Almost no one knew at that time that Elton really did have a supple wrist.
Yeah, he was young; but that still looked dangerous to do for a movie.
These were auctioned off for $20,200 at Sotheby's in 1988.
Posted on 06/21/2026 1:56:07 PM PDT by DFG
For the first time in nearly 70 years, children and teenagers in South Carolina can legally play pinball.
A law the governor signed last month removed the arcade game from the list of so-called status offenses outlawed for anyone under the age of 18, following a decade-long effort. The original ban was never enforced, but it remained a source of anxiety for law-abiding business owners, supporters of the bill said.
Pinball gained popularity during the Great Depression as cheap, accessible entertainment — which critics called unskilled gambling tied to crime. Players released a ball that bounced into holes with different scores. Store owners often offered prizes to winners, and onlookers bet on where the ball might land.
Some opponents of the game also worried about children skipping school or spending their lunch money to play or make bets.
In the late 1940s, pinball manufacturers started adding the iconic flippers to the sides of the machines, adding an element of skill.
Still, many states outlawed the games because of their associations with gambling, including South Carolina, which banned the game for minors in 1959.
The new version of pinball with flippers grew in popularity throughout the 1960s and '70s, even with bans in place. A 1974 California Supreme Court decision classified the game as one of skill and not chance, which led to states removing pinball prohibitions.
South Carolina was the holdout.
Playing pinball remained illegal for anyone under the age of 18, in the same category of offenses as running away, "loitering in a billiard room" or "gaining admission to a theater by false identification."
Legislation to remove pinball from that list has been proposed repeatedly since 2015, with no luck — until this session.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
You mean Moon the Loon?
Only a matter of time before those Fun Girls from Mount Pilot start hanging around.
How are you going to keep them down on the solenoids when they see Zilog 80 and Motorola 6502?
Can I get my pencil and paper out?
For Tic Tac Toe?
Ha ha. Way back my Radio Shack TSR-80 had those. It was the shiznits...for about 15 minutes. “A whole megabyte? Wow!”
Good times.
A good pinball is like a living being, with emotions, moods, and a heartbeat. When you play you become one with the machine.
Video games are cold and lifeless.
But I ain’t seen nothing like him in any amusement hall...
When we were kids in the 1960s and 1970s, my neighbor and friend had a pinball machine in his basement that was free to use. A bowling machine, too.
One of my high school crew went to the university of South Carolina……loved the state enough to retire there, but got into a lot of fist fights in college, defending himself from anti Catholicism. Fortunately for hm, he was an incredible street fighter.
I remember when I first moved to Arizona when there still was a Mormon majority population of sorts, and there was no State Lottery. There was a heated debate about government endorsing, promoting, capitalizing from gambling.
Now the sell $50 dollar scratcher tickets and raised the Pick 6 tickets from $1 to $2 to buy.
Amen, brother! I play every weekend (there are two pinball halls near me) and it’s almost like that ball is a communication link between me and the machine. And don’t even get me started on a machine’s personality. IYKY. ;)
That’s all fine and well, but what we really wanna know is, when will it become legal for West Virginians to ‘Whistle under water”?
There has to be a twist.
“Ya gotta nip it! Nip it in the bud! Nip it, nip it, nip it!”
Crazy Flippin’ Fingers
Yes, it is a state issue and SCOTUS had nothing to do with it.
What is your issue with it?
Except for South Carolina. I had to skip there.
Almost no one knew at that time that Elton really did have a supple wrist.
Yeah, he was young; but that still looked dangerous to do for a movie.
These were auctioned off for $20,200 at Sotheby's in 1988.
It never fails to amaze me, that when a topic is brought up, many people’s only response is reciting lyrics. Anyway, back in the 80’s I was subcribed to Play Meter (a coin-op industry magazine). South Carolina was often staunch against pinball establishments, for good reason: Delinquents, crime and gambling.
Like prostitution, the same people opposing it now make money off it, an unending circle of greed and corruption.
Only a handfull of true mechanical pinballs remain, and cost a fortune to maintain.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.