Wow-- That is a blast from the past. My mother also bought a new
Whirlpool washer right around 1958. I remember now hearing the term
"Susmiser". I don't think she ever used it though. What I do remember is
that the machine lit up like a juke box-- it was beautiful when it was
on in the dark (it was in the garage) Also, it had an electrically
operated latch on the lid, which quit working after a few years-- my
mother would open it by giving it a whack with her fist right in the
center of the lid. The timer had a chain that moved the indicator across
a horizontal panel that indicated the cycles. The first time the chain
jumped off, in about 1963, I watched the repairman fix it (I was 12) and
then I fixed it myself the next 3 or 4 tines it jumped off. She finally
bought a new machine in about 1966-- a Sears that was a much more basic
machine. I think my Dad picked out the fancy W/P machine.