1965 · Williams
Alpine Club / Ski Club
Known for Ten rollover buttons, Top center target, Upper flippers and Climber. Deep blue sky with pale horizontal wispy cloud streaks, jagged snow-capped mountain range with rose-pink and magenta rock faces, dark green conifer fir forest, white snowfields, large brown-and-white alpine chalet with a heavy snow-covered roof and small white lodge building on the left with an orange flag.
- Year
- 1965
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
Known for
- rollover buttons
Ten rollover buttons
- Target
Top center target
- extra flippers
Upper flippers
- backglass toy
Climber
2 games under this title
On the playfield
Hole 1
- Left and right saucers saucers
Bumpers 2
- Passive bumper
- Red and green pop bumpers
Target 1
- Top center target
Lanes 2
- Ten rollover buttons rollover buttons
- Side lanes
Flipper 1
- Upper flippers extra flippers
Post or gate 1
- Right out lane gate gate
Control 1
- Bumper rollover buttons buttons
Backbox 1
- Climber backglass toy
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Foreground centre-left, blonde bobbed hair, red-and-white horizontally striped jumper, bright orange-red ski trousers, bent low at the waist in a forward-leaning ski stance, arms tucked back, standing on two long yellow skis that run diagonally to the lower right
- man Just behind and left of her, round smiling face with dark hair, crimson-pink jacket over a white collared shirt, sitting or kneeling half-buried in the snowbank, looking out at the viewer
- other Two small distant figures left of centre on the slope, one in a tan/yellow outfit, one in a blue outfit with a yellow pack, standing on skis or snowshoes
- other Two figures on the chalet's upper balcony at right, one in a bright orange top and one in red, leaning on the yellow railing
- other Three or four small figures at the chalet ground level, in orange, blue and white winter clothing, standing and sitting in the snow beside a bench
- other Two tiny white-clad figures on the far right lower slope, one appearing to be in motion with legs apart in a skiing stance
Setting
- Deep blue sky with pale horizontal wispy cloud streaks
- Jagged snow-capped mountain range with rose-pink and magenta rock faces
- Dark green conifer fir forest
- White snowfields
- Large brown-and-white alpine chalet with a heavy snow-covered roof
- Small white lodge building on the left with an orange flag
Text on it
- Williams
- ALPINE
- CLUB
- BALL in PLAY
- 1
How it plays
-
Goals 1
- ABCDE letters
Made by
- Design
- Steve Kordek
- Art
- Art Stenholm
The cast
- Alpine Club
- Ski Club
Reference
Linked terms
- Left and right saucers also called side saucers
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield Alpine Club
- blue
- red
- white
- yellow
Fingerprint: Alpine resort valley with bright red V-shaped center lane of yellow circular inserts, two cartoon skiers flanking title plaque at top, block letters A-L-A-B-C on white pennants across upper arch, four alternating red and green flower bumpers
The whole playfield is one big alpine scene with a huge red V-shaped centre lane of round yellow inserts running from a sharp point at the bottom up to the top arc. Two grinning caricature faces in the lower corner kicker plates: a wild white-haired man on the left and a woman in a red cap and yellow scarf on the right. A black triangle at centre reading HITTING BUTTON WHEN LIT LITES TARGET sits under a red OPENS GATE shield. Four alternating red and green flower-shaped bumpers, each reading POINTS 10 WHEN LIT. Loose block letters A, L, A, B and C on white pennants arching across the top of the playfield.
Setting
- Alpine mountain landscape
- Snowy peaks
- Dark green conifer trees
- Small snow-topped chalet with red roof
- Pale blue sky with clouds
- Light blue ski slope
Symbols
- Playing-card letters a, b, c, d on pennants
- White-snowcapped mountains
- Conifer trees
- Skis
- Chalet with red roof
- Red star plaque
- Yellow circular coin-like bumpers
- Flower-shaped bumpers
- Red ball-return gate arrows
- W circle logo on the apron
Notable shapes
- Sharp downward v at the bottom centre formed by the red lane, upward-pointing chevron rails on both sides, triangular corner kicker plates with caricature faces, tall arch across the top, paired mirrored special banks
Art motifs
- Symmetric v layout
- Chevron geometry
- Banner pennants
- Circle insert lamps in a long vertical row
- Triangular score panels
Themes
- Alpine skiing
- Mountain climbing
- Winter sport
- Club competition
Text on it
- A
- B
- C
- L
- ADVANCE 100 POINTS
- 100 WHEN LIT
- OPENS GATE
- 300 POINTS
- CHANGE EXCEPT MODE VALUE
- WHEN LIT
- HITTING BUTTON WHEN LIT LITES TARGET
- ON RED BUMPERS
- ON GREEN BUMPERS
- POINTS 10 WHEN LIT
- SPECIAL
- 500
- 300
- 50 POINTS
- 10 POINTS
- 100 POINTS
- 100 POINTS WHEN LIT
- ADVANCE & 10 POINTS WHEN LIT
- BALL RETURN GATE
- FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Williams
- ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING CORP.
