Coin Slot

Issue: 1978 December 047

Coin Slot Magazine - #047 - 1978 - December [International Arcade Museum]
Sunday best and assume impeccable manners? Bally backglasses
look like near-pornography. Indeed, there are X-rated backglasses
popping up in some establishments.
Perhaps somebody thinks
these backglasses emulate the style, the pretty girls of Roy Parker's
work - but they share only the sex, lacking the sublety and humor
which was the true highlight of Parker's work. Pinball has always
loathed accusations of ties with organized crime and criminals,
so why was the Old Chicago backglass made? John Dillinger is no
subject for this industry to bring up. And what on earth is hap
pening to the woman on the left of Dillinger? Something good for
your daughter?
This won't go over with the silent majority.
Everything I've seen of Chicago Coin's work has the me-too
stamp of copied mediocrity. Sam Stern, late of Williams, has pur
chased Chicoin and is marketing his own STERN pinballs0 These
games are too new to be covered at this time.
There is no shame in owning a Williams flipper game made in the
50's! It would be best, however, to have none but the best of the
decade's offerings if this is to be your only game. Although most
of the games are fun to play, they are so unusual that you might
not be able to placate your desire for modern pinball play. 1952's
Hong Kong or 4 Corners, basically the same game, are amongst the
most pleasing games of all time. While they share a playfield
resembling a Bingo game in parts, along with a Bingo "card",
they also exhibit flippers, bumpers, and targets enough to rate
them as games of skill.
Unfortunately, 50's Williams games suffer a very bad design fault
To change light bulbs, either the light box must be dismantled, or
the backglass scraped up and out of position, inflicting grave dam
age to the artwork. Guess which method most operators used!
It is more difficult to find a Williams backglass in good condition
than a Gottlieb of comparable age. If you can find one in good
condition, though, do not fret for the future, since the above-
mentioned dss-mantlsng involves only six screws and about three
hands.
(Of course, whatever game you purchase, one of your
first projects should be to remove all bulbs from the Isghtbox and
replace them with No. 51 bulbs.)
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box. Williams
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ht know what to do with it. Although there are many
but didn't
throwaway designs from the following years, there are some games
which have achieved cult status - e.g. 4 Aces (1970) and Spanish
© The International Arcade Museum
36
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
Coin Slot Magazine - #047 - 1978 - December [International Arcade Museum]
Eyes (1972). What one may disdain, another may enjoy.
best advice about a Williams game is - play it!
The
David Gottlieb's company has always been a pinball company
first and foremost.
It is unlikely that anybody would give two
hoots about any pinballs were it not for this company and this man.
Humpty Dumpty (1947) began the flipper craze.
Buy this
game but set it up in your bedroom. It doesn't play very well!
The six flippers are on the perimeter of the game and describe
their arc movement on the outer edge of the playf ield.
Joker (1950) shows flippers which are reversed from the norm,
pivoting at the center of the game. This flipper arrangement is by
no means unusual before 1955. Joker is a beautiful game, simple,
yet fun to play. It is on my top ten list.
The years 1953 through 1965 contain a string of ever-evolving
games which are all joys to play. Green Pastures, Wishing Well,
Harbor Lites, Ace High, Rocket Ship, Queen of Diamonds, Dan
cing Dolls, Cover Girl, Slick Chick, Gigi, Buckaroo - the list is
almost endless. There is one game which merits separate mention:
Bank-A-Ball (1965). This game evolved into King of Diamonds
(1967) and Spin-A-Card (1969); all three are a blast! Bank-A-Ball
carried the introduction of flipper return lanes and is possibly the
finest example of the 13 (15)-target game.
The average Gottlieb of 1966-69 is off in quality, compared to
the earlier games.
However, the 1970 Snow Derby ushered in a
renaissance for Gottlieb. This era produced a slew of delightful
games - 2001, 4 Square, Lawman, Drop-A-Card, Outer Space, Fly
ing Carpet, King Kool, Jack-ln-The-Box, High Hand, and Skyjump.
For the first time Gottlieb began producing multi-player games of
interest.
Those built prior to 1970 do not compare favorably
with the contemporary single-players, but the above list of eleven
games contains five multi-player designs.
Humpty Dumpty will probably remain the most sought after
piece.
Fireball is the next most in demand; after that, it's any
body's guess as to popularity. Neither of these games are interes
ting enough to want to play for years on end, though Fireball is
initially deceptively engrossing.
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Dow //www comments, and criticism from Coin Slot
I invite questions,
tp: not seen every pinball ever made and can still feel
readers. h
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my heart stop upon discovering some previously unknown desig
ner's trick.
know!
If you're offended - or overjoyed - write and let us
© The International Arcade Museum
37
http://www.arcade-museum.com/

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