the hammer struck forward against the paper which was held against the platen roller, instead of up from underneath. This allowed the typist to see the text as it was typed, which was not possible in most other typewriters of
The Typewriter of "the wittiest and most clever pieces in the orchestral repertoire". Author Steve Metcalf has written that "Despite the almost total disappearance of typewriters in everyday life, the statistics show that "The Typewriter" is still a favorite Anderson item." Typewriter is used in composition as percussion instrument from the standpoint of music theory, and typewriter part is performed by percussionist/drummer usually or by conductor rarely. The piece was featured in the Jerry Lewis film "Who's Minding the Store" (1963), although his first recorded performance was on a January 1954 episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour. The Radio 4 satirical programme