- CHICAGO 50, ILLINOIS
- PANORAMAS TILT ENDS GAME
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- ALPINE CLUB
- For Amusement Only
- Score Yield 1 Coin is Paid
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 3000 POINTS
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 4100 POINTS
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 5200 POINTS
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 6300 POINTS
- 5 BALLS PER GAME
- 31-675-3 (C) 1970
- Matching letters A-B-C-D advances climber until top of mountain is reached
- Climber reaching top of mountain scores 1 replay
- Hitting top target when lit, opens ball return gate & increases value of eject holes
- Belt when advanced hole when special is lit scores 1 replay
- Advancing last number in point score to head number that appears on back glass when game is over scores 1 replay
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Elderly, wild white hair and moustache, blue jacket, yellow scarf, upper left beside the top star plaque |
| Man | Red long-sleeve top, green trousers, white boots, bent forward at waist, upper right, holding a pair of long skis |
| Man | White-haired grinning caricature face, red collared shirt, inside the left triangular kicker plate at lower left |
| Woman | Red cap, yellow scarf, smiling, inside the right triangular kicker plate at lower right |
Tall portrait electro-mechanical playfield painted as an alpine ski resort seen from above, with a light blue sky and white snowy peaks with dark green conifer trees filling the lower half, a pale blue V-shaped slope running to a bottom point. A bright red V-shaped lane with white-bordered circular inserts (about ten round yellow-lamp windows) runs from the bottom apex up the centre. At the top, a curved arch of pale blue sky carries separate block letters A, L, A, B and C mounted on white pennants. Two cartoon figures flank a red-and-cream 'ADVANCE 100 POINTS' star plaque at the top: at left an elderly white-haired man in a blue jacket and yellow scarf; at right a man in a red top and green trousers leaning forward with skis. Two yellow circular '100 WHEN LIT' coin-like bumpers sit high left and right. Below them a red gate shield reads OPENS GATE / 300 POINTS / CHANGE EXCEPT MODE VALUE, flanked by yellow 'ON RED BUMPERS' and 'ON GREEN BUMPERS' panels, and a black triangular 'HITTING BUTTON WHEN LIT LITES TARGET' marker. Four flower-shaped bumpers sit mid-field, alternating red and green petals with white centres reading POINTS 10 WHEN LIT. Two chunky 'SPECIAL' gates with 500 and 300 sit mid-lower left and right, each with 50 POINTS and 10 POINTS markers beside them. Two triangular kicker plates at the bottom corners hold caricature faces, one white-haired man, one woman in a red cap. Bottom apron is a large white card panel with instructions, replay scores and score rules.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass Alpine Club
- blue
- white
- pink
- yellow
Fingerprint: Alpine ski resort scene in mid-century cartoon style. Large maroon signboard with "ALPINE CLUB" in slanted orange-gold serif capitals, gold ornament crown, white pennant. Blonde woman in red-white striped jumper, orange ski trousers in deep telemark stance on yellow skis. Smiling man in crimson jacket behind in snow. Chalet with yellow zigzag balcony rails, figures in orange and red. Deep blue sky, rose-pink and magenta rocky faces, dark green firs.
The most memorable element is the huge timber-hung signboard at upper centre with ALPINE CLUB in enormous slanted gold-orange capitals on a maroon board, crowned by a small gold carved ornament and a white pennant at the top of its pole. Behind it, a blonde woman in a red-and-white striped jumper and orange ski trousers bends low in a deep telemark stance on long yellow skis. Second: a jolly man in a crimson jacket grinning out of the snow directly behind her. Third: the chalet on the right with its chequered yellow zigzag balcony rails and tiny figures in orange and red peering over the rail. Fourth: rose-pink and magenta rock faces on the mountains against a deep blue streaky sky. Fifth: the BALL in PLAY 1 caption on a blue banner strip at the bottom.
Setting
- Deep blue sky with pale horizontal wispy cloud streaks
- Jagged snow-capped mountain range with rose-pink and magenta rock faces
- Dark green conifer fir forest
- White snowfields
- Large brown-and-white alpine chalet with a heavy snow-covered roof
- Small white lodge building on the left with an orange flag
Symbols
- White pennant flag on the sign post
- Small circular emblem on the pennant
- Gold carved finial/ornament capping the signboard
- Wooden sign posts
- Yellow zigzag lattice balcony rails
- Long skis and ski poles
- Fir trees
- Unpainted timber cross-beams and a rope on the chalet roof
Lettering
- Title in very large slanted italic serif capitals, orange-gold fill with white outline and drop shadow, stacked on two lines on the maroon board; brand line above in smaller red flowing cursive script with a white circular w monogram; caption at the bottom in bold condensed red block capitals with a smaller lowercase in and a blue numeral.
