# Episode 207 - Williams Yukon

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-10-04  
**Duration:** 9m 8s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-207-williams-yukon

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## Analysis

Nicholas Baldridge discusses the Williams Yukon, a rare card-themed electromechanical pinball machine that applies poker hand mechanics rather than traditional bingo gameplay. The machine features a joker hole that allows players to select and hold cards, distinctive post arrangements, and attractive Molenton backglass artwork depicting a burlesque club scene. Baldridge invites listener information about production details and machine locations.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Williams Yukon is not listed in the Internet Pinball Database — _Nicholas Baldridge states directly that 'this machine is not in the Internet Pinball Database'_
- [HIGH] Photos of Williams Yukon were found on Danny Leach's site — _Baldridge says 'I happened to find some photos on Danny Leach's site'_
- [HIGH] Williams Yukon features a joker hole at the typical bingo position 16 that allows players to select and hold any of six different cards — _Baldridge describes the mechanic: 'if you manage to get in the joker hole...the machine allows you to select a card to spot. That's pretty cool, so you push one button to select your card—any one of six different cards—and then you push another button, the hold button'_
- [HIGH] Yukon features five holes at the top with posts directly above them, making them very difficult to hit — _Baldridge describes playfield layout: 'there are five holes very close together at the top, each one with a post directly above it, so these are very difficult holes to get into'_
- [MEDIUM] The backglass artwork appears to be by Molenton and depicts a burlesque club scene — _Baldridge states 'The artwork is very nice. It appears to be Molenton, and it's inside of what looks like a burlesque club'_
- [HIGH] Yukon can award up to 100 replays in a single win — _Baldridge notes 'you can win anywhere from three replays to 100' and 'There's a three-digit replay counter because of course you can win 100 replays at a go'_
- [HIGH] Baldridge has no information about Yukon production details or operational history — _Baldridge states 'I have no idea about production, where these were operated, anything of that nature'_
- [HIGH] York Show will feature a record number of bingo machines in the first-ever bingo row — _Baldridge announces 'we'll be bringing a record number of bingos for the first ever bingo row'_

### Notable Quotes

> "this machine is not in the Internet Pinball Database, but I happened to find some photos on Danny Leach's site, and this one looks really very interesting"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~1:30
> _Establishes rarity and obscurity of the Yukon; indicates research methodology and archive sources_

> "if you manage to get in the joker hole, the machine allows you to select a card to spot. That's pretty cool, so you push one button to select your card—any one of six different cards—and then you push another button, the hold button, and it'll stay on that card"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~4:45
> _Highlights unique game mechanic that distinguishes Yukon from standard bingo machines_

> "I rather like Molenton's style of drawing curtains, and I just think they are pretty attractive and they really frame these kind of vignettes very well"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~6:30
> _Shows Baldridge's appreciation for vintage backglass artistry and aesthetic design analysis_

> "This is a lived-in scene here, which I also find very appealing about a backglass"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~7:45
> _Indicates collector perspective on what constitutes compelling backglass artwork_

> "The post arrangement is incredibly unique and it looks really challenging. But most of all, like I said, I like that joker spot feature, and I think it would be really crazy difficult to actually land in that hole based on the post arrangement"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~12:00
> _Gameplay analysis suggesting high difficulty and strategic challenge_

> "I would love to know if you've ever seen one, where it came from, kind of the story"
> — **Nicholas Baldridge**, ~14:30
> _Community outreach seeking production history and operational documentation_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nicholas Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; bingo pinball expert and collector; organizer of York Show bingo row |
| Jeffrey Lawton | person | Pinball historian and author of 'Bally Bingo Pinball Machines' and 'Bingo Pinball Wars: Bally vs. United'; will be present at York Show to autograph books |
| Danny Leach | person | Archive/photo resource where photos of Williams Yukon were found; appears to maintain documentation site |
| Williams | company | Vintage pinball manufacturer; made Yukon and other card/bingo-themed games |
| Gottlieb | company | Early pinball manufacturer whose rubber post work style is compared to Yukon's design |
| United | company | Early pinball manufacturer whose rubber post work style is compared to Yukon's; also produced bingo games |
| Williams Yukon | game | Rare Williams electromechanical card-themed pinball machine; features poker hand mechanics and joker hole card selection |
| York Show | event | Pinball exhibition in York, Pennsylvania on October 9th-10th; hosting inaugural bingo row with record number of machines and contest for four/five-in-a-line winners |
| Internet Pinball Database | organization | Pinball machine documentation archive; does not currently contain entry for Williams Yukon |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast hosted by Nicholas Baldridge |
| Molenton | person | Presumed backglass artist known for distinctive curtain and theatrical scene artwork |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Williams Yukon - obscure card-themed EM machine, Bingo row at York Show, Electromechanical pinball design and mechanics
- **Secondary:** Backglass artwork and aesthetics, Bingo pinball machine history and variants, Vintage pinball manufacturer comparison (Williams, Gottlieb, United), Rare machine documentation and archive research
- **Mentioned:** Community engagement and information gathering

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Baldridge expresses genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for the Yukon's design, mechanics, artwork, and layout. Positive language throughout ('really interesting', 'pretty cool', 'really attractive', 'really love'). Tone is educational and inviting toward listeners rather than critical.

