Coin Slot

Issue: 1978 July 042

Coin Slot Magazine - #042 - 1978 - July [International Arcade Museum]
O.
D.
JENNINGS
machine manufac-
gave Mills a run
This is the only slot
turer that ever really
for its money.
nings started his
Jen-
chines with the
pany running
career in coin ma-
Mills
Novelty
Com-
, at the St. Louis
their penny arcade
World's Fair in
1904.
he
be
saw
the
money
opened his own
pulled out and
ship in Chicago in
Industry Novelty
used machine dealer-
1906,
calling
Company.
it the
first World War,
After the
Jennings started making'
his own Bell ma-
then changed
chines from scratch, and
his
company
And
When
made he
the O.D.
name to
Company,
a
buying
big
Jennings
plant out on
It's still there, and
west Lake Street in Chicago,
the Jennings touch can still be felt. I've already made three bids
for the WWII servicemen's plaque in the lobby with the O.D. Jen
nings name on it,
but the owner's
won't budge. Jennings didn't like this cartoon; he regarded him
self as far more of a distinguished gentleman, and in later years
used one and only one picture of himself in the media. But this is
what he really looked like around 1930 or so — the cartoonist
drew it from an old picture because Jennings wouldn't sit for a
drawing.
WALTER
Here's
TRATSCH
man
a gentle-
of
the
first
one everyone knew,
water, and some-
Tratsch started
out in the busi-
ness as a bench
worker for Charlie
cisco.
Fey in San Fran-
After that
friends for life. So
com Walt Tratsch one
.
m
eu
they were dear
m: us
o
r
f
-m
ed
oad .arcade
l
n
covered
by Larry
Dow
www
/
/
:
years back;
the
p
htt Tratsch
found.
much so Fey gave
of the original
machines in the
LIBERTY
thirties.
Lubliner
third
BELL
It was dis-
one
also
some
to be
invented
coin entry and control.
and perfected the
A.B.T. Manufac-
Tratsch was the "T"
with
the
firm making a
turing Company,
many
of
Fey
design.
lot International
of trade Arcade
stimulators,
© The
Museum
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
5
Coin Slot Magazine - #042 - 1978 - July [International Arcade Museum]
■A.
V.
COOLEY
Every
operator
Mills
Cooley, the
machines
knew
Art
curly-headed Irish kid that
knew the
machines inside and out.
Cooley was
one of the strongest right
arms of
Bell
Vince Shay,
ma-
chines
the thirties
solving problems, and
tomers happy.
making cus-
vice
manager,
over the country in
Art went all
World
the Mills
sales
War
II
Art
dent
presi-
of
After
became
the
the
newly
O-Matic Company, the
formed Bell-
sales arm of
Mills
the exclusive
marketing rights to the
new Mills line
of Hightops. The Johnson
Act stopped all
Art, too.
that.
Industries, having
It probably stopped
only in his forties when he
He was
had a heart attack.
JAMES
T.
MANGAN
genious, and charlatan.
He was called a
He was both*
Novelty
Mangan was the Mills
manager
Jim
advertising
Company
golden years, from
throughout its
early 194Q's. Mangan
1929 through the
introduced
of
all
machines and did
the
new Mills
all the advertising and
made the firm the
A book has just
literature that
giant that it was.
reprinted called 'The
recently been
Slot Machine" that
Anatomy of a
for 1932, Mills Sl-
describes the new,
LENT "War Eagle/
Mangan wrote every
over the product.
word, and labored
He
^creativity in the Chsca-
national, advertising
was lauded for his
.com
m
:
u
community.
«rf^
v
Mangan had a lot to
se
rom
of Mills. In later years,
do with the growth ded f ^w e-mu
beginning, Mangan —
just as the w space
was\
rcad
nloa age
a
.
o
w a theoretical country in space called
D
w
then retired
— w formed
/
claimed the moon,
Celestria, h
and
ttp:/
go, and then the
even selling moon lots.
The gag went as far as the United Nations
and — fantastically — his claim held up; no one had claimed space
before, so in a way it was his. The early astronauts knew Mangan
well.
In his view they were on assignment for Celestria.
© loved
The International
Arcade
Museum
it and went
along
with the routine.
They
http://www.arcade-museum.com/

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