Episode 344 - 1980 Bally Malibu Beach

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·16m 30s·analyzed·Feb 18, 2016

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Nick Baldridge analyzes Malibu Beach, Bally's final EM bingo from 1980.

Summary

Nick Baldridge provides a comprehensive deep dive into Malibu Beach (1980), Bally's final electromechanical bingo machine. He covers the game's origin as a remake commissioned by a Nevada operator instead of a reissue of Laguna Beach, its magic screen mechanics and feature structure, artwork themes, and restoration notes. The episode highlights how Bally's rushed production to close the bingo division led to wiring errors, yet left Malibu Beach machines unusually clean compared to earlier 1960s-era magic screen games.

Key Claims

Malibu Beach was the last electromechanical bingo that Bally produced
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, episode opening statement
In 1980, the only legal place to sell bingos was Nevada
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, discussing regulatory environment
A Nevada operator and former Bally Field Service technician requested a remake of Laguna Beach (1960), but Bally declined and created Malibu Beach instead with improved reliability changes
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, citing information from Hugh Cowan interview
Nevada decided not to put Malibu Beach machines into casino service, leaving Bally with unsold inventory
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, citing Hugh Cowan interview regarding Nevada's shift to solid-state devices
Magic screen games feature a 25-number card with lines connected in green, yellow, or red, representing different odds (triple deck scoring)
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, technical description of magic screen mechanics
Malibu Beach does not have pick play, maintaining the same design as Laguna Beach
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, feature description
Bally was producing Malibu Beach so quickly to close down the bingo division, generating numerous wiring errors
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, citing Hugh Cowan interview
Malibu Beach machines are typically found in exceptional condition with plastic-coated wiring throughout, unlike earlier bingo machines
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, personal experience and comparison to 1960s magic screen games
Most magic screen games were produced in the 1960s, giving them 20+ additional years to accumulate dirt before acquisition
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, comparative timeline of magic screen production

Notable Quotes