reply to https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/

to Steve Clancy Zach Hubbird Jean Brunet

I'm curious what the sourcing is on your differentiation of the two models? Are there manuals, advertising, or other details to back up the differences? From what I can see, the phrase "Rhythm Touch" seems to have been an advertising tag for the Underwood SS which started a few months after production of the SS began and there wasn't any difference in them other than the advertising tag.

Robert Messenger has some scant history on the machine and the differences, primarily due to a redesign at the time, at https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html. The primary change from the S to the SS seems to have been a move from a carriage shift to a basket shift and so it seems somewhat fitting that Underwood uses the phrase "Rhythm Touch" as an advertising gimmick much like Smith-Corona were doing with their "Floating Shift" marketing.

Generally standards at the time were not differentiated by different trim lines as standards had all the bells and whistles for office use (potentially aside from custom use cases like decimal tabulators or extra wide carriage). Meanwhile all the trim variations were generally seen in the portable market geared toward home use rather than office. This would seem to support the idea that there's only the SS and "Rhythm Touch" is only an advertising tag line as the SS was newly introduced in January of '46 and "Rhythm Touch" appears around July '46.

There's also some discussion on the TWdB in the commentary at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1950-underwood-ss.23202.typewriter which may add to the question.

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on the idea/thesis that the only model is the Underwood SS which is being marketed as the "Rhythm Touch" or evidence to the contrary to refute the claim.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/

None of the discussion here seems definitive for differentiating the "two models".

1940s advertisement with Underwood Standard that uses the phrase "Rhythm Touch", but which features a short armed carriage return lever.

On This Day in Typewriter History: Underwood and the Emperor’s New Old Clothes<br /> by [[Robert Messenger]] for Oz Typewriter Blog<br /> accessed on 2026-05-06T12:33:38

https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html

via Robert Messenger at https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html

Differentiating between an Underwood SS and the Underwood Rhythm Touch:

comment to James Grooms at https://typewriterdatabase.com/show.23202.typewriter

James, perhaps it's hiding somewhere else in the comments on the database, but I'm curious if you've come across definitive differences between the Underwood SS and the Underwood Rhythm Touch models which have separate pages within the database:<br /> - SS https://typewriterdatabase.com/Underwood.SS.4.bmys - Rhythm Touch https://typewriterdatabase.com/Underwood.Rhythm+Touch.4.bmys

Most of my Google searches don't return anything definitive or with actual sourcing of any sort.

The main page has the SS starting in May 1946 and the Rhythm Touch beginning in July of that year, but doesn't seem to specify between the two in any substantive way. Neither of the two models seems to have had a name printed on it.

Your description here uses both designators, but knowing your penchant for newspaper and magazine advertisements, I would suspect you may have seen specific differentiators.

This Facebook post has some handwaving differentiators: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161712887224678/ but none seem definitive or sourced. It also uses the phrase carriage shift, though presumably with these models Underwood had moved to a segment/basket shift on their standards.

Other than the chrome side detailing moving from 3 strips to 5 as you've noted, one of the few differentiators I can see in this era is the shift from the shorter carriage return lever to the longer armed version around 1948 which Robert Messenger notes in https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/11/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history_25.html. However that same page also has an advertisement on it with the words Rhythm Touch featuring a short armed (older style) carriage return.

Is there really a difference between the SS and the Rhythm Touch or are they the same model with the phrase "Rhythm Touch" used as a marketing tag to compete potentially with Smith-Corona's "Floating Shift"?

Thanks!

via Erik Bruchez at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1949-underwood-rhythm-touch.10882.typewriter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10161611646934678/

1950 Underwood Rhythm Touch with Victoria Elite typeface, 12 CPI, Slugs marked "EV".