Then there's that oddball game Suspense from 1969 with both 2 and 3 inch flippers at the bottom of the playfield.

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2469&picno=34725

Quite a few years back I picked up a really nice Granada pretty close by for $125.00
Wasn't working and before I went through it, I traded for a nice 4 Roses. A few weeks
later I found another nice 4 Roses ($200.00) I then later was told that Granada was
a really nice player. Ever since I also was curious on Granada's game play..
Since then, I have never traded anything before I knew what type of player it was..

"Granada" is a very good player. It was my favorite game at the local arcade back in the day. They had a "Spanish Eyes" as well, but oddly it had a "Granada" backglass in it. Then, they got a second "Granada". This one had metal flipper bats installed. This one became my regular player. It's really a blast to get the number sequence and the letter sequence. Then you can win four extra balls with three shots at the center target array. Many are turned off by the artwork, but both of these games are great players, and I believe they were the first with DC flippers.
Don't pass up a "Granada" if you have a chance at one. It's really a lot of fun to play.

Yes, I was going to mention that game!
Had a mix of 2" and 3" flippers as you've said.

Here is a pic of the backglass. The policeman climbing the stop light post is hilarious! The thoughts of each person in that picture can be surmised from the wonderful detail of the expressions on their faces. Bravo, Stenholm!

day_1_backglass (resized).jpg

I also am a big fan of the marbleized posts and stand-up targets. Weird, but some of the yellow posts were toast and the red and green posts were fine. Did Williams use marbleized posts and stand-up targets on a lot of the mid-60s pins?

It's a bit similar to Stenholm's work on Bally's "Mad World". He's my favorite pinball artist. I wish there was more information available about him.

Hey I wonder if Granada is the only DC 2" flipper game? It was one of those games I never paid much attention to. My interest is growing.

DC Flippers? Now I'm beginning to kick myself even harder.
I know where there is one, but not for $125.00
I'm about to trade hunt.

It has four bumpers in a somewhat square arrangement and a roll under gate similar to Gottlieb "Subway. It has a triple center target array. You light one of the outer targets for extra ball by completing the G-R-A-N-A-D-A letter sequence, and the other outer target by completing the 1-10 number sequence. When you've collected both of them by hitting the targets, the center target lights for "Super Special", and you get two extra balls for that. So, in effect, you can get four extra balls with three well aimed flipper shots after you have completed both sequences.

I got your 1972 Granada right here!

images (resized).jpeg

S.O.B, They must have read this tread. No Joking! It was there this morning
and two weeks before!
Damm, the cabinet on the one that I once had was like a 9.8., and that was
the worst part of the machine..

And that Stop N Go glass looks a little faded. I turned the flash off to see it lt up. I really like the way he positioned the score windows on this one. Works good as a single player game too.

DSCN5652 (resized).JPG

Fairly low production as I just checked ipdb. Check out the cool Zaccaria variation that has two long banks of drop targets a la "Dimension"! I'd love to find one of those!

Out of the machines that I had went through, I'm not sure if I ever went through a 60s
Muliti-Player Williams. Seems I must have. But surely quite a few single players, but not
yet the Trade Winds which I was highly recommended on trading in. I'm sure that I was
advised accurately, but not yet had played one..

I was fortunate enough to have a Pinsider send me some parts for my Full House project. He didn't want any money because, "We Williams guys have to stick together."

At first I thought, "Wait. I'm not a Williams guy." Then I looked at my machines...
20171221_204014 (resized).jpg20171221_204119 (resized).jpg

Yep. I'm a Williams guy. And I like 'em all.

I won't be trading mine in anytime soon. It is one of the most challenging games of all time, But real fun. And a good looker.

I don't know about anybody else thinks, but to me these games we are talking about here are pretty much the cream of the crop of EM pinball. I've been thru a lot of others, believe me, but theses 60s Williams stay. They make you want to play them again and again.

I checked it out. Maybe very low production. The pics are all from one guy.
No Replay window and it's fired up on Ball 5. I'm thinking Add-a-Ball. My kind
of machine..
I wouldn't maybe mind a couple titles of the Italian Gottieb Add-a-Balls either..

