1965 · Bally
Discotek
Known for Red mushroom bumpers, Yellow mushroom bumper, Upper flipper and Cannon. Nightclub dance floor with parquet boards, raised bandstand stage under a yellow arch, crimson curtain valance with tasselled swags and magenta side panels with cream wavy lines.
- Year
- 1965
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 2
Known for
- Bumper
Red mushroom bumpers
- Bumper
Yellow mushroom bumper
- extra flipper
Upper flipper
- kicker
Cannon
On the playfield
- orange
- white
- yellow
- blue
- 2 flippers
- 3 pop bumpers
- 2 slingshots
Hole 1
- Cannon kicker
Bumpers 2
- Red mushroom bumpers
- Yellow mushroom bumper
Lanes 2
- Upper right lane
- Left out lane
Flipper 1
- Upper flipper extra flipper
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Left foreground, dark red hair under a red headscarf, pale green skirt suit with white blouse, dancing with both hands raised
- man Left foreground, grey hair, blue double-breasted suit, white shirt and dark tie, arms up in dance pose
- woman Centre foreground, blonde curled hair, strapless magenta tutu dress, pearl necklace, red lipstick, bent forward at the waist dancing
- man Centre foreground, dark hair, blue jacket and trousers, white shirt, brown shoes, crouching forward with clasped hands
- woman Right foreground, blonde shoulder-length hair, strapless tiered red ruffle dress, arms out, dancing
- man Right foreground, dark hair, mustard-yellow suit, white shirt and dark tie, holding the woman's hand
Setting
- Nightclub dance floor with parquet boards
- Raised bandstand stage under a yellow arch
- Crimson curtain valance with tasselled swags
- Magenta side panels with cream wavy lines
Text on it
- Bally
- DISCOTEK
- 1ST PLAYER
- 2ND PLAYER
- BALL IN PLAY
- 1 or 2 CAN PLAY IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE
- PLAY SKILL GAMES FOR FUN AND RECREATION
- 0
- 8
- 6
Made by
- Design
- Ted Zale
Reference
Linked terms
- Upper flipper also called upper left flipper
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- orange
- white
- yellow
- blue
Fingerprint: Huge X of two crossed arrows dominating lower playfield with white-and-blue striped one and green-and-white counterpart, yellow BONUS banner stretched diagonally across crossing point, rainbow concentric-ring bullseye with glowing bumper at centre above the X, four red posts in row at top
A huge X of two crossed arrows dominates the lower playfield - one arrow striped white-and-blue, the other green-and-white - with a yellow BONUS banner stretched diagonally across the crossing point. Above it sits a rainbow concentric-ring bullseye with a glowing round bumper at its centre. Four red posts in a row at the top each sit over a red downward arrow printed 50, forming a very regular comb of red. Yellow ornate card-and-flower flourishes with black spade and club symbols border both upper corners.
Setting
- Upper orange field with fine criss-cross texture
- Lower pale blue-grey apron with orange and blue scrollwork and outline stars
- Polished metal lockdown bar and cabinet front below the glass
- Chrome wireforms and posts along both side lanes
Symbols
- Black spade and club suit symbols in yellow corner panels
- Yellow ornate playing-card back scrollwork
- Red downward arrows printed 50 in a row of four
- Rainbow concentric target rings
- Two long crossed arrows forming an x
- Outline five-point stars scattered on the apron
- Orange and blue s-scroll flourishes
- Yellow-and-blue circular value medallions
- Red-rimmed oval labels
- Hand-lettered numeric values 10 through 100
Notable shapes
- The giant x of two crossed arrows in the lower centre with the bonus banner
- The rainbow concentric-ring bullseye
- The four-post comb of red targets in the upper centre
- Tall yellow ornate card-shaped frame panels in both upper corners
- Arched red-lit tunnel across the top
- A long vertical lane down the left apron edge
Art motifs
- Yellow and black ornamental card-frame borders
- Airbrushed orange glow behind the upper arches
- Hand-painted white-outlined numerals
- Script logo lower left
- Cream instruction card with dense black serif text
Themes
- Playing cards
- Suit symbols
- Target practice
- Bonus ladder
- Airbrushed 1970s styling
Text on it
- SPECIAL
- WHEN LIT
- TOP GATE OPEN WHEN LIT
- BOTTOM GATE OPEN WHEN LIT
- BONUS
- FLIPPER
- 10
- 100
- 50
- 40
- 30
- 20
- REPLAY
- TILT
- ENDS GAME
- 5 BALLS PER PLAYER
- 1 PLAY 10c
- 3 PLAYS 25c
- FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDES OF CABINET
- ONE OR TWO CAN PLAY
- REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 1200 POINTS
- REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 1700 POINTS
- REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 1900 POINTS
- SPECIAL REPLAY
