No, the one I'm talking about used a couple tablespoons of oil in the base. And it had a wire that circled the base (think hands on a clock) to stir the kernels as they heated.
Worms! Hard to believe that myth still lives.
Ah, that's a Whirley-Pop. That's how I make popcorn now! BTW, if anyone gets one of these, you never need to clean it. Leave the old oil in there, I'm here to tell you that after several years it will still work great and you won't get worms.