I'm not a brand specific guy. I've owned Fords, Chevy, Toyotas, AMCs, and even Mopars. They all made great cars. But for some reason, I now have over 20 short flipper Williams EMs and only 3 others. But one of the others, Frontiersman is still one of my favorite games to play. They all get played. Ones that get boring or don't go down the road.

Oh I have a handful (maybe even have to put two hands together) of 60s Williams,
and one of these days..
Not that it's my favorite 60s Willaims pin, but I replaced Palooka with Fun Park so that
Star Jet could go in Fun Park's spot, and the last February Party, I thought this girl was
going to through me out of my own house. I guess Palooka is all she wanted to play the
year before. I'm planning on one day having that one and the other 60s Williams on their
feet once I get the upstairs addition completed..

Funny, I did the same thing. A guy wanted my Palooka and reality was it was getting kind of easy so I sold it. And who could pass up a home use only Fun Park with that beautiful Stenholm art package and outstanding add a ball rules and gameplay. That thing's never leaving.

I have 4 (but Add-a-Ball versions) of the 5 Williams you have, and once had a Teachers
Pet. I'm understanding maybe I should have hung onto that one, but it did enabled me to
complete a deal. How you like the Full House. The Top Hand that I have needs a glass,
and always likely Western theme pins, I was planning on one day putting a few bucks
into it..

I still have the Palooka (in storage), and just last week someone else
brought up Palooka. Looks like maybe somehow, someway, I may have to
find a spot for it, but like you say, it's not replacing the Fun Park..
It's probably mostly because it's fairly low production, and many may not
have played one, but for as little as Fun Park gets spoken, once played a few
times, it's a game that one can really get into..
Same for Williams Kick Off, not much heard of, but really is a nice little player.
Another one that one day I absolutely have to get set back up..

Yeah I won't be selling these.

DSCN5656 (resized).JPG

And nice cabs. and all!
You know, Fun Park is the only true 4 digit Add-a-Ball that I had
ever turned over. I remember the spinner landing on the lit red 10
at the same time it hit the 2,000 point score and then getting 3 quick
knocks one after another. And that's what boosted the momentum..

I think it would be worth putting some money into. I bought mine just to have something to fix, powering up a dead machine for the first time is so satisfying, but once I got it working I really enjoyed it. I thought it deserved to a repaint, and that's something I thought I wouldn't ever do.
Trying to beat the "dealer's" hand at the end of each ball isn't easy. He's kind of a jerk...

I had a party last year, and a gal I didn't know wouldn't stop playing Palooka. When it was time for her and her date to leave, she walked back and ran her hand across the lock down bar before she left. She looked sad to go.

Wow, sounds like you maybe should have a party a little more often..
Palooka must have been a pretty hot little game back when.
A Friend that I got to know in the early 90s worked for a local
Vendor. He said in 1970 when he first started, there was still a
Palloka in a coffee shop and said "you know how big those coin
boxes are", well in 1 weeks time it would be full to the top with
dimes. This was a 6 year old machine. Needless to say, that Palooka
paid for itself many times over, and I might add that I remember that
Coffee Shop, and recall it always having 5 machines, mostly Gottliebs..

Interesting thing about Fun Park is if you look on IPDB Steve Kirk is given partial credit for designing it. I'm not sure how much or what work he did for Gottlieb, but I heard he might have done some designs when he was young and got credit because of that. Again, I don't know the real history but Paul Bunyan and Big Jack are the only other two Gottliebs he is credited on.

This is interesting because I think Fun Park/Land is maybe the first game with spinners in a real functional position where the ball can continue on and not run into a dead end. The next game he was credited for is 1978 Stern Stars which also has spinners in great position and is a most excellent playing game. And just happens to be two games down in my lineup. Two Kirks are better than one where I'm standing.

It has terrific artwork and that cool backbox animation thing, but the fact that Zig Zag is rated 7.5 on IPDB (higher than Space Odyssey, Big Daddy, Surf Side, Dixieland, Pioneer, et cetera) proves that EM ratings are completely subjective and irrelevant to reality. BTW, Wing Ding is currently an 8.6... higher than the original Medieval Madness. Allrighty then.

