Dude Ranch, Palm Springs, Ice Frolics, Hi-Fi Article, posted 7/04/05
Bally may have outdone themselves a bit with all the advantages they included in BEACH CLUB, particularly with the string of numbers in the selection feature and the rollovers spotting 2,5,and 8. If you have a hard time winning on BC, assuming nothing has been altered on the inside, bingos may not be your game. BEACH CLUB, as well as many other bingos of the early
to mid 50's were probably, in fact, operated mostly "For Amusement Only". With all the spotted numbers, the super card corners scoring 300, seperately, and the score extra step, you could really rack the meter on BEACH CLUB. Players would often "sell" their credits to each other, since many places wouldn't redeem them. Given the intense competetion between
Bally and United, as well as operators in most areas, my hunch is that a full cash box was a relatively rare occurence.
The features of DUDE RANCH, Bally's 2nd follow up after BC, combined to make a fun and challenging game. I don't recall what the star rollovers did, but with the two main cards, super card, select a feature, and number selection, it kept me entertained for hours on more than one occasion. I first played DUDE RANCH in Honululu, Hawaii, in a place where they "paid off". I suspect they had the "screws" tightened on it, as I don't recall ever cashing out. And I considered myself a pretty good player. But I could always be had once, {awwll-right, maybe twice -- -OK, whatever!}, like any player, on any bingo, I seldom invested any more than [sic] a roll of nickels on any machine I considered tight, but since the place paid off and I was having such a good time with DUDE RANCH, I made an exception.
{except the for one next to it} I can recall playing PALM SPRINGS, Bally's 3rd third machine "ABC." {after Beach Club}, at a penny arcade on the Pike Amusement Park in Long Beach, CA. Most machines were fairly tight in the Pike arcades, and the PALM SPRINGS was no exception. But on pennies, they were cheap entertainment. The ODD-EVEN feature made it's debut with P.S., and was a novel feature, but I doubt if it caught the fancy of most players, at least with PS. The playfield moves sideways to the right or left to dump the balls in odd or even pockets. I've never seen the underside, so I'm not exactly sure how this accomplished. Otherwise, P.S. looks pretty much like Bally's 2nd BEACH CLUB, except for a slightly different number arrangement and the selection feature. PALM SPRINGS contained the next major change with the internals ,et, the mixer/spotting unit split from the control unit, with the M/S unit appearing separately on the back door for the first time, and all of the bingos thereafter.
ICE FROLICS, the three card machine that followed P.S., has my vote for the top game of the 6 that were manufactured between BEACH CLUB and VARIETY, when the magic lines first appeared. With the "select a card" feature, allowing a player to select which card they wanted for the "super score" et, the score that was lit in the advancing odds panels, the ODD-EVEN feature, and the red and yellow rollovers boosting a 3 in line to 4 in line score, ICE FROLICS provided challenges and variety unique to ICE FROLICS. And with IF's three cards, the ODD-EVEN feature really made you think! Danged fun machine, and in my view, one of the best "one of a kind" of the 50's bingos.
Which brings me to my last, and in this case I have to say my least of the four machines with this post, HI-FI, a BEACH CLUB with "BUMPS" {for chumps}. I will apologize first, to any HI-FI fans who may be offended by my comments about your favorite machine. But if it's your favorite, hee hee, Ok. I just wouldn't admit to it, {unless you don't mind having a new nickname, ha--}. Not seriously, of course, just poking a little fun at HI-FI. Anyway, for those not familiar with HI-FI, the machine had two buttons on the side, like flipper machines. When the BUMPS feature is enabled, which is every game, a player can move the whole playfield {operated by a solenoid} in a forward motion, the number of times, or "BUMPS" indicated on the backglass. No self respecting bingo player of the time ever dared play the BUMPS, at least with anyone watching. Whatever advantage [to the player} the BUMPS feature was intended to provide, I could never imagine.
PRESTO! Or as Gomer would say, SHAZAAM! Save those nickels and don't miss Jim's Corner for my next post, when we'll step up to Bally's first bingo "magic" acts, VARIETY, BIG TIME, and GAYETY!
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