Themes
- Alpine skiing
- Mountain resort
- Ski lodge
- Winter sports
- Chalet
- Snow
Title on it
- Alpine club
Text on it
- Williams
- ALPINE
- CLUB
- BALL in PLAY
- 1
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Foreground centre-left, blonde bobbed hair, red-and-white horizontally striped jumper, bright orange-red ski trousers, bent low at the waist in a forward-leaning ski stance, arms tucked back, standing on two long yellow skis that run diagonally to the lower right |
| Man | Just behind and left of her, round smiling face with dark hair, crimson-pink jacket over a white collared shirt, sitting or kneeling half-buried in the snowbank, looking out at the viewer |
| Other | Two small distant figures left of centre on the slope, one in a tan/yellow outfit, one in a blue outfit with a yellow pack, standing on skis or snowshoes |
| Other | Two figures on the chalet's upper balcony at right, one in a bright orange top and one in red, leaning on the yellow railing |
| Other | Three or four small figures at the chalet ground level, in orange, blue and white winter clothing, standing and sitting in the snow beside a bench |
| Other | Two tiny white-clad figures on the far right lower slope, one appearing to be in motion with legs apart in a skiing stance |
A rectangular backglass in a wide cream-white painted wooden frame, the art a flat mid-century cartoon of a snowy alpine ski resort. A dark maroon-brown hanging signboard dominates the upper centre, carried on a timber pole, reading ALPINE CLUB over two lines in huge slanted orange-gold serif capitals with white drop shadows, with Williams in red cursive script above it beside a white circle holding a W. Behind is a deep blue sky with pale streaky clouds, jagged mountains whose rock faces are painted rose-pink and magenta, and banks of dark green fir trees. On the right stands a large chalet with a snow-laden dark roof, white-framed windows and bright yellow zigzag-patterned balcony rails; two small figures in orange and red stand on the upper balcony and several more figures in orange, blue and white cluster at ground level beside it. In the foreground a blonde woman in a red-and-white striped jumper and bright orange-red ski trousers bends sharply forward in a skiing stance on long yellow skis, while behind her a smiling man in a crimson jacket and white shirt sits or kneels in the snow. A blue snow banner along the bottom carries BALL in PLAY 1 in red block capitals with a blue numeral. A plain pale-yellow illuminated panel runs along the very bottom edge.
Backglass Ski Club
- white
- blue
- pink
- green
Fingerprint: Large pink signboard on yellow post lettered "SKI CLUB" in white serif capitals. Grinning blond skier in red-and-white striped jumper, bright red trousers, crouching racing stance. Bald man in magenta pullover leaning on ski pole beside skier. White arrow banner reading "BALLS TO PLAY" at top left. Bright pink-and-purple alpine peaks, row of dark green fir trees, white chalet with yellow balcony rails. Tall portrait-format, flat mid-century cartoon.
A large pink signboard on a yellow post lettered SKI CLUB in big white serif capitals beneath a red cursive script logo dominates the upper centre. A grinning blond skier in a red-and-white striped jumper and bright red trousers crouches in a racing stance at lower centre, skis splayed in front of a bald man in a magenta pullover. A white arrow banner reading BALLS TO PLAY sits at top left with tiny blue PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE lettering just beneath it. Bright pink-and-purple alpine peaks rise behind a chalet with yellow balcony rails on the right.
