Thank you all for the replies.
WHN: Yes, that is exactly what I am thinking. That is why I posted here. Thank you!
Jacksonlll: Yep. I was hoping that is all it might be. Thank you also.
rocket1: All the fluids on this car get changed every year. Since the car seldom goes more than a few hundred miles per year, the fluids usually have less than 300 miles before they get changed. It probably has the cleanest tranny fluid you ever saw in it right now.
mfarley: Good info. Thank you!
Bill: It shifts waaaay smoother than that. Slapping is not necessary to get it into gear. When it locks out of 2nd and 3rd, it feels like there is something metal stopping fore and aft shifter movement. Slapping it is futile. Thank you anyway.
1928Mik: Excellent info. Thank you! That is kinda what I was hoping to hear. In the interest of keeping this car all original, I will seek to rebuild the shifter it left the factory with, if that ends up being the case.
Marty: As above, that is what I was hoping to hear. Thank you for your input.
Tom: Very little freeplay in either the left or right positions. That was a test I did before coming here to ask. You know what they say about "great minds"! Thank you.
J Franklin: Of course that is correct. I have no issue with pulling the tower or repairing it. I was just hoping to hear from the pros here that it didn't sound like a transmission problem. Like I said, it is so quiet and smooth, I have never heard a Model A drivetrain so quiet, and I don't want to disturb the historic fabric by pulling the tranny if I don't have to. Also, the fluid in the tranny right now only has about 100 miles on it, if that. See above- The fluids are changed every year, with less than 300 miles usually.