### Signals

- **[historical_signal]** Williams Yukon is a rarely documented card-themed EM machine absent from major databases; Baldridge seeking production and operational history from community (confidence: high) — Machine not in Internet Pinball Database; Baldridge explicitly requests listener information about production, locations, and machine history
- **[design_innovation]** Yukon applies poker hand recognition mechanics to pinball format rather than standard bingo, with joker hole card selection feature (confidence: high) — Baldridge describes: 'it's not exactly a bingo because you're playing cards. Now, your goal is to get various types of hands with your five balls' and joker hole mechanic allowing card selection
- **[event_signal]** York Show hosting first-ever bingo row with record number of machines; includes contest with autographed books from Jeffrey Lawton (confidence: high) — Baldridge states: 'we'll be bringing a record number of bingos for the first ever bingo row' and describes contest mechanics
- **[design_philosophy]** Baldridge demonstrates design analysis appreciation for theatrical backglass composition, post arrangement challenge, and 'lived-in' scene construction (confidence: high) — Extensive commentary on Molenton artwork, perspective framing, curtain design, and how ball channels and posts guide visual attention
- **[community_signal]** Host actively soliciting community knowledge about rare machines through multiple contact channels (confidence: high) — Baldridge provides email, phone number, social media handles, and website for listeners to share Yukon information and sightings
- **[restoration_signal]** Baldridge conducting research on obscure machines through photo archives (Danny Leach's site) and attempting to fill gaps in documented machine history (confidence: high) — Found Yukon photos on Danny Leach's site; notes absence from Internet Pinball Database; seeks operational and production details
- **[gameplay_signal]** Yukon's post arrangement and joker hole placement create unusual difficulty profile compared to standard bingo machines (confidence: medium) — Baldridge notes joker hole has 'wide-open space' with no post directly overhead making it 'really hard to direct the ball right in there' vs. easier target 16 position

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## Transcript

 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. Another day closer to the York Show, folks. York Show is in York, Pennsylvania on October 9th and 10th. I'll be there along with bingo collectors from all over the eastern United States. and we'll be bringing a record number of bingos for the first ever bingo row. And there we'll be running a contest. Anyone who can get four or five in a line on any one of the machines, just check with me and you can win an autographed copy of either Bally Bingo Pinball Machines or the Bingo Pinball Wars, Bally vs. United, autographed by the author, who will also be there, Jeffrey Lawton. for tonight I wanted to talk about Williams Yukon now this machine is not in the IPDB but I happened to find some photos on Danny Leach's site at danny.cdyn.com and this one looks really very interesting now it was made by Williams who did try their hand at a couple of bingo games This is one of the card-themed games where it's not exactly a bingo because you're playing cards. Now, your goal is to get various types of hands with your five balls, and you can win anywhere from three replays to 100. Now this game has the ball return feature, as you will find on most any bingo, where if you make it all the way down to the bottom of the playfield, instead of just taking your ball, it brings it right back to you. Now what really interesting about this game is that it understands all the different kinds of hands that you can make You can make anywhere from a three a four a full house a flush of several different varieties in either mixed suits or the same suit. But what's really cool is if you manage to get in the joker hole, the joker is the typical 16 position on a valley bingo play field but if you manage to get in this joker hole the machine allows you to select a card to spot that's pretty cool so you push one button to select your card any one of six different cards and then you push another button, the hold button and it'll stay on that card it's pretty cool, there's a 3 digit replay counter because of course you can win 100 replays at a go the artwork is very nice, it is appears to be Melenton and it's inside of what looks like a burlesque club where there's a couple ladies on the stage and a bunch of people out in the audience watching. But what's really interesting and attractive about this back glass are not the people so much as the perspective. You've got a couple of lamps, one on either side, and there's a huge space that's framed by this large representation of all these different cards that you can land in. That's kind of center-bottom of the back glass. And then you have a balcony or proscenium up above and curtains. As you can tell I rather like Molinton style of drawing Curtains And I just think they are pretty attractive and they really frame these kind of vignettes very well so I just think it's really cool. In the far background there's a bar and you can see a barkeep actually pouring a drink there are bottles this is a lived in scene here which I also find very appealing about a back glass. Inside the hardware looks very much like a bingo. There's a ball return board, and it brings it back. There are four different meters in this particular game. And, of course, in the bingos, there were lots of meters to count coins in versus coins out. and a variety of other situations that you might need to interpret, depending. It uses one of the metal Williams Shooter Lane covers, and it is very attractive. It's almost like a deco piece, along with the metal scorecard holders, which I also find very attractive on this large wooden apron. The game has plastics that run on the left and right hand side and on the playfield you have the artwork of all the different cards and it's an unusual layout. I didn't mention that but there are five holes very close together at the top each one with a post directly above it so these are very difficult holes to get into. And then below that, there are six more holes. And then there are posts which are spaced in an arch, kind of, or actually it looks more like an M. And directly underneath those are five more holes. And then another arch and there four more holes And then a W and the final five holes and all the way at the bottom center is the ball return The artwork or the way that your eye is drawn to the ball return is actually really cool, and I like that quite a bit. There are metal kind of ball channels, I guess you'd say, that have a rubber on one side, and on the other side, there's like a metal sheet that goes down, so your eye is drawn to that as well. It's very flashy, very cool looking. Rubbers are stretched across odd spots. It's very similar to Early Valley or United in the way that those rubbers work. The post arrangement is incredibly unique and it looks really challenging. But most of all, like I said, I like that Joker spot feature and I think it would be really crazy difficult to actually land in that hole based on the post arrangement. At least with the number 16, you have a really good fighting chance of getting it. But with this, it's just wide open space. You're pretty much missing out with a post directly on top of it. So it's going to be really hard to direct the ball right in there. At any rate, this looks like a fun game, winning 100 replays at a time. What's not to love? I have no idea about production, where these were operated, anything of that nature. If anybody knows that stuff, feel free to contact me. I would love to know. If you've ever seen one, where it came from, kind of the story. But that's all for tonight. So thank you again for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com, or you can call me on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS1, 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Cast, VRSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at bingopodcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldrige, or you can listen to us on our website, which is 4amusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f9460e8d-abc2-4549-9f1f-c5062dec1e0c*