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Gottlieb

  • Pro Pool originated in December with 800 units being fabricated. This add-a-ball machine was designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison. Two replay versions of the game were also made: a two-player version called Big Shot and a four-player version called Hot Shot. Obviously the theme of this game is the game of pool. The playfield is symmetrical and the way to win extra balls is by completing the left and/or right drop target battery. Doing so will lift the left and/or right wow rollovers for this award. The drop targets reset once the sequences are completed. Of course, an operator-adjusted score is another way to score a couple of balls. Back in the ‘70s, multiple balls or replays could be achieved on the game. Today, one free game on a current solid-state game is the common win. Operators have made it harder to achieve free games today as free games yield no income and only result in down time for the machine to earn coins in the till.
  • The game before you is extremely rare with only 278 screwed together at the Chicago Gottlieb factory. This one-player electromechanical add-a-ball game was designed by John Osbourne with art by Gordon Morison. A replay version was also designed by the name of Blue Note. The object of this machine is to complete all the notes down the left side of the playfield. Doing so activates the classic “wow” feature which, when hit, awards one free ball. A reset is in your future once your current ball drains. Score is another way to achieve longer play by winning extra balls. The spinner in the middle of the playfield awards big points when 1,000 points is lit; each spin of the target awards 1,000 points plus number of revolutions spun. A nice retro art package completes this rare machine.
  • This April release came in a four-player version, also in the museum called “Royal Flush.” 12,250 games were created in this sizable run of machines. Ed Krynski designed the machine with Gordon Morison penning the artwork for the game. A very popular game in its day, the main ingredient of the play field is the battery of nine drop targets set at an angle. The object here is to complete the drop targets to complete the five card combinations represented on the front play field. Completing a combo illuminates the light in the bonus column of combos and at the end of the ball, a “scan” bonus would score the appropriate number of points to the player currently up. The drop targets reset after each ball unless an extra ball is scored via the free ball gate. A double scan of the bonus lights on the last ball. Another feature to shoot for is the three colored card sequence. These light a special on the kick-out hole.
  • This April release was produced in a quantity of 4,550 units. Wayne Neyens designed the machine with Roy Parker doing the artwork. The art theme of the machine is Playboy bunnies as the Playboy Corporation opened a big Playboy club in the Chicago area in 1960 which was a real hit. The object of the game is to light the bumpers spelling out “Slick Chick.” It’s a tough game to master. Each time the sequence is completed, a rollover lights on the play field to score 10 points. If you can complete all five roll-overs, the center gobble hole lights to score a replay. Four roll-overs on the side of the play field numbered one to four also score a replay if hit in sequence. Score is your other goal toward replays. I remember playing this game at the arcades and it was very hard to achieve a winning combination. It is considered one of Wayne Neyens’ best games and one of his favorites in the annals of pinball design.
  • Gottlieb Subway arrived in October ’66. It was designed by the classic team of Ed Krynski and art by Gordon Morison. This add-a-ball version of the game closely resembled the replay version by the name of Crosstown. This wedgehead Gottlieb has an animated backglass. Every time 100 points are scored, the door of the subway opens, revealing passengers jammed together in a comical pose. The center target is where all the action is in the game. If you happened to match the two columns horizontally by advancing the columns by hitting various spots on the game and hit the center target, the award indicated would be given. Otherwise 10 points were awarded. This game was a tough game to play, as the opening between the flippers was rather large and a hit to the center target would regularly cost you a lost ball.