Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Coin operated forttme-telling-bird machine situated in front of
the Bllddha shrine in Tokio, Japan. Only person around the
machine who is not a Japanese is Arthur M. Keel/e, Califomi~1
editor-publisher-coin man.
[Din Ma[hin~s
Keene, the REVIEW'S roving reporter, IIOW touring the world en
route to the world's fair in Paris, is here seen heading out Foo-
chow Road to Bubbling Well Road in a 'ricksha to see the
Futurities at the Del Monte.
'Round
th~
By A. M. KEENE
The REVIEW'S Globe-circling Reporter
Bird Participates
in coin controlled
fo·rtune-teller.
YOKOHAMA, Japan. (Special to the
REVlEw.)-Mornin', COIN REVIEW-ers. To
satisfy your curiosity and mine relative to
coin machines in Japan I scoured the cities
of Yokohama, Tokio and Kobe in search of
something new or something old that might
be of interest. In Kobe the Mammasan
(thal's the head girl) in the Minori, a
Geisha bar, told me of slots which were in
operation on Theatre Street.
Grabbing a copy of the REVIEW and a
'ricksha, I hied myself to the spot and on
inquiring received the polite answer, "Fin-
ish-no can do."
. You operators in our own United States
know what that word finish means, and
perhaps it means the same here. It looked
hopeless until there came a report of a pin-
ball table in the grill room at the Oriental
Hotel. But, alas, it too was "Finish."
It was up to Tom Watling to score the
only hit I found in all Japan in the way
of American equipment, for he had one of
his old-time scales in the Oriental lobby
at Kobe.
You perhaps notice that I said "Ameri-
can equipment." Now I change my tune,
for I did find what might some day be a
real practical coin machine in nothing
mor~ nor less than a fortune-telling coin
machine bird outfit. It was located in
front of the Buddha Shrine in Tokio.
The affair consisted of a table about five-
feet long with a bird cage at one end and
a miniature temple, or shrine, at the other.
By depositing five sen-less than two cents
in our monej'-in a chute the bird cage
would open. Opening of the cage caused
the coin to drop down into a cup. A bird-
a real one!-then came out of the cage,
picked the coin out of the cup, carried
it to the other end of the table, dropped
it into a slotted cash box, climbed three
little steps, pulled a small rope that rang
a bell and let the temple door fly open.
The bird went inside and came out with
a folded paper sealed with a strip of red
adhesive. Flying to the middle of the table
the bird pulled off the adhesive, dropped
the folded paper, which proved to be a
fortune, on the table and flew back to its
cage. The door closed automatically.
And that, COIN REVIEw-ers, was my coin
machine thrill in Japan.
Recording
machine. coin-contr"lled.
found in China.
SHANGHAI. Chin:!. (Special to the
REVfEW. )-Real " uP and at 'em" Mills
Futurities in all their beautiful orange col-
oring are to be fOl1nd in Shan~hai, and
especially at the city's oldest and best nieht
club, the Del Monte, ',"aY out on Bub-
bling Well Road. The Del Monte is run
by Al Israel, who twenty-five years ago
gave me elusive news items when I was
a reporter on the Bakersfield Califomian.
Al ran the Del Monte in Bakersfield, Cali-
fornia, at that time, and in leaving the
San Joaquin Valley took the name with
him to China.
But the thrill of the day, from a coin
machine viewpoint, came when, after search-
in~ the city over. I found right in front
of me, at the Cathay Hotel, something
verY British and, I think, really new as
far as coin machines are concerned.
It was a voice-recording machine built
of sheet steel with chrome finish, much re-
sembling a cigarette machine to which a
tower had been added, topped by a radio
lighting effect.
By inserting a coin in the machine a
slil'ht whirring noise could be heard and a
little dial lighted up in front showing how
much talking could be dnne-about 125
words. Then and there I made a five-
inch record.
When the record was completed it
dropped out of a slot on the side. Just
above the slot a miniature phonograph turn-
table made it possible to reproduce it im-
mediately. On the opposite side of the
machine, at the cost of another "copper,"
an envelope for mailing, and wooden
need les to be used on the "W uri i tzer at
home" could be had.
Apparently the manufacturers of the ma-
chine are smart, for they have an advertis-
ing idea incorporated on the reverse side
World
of the disc-a nice voice telling all about
the Cathay Hotel, its shape, and a recipe
for a cocktail which seems quite popular
around this spot at the Bund and Nanking
Road.
I might say that it costs a dollar, Shang-
hai money, to make the recording. That's
thirty cents in American funds. The ma-
chine is presided over by Ann, a beautiful
Russian brunette who has the reputation
of being an exiled princess. For seven
years she has been tourist greeter at the
Cathay cigar stand.
Keene Sends
v oice back home.
LOS A GELES. - While Arthur M.
Keene wandered about Asia in quest of
coin machine news for COIN MACHINE
REVIEW readers, his voice floated through
the REVIEW offices, recently, as the record
he made on the coin controlled recording
machine in the Cathay Hotel in Shanghai
was played.
First tried was the "advertising side."
Said a voice which sounded amazingly like
that of David Windsor, late King of Eng-
land, last heard in a speech renouncing the
British crown:
"This record is made at the Cathay Ho-
tel, Shanghai, one of the world's most fa-
mous landmarks for travelers. The Cathay,
built only a few years ago, rises on the
waterfront of one of the greatest and
most picturesque cities in the world. It
is a tall, imposing building, where every
need and comfort for the traveler is pro-
vided for. There are quiet lodges, a mag-
nificent ballroom and restaurant, luxuriant
suites worthy of a palace and simpler suites
and rooms for the humbler traveler, and
every room has a private bath. On the
ground floor there are shops where the
latest fashions from Europe and America
are displayed amongst the treasures of old
China.
"Citizens of all nations pass through the
lounge and lobby. It is one of the world's
greatest hotels where sooner or later all
travelers come. Here's the recipe of one
of the Hotel Cathay's exclusive cocktails:
One part gin, one part cointreau, one part
orange and lemon juice mixed . , . Try it
. . . and you will like it."
(Hearers of the recipe haven't tried it
yet, but have the best of intentions. The
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