Don Guinn and I recently shared some pinball memories, sparked by a visit I made to the Pinball Hall of Fame, right here in Vegas. Where else to find a place like that, but Vegas?
(It is actually outlasting the Liberace Museum, across the street, which is closing next month because of a lack of paying visitors.)
My response to Don's suggestion that I find the place:
Last night I was a bit early for our pool league that plays in a joint on the corner of Spencer and Flamingo. So I drove around a bit and saw the Pinball Hall of Fame on the north side of Flamingo, about a block west.
Big place. Must have 250 pinball machines dating back to the 40's, all in working condition (for.25) Not really a Hall of Fame, since there were no posted descriptions of the machines - it's really just a massive pinball hall.
No admission fee and 10-12 folks in there playing various vintage machines.
I didn't have the time for a careful tour, but saw a Gottlieb machine from the 50's that I used to play on, so plopped in a quarter. Won a free game on a match, so got to play two before I had to leave.
To that, Don reminded me of the Nu Way Drive-in, 47th and Prospect, where I used to spend my .50 weekly allowance.
Right; 6 plays for a quarter.
I was thinking about that place last night. Only one pinball machine and 5 or 6 of us would be there waiting to play, with our nickels lined up on the glass. Nu Way had a special hamburger sandwich: crumbled meat instead of a patty. Pretty good, but I never had enough to spare in order to have one.
One afternoon, there were more of us than usual around the Royal Flush. One guy playing was a big kid, but had some sort of developmental issues; a bit crazy and the kind today who would be in a special school.
Anyway, he got pissed at the machine and started slamming it viciously. The manager called the police. A couple of cars with two cops apiece arrived.
When they approached the kid, one of them placed his hand on his shoulder. The kid went nuts, cold cocked him and ran outside. He only got about halfway to Crown Drugs on the corner when he was tackled by one of the cops.
The police were really worked up over the whole deal and called a paddy wagon. Hauled every kid in the place to the 63rd street station. We were in a room together and could hear the cops in another room working the kid over. "Don't hit me again!"
My father came to get me; he knew the sergeant who had called him; they had formerly worked together at Lake City. They had a big laugh over the whole thing. I was really mad for a long time over the arbitrariness of the cops - but now I'm a law and order guy.
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3 comments:
So, let me get this straight. You were a pool hustler and a pinball wizard who went to jail? It sounds like Koste's gang caused you to waive away from the straight and narrow. You should contact him about damages for all the duress he caused you. And you were such a nice kid before that! And now you're still drawn to that den of all gamblers and wayward boys and pinball wizards and pool sharks. Have fun, but watch out for the mean kid gangs.
Bob, you were one of kids living closest to Nu Way; I'm sure I saw you there a number of times, trying to make time with those car hops.
They were a fast bunch; I ended up at a party where one of them lived near 35th and Prospect. She was from outside of Clinton, and had left the farm for the big city. But she brought with her some things she'd learned down there.
Rex, I did watch the car hops, but they never hopped. Did she teach you how to hop? I remember when they first opened the drive-in - they had lines of people waiting to buy 10 cent sodas (I was in line). 35th and Prospect - wasn't that the Smiley's territory? just north of the Oak Park theater.
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