Presidential prankster - Lyndon B. Johnson

[Grey Havoc]

4. All the Way with LBJ

Blog.Hemmings.com

President Lyndon B. Johnson adored cars and kept a large collection of cherished Lincolns and other vehicles at his Texas ranch. One of his most unusual cars was an Amphicar—it looked like a normal car, but was amphibious and functioned like a motorboat when it entered a body of water. Johnson realized this vehicle was perfect for pranking guests. He would invite his visitors to take a drive around the ranch with him in the blue convertible. When they got to a steep hill at the edge of a lake, Johnson would let the car pick up speed. Then he’d yell, “The brakes don’t work! The brakes won’t hold! We’re going in!” As the car entered the lake, the passengers would panic—until they realized that rather than sinking, they were motoring across the lake. One victim of the prank, Special Assistant to the President Joseph A. Califano, Jr., recalled that his boss teased him later for trying to save his own skin instead of the president’s.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/49683/6-people-who-went-great-lengths-their-pranks

 

[Triton]

Recording of an actual White House phone call from August 9, 1964; LBJ orders some pants, with humorous results.

http://youtu.be/S3GT9UN7nDo