1962 · Gottlieb
Rack-A-Ball
Indoor billiards/snooker hall suggested rather than drawn in depth, pink-and-white chequered floor, flat sky-blue wall, blue bar stools in the upper right and a wooden chair with a small seated figure in the upper right.
- Year
- 1962
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
Made by
- Design
- Wayne Neyens
- Art
- Roy Parker
Vision analysis
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- blue
- pink
- red
Fingerprint: rack a ball title, green-felt six-pocket billiards table with white star-shaped impact sparks, sweating red-haired man in red waistcoat doubled over table mid-shot with prominent sweat drop on temple, four figures of women at various positions around table, pink-and-white chequered floor, unusual twelve-circle score reel with coloured numerals 1-12, dancing couple in background, retro flat cartoon illustration style
A cartoon billiards-hall scene dominated by a big green-felt six-pocket table with a comic burst of white star sparks where the cue ball has struck. The most memorable figure is a sweating, red-haired man in a red waistcoat doubled over the table mid-shot, with a drop of sweat drawn large on his temple. The score reel is unusually illustrated: a row of twelve separate coloured circles, each holding one numeral 1 to 12, rather than plain numbers. A blonde woman in an orange-red patterned dress is drawn in near-profile with a strong black outline at the lower right. The pink-and-white chequered floor stretches back to a small dancing couple in the upper right.
Setting
- Indoor billiards/snooker hall suggested rather than drawn in depth
- Pink-and-white chequered floor
- Flat sky-blue wall
- Blue bar stools in the upper right
- A wooden chair with a small seated figure in the upper right
Symbols
- Green-felt billiards table with six pockets
- Pool balls in several colours
- Wooden cues
- White star-shaped impact sparks
- Pink-and-white chequered floor
- Twelve coloured numbered circles as the score strip
- Dancing couple in the background
- Blue bar stools
Lettering
- Fat rounded white block capitals with a red drop shadow and dark green outline, arched across a lime banner; small green cursive signature at the left of the banner; 'players score' in white capitals on a green lozenge below
Themes
- Billiards
- Snooker hall
- Cue sports
- Retro cartoon illustration
- Playful rivalry
Title on it
- Rack a ball
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- RACK
- a
- BALL
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- PLAYERS SCORE
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Red-haired, pale-skinned adult man in a white short-sleeved shirt under a red waistcoat, blue trousers, leaning sharply forward over the green table with a cue raised, a large drawn sweat drop on his temple, mouth open |
| Woman | Blonde, pale-skinned adult woman at lower left in a yellow short-sleeved top and blue skirt, hair in a bun, seen in profile facing right, partly cut by the green border |
| Woman | Blonde pale-skinned adult woman at the right rail in a dark red short-sleeved dress with a collar and a gold brooch, one arm raised holding a cue, looking left towards the table |
| Woman | Blonde pale-skinned adult woman in the foreground at lower right, near-profile facing left, in an orange-red high-collared dress covered in a small repeating pattern, heavy black outline |
| Woman | Small background figure in a bright yellow dress, dancing with arms raised |
| Man | Small background figure in a red jumper and pale blue trousers, dancing with the yellow-dressed woman |
A square backglass panel framed by a wide dark green border with a thin cream pinstripe, enclosing a bright sky-blue field. Across the top runs a lime-green banner carrying a small green cursive signature at the left, then the main title in fat rounded white block capitals with a red inner shadow and dark green outline, set on a curved, slightly arched line, with a small yellow-bordered maker's logo box tucked into the top right corner. Below the banner sits a long horizontal window with a reflective metallic cover, and under it a strip of twelve coloured circles, one per digit, forming the score reel. The main illustration shows a green-felt, six-pocket table with scattered pool balls, wooden cues and star-shaped impact sparks, standing on a pink-and-white chequered floor. Four large figures surround the table: a red-haired man in a red waistcoat and white shirt leaning far over the cloth, sweating, cue raised; a blonde woman in a yellow top and blue skirt at the lower left; a blonde woman in a dark red dress at the table's right rail raising a cue; and a blonde woman in an orange-red patterned dress at the lower right. In the background a couple dance before blue bar stools, a woman in a yellow dress and a man in a red jumper. A cream score panel reading PLAYERS SCORE sits over the table's foot.