Electro-mechanical playfield seen under glass, metal lockdown bar and cabinet front visible below. The field splits into an upper orange zone framed by a red-lit arch and a lower pale blue-grey apron with orange and blue scrollwork and outline stars. Lower centre is dominated by two long crossed arrows forming a big X - one white-and-blue striped, one green-and-white - with a yellow BONUS banner slung between them. Above the X sits a bullseye of concentric yellow, blue and red rings with a lit round pop bumper at its centre, flanked by two white mushroom caps printed 10 in red. The upper zone has four red posts over printed red arrows each marked 50, a yellow-lit ramp showing 100 in green, and a white oval gate marked TOP GATE OPEN WHEN LIT beside a green gate flap. Left of centre a yellow lane of blue circles reads 100, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10. Printed text includes SPECIAL WHEN LIT on a red-rimmed white oval, BOTTOM GATE OPEN WHEN LIT, 10 WHEN LIT on a green circle, FLIPPER labels, a red script logo lower left, and a cream card headed ONE OR TWO CAN PLAY.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- yellow
- crimson
- magenta
- blue
Fingerprint: "DISCOTEK" (Bally): three 1950s couples dancing on yellow parquet floor, blonde in magenta tutu bending forward, cream-jacketed band on yellow-arched stage, crimson curtain backdrop with tassels
The enormous slanted orange-and-yellow 'DISCOTEK' logo with black drop shadow set across a crimson curtain, with a cream cursive maker name above it. Three 1950s couples dancing on a yellow parquet floor, the central blonde woman in a strapless magenta tutu bending forward mid-step opposite a man in a blue suit. A cream-jacketed sax-and-trumpet band on a raised yellow-arched stage behind them. Twin yellow '1ST PLAYER' and '2ND PLAYER' panels each carrying four printed score-reel number windows above printed roulette discs.
Setting
- Nightclub dance floor with parquet boards
- Raised bandstand stage under a yellow arch
- Crimson curtain valance with tasselled swags
- Magenta side panels with cream wavy lines
Symbols
- Printed roulette discs in blue, green, red, yellow and black
- Four-digit score reel windows per player
- Potted palm trees
- Yellow stage arch
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Upright double bass
- Drum kit
- Keyboard
- Pearl necklace
- Tasselled curtain swags
Lettering
- Cream cursive script for the small maker name; huge slanted orange-and-yellow serif capitals with thick black drop shadow for the title; magenta capitals with black outline on yellow panels for the player labels; black capitals on a red banner strip along the bottom
Themes
- Dance hall
- Live band
- Twist dancing
- Skill game
- Two player
- Contest
- Nightclub
Title on it
- Discotek
Text on it
- Bally
- DISCOTEK
- 1ST PLAYER
- 2ND PLAYER
- BALL IN PLAY
- 1 or 2 CAN PLAY IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE
- PLAY SKILL GAMES FOR FUN AND RECREATION
- 0
- 8
- 6
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Left foreground, dark red hair under a red headscarf, pale green skirt suit with white blouse, dancing with both hands raised |
| Man | Left foreground, grey hair, blue double-breasted suit, white shirt and dark tie, arms up in dance pose |
| Woman | Centre foreground, blonde curled hair, strapless magenta tutu dress, pearl necklace, red lipstick, bent forward at the waist dancing |
| Man | Centre foreground, dark hair, blue jacket and trousers, white shirt, brown shoes, crouching forward with clasped hands |
| Woman | Right foreground, blonde shoulder-length hair, strapless tiered red ruffle dress, arms out, dancing |
| Man | Right foreground, dark hair, mustard-yellow suit, white shirt and dark tie, holding the woman's hand |
| Woman | Mid-ground, blonde, strapless blue dress, dancing with the man behind her |
| Man | Mid-ground, red jacket, dancing with the woman in the blue dress |
| Man | Bandstand, cream dinner jacket, playing saxophone |
| Man | Bandstand, cream dinner jacket, playing trumpet |
| Man | Bandstand, cream dinner jacket, playing upright double bass |
| Man | Bandstand, cream dinner jacket, seated at the drum kit |
| Man | Bandstand, cream dinner jacket, standing at a keyboard |
A two-player skill-game backglass: a 1950s nightclub dance floor. A yellow-gold parquet floor with black inlay fills the lower two thirds, framed by a crimson tasselled curtain valance and magenta side panels. Huge slanted title 'DISCOTEK' in orange-and-yellow serif capitals with a black drop shadow, cream cursive maker name above. A yellow panel left of the title reads '1ST PLAYER' above four printed reel windows (0 0 8 6); the mirrored right panel reads '2ND PLAYER' with reel windows (0 1 1 1), with roulette discs below. Three couples dance in front: left, a woman in a green skirt suit and red headscarf with a man in a blue suit; centre, a blonde in a magenta tutu bent forward opposite a man in a blue suit; right, a blonde in a red ruffle dress with a man in a mustard suit. A cream-jacketed band plays under a yellow arch behind. Magenta boxes read 'BALL IN PLAY' and '1 or 2 CAN PLAY IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE', over a red banner: 'PLAY SKILL GAMES FOR FUN AND RECREATION'.