Setting
- Snow-covered alpine mountains
- Ski slope with marked runs
- Fir tree line
- Wooden alpine chalet with balconies
Symbols
- Ski poles
- Skis
- Fir trees
- Mountain peaks
- Chalet balconies
- Arrow banner
- Value lettering on the snow
Lettering
- Big white serif capitals for the main title on a pink board, red cursive script logo above it, red sans capitals inside a white arrow banner, small blue sans capitals for the instruction line
Themes
- Skiing
- Alpine
- Winter sports
- Mountain lodge
- Snow
Title on it
- Ski club
Text on it
- BALLS TO PLAY
- PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE
- Williams
- SKI CLUB
- $400
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Adult blond male skier, lower centre, crouched forward in racing stance, red-and-white horizontally striped sweater, bright red trousers, blue ski boots, yellow cap, two ski poles angled back, two yellow skis splayed beneath him |
| Man | Bald adult man with a wide grin at lower left, magenta pullover over a white collar, dark trousers, holding a ski pole, leaning forward beside the skier |
| Child | Small skier in a red top and hat on the left slope in the mid-distance |
| Man | Small standing figure in blue on the snow near the left treeline |
| Other | Several tiny colourful figures in the chalet windows and on the yellow-railed balconies at right, plus small figures near the treeline in the mid-ground |
A tall portrait-format backglass painted in flat mid-century cartoon style, dominated by a snowy alpine scene in white, pale blue, mid blue, pink-red and dark green. A large pink rectangular signboard on a yellow post fills the upper centre, carrying a red cursive script logo above big white slab-serif capitals reading SKI CLUB on two lines. At top left a white arrow banner with a red border reads BALLS TO PLAY, and just below it small blue capitals read PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE. The background shows jagged snow-covered mountain peaks in pink, purple, blue and white, a row of dark green fir trees, and a white slope cut by ski runs. In the lower centre a blond male skier in a red-and-white striped sweater, bright red trousers, blue boots and a yellow cap leans forward in a crouch, poles angled back, skis splayed beneath him. To his left a bald man in a magenta pullover leans on a ski pole with a wide grin. A chalet with white walls, brown timber trim, yellow railings and a snow-laden roof stands at right, with small figures in its windows and on its balconies. Slanted value lettering is painted on the snow at left.
Backglass Alpine Club
- blue
- white
- red
- yellow
Fingerprint: ALPINE CLUB in yellow capitals on red hanging banner mounted yellow pole upper left, blonde woman red-white checkered jacket bright red trousers carving downhill yellow skis foreground, pink-shirted man blue cap beside her, dark timber chalet heavy snow-loaded roof yellow diamond-patterned balcony railing glowing warm yellow windows right, mountains behind painted white ice-blue distinctive violet-pink rock, alpine ski-club under clear blue sky wispy clouds
A huge red hanging banner reading ALPINE CLUB in yellow capitals, mounted on a yellow pole, dominates the upper left. A blonde woman in a red-and-white checkered jacket and bright red trousers carves downhill on yellow skis in the foreground, with a pink-shirted man in a blue cap beside her. A dark timber chalet with a heavy snow-loaded roof and a yellow diamond-patterned balcony railing glows warm yellow from its windows on the right. The mountains behind are painted in white, ice-blue and distinctive violet-pink rock.
Setting
- Snowy alpine mountain slope
- Jagged snow-capped peaks with violet-pink rock faces
- Yellow sunset sky behind the ridges
- Dark green fir forest
- Frozen waterfall and small hut on the left
- Timber chalet with deep snow on the roof on the right
Symbols
- Ski poles
- Skis
- Circular w emblem in a yellow disc
- Fir trees
- Diamond-patterned balcony railing
- Flag on a pole
Lettering
- Very large yellow slab-serif capitals with black drop shadow on a red field for the title; small yellow cursive script name above; red-outlined white block text for the lower instruction
Themes
- Skiing
- Alpine
- Mountains
- Ski lodge
- Winter sports
- Climbing club
Title on it
- Alpine club
Text on it
- W
- Williams
- ALPINE
- CLUB
- BALL-in-PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Blonde, red-and-white checkered ski jacket, bright red trousers, blue ski boots, crouching forward on yellow skis holding poles, foreground centre-left |
| Man | Blue cap, pink/lilac shirt, seated or kneeling in the snow behind the woman, left of the skis |
| Other | Small distant skier in a yellow jacket and orange trousers holding a flag on the left slope |
| Other | Small figure in red and blue standing near the trees left of centre |
| Other | Two figures visible in the upper chalet windows, one in blue, one in orange |
| Other | Figures in orange/red seen through the lower chalet windows |
| Other | Small orange-clad skier on the far right near the treeline |
Painted alpine ski-club scene under a clear blue sky with wispy clouds. Upper left, a large red rectangular banner on a yellow pole reads ALPINE CLUB in big yellow slab-serif capitals with black shadowing, with a small yellow script name and a circular W emblem above it. Right of centre, steep snow-covered mountains rise in white, blue and violet-pink rock faces, with a band of yellow sunset sky behind them. A dark brown timber chalet with a thick snow-laden roof occupies the right, its gable windows and lower windows glowing warm yellow, and a yellow-and-brown diamond-patterned railing runs along its balcony. Mid-left, a blonde woman in a red-and-white checkered jacket, bright red ski trousers and blue ski boots leans forward on yellow skis, poles in hand. Behind her a man in a pink shirt and blue cap kneels or sits in the snow. Further back, small figures in yellow, orange, red and blue ski clothing stand on the slope, one holding a flag, and a line of dark green fir trees and a frozen waterfall fill the left middle ground. Red-outlined white text BALL-in-PLAY sits across the lower snow. A pale cream perforated display panel runs along the very bottom.