# Episode 246 - 1959 Bally Ballerina **Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2015-11-12 **Duration:** 14m 11s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-246-1959-bally-ballerina --- ## Analysis Nick Baldridge provides an in-depth technical and aesthetic analysis of the 1959 Bally Ballerina MagicScreen bingo pinball game, explaining its unique gameplay mechanics including the extended time tree, super sections, and the distinctive 1-7/7-1 number flip feature. The episode covers playfield and backglass artwork, scoring systems, and design innovations that made Ballerina a notable entry in Bally's bingo lineup. ### Key Claims - [MEDIUM] Ballerina is the only bingo game that has the one through seven and seven through one feature, allowing players to flip the top row numbers on the bingo card — _Nick Baldridge, describing Ballerina's unique mechanics_ - [MEDIUM] Ballerina is the last game that had a MagicScreen that went to position H; most other games stopped at position G — _Nick Baldridge, discussing the extent of screen movement_ - [HIGH] MagicScreen bingo games have an extended time tree that allows feature activation to extend beyond the fourth ball to the fifth ball or after all balls are shot — _Nick Baldridge, explaining standard MagicScreen gameplay mechanics_ - [MEDIUM] The blue section on Ballerina provides 300 or 600 replays and consists of only three numbers — _Nick Baldridge, describing scoring sections_ - [MEDIUM] Players could earn MagicScreen feature advances on Ballerina by either inserting coins or lighting star rollovers on the left and right sides of the playfield — _Nick Baldridge, explaining feature acquisition methods_ ### Notable Quotes > "MagicScreen is a metal cover that covers the bingo card. By default it has red, yellow, and green lines which are drawn between the numbers to indicate which set of odds you'll score in if you get 3, 4, or 5 in a row." > — **Nick Baldridge**, early > _Core definition and explanation of MagicScreen mechanic fundamental to understanding bingo games_ > "Now an extended time tree allows you to bump that time up to before you shoot the fifth ball, so right as that leaves the gate, or after you shoot the fifth ball, which means after you've shot all your balls, but before you play any extra balls, you can still move the screen." > — **Nick Baldridge**, early-mid > _Technical explanation of how extended time tree extends gameplay and strategic options_ > "I think this is pretty cool. The only problem is because we've got a question in here that says there is a teaser in between each letter, each individual roll gives you nothing and then you have to do it again to get the letter. That's pretty hard to do." > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid > _Candid assessment of Ballerina's difficulty balance with the star rollover feature_ > "I'm kind of sad that they didn't do that again because I think it would be pretty fun if it was tweaked to actually give you something on each roll, but I guess that would make it too easy" > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid > _Designer critique suggesting how the mechanic could have been improved in future games_ > "This game has triple deck scoring which means that there is red yellow and green odds for which you can play independently" > — **Nick Baldridge**, late-mid > _Explanation of Ballerina's unique multi-deck scoring system_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast, provides technical analysis and gameplay expertise on bingo pinball machines | | Bally | company | Historical pinball and bingo machine manufacturer; produced Ballerina in 1959 | | Ballerina | game | 1959 Bally MagicScreen bingo pinball game featuring unique 1-7/7-1 number flip mechanic and extended time tree to position H | | Circus Queen | game | Bally bingo pinball game referenced for comparison of backglass curtain artwork design | | For Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge, focused on electromechanical and bingo pinball game coverage | ### Topics - **Primary:** MagicScreen mechanics and terminology, Bingo pinball game design and features, 1959 Ballerina specific gameplay mechanics - **Secondary:** Backglass and playfield artwork, Extended time tree feature, Super sections and scoring strategies - **Mentioned:** Comparison with other bingo games ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.78) — Nick Baldridge expresses appreciation for Ballerina's design, mechanics, and artwork while offering constructive critique of difficulty balance and suggesting potential improvements to the star rollover mechanic. Overall tone is appreciative and enthusiastic about the game's historical significance and unique features. ### Signals - **[historical_signal]** Analysis of Ballerina as a notable entry point in bingo pinball design history, identifying unique features that were not repeated in later games (extended time tree to position H, 1-7/7-1 number flip feature) (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge explicitly identifies Ballerina as the only game with 