# Episode 187 - 1962 Bally Golden Gate with Steve Smith

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-09-14  
**Duration:** 17m 3s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-187-1962-bally-golden-gate

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## Analysis

Nicholas Baldridge interviews Steve Smith about his restored 1962 Bally Golden Gate, a bingo pinball machine featuring the distinctive Magic Screen with a Golden Game qualifier mode. The discussion covers the machine's gameplay mechanics, restoration history, and its appeal as both a playable title and historical artifact, with Golden Gate scheduled to appear at the upcoming York Show.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Golden Gate was made in 1962 during a period when manufacturers were under legal pressure regarding bingo machines — _Steve Smith discussing Golden Gate's production year and context_
- [HIGH] Golden Gate and Silver Sails are sister games with interchangeable components but different artwork; Golden Gate has the superior cosmetics according to Steve Smith — _Steve Smith comparison of the two games_
- [HIGH] Golden Gate uses a Magic Screen mechanism where the gate qualifier opens access to the Golden Game secondary mode — _Steve Smith detailed gameplay explanation_
- [HIGH] Winning the Golden Game typically requires a minimum of 5-6 balls to be placed in specific sections, making it a challenging but fun objective — _Steve Smith on Golden Game difficulty and strategy_
- [HIGH] Steve Smith restored his Golden Gate in summer 2013 and displayed it at Straight Down the Middle pinball show — _Steve Smith discussing restoration timeline_
- [HIGH] The Golden Gate restoration involved extensive cleaning of a heavily soiled playfield and damaged back glass, requiring cosmetic restoration of wood surrounds and back glass frame — _Steve Smith and Nicholas Baldridge discussing restoration work_
- [HIGH] Golden Gate will be on display at the York Show (October 8th setup day mentioned) — _Nicholas Baldridge announcement at episode conclusion_
- [HIGH] Steve Smith played Golden Gate as his title in the old days, which influences his attachment to the machine — _Steve Smith discussing nostalgia factor_

### Notable Quotes

> "SilverSails just has different hard work, everything else is interchangeable. There's maybe one or two circuits that might be a slight tightening of the gratuities allowed."
> — **Steve Smith**, ~3:00
> _Explains the technical relationship between Golden Gate and its sister game Silver Sails, showing manufacturing efficiency during regulatory pressure_

> "The Golden Game... the machine changes its personality. It really is. Nothing else works. Nothing else. There's no scores lit down below."
> — **Steve Smith**, ~7:00
> _Describes the unique gameplay isolation of the Golden Game mode, emphasizing how it transforms the machine's mechanics_

> "I've been doing this for years, you know... if you bought this, you're buying a piece of history."
> — **Steve Smith**, ~15:00
> _Reflects on the cultural and historical significance of owning a Golden Gate_

> "It was nasty, man. I know. I know... You could barely see the art on the playfield."
> — **Steve Smith and Nicholas Baldridge**, ~19:00
> _Details the deplorable condition of the machine before restoration, emphasizing the restoration achievement_

> "Well, it's like a new machine now. It's fantastic."
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~20:00
> _Assessment of the restoration quality_

> "I'm in 100% bingo mode right now. And I just can't wait. October 8th, which is the setup day, can't get here soon enough for me."
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~22:00
> _Expresses enthusiasm for the upcoming York Show bingo event_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Steve Smith | person | Owner and restorer of the 1962 Bally Golden Gate; experienced bingo pinball player and collector; guest on this episode |
| Nicholas Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only podcast; creator of Multi-Bingo homebrew machine; organizer/participant in York Show |
| Golden Gate | game | 1962 Bally bingo pinball machine featuring Magic Screen and Golden Game qualifier; recently restored; will be at York Show |
| Silver Sails | game | Sister game to Golden Gate with interchangeable components but different artwork; considered to have nicer cosmetics by some players |
| Bally | company | Manufacturer of Golden Gate and Silver Sails, produced during regulatory pressure on bingo machines |
| York Show | event | Upcoming pinball/bingo show at York Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania; scheduled for October 8th setup day; Golden Gate will be displayed |
| Straight Down the Middle | event | Pinball show where Steve Smith displayed his restored Golden Gate in 2013 |
| Magic Screen | product | Mechanical display feature used in Golden Gate and other bingo pinball machines; central to gameplay mechanics |
| For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast hosted by Nicholas Baldridge focused on electromechanical and bingo pinball games |
| Jeffrey | person | Operator/owner who brought multiple games including Golden Gate to York Show; sold Golden Gate to Steve Smith; wrote book on bingo machines |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Bingo pinball mechanics and Magic Screen gameplay, Machine restoration techniques and cosmetic work, Golden Gate gameplay strategy and the Golden Game mode
- **Secondary:** Historical context of 1962 Bally production during regulatory period, Sister games and component interchangeability (Golden Gate vs Silver Sails), Upcoming York Show event planning and participation
- **Mentioned:** Nostalgia and personal connections to classic bingo machines

