'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia

Subject: 'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia
From: Margo
Date: 28 Nov 99 - 02:47 PM

I just caught part of a program about WWII. They interviewed "Smokie" Montgomery, a long time banjo player. He worked in a munitions plant during the war, and he described the process of making bombs, and how each machine had a certain pitch as it hummed along at full tilt. When all the machines ran properly, he heard the tiger rag in his head! (Hold that tiger, hold that tiger....) He said that he heard that rag everyday all through the war. Then, when one of the machines wasn't working right, the pitch would change. He would go to that machine right away, and everyone wondered how he knew which machine was having problems. I just thaought that was really neat and I wanted to share that with you. Maybe you all have some stroies?

Margo

Subject: RE: 'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia
From: wildlone
Date: 28 Nov 99 - 03:04 PM

Subject: RE: 'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia
From: wildlone
Date: 28 Nov 99 - 03:16 PM

I dont know what happened then but,Machines that do repetative jobs tend to work to a rhythm and one gets used to it, but if it changes you notice it straight away.
Yes they can also trigger songs in your head.

Subject: RE: 'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia
From: Gary T
Date: 28 Nov 99 - 03:34 PM

wildlone, that reminds me of the story of the couple that lived in a house next to the railroad track, where for years a train would come by at midnight blowing its whistle. They would sleep right through it. Then the train was rescheduled. The first night it did not come by, the man jumped out of bed at midnight and said "What was that?"

Subject: RE: 'Smokie' Montgomery war trivia
From: Willie-O
Date: 28 Nov 99 - 03:51 PM

Yup. There it was, gone.