Anyway, I think Zig Zag has one of the worst layouts ever designed, if not "the" worst. Plunge the ball, it pops around a bit, then you get three kickout shots to aim for, or drain. That. Is. Freaking. It. It's like three shitty mini-games instead of a single good complete game.

It's similar to (but worse than) Paul Bunyan... another machine which is also like three disappointing mini-games all smooshed together in there.

Play two dozen games of Zig Zag, and then two dozen games of Bally's El Toro.

Soon, you'll believe El Toro is the coolest game ever made...

Great article/ interview with Steve Kirk here. The man was a design rebel before his time.

http://www.backglass.org/stern/steve_kirk_playmeter_4.pdf

I thought so too AlexF as I have seen just a very few Granadas on CL for sale.

I have to agree the artwork is horrible IMO on Granada .

Except for that Mars Trek on the end.

LOL! Crazy thread I was editing my post above to add more and instead I quoted myself!

What is with Paul Bunyan ! You would swear it was up there with Target Alpha as the price on it mostly is over $1,000.00! Viva El Toro NicoVolta !

I have owned both and found each to be pretty good games. Not top shelf but still fun. They are a simple game. Mostly shooting for the lit kick outs but it could get you going. I'd have to push the start button a few times if I walked up. The art is great and like you say is a perfect Northwoods theme.

Own Williams Darts, Heat Wave, Lucky Strike, Ding Dong and Touchdown, all fun games!

Well, Mars Trek is made with Williams parts...

Criterium 75 is that made with Williams parts also? Always love a girl dancing in 1975. Of course now she is most likely collecting Social Security.

This is a quote I found in a Google Group post: "By and large Recel games are modelled after Gottlieb parts - coin door, mechanical parts, etc. are all basically the same as Gottlieb, but not interchangable in some cases due to size variances. The Recel coin door is sightly larger than the Gottlieb door (AIR) and won't quite fit..."

That's a great looking game.

Old guy reviving an old thread.

In addition to their open playfields and shorter flippers requiring greater accuracy, Williams' games of this era appeal to me because of the modernist artwork and the chrome flippers. Some have both.

So, I would list these games:

1) A-Go-Go 1966
2) Friendship 7 1962
3) King Pin 1962
4) Moulin Rouge 1965 &
5) Vagabond 1962

I already posted 8 yrs ago, (post#6)
but would maybe add to my list
with Heat Wave and Reserve;
(now that I have played them to appreciate them)
taking away TomTom and Mardi Gras (though still great pins)

Nice! This thread’s an oldie and a goodie…I referred to it many times to help figure out what games to go after.

What, no love for Ski Club? In my shop now.
Would like to see pics of coin switches on inside of door. Have lots of questions about coin handling, 2 nickles, 1 game?

I like 60s AAB Wedge Heads, but in my opinion, Williams
did a better job (playability wise) on their first attempt..

IMG_1149 (resized).JPG

Williams made some really great games in the early to mid sixties.
They were very attractive as well, and then later in the decade, they started to produce some ugly games, continuing into the 1970s. Some were decent players, but not very attractive to look at.
The inverted wedgeheads were all good to great players. Then, the rectangular head games with the advertising strip at the bottom of the backglass followed with some very good titles. "Moulin Rouge", "Teacher's Pet", "Bowl a Strike" (aab), "Ski Club" (aab); all superb games. Multi-players such as "Eager Beaver" and "Jumpin' Jack's" are also fun games.

1960-65 is Williams Golden Age of EM pins (9 out of 10 games were pretty good to great)
Equal to or better than GTB or BLY pins of the era.
1966-69 is the Bronze age (50/50 hit/miss)
1970 to 1975 are the dark ages (maybe 2 games a year that are any good)
1976 to start of the Solid State era they start coming back to decent.
IMHO

Totally agree with this assessment. That 60-65 run is incredible.

The 4 Williams single players I have set up are from this era.
I have others in storage including a Vagabond, but Vagabond is
one I'm not sure about. It doesn't have a great rating on the IPDB,
but then I also have heard good things about its game play?