Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast

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Episode Summary:

e all been from the early solid-state era. The late 70s and early 80s was when the industry went through some of its largest shifts, we call that 'disruption' nowadays. The exit of electro-mechanical pinball and the entrance of solid-state was a watershed moment in the hobby.

Some companies excelled in the new market, and some fell almost immediately. Gottlieb, well… they became zombies, just refusing to die and walking on and on and on… hanging in there… Somehow…

This month, we're going to review the final years of Gottlieb in the System 3 era.

Sources:

Dennis Kriesel's Street Level Pinball Machines Article from Pinball News. Here

Eclectic Gamers Podcast #47. Here

Internet Pinball Database. Here

Jon Norris IPDB. Here

Pinside at pinside.com

Gottlieb Developments. Here

Wikipedia: Gottlieb. Here

Interview with Jon Norris. Here. Here.

Jon Norris Article. Here

Pinball News. Smoked Out. Norris Leaves Stern. Here

This Week in Pinball. Around the Playfield with Jon Norris. Here

Norris Pinball Website. Here

TOPCast Pinball Show: #10 John Trudeau. Here, #55 Jon Norris. Here

Encyclopedia of Pinball Volume 2 (1934-1936). Bueschel, Richard M. Silverball Amusements.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary

Before Stern Pinball Inc., which dominates the pinball landscape today, there was Stern Electronics, our second episode's topic. We cover where Stern Electronics came from, Sam and Gary Stern's early years, Dave mispronouncing names, the change from electro-mechanical pinball to solid state, the sketchiness around that transition, legendary designer Steve Kirk, Stern's wild art, and the death of Stern Electronics.

Sources:

Dennis Kriesel's Atari Article from Pinball News. Here

Stern Internet Pinball Database. Here

Pinside at pinside.com

Wikipedia:

- Chicago Coin. Here

- Stern Electronics. Here

- Stern Electronics, Inc. v. Kaufman. Here

Encyclopedia of Pinball Volume 2 (1934-1936). Bueschel, Richard M. Silverball Amusements.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1970 – 1981. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Stern Pinball. Website. Here

Play Meter Magazine: September 15, 1978. Here

Patterson, Jeff (2008). Around the Playfield with Gary Stern. This Week in Pinball. Here

Ford, Anne (2013). The Chicago Reader. This Week's Chicagoan: Gary Stern, Founder and CEO, Stern Pinball. Here

Author Unknown. Play Meter Magazine, 1978 and 1985. PDF Here

Flower, Gary. Remembering Steve Kirk. Pingame Journal. December 2006. PDF Here

Cianchetti, Matt. A Friend Remembers Steve Kirk. Pingame Journal. March 2007. PDF Here

Head to Head Pinball Podcas. #50 Here and #68 Here

Gizmonic Stern Collection Tour. Here, Here and Here

Heavy Metal Comic Book Art. Here

Want to Support the Show?

Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles

Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc

Episode Summary:

Our topic this week, he's nicknamed the King of Flow, the bestselling pinball designer of all time, my favorite designer, and the reason why you know or will know what Meniere's Disease is: Steve Ritchie.

This episode reviews the early life of Steve Ritchie until his first break from pinball in 1982 which includes his early life, how he became a designer, his first years in the industry at Atari Pinball, moving to Williams and designing some of the biggest modern sellers and most innovative pinball machine in this history of the hobby.

Sources:

Internet Pinball Database at IPBD.org

Pinside at Pinside.com

Wikipedia – but remember to dive into the cited sources.

Web Archive. Here

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