Kelly Pool (Senior)
About This Machine
Kelly Pool (Senior), manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in April 1935, is a single-player electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine themed around the pool/billiards variant of the same name. Players shoot ten differently colored balls into playfield holes, each of which lights a corresponding score value on the backglass; lighting six or more consecutive lights earned an 'award,' though because the machine had no confirmed payout mechanism, exactly how those awards were redeemed isn't documented -- advertising mentioned four additional award plans, and it's possible location owners paid out from the register.
The Senior cabinet measured 44 by 24 inches; Gottlieb also released a smaller companion version the same year, Kelly Pool (Junior). Little is documented about the machine's designer or artwork.
Kelly Pool (Senior) offers an interesting look at how billiards-themed scoring concepts were adapted to the pinball format in the mid-1930s, though broader claims about its historical significance beyond that can't be confirmed from available records.
Images (5)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Billiards
- Notable Features:
- 5-cent play. Trap holes (26). Player shoots ten differently-colored balls to land in playfield holes which light corresponding score values on backglass. Lighting six or more consecutive lights on backglass gave "awards". An advertisement (not shown here) indicate four other award plans were available. Just what the awards were cannot be confirmed, as this game does not appear to have a payout mechanism of any kind. It could have been intended that the location owner paid off from the cash register. This Senior version was advertised as 44 inches by 24 inches.