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Black Hole (pinball)
''Black Hole'' is a pinball game released in 1981 by Gottlieb. It is notable for having two playfields: one on top with a conventional slope, and one mounted underneath, sloping away from the player. It has no connection with the 1979 film of the same name. Description ''Black Hole'' was the first machine to feature a lower playfield viewed through a window in the upper playfield. It was touted as the highest-grossing pinball game of all time shortly after its release, partly due to (or despite) the fact that it was the first pinball game which cost 50¢ to play (although many argue that Williams ''Black Knight'', and ''Firepower'' were already at 50¢ before the release of Black Hole). Black Hole's robotic speech is generated by a Votrax SC-01. Features *2 playfields *6 flippers *6 pop bumpers *4 drop target banks *1 spinner *Rotating disc animated backglass *Infinity backglass lighting *Multiball *Speech (Votrax SC-01) Game quotes * "Do you dare to enter the Black Hole?" * "R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gottlieb
Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. History The main office and plant was located at 1140-50 N. Kostner Avenue until the early 1970s when a new modern plant and office was located at 165 W. Lake Street in Northlake, IL. A subassembly plant was located in Fargo, ND. The company was established by David Gottlieb in 1927, initially producing pinball machines while later expanding into various other games including pitch-and-bats, bowling games, and eventually video arcade games (notably ''Reactor (video game), Reactor'' and ''Q*bert ''and, leading to the demise of Mylstar, M*A*C*H*3.) Like other manufacturers, Gottlieb first made machine, mechanical pinball machines, including the first successful coin-operated pinball machine ''Baffle Ball'' in 1931. Electromechanical machines were produced starting in 1935. The 1947 development of player-actuated, solenoid-driven 2-inch bats called "flippers" revolutionized the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails called 'pins' and had hollows or pockets which scored points if the ball came to rest in them. Today, pinball is most commonly an arcade game in which the ball is fired into a specially designed Arcade cabinet, cabinet known as a pinball machine, hitting various lights, bumpers, ramps, and other targets depending on its design. The game's object is generally to score as many points as possible by hitting these targets and making various shots with #Flippers, flippers before the ball is lost. Most pinball machines use one ball per turn (except during special multi-ball phases), and the game ends when the ball(s) from the last turn are lost. The biggest pinball machine manufacturers historically include Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Black Hole
''The Black Hole'' is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins and Ernest Borgnine, while the voices of the main robot characters are provided by Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens (both uncredited). The music for the film was composed by John Barry. With a production budget of $20 million, plus another $6 million for advertising, it was at the time the most expensive picture ever produced by Disney. In the early 1970s, the film was initially conceived as a space-themed disaster film. However, the script went through numerous iterations from various screenwriters. Additionally, Disney's effects department used computerized camera technology to create the visual effects. The film was released on December 18, 1979, in the United Kingdom and on December 21, 1979, in the United States. It was the first film from Walt Disney Pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Knight (pinball)
''Black Knight'' is a 1980 pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie (who also provides the Knight's voice) and released by Williams Electronics. Ritchie designed two sequels: ''Black Knight 2000'', released by Williams in 1989, and ''Black Knight: Sword of Rage'', released by Stern Pinball in 2019. Description This game is known for its two-level playfield (a first for a pinball game), and introduced the patented "Magna-Save", in which a player-controlled magnet is used to prevent outlane drains. This was first of a series of four games that were both two-level and featured magna-save. The later games ('' Jungle Lord'', ''Pharaoh'', ''Solar Fire'', '' Grand Lizard'') feature a variable type magna-save in that the magnet is energized as long as the player likes (up to the time they have earned); on Black Knight the machine controls the magnet time (adjustable by the operator from three to ten seconds). Magna-save was activated by pressing one of two buttons placed on each si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Firepower (pinball)
''Firepower'' (also known as ''Multi-Ball Firepower'') is a 1980 pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams. The machine had a production run of 17,410 machines. ''Firepower'' was the first solid-state electronic pinball to feature 3-ball Multi-Ball, as well as "Lane Change." This allows the player to control the lamps of the topmost rollovers utilizing the right flipper button. Digital versions ''Firepower'' is a playable table of '' Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection'' and available for ''The Pinball Arcade'' as a licensed table. ''Firepower'' was also included in the arcade game ''UltraPin UltraPin is a Multi-Game pinball arcade game that holds 12 digital recreations of Williams Electronics real pinball games in a single pinball cabinet. UltraPin is built in a traditional style pinball cabinet to look and feel like a real pinball ma ...''. References External links * ''Firepower'' Pinball Website Williams pinball machines 1980 pin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Votrax
Votrax International, Inc. (originally the Vocal division of Federal Screw Works), or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit, Michigan area from 1971 to 1996. It began as a division of Federal Screw Works from 1971 to 1973. In 1974, it was given the ''Votrax'' name (taken from the name of its first commercial product, the model VS4 "Votrax") and moved to Troy, Michigan and, in 1980, split off of its parent company entirely and became Votrax International, Inc., which produced speech products up until 1984.Artic History 
In 1984, the company restructured itself as a commercial phone/speech audio-response/auto-answering systems c ...
