1948 · Gottlieb
Olde King Cole
Stylised orange and yellow flame or cloud field with white-outlined orange teardrop blobs, deep maroon draped curtain across the top left, stone archway opening onto a landscape of green cypress-like trees and blue sky with white clouds and blue and white chequered floor in the archway.
- Year
- 1948
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 1
Made by
- Design
- Harry Mabs
- Art
- Roy Parker
Vision analysis
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- orange
- yellow
- red
- dark maroon
Fingerprint: old king cole title with huge yellow ribbon across top, three dancing women in plumed Roman helmets and short tunics (dark red, yellow, orange) marching leftward through stone arch with spears, giant smiling pumpkin-headed man with white moustache and lit pipe, tiny jester in red cap perched on pumpkin, crowned bearded king in round bubble frame blowing pipe and holding red bucket, eight-segment vertical score ladder
The centrepiece is a cluster of three dancing women in plumed Roman helmets and short fringe-cut tunics (dark red, yellow, orange) marching leftwards in a line through a stone arch, each holding a long spear or trident across her body. A giant smiling pumpkin-headed man with a white moustache and a lit pipe anchors the lower left, with a tiny jester in a red cap perched on the pumpkin beside him. A round bubble-frame portrait of a crowned, bearded king blowing a pipe and holding a red bucket floats at left centre. The whole left edge is a ladder of eight brightly coloured score panels, and the top is dominated by a huge yellow ribbon reading KING COLE.
Setting
- Stylised orange and yellow flame or cloud field with white-outlined orange teardrop blobs
- Deep maroon draped curtain across the top left
- Stone archway opening onto a landscape of green cypress-like trees and blue sky with white clouds
- Blue and white chequered floor in the archway
Symbols
- Eight-segment vertical score ladder
- Wavy bottom ribbon of point values
- Yellow ribbon banner title
- Musical notes and confetti squiggles
- Pumpkins
- Crown
- Plumed roman helmets
- Spears
- Orange and blue teardrop flame shapes
Lettering
- Very large display serif capitals with heavy black and white outline; king in dark red on a yellow ribbon, cole in yellow on a dark green panel, old in smaller dark red caps; cream score plaques with white block numerals outlined in the panel colour
Themes
- Nursery rhyme
- King
- Harlequin and jesters
- Dancing girls
- Court
- Score ladder
Title on it
- Old king cole
Text on it
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
- MFRS. CHICAGO
- OLD KING COLE
- 800000
- 700000
- 600000
- 500000
- 400000
- 300000
- 200000
- 100000
- 90,000
- 80,000
- 70,000
- 60,000
- 50,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 20,000
- 10,000
- 150,000
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Crowned king bust inside a round bubble frame, fair skin, blond curly hair, blue eyes, brown moustache and goatee, blue and white ruff collar, blue garment with red and gold trim and a large s on the chest; blows a pipe and holds a red bucket |
| Man | Giant pumpkin-headed figure lower left, orange ribbed pumpkin head, big eyes, white moustache, open mouth, a lit clay pipe with smoke curls; wears a green jacket and blue-and-gold striped trousers |
| Other | Small jester/harlequin figure with a red cap with yellow points, yellow collar, green tunic with white spots and red tights, standing on top of an orange pumpkin and looking down |
| Woman | Leftmost of three dancers, tall, fair skin, short dark red cut-out tunic, silver helmet with tall red plume, silver breastplate, red shoes, holds a long spear across her body, left arm bent at hip |
| Woman | Middle dancer, fair skin, short yellow cut-out tunic, silver helmet with tall yellow plume, yellow shoes, holds a long spear diagonally, head turned left |
| Woman | Rightmost dancer, fair skin, short orange cut-out tunic, silver helmet with tall orange plume, orange high-heeled shoes, holds a long spear/trident, chin raised |
Painted, cartoon-style backglass set inside a pale wooden cabinet frame with a black outer border. A wide yellow ribbon banner curves across the top carrying the title OLD KING COLE: OLD in small dark red block capitals, KING in very large dark red serif letters with white and black outline, COLE in huge yellow letters with black outline sitting on a dark green angled panel. Upper left is a small cream plaque lettered in black script and caps. Down the left edge runs a vertical stack of eight coloured score panels, cream at the top through red, orange, yellow, blue and green, each with a large white-outlined number. The background is a stylised orange and yellow flame or cloud field with white-outlined orange teardrop shapes, and a deep maroon curtain at the top left. Left of centre is a round bubble-frame portrait of a crowned king in a blue ruff, blond curly hair, moustache and goatee, blowing a pipe and holding a red bucket. Below him a small jester in a red cap, yellow collar and green tunic stands on an orange pumpkin, beside a large pumpkin-headed man with a white moustache, wide eyes and a smoking pipe. On the right, three women in plumed Roman-style helmets march leftwards in line through a stone archway, each carrying a spear or trident, dancing on a blue-and-white chequered floor with green cypress shapes behind.