Roy Clark 'The' Entertainer

The Roy Clark pinball machine, released in September 1977 by Fascination Int., Incorporated, and also called "The Roy Clark Entertainer," is a celebrity-themed game honoring the country music star, from the first wave of solid-state electronic pinball. Unusually, it is a two-player cocktail table game, with a Formica-covered cabinet advertised at 38 inches long, 28 inches wide, and 28 inches high, and it offered operators 1 to 5 balls for 25 cents.

In terms of gameplay, Roy Clark offers a standard 2-flipper configuration with three pop bumpers, four drop targets, three standup targets, and two slingshots — including a smaller left-side slingshot positioned uniquely high on the playfield, next to the "R" in "Roy Clark." The maximum displayed point score is 999,990 points per player, and the sound package consists of three chimes and a knocker.

The game also has a colorful business history. It shares its playfield and electronics with Allied Leisure's 1978 'Take Five' and Fascination's 1979 'Circa 1933'. According to Play Meter, Fascination contracted to let Allied Leisure distribute the game, helping Allied stave off bankruptcy in 1977; Fascination itself entered Chapter 11 in August 1978, after which its former owners continued in business as Ram, Inc., channeling assets into Astro Games. None of the three manufacturers made pinball machines after 1979, making Roy Clark a snapshot of the smaller companies swept up in the industry's transition to solid-state.