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  #1  
Old 09-21-2021, 05:25 PM
spock spock is offline
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Default "The Bootles" are in the house

This 1967 Williams "Beat Time" pinball machine, featuring The Bootles, has been stored out in my garage for many moons. Recent retirement has provided time to clean out and organize my garage and game room, allowing this classic to gain access to the main floor.

Story has it that Williams Co. manufactured 2800 of these machines and distributed them around the country during the Beatles craze, hoping to convince the Beatles to sell the rights for the use their name, at which time they would change the artwork and name to The Beatles. However, the deal never went through and that was the end of that.

Besides the Bootles, the playfield also makes reference to The Groaning Bones (Rolling Stones), The Vultures (Ventures), the NeatBloods (The Youngbloods), The Low Humbles (Beau Brummels?), and the Lurches (Searchers?)







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Old 09-21-2021, 06:12 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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Kinda creepy fantastic!
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Old 09-21-2021, 06:14 PM
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WOW! You could probably sell that and retire twice.
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Old 09-23-2021, 05:18 PM
spock spock is offline
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Yes, I agree the characters are kinda creepy, but maybe that was to avoid being sued for using too close a likeness to the original mop tops. There definitely aren't many of these around, and even though I grew up playing a lot of pinball in arcades in many different states, I had never seen another one of these until I found it while searching through an old storage barn on the grounds of a rural salvage yard. I didn't know much about it then, but I knew it had to be rare and a sure reference to The Beatles, and when the old caretaker said I could have it for a song, I knew it was coming home with me.
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Old 09-23-2021, 05:24 PM
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Spock;

And so, what song did you play/sing?
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Old 09-24-2021, 01:30 PM
ghostnote ghostnote is offline
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That's a cool machine, and rare. I spent a LOT of time with pinball machines in the '70s. A good friend was an installer/repair technician for an amusement company that had pinballs, foosballs, cigarette machines, air hockey, and juke boxes in bars and clubs all over the area. He was on call every other weekend, and I spent many a Saturday with him helping to empty the cashboxes and doing repairs. I didn't work for free, I worked for beer - and that was always free in every bar we visited. While he fixed whatever was broken, I'd open up a pinball machine that I liked and click up as many free games as I wanted, and just play. I got pretty good after awhile. And I got other free stuff: my room mates and I had tournament-quality foosball and air hockey machines in our house, and I had a pinball machine in my bedroom. (it was an old Blue Max - a WW1 dogfighting game)
Your post brought back a lot of fond memories...
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Old 09-24-2021, 01:42 PM
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srick srick is offline
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That’s a cool old machine. I’d love to have a few in the basement, but I have all I can do to deal with my GAS - I can’t afford to have a case of PAS also!

Loved my pinball machines and later, arcades. My favorite moment was when I was 12. We had brought my brother down to the University of Maryland for his freshman year and we got sandwiches at one of the local hangouts. The ball got stuck in one of the gates and kept ringing up points (and in those days, games). Finally, at 24 free games, we tilted the machine and I started to play. My victory was short lived when the owner came over and told me that I had to be 16 to play (state law at the time). Meh. It was a great moment in pinball history!

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Old 09-24-2021, 01:59 PM
619TF 619TF is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvanB View Post
WOW! You could probably sell that and retire twice.
Not to burst anyone's bubble but likely only really worth a few thousand dollars at best. http://pinballprice.com/213.htm
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Old 09-24-2021, 02:45 PM
Inyo Inyo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spock View Post
I didn't know much about it then, but I knew it had to be rare and a sure reference to The Beatles, and when the old caretaker said I could have it for a song, I knew it was coming home with me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EvanB View Post
Spock;

And so, what song did you play/sing?
Probably this one:

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