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — The conversation is warm and enthusiastic throughout. Both hosts express genuine appreciation for Golden Gate's gameplay, Steve Smith's restoration work, and the broader bingo pinball community. There is friendly banter about losing money at the machines. No negative sentiment toward the game, manufacturer, or community figures.

### Signals

- **[restoration_signal]** Steve Smith completely restored Golden Gate in summer 2013, including extensive cleaning of heavily soiled playfield (described as 'filthiest'), replacement/repair of back glass frame, wood surrounds, and foot rail refinishing. (confidence: high) — Detailed discussion of cleaning, back glass restoration, wood surrounds, and playfield cosmetics spanning ~15-20 minute mark
- **[historical_signal]** Golden Gate and Silver Sails were produced in 1962 during period of regulatory pressure on bingo machines, explaining rapid manufacturing and component interchangeability across titles. (confidence: high) — Steve Smith: 'This machine was made in 1962. Okay. And, um, this is a, this was made right when there was a big crunch on, uh, the law sitting down on these things.'
- **[gameplay_signal]** Golden Game mode is structurally isolated from base game, disabling standard scoring, time play, and extra balls. Requires minimum 5-6 balls placed in specific gold stripe sections for successful completion; highly challenging but engaging secondary objective. (confidence: high) — Extended gameplay mechanics explanation from Steve Smith covering golden stripe scoring, odds progression, and difficulty assessment
- **[event_signal]** Golden Gate will be exhibited at York Show (October 8th setup day) in York Fairgrounds, Pennsylvania; Nicholas Baldridge expressing high anticipation and commitment to full 'bingo mode' participation. (confidence: high) — Nicholas Baldridge: 'I'm in 100% bingo mode right now. And I just can't wait. October 8th, which is the setup day, can't get here soon enough for me.'
- **[community_signal]** Episode demonstrates active knowledge transfer within bingo pinball community; Nicholas Baldridge mentoring another player through Golden Game strategy at York Show; Jeffrey's book on machines referenced as historical documentation. (confidence: high) — Story of coaching player through Golden Game mechanics and offering Jeffrey's book as artifact/learning resource
- **[design_philosophy]** Golden Gate and Silver Sails share identical or near-identical core mechanics and circuits with only cosmetic differences; reflects 1960s manufacturing practice of maximizing component reuse to accelerate production under time/regulatory constraints. (confidence: high) — Steve Smith: 'SilverSails just has different hard work, everything else is interchangeable. There's maybe one or two circuits that might be a slight tightening'
- **[collector_signal]** Steve Smith's ownership of Golden Gate driven partially by nostalgia of playing the title in his younger years; indicates common collector motivation of acquiring machines with personal historical significance. (confidence: high) — Steve Smith: 'It could be some bias because that was the title I played on in the old days.'
- **[product_strategy]** Golden Gate positioned as historically significant collectible; Jeffrey sold his Golden Gate with reference to it being 'a piece of history'; price point referenced as ~$1500, suggesting secondary market premium for historically documented/restored examples. (confidence: medium) — Steve Smith coaching story where he says 'this is the guy's machine. If you bought this, you're buying a piece of history. And I guess it's 1500 bucks.'

