Well it certainly looks very different than the Apex gas dryer my mom had before I was born. I've posted a brief description of how it operated a long time ago but I will mention it again for a chuckle.

All the controls were on the front. After you dumped the clothes into the perforated drum you set the timer which looked similar to an old Robertshaw oven control. Then you turned a knob that said GAS to the on position. If you walked away at this point you would smell gas in a little bit since the unlit pilot was now on.

Then you turned a spring-loaded knob that said IGNITION to the on position and held it there for about 30 seconds. You would hear a ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ noise which was a standard automotive spark plug igniting the pilot and heating the thermocouple. After the 30 seconds was up you released the knob and hit a small red button next to the timer and the dryer started. You then looked through a viewing window at the top corner to make sure the burner came on, if not it meant you cheated on the ignition part and you started over.

The Apex sort of broiled the clothes although there was a blower. There was no lint screen and where the dryer vented outside looked like Christmas in Connecticut after awhile. Fortunately my mom was a clothesline fanatic and rarely used the dryer. As punishment my brothers and I would often have to sit on the floor in the laundry room for a half hour or so. I spent a lot of time in there and if the dryer was on it was a real treat for me watching the clothes tumbling up to the gas flame. I always wondered why they never caught fire. My mom told me that if I opened the door while the dryer was on (there was no door switch) I'd be sucked up inside like Auntie Em's house in the cyclone. One day I went ahead and opened it...mother lied.