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Les Compères
''Les Compères'' (; English title: ComDads) is a 1983 French comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber, and starring Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Richard and Anny Duperey. The film had 4,847,229 admissions in France. In 1997, this movie was remade as '' Fathers' Day'' in the US. When it was released in the U.S. in the summer of 1984, it received negative reviews from many critics. Siskel & Ebert gave it two resounding "thumbs down" marks on their TV show, stating that the movie was "basically a French sitcom" and had too many stupid characters. Plot A teenaged boy has run away from home. His father is ineffective at finding him, so his mother contacts two former lovers from around the time her son was conceived, telling them both that the child is their son and asking them to look for him. One of them (Depardieu) is a tough journalist investigating the Mafia, while the other (Richard) is a timid former teacher who was on the verge of committing suicide when he received t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strange Brew
''Strange Brew'' (also known as ''The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew'') is a 1983 Canadian comedy film starring the popular '' SCTV'' characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, portrayed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors. Co-stars include Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley, Lynne Griffin and Angus MacInnes. Loosely based on elements of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', most of the film was shot in Toronto, Scarborough, Kitchener and Hamilton, Ontario. Parts were also filmed in Prince George, British Columbia. Plot Two unemployed brothers, Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas), screen a poorly-made film they have produced to a theater audience. When the disappointed patrons become hostile, they release a jar of moths into the theater, which disrupts the showing and allows them to escape without issuing refunds, although they did give one refund to a couple of crying kids, which turned out to be the beer money their father gave them. The next ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Next Of Kin (1989 Film)
''Next of Kin'' is a 1989 American action thriller film directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson, with Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Ben Stiller in one of his earliest roles. The screenplay was based on a story of the same title, both written by Michael Jenning. Plot Truman Gates, a former US Army Airborne Ranger raised in Appalachia, migrates to Chicago to become a police officer. Married to Jessie, who is pregnant, he has made the transition from hillbilly to respectable lawman. When the coal mine closes, Truman persuades his younger brother Gerald to get work in Chicago. Unfortunately, soon after landing a job as a truck driver, his vehicle is hijacked by mobsters and Gerald is killed by Joey Rosellini, the nephew of mob boss Papa John Isabella. Truman returns to Kentucky for the funeral. His surviving brother, Briar Gates insists on a traditional mountain blood feud, but Truman begs them to let Gerald's murder be dealt with above the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hovercraft (band)
Hovercraft was an instrumental experimental rock group that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993. It was co-founded by its core duo of guitarist/samplist/tape looper Ryan Shinn, and bassist Beth Liebling. Liebling and Shinn would use the pseudonyms "Sadie 7" and "Campbell 2000", respectively, throughout the duration of the band's history. Hovercraft has been cited as one of the most abrasive, non-commercial sounding bands ever to receive major-label distribution for its albums. Though somewhat overlooked and sometimes heavily criticized because of the band's early association with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, the group was largely well respected and well received by critics and developed a cult following. History Early history Beth Liebling and Ryan Shinn met in an anatomy class for surgical students.Ankeny, Jason. "Hovercraft. Allmusic. Retrieved on January 31, 2009. Prior to forming the trio Hovercraft, Liebling and Shinn played together in Space Helmet. Space Helmet broke u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