1-7/7-1 feature and the last with screen movement to position H - **[design_philosophy]** Ballerina introduced innovative mechanical features including the 1-7/7-1 number flip system and star rollover-based MagicScreen advancement, though some design choices (teaser mechanic on star rollovers) were critiqued as difficulty-limiting (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge provides detailed technical breakdown of how these features function and offers design critique - **[restoration_signal]** Nick Baldridge mentions providing a link to specific game documentation/rules in the episode description, indicating active archival work on bingo pinball machines (confidence: medium) — Reference to 'find a link to one of my' resources in description box and mention of accurate rules documentation - **[community_signal]** Nick Baldridge leveraging podcast platform to educate community on technical bingo pinball mechanics and game-specific details, contributing to preservation of EM/bingo pinball knowledge (confidence: high) — Detailed technical episode structure explaining MagicScreen terminology, mechanics, and Ballerina-specific features - **[content_signal]** For Amusement Only podcast continues deep-dive coverage of individual bingo games with technical and aesthetic analysis, positioned as archival documentation resource for EM/bingo community (confidence: high) — Episode dedicated entirely to single 1959 game with comprehensive technical and visual breakdown; episode 246 indicates sustained episode output --- ## Transcript What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nicholas Baldridge. Tonight I wanted to talk about Bally's 1959 Ballerina MagicScreen Bingo. Now first let's get some of the MagicScreen terminology out of the way. MagicScreen is a metal cover that covers the bingo card. By default it has red, yellow, and green lines which are drawn between the numbers to indicate which set of odds you'll score in if you get 3, 4, or 5 in a row. For example, if you get three diagonally across the middle of the card, that would be in the green and you would use the green odds. Three in a row would give you the lowest set of replays shown in the green section. Four in a row would give you the middle set and five in a row would give you the top. and it only gives you the lit set of odds for that color. Now, in a typical MagicScreen bingo, you have what's called the extended time tree. By default, the game will time out the feature before you shoot your fourth ball. So right as that fourth ball leaves the gate at the top of the playfield, you'll no longer be able to press the buttons to move the pinball. the screen left and right. Now an extended time tree allows you to bump that time up to before you shoot the fifth ball, so right as that leaves the gate, or after you shoot the fifth ball, which means after you've shot all your balls, but before you play any extra balls, you can still move the screen. Now what the screen provides is the ability to place balls in different colored sections, which are not adjacent and still score as if they So we're adjacent. So for example, if you have the large, green, H-shaped section covering several of the numbers, they don't all have to be touching, they only all have to be within that green section to score is if you got three in a row green or four in a row green or five. Pretty powerful. Now, on this game. There are a few unique The game has the super sections, that's the yellow section with black stripes and the red section with white stripes. On those if that feature is lit if you put 2 in that section it will score as if you have 3 If you put 3 in that section it will Score as if you have 4 And if you put 4 in that section it will Score as if you put all 5 balls into that section Now that really powerful and a great thing to shoot for The yellow section is shaped like a reverse L that upside down and the red supersection is shaped like the letter U Both are fairly easy to hit and therefore are things that I like to shoot for when I have them lit Now, this game came before the blue section provided you with 300 or 600 replays and instead the blue section which is comprised of only three numbers all hit it other score as doesn't happen when you are playing with all three athletes in that blue section.列 in that blue section Soo in that blue section thinkers Nan Oscar as dares game with all three let in that blue section pronounce misleading let's get into the unique features we are are magic screen which goes to position age This is the last game that had a screen that went that far. Most of the other games stopped one position before at G. Now, the other unique thing is that this magic screen feature, you could earn it either by putting in coins or by lighting the star rollovers on the left and right side of the playfield. Now for every two rolls over those star rollovers, you'll advance one more position on the magic screen. Now when you unlock this next letter, it doesn't mean that it automatically shifts the screen one more position, it just gives you the control