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## Transcript

 The What's that sound? It's for amusement only the EM and bingo pinball podcast Welcome back to for amusement only. This is Nicholas Baldridge All right, I'm here with Steve how's it going Steve? Good. We're still here. I Haven't left. There's a commercial break. Yeah So tonight I wanted to talk Uh, about another game that's gonna be at the York Show, and this one is actually Steve's that's coming. It's his beautiful restored Golden Gate. What year was that made? This machine was made in 1962. Okay. And, um, this is a, this was made right when there was a big crunch on, uh, the law sitting down on these things. SilverSails at SisterGame, most folks think it has nicer hard work, I'm one of them. They were cranking them out fast and they were coming off at the same time. SilverSails just has different hard work, everything else is interchangeable. There's maybe one or two circuits that might be a slight tightening of the gratuities allowed. The But not much it's this is why they're all mixed up there were things coming out with the wrong playfields because they're interchangeable Wrong back glass. The law is getting ready to squeeze them and That said they have the golden game, golden gate, the golden game. That's where it came from. That was the first of the two It is a Specialized games, much like the OK. And it uses the magic screen. Correct. You have to make qualifier game to win in another game. Just like an OK red letter game is. Now the gate is a purple section that goes on the other, the screen goes the other way the same way it would with an OK. This game also has the OK. This has this extra. Golden game. The qualifier is a gate. You win three, get three in a purple section that is movable and you hold the button down. Now that said, you cannot get a gate and an okay at the same time. They just won't let you. If it's doing something wrong with your game. And so you win the qualifier for the purple section, the gate. And then opens the gate to the golden game. And then the golden game is it's on the screen. It's cool. You hit and hold the R button, the balls dump and the screen starts to go back to the home position. Then it changes its mind and goes the other way. and it goes all the way to the other side where it's all golden except for three numbers over in the lower right corner and it's different sections and they're gold it's all gold some of them have stripes in them and there is a two in the stripe section scores a golden game but anyway these odds on This thing will follow green just like the green scoring just like the okay does. I like to play for it. I think it's cool as challenge because it's it's when you think about it you got at least three balls to do it. and then another two sets like you gotta get five and a five at least five usually you gotta get six balls where you want them to win so technically I don know if it a good deal or not it just fun to play but it takes it would take minimum of 5 which is a rare event to have the 2 in the gold stripe section light and the scores follow The score Scoring graduates with the green odds. So the scoring for the highest green odd, wherever step it is, that's how much the golden game value will increase. Right. So if you manage to get two or three balls in that gold stripe section, it'll score. Yeah, whatever the green. Yeah, three balls. It's a rare event for two, but you did it the first time. and that's what sucked you into all this young man. And created a monster. And so that it is a fun thing to do. Now that said, it is its own game. It's like the machine changes its personality. It really is. Nothing else works. Nothing else. There's no scores lit down below. The no time for you available uh... and there's no extra balls you know get you can't that's it five balls flamma you make it or you do not make it in uh... that said when you think about it, it's not a good deal If you're gambling, if you're lucky, if you're lucky into it, if it's playing for money, I wouldn't go after it. I would take it as a gift. And then depending on what kind of odds I had, you know, go for it or not. Usually when you're playing for money, you go for what your set is, whatever you got most likely hit. Even though you've shot and not hit what you wanted. The last one is the Golden Game, which is pretty much standard on MagicScreens at this point. For three in the blue, or two in the blue, is either three or six hundred games. So you have multiple chances to win six hundred with different kinds of games. You've got your standard games where you can rack Up the Triple Deck scoring all the way up to six hundred for five in a row. You've got the blue section, which will score three or six and then you've got the golden game which will also score a max of 600 depending on your green odds before you dump the balls On top of that you've got the red letter game the okay game and the max on that the N in golden Will rack your odds up to the 600 as well I went up to the York show and Jeffrey had brought a Golden Gate. He brought three bingos that time. He brought a GoldenGate, a Big Time, and I can't remember what the other one was now. I a big time was on the other side behind is like I a different row and I went up