Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornography shops. The game was finally legalized, thanks to a Babe Ruth-style shot by the best player in the world. Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck.
AI Summary
Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly dramatic history of pinball machines, from their origins as boring 1800s bagatelle tables to becoming illegal gambling devices that Mayor LaGuardia literally dumped in rivers. They explore how one magazine editor named Roger Sharp single-handedly saved pinball by proving it was a game of skill at a crucial 1976 New York City Council hearing, and reveal the complex "games within games" that separate casual players from true pinball wizards.
Movies Discussed
Black Hole
"He has Black Hole, but not the movie. — Chuck mentioned his brother had a Black Hole pinball machine, clarifying it wasn't based on the Disney movie."
— Chuck
Gallagher
"entering your name on the, um, in the top 10 in Gallagher. — Josh referenced the 1981 arcade game Galaga when discussing getting high scores in pinball."
— Josh
Jurassic Park
"And then he has Jurassic Park, which is newer. — Chuck described one of his brother's newer pinball machines based on the movie Jurassic Park."
— Chuck
Monsters Inside Me
"For every case of monsters inside me on TLC that goes undiscovered — This was quoted from listener mail referencing the TLC show about parasitic infections."
Silver Spoons
"And Scott invited me over. Please. And it's all free. That's so awesome. It's pretty cool. Man, he's like Ricky Schroeder and Silver Spoons or something, but growing up. — Josh compared Chuck's brother's game room setup to the wealthy character from the 1980s TV show Silver Spoons."
— Josh
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
"Well, they built only two games. Right. Well, and I think each one had a few thousand production run. Yeah. But there was Star Wars episode one, which here's my theory. — Chuck mentioned Star Wars Episode I as one of the Pinball 2000 games that was produced."
— Chuck
The Addams Family
"My favorite game of all time, pinball wise, favorite game ever, Gallagher. But a favorite game of pinball wise was Adams family, pinball. — Chuck discussed his favorite pinball machine being based on The Addams Family movie."
— Chuck
The Simpsons
"And then the great Simpsons quote, Saaja Bab said, television has ruined more young minds than pinball and syphilis combined. — Josh referenced a quote from The Simpsons about television's impact compared to pinball."
— Josh
Tommy
"From Tommy, from the Who's Tommy. Yeah. The pinball wizard and Tommy. — They discussed pinball as a symbol of rebellious youth, referencing the character from the rock opera Tommy."
— Chuck
Top Gun
"He has a Tomcat F-14, which is the ripoff of Top Gun. — Chuck was describing one of his brother's pinball machines, noting it was based on the movie Top Gun."
— Chuck
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