of moving it one more position should you choose to. I think this is pretty cool. The only problem is because We've got a question in here that says there is a teaser in between each letter, each individual roll gives you nothing and then you have to do it again to get the letter. That's pretty hard to do. There are certainly some games that I'll play where I'll hit the rollovers every single time, and of course after the first time on every other game it does absolutely nothing, but on this game it continues to award you a feature, that's pretty cool, pretty powerful in the game code O'Clock Um... You have to be pretty skilled in order to Do that enough to actually make a difference, but That's still a neat idea I'm kind of sad that they didn't do that Again because I think it would be pretty fun If it was tweaked to actually give you something on each roll, but I guess that would make it too easy If you were able to light ABCD, which it gives you by default if it gives you that screen feature and then it only took four more rollovers in order to get all the way up to age But aside from that ballerina is the only game that has the one through seven and seven through one feature now this feature allows change the number that displayed on the back glass bingo card for any number that in the holes 1 through 7 that top row row holes on the bingo playfield now the playfield illustrates it very well you have one or seven two or six three or five four by itself five or three six or two and seven or one so the default is the first number that I named and the and 16 to 15 generations dónde cuerr Étatsois GrenanceantehTw sent to leaving and a lot less flexible in that you only have two choices so it's either all backwards or all forwards. Now, let's talk about artwork. This is another really beautiful game. The artwork on the back glass is of What appearsToBe, some kind of island or shoreline picture. It's not the beach exactly because it's blocked by some vegetation. But there are eight ballerinas dancing or posing for some reason on this back glass in either yellow Red, orange, or Blue, Tutews. In the background, behind the vegetation, you can see what appears to be a lake or some other body of water with a couple boats on it, and on the other side is the shore again. Box of the pinballniestere, box of the Bingo card itself, there are some doves flying around, and then one of my favorite things if you've listened for a while, uh, the ever present curtain on the Bingo. I really like Melentan's Curtains and uh, I think this is uh, another great Curtain Backglass. I don't think it's as good a curtain as, say, Circus Queen, but I think it is certainly appealing as a curtain. In the upper right you have the feature 1-7 and 7-1 where it'll show you which orientation you have the numbers going on the back glass. You also have your indications for your super sections and your blue section scoring, your Actquir touche of alcantara ceremonial beverage and a slices of the playfield This game has triple deck scoring which means that there is red yellow and green odds for which you can play independently And this game has up to three extra balls The extra ball feature makes another return Now the playfield. The playfield has more ballerinas dancing in the forest. Many more ballerinas, actually. There are several in the foreground, several in the midground, and then several very far away. You have the whole scene framed by that half curtain, just like on the back glass, and some trees. Now in this case, the ball return down at the bottom, which typically I haven't really talked about the ball return very much and the unique artwork that surrounds it, but there's usually something very eye-catching about that because it's the first thing that you see above the apron, which is made of wood. I've also called that apron the surrounds because there are several wooden pieces which go around the playfield, including the rails. on the sides of the playfield. But the ball return on this game has these scalloped protuberances that go in between the holes 23 and 25. So it kind of scoops up and then dips down and then back up and back down. Ball return, the words are written in red and inside the scalloped area is yellow. Fun fact about the game. You will find a link to one of my Soulmate in the description box below this video. Well whatever the publishing instructions the features and the rules have been, the rules are of the boardение and some just go with the Chapter celebrated By저 Mushch Reddit video ribbon to find a specific and accurate processions. Well, that's all for tonight. Thank you very much for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me on the bingos line at 724-BINGOS-1, 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter at bingopodcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge or you can listen to us on our website which which is foramusementnly.libsyn.com Thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time. _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 43bd5331-e55e-4cfa-9b5d-a1bf6a52c1ac*