The Duaflex II was introduced in 1950 with a reasonable listing price of ~$20.00 (the equivalent of $200 today). It has a sleek aluminum body frame & black plastic sides with leather coverings. This camera caught on fast & sold in high numbers. It was easy to use & took decent pictures by the average person. It hung conveniently around your neck by a strap & invites you to look down into the viewfinder to take a picture. It was the first in the line that featured a viewfinder hood that swung open to shield the viewing window from bright light, making it easier to frame the image. Due to it’s high popularity, many of these cameras can be easily found in fleas markets and antique stores.
You can see Ethyl Merz in the I LOVE LUCY follow-up THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR with a Duaflex around her neck featured prominently in Season 1, Episode 5.