re: #52 Guanxi88

It’s a joke. See, there’s this brand of pipe tobacco called Prince Albert, and one of its features was that it used to come in smallish, pocket-sized tins. In one of the first known instances of viral marketing, folk began crank-calling retailers, asking if the had Prince Albert in the can, and, if so, that they should let him out.

Can is also american slang for the water closet, and so…

Back in the late 50’s, my Dad took the back off a Canon 35mm which my aunt had just bought. (It had jammed — something minor.) Inside, one of the flat levers had obviously been stamped from a PA can. Dad smoked PA at the time. Everything matched.