Pinball

[Cletus]

I was born in the early 60’s so I grew up with pinball. There were a number of machines in the bowling alleys near my house, and in many other arcades, bars, malls and student centers. Back then, pinball machines were common in a lot of establishments. Salisbury Beach on the Northshore in Massachusetts was pinball utopia. Nantasket Beach also had rows and rows of pinball machines in the arcade there.

I always gravitated to the Gottlieb machines, but would play a Bally or Williams if none were available. Then Pong showed up with its myriad offspring and Pinball machines slowly went the way of the dinosaurs. So I was delighted to discover the Pinball Arcade app. About as close as I’ll ever get to the old classic Gottlieb’s of the 70’s. Here's El Dorado, which is a machine I enjoyed playing when I could find it back then.

[Brooklyn]

In my youth I was good at quoits and bean bag (now called cornhole). Was decent at horseshoes and deck shuffleboard. But for the life of me was always frustrated like hell at pinball. I wasn't that bad a player. It's just that some of my buddies were absolute killers in the game and they could beat me (or anyone else) practically blind folded. Fun stuff for sure. Very wholesome way to spend your time.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

My older brother and I used to walk to the Northshore Mall in Peabody and play this machine for hours. I remember 18,000 was an outstanding first ball, but getting an extra game/hitting the "special" was tough. Great machine though. Lots of things to shoot for.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

In my youth I was good at quoits and bean bag (now called cornhole). Was decent at horseshoes and deck shuffleboard. But for the life of me was always frustrated like hell at pinball. I wasn't that bad a player. It's just that some of my buddies were absolute killers in the game and they could beat me (or anyone else) practically blind folded. Fun stuff for sure. Very wholesome way to spend your time.

I was never as good as my older brother. Still a lot of fun playing. Do you remember the names of any machines you played by any chance, Brooklyn?

[Brooklyn]

I was never as good as my older brother. Still a lot of fun playing. Do you remember the names of any machines you played by any chance, Brooklyn?

Names? Not at all.

All I remember is one time I was so d@mn frustrated at not getting enough points that I slapped the machine and it produced a monkey figure on the screen which said "tilt".

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

I was never as good as my older brother. Still a lot of fun playing. Do you remember the names of any machines you played by any chance, Brooklyn?

Names? Not at all.

All I remember is one time I was so d@mn frustrated at not getting enough points that I slapped the machine and it produced a monkey figure on the screen which said "tilt".

Haha—that’s a four letter word in pinball jargon. I’ve seen that one a few times myself.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

I didn't realize pinball machines have been around since the 30's. Imagine--one could purchase this circa 1932 pinball machine for only $16.50!

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

When Gottlieb was influenced by the times. Far out, man.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Some pretty cool backbox artwork on Gottlieb's High Hand (1973)

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

This was one of my older brother's favorite machines. I only played it a few times but I always enjoyed it. Mid 70's was my era for pinball machines.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Preserved in the 1973 film The Friends of Eddie Coyle--the bowling alley in Boston where many a quarter was dropped in the machines they had there.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Pinball in popular culture. Back cover of Ten Years After album A Space in Time released in 1971

[DMac]

Used to like pinball, would still drop a few coin in one if I were near one. This one was in the pool hall where we used to hang out in the mid-late 60s. A great place where you could go smoke, swear, and gamble (Marino Giovininni owned the place...nuff said). Lotta card games, nine ball, and pretty much any kind of sports bet you wanted to make.
It was cool when you "turned this over", hit 9,999 then back to zero. I held the record for periods of time on this machine but there's always someone who gets hot and beats it. Fun stuff.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Used to like pinball, would still drop a few coin in one if I were near one. This one was in the pool hall where we used to hang out in the mid-late 60s. A great place where you could go smoke, swear, and gamble (Marino Giovininni owned the place...nuff said). Lotta card games, nine ball, and pretty much any kind of sports bet you wanted to make.
It was cool when you "turned this over", hit 9,999 then back to zero. I held the record for periods of time on this machine but there's always someone who gets hot and beats it. Fun stuff.

That's a great looking machine and a great photo. "Palooka" --great name for a pinball machine. Came out in 1964. Yeah--pinball machines have gone the way of the dinosaur, unfortunately.

[Farfromgeneva]

More modern but I’d give my left nut to get this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=blo5GhFi0RE

Also before they moved/closed it I had played this old 30s all star baseball game at the back of the cliff house in San Fran many years ago. Called Muser Mechanique was in a spot called the cliff house, part of Harold and Maude is in that arcade where he makes the penny for her she chuck’s into the water and also sits atop where they pull the scam on the military uncle. Anyways it has the players from
The first ever all star game and still works from what 1935 or so?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit ... _for_some/

[Farfromgeneva]

Muse Mechanique if you like old games

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musée_Mécanique

[OuttaNowhereWregget]