to that big time first game of the day first pin I played got to the show raining Like Hell I was only there for a day that time I think I was at work I was staying up in Northern Virginia Excuse me And um I hit the big time for five in a row my first game and then I went around the corner and Play the gate It was playing for a while It was playing the one next to it but you can remember now This guy came up there and he played and I had left I came back and he over there punching the button and I look up and he got all the scores up to 600 and the gate is lit And I like you know I staggered I looked back and I said you know LUCIFUS Closed Caption by The Closed Caption Project This is what you gotta do. You gotta get three of this purple and say, you know how to play the okay? He did. And so he, I coached him to call the balls and he hit the purple and he's got the green odds all that is 600 point golden game. And, uh, and I'm staggering back again, you know, so he made it call a paramedics and he hit, he hit it for 600 nights and, uh, he was just, he was, you know, I said, I've been doing this for years, you know. There's like, anyone can buy one. And I said well, I said, and I leaned and I said, well you can buy this one. And the man that wrote the book. I said, there's a book on these, and I grabbed off the top of the thing, I said, here, this is the book. And this is the guy's machine. If you bought this, you're buying a piece of history. And I guess it's 1500 bucks. But coaching that guy through that, you know, I can't remember, I don't remember his name or anything. He bought the game from Jeffrey and then my commission was one of his t-shirts. That was fun seeing that. That and then you hitting the two and a goal the first time I've ever seen it. I've since done it. It's a fun freaking game, man. I played more than my other bikini, of course. The Golden Gate you restored more recently than the beginning. Yeah, that one was on Todd Turnkey video from 2013. I restored this in the summer of 2013 and took it up to the show. So what keeps you coming back to Golden Gate? Is it the Golden Game? The Golden Game. And, well, it could be some bias because that was the title I played on in the old days. And the one that you played had a silver sails backlash, right? Yeah, it was silver sails but just a gate backlash. That's what you looked at. Yeah, everything but the glass. This is what I would go back to talking about when they were trying to get them out of the door before they got shut down. Right. You know, one of the interstate sales stuff. Which they end up doing. I don't know. I don't keep up with all that stuff. Yeah. Well, Golden Gate is going to be at the York Show, and it is Steve's game. So feel free to come up and wail. The T Let us know when you see it So He made an all lockdown bar Did you make the wood surrounds for the head I ah all y I made the ah back glass frame Made the lock-down bars. I just, I redid everything, I even used uh, soap and water on the inside of it. The head. You cleaned it. It was nasty, man. I know. I know. Oh, God. That's the filthiest game in America. I contributed to that a little bit. No, no, did you? Yeah. I think you'll recall that I burned up... No, I forget. I burned up your search index. That was before I restored it? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, thankfully. I would have felt even worse if that was the case. Yeah. Oh. Yeah, it was pre-cleaning, pre-restored. Yeah, well you saw it after I cleaned it up. You didn't see it when I brought it home. God. Oh, you had already cleaned it some by then? Yes. Oh my gosh. It was nasty, man. It was ridiculous. You could barely see the art on the playfield. Really? Yes. Huh. It broke, busted back glass. Mm-hmm. You know. So good shape. Gouges and everything. The foot rail was ridiculous. Well, it's like a new machine now. It's fantastic. So, in fact, I think I'm gonna pause this here and go play a game or two. You gonna pay for money or are you done? You need to try to win back some money. Yeah, I really do. And I don't, I don't, I don't wanna, I don't wanna take your money but I don't wanna you to go away smarter either. Closed Caption by The Closed Caption Project I only feel a little guilty though. Not much. We're not talking giant sums of money here. Yeah, it's under a thousand. Right. Wait, are these multiples? Hold on a minute. Alright. I'm going to thank my friend Steve Smith for having me over last night and letting me lose horribly on his bingos. A reminder that the Out Pinball, shots),antin the tent at the work fairgrounds in your pennsylvania and you bill see me and many of the folks here we've got some exciting stuff planned at the show uh... as well as of course all these wonderful titles that you've heard rattled off for the past uh... week or so and there's more to come so Uh... I am very much looking forward to it. I'm in 100% bingo mode right now. And I just can't wait. Uh... October 8th, which is the setup day, can't get here soon enough for me. Well, thank you very much for listening. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com, or you can call me on the bingo's line at Out Pinball, qui ваш l'ambition,

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 344fab97-ba50-405b-b8de-c87f679c369e*