tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post6546628695267895105..comments2024-03-24T17:41:28.172-05:00Comments on The Golden Age Arcade Historian: Pinball Before Baffle BallKeith Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08421308095592306594noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-55664038530234702132015-06-11T15:46:04.212-05:002015-06-11T15:46:04.212-05:00That documentary is worth checking out if you can ...That documentary is worth checking out if you can get it Dario.<br /><br />Sad we lost Bueschel so long ago.<br /><br />Also, keep up the good worth Keith!Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-58659016421138696102015-06-10T22:30:02.324-05:002015-06-10T22:30:02.324-05:00You probably won't find much into on proto-pin...You probably won't find much into on proto-pinball games online. The main source of this information was from Dick Bueschel's books Pinball 1 and The Encyclopedia of Pinball, Volume 1 and also his documentary on the history of pinball. Bueschel was probably the foremost historian of early pinball, though he passed away around 1998. <br /><br />Harry Reed's game was called Electric Bagatelle and he made very few copies. Bueschel classifies ABT's Billiard Skill as a "proto-pinball" game but it was more of a gun game/trade stimulator. You shot still balls into the pockets of a miniature pool table. I believe they later replaced the gun with a plunger and renamed it Dutch Pool (though they may also have produced a version of Billiard Skill with a plunger). I think it is listed in the Internet Pinball Database as Billiard Practice.Keith Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08421308095592306594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-4766221861031366462015-06-10T20:01:57.032-05:002015-06-10T20:01:57.032-05:00Why is there no online information on Harry Reeds ...Why is there no online information on Harry Reeds Light up bagatelle, or the 1928 billiard skill by A.B.T? Where did you find this information?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14819899310644212388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-71616672693827515362013-08-02T07:45:30.758-05:002013-08-02T07:45:30.758-05:00You should edit those Wikipedia articles--it would...You should edit those Wikipedia articles--it would be like pinball-themed public service!juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18141123092139829629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-69996866913629251882013-04-06T14:35:45.522-05:002013-04-06T14:35:45.522-05:00People forget about those "penny arcades"...People forget about those "penny arcades" very easily.Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-53735787556543275492013-04-06T13:13:06.101-05:002013-04-06T13:13:06.101-05:00Thanks. I've seen that video. It used to be on...Thanks. I've seen that video. It used to be on YouTube in five parts (though part 2 had no sound).<br /><br />I think the wikipedia article on pinball is a bit better than the one on Baffle Ball. It refers to Baffle Ball as "the first hit of the coin-operated era", which is much more defensible. Of course, it depends on the definition of "hit" and "coin-operated era". I'm guessing that they mean it was the first PINBALL hit, not the first coin-op hit overall (though, if so, some appear to have misread it as applying to all coin-op). <br />It also may be that by "coin-operated era" they meant the era starting in the early 30s/late 20s (i.e. the era when Baffle Ball was introduced).<br /><br />There were a number of "hit" coin-op games and amusement machines prior to 1931, from mutoscopes and kinetoscopes to shockers to ABT Target Skill etc. Whiffle and Whoopee could also be considered "hits".Keith Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08421308095592306594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8167179463808604240.post-88794614817711196222013-04-06T11:41:13.460-05:002013-04-06T11:41:13.460-05:00It's good that you wrote this when you did. I...It's good that you wrote this when you did. It's rather a show how misinformed it all is on Wikipedia at all. I learned much about pinball's history thanks to a documentary I saw 16 years ago called "Pleasure Machines: The History of Pinball". In it, they talked about it's roots going back to Nine Holes, Bagatelle and Cockamaroo". They cited Montague Redgrave's "Improvements in Bagatelles" as the first true pinball machine thanks to it's innovations. It was a very interesting watch and did a lot to get me interested in pinball despite having to come out towards the end of the road for several manufacturers that were hanging by a thread (and several years before the "Pinball 2000" debacle).<br /><br />The video was first aired on pay-per-view where I had seen it (actually bothered to get my mom to tape it for me while I was in college), though I also saw it aired on AMC a couple times. You can still find it on DVD here.<br />http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/HOPChris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.com