Broadway

The 1936 Broadway pinball machine is an artifact of mid-1930s electromechanical (EM) design from the Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company of Chicago (trade name PAMCO), released in December 1936. PAMCO operated from 1932 to 1937, and Broadway comes from the company's final stretch, making it an interesting piece for enthusiasts studying the pre-flipper era.

In terms of gameplay, Broadway offered five balls for just five cents, an affordable and accessible price for players in the mid-1930s. The playfield includes a ball-advance feature, adding a level of progression and variety to this single-player novelty game. The machine was advertised as 50 inches long by 24 inches wide.

Broadway's theme draws on American places, entertainment, and the theater, fitting its Great White Way namesake. Little information survives about the designer or other details of this particular machine, but as a late PAMCO production it offers a window into pinball just before the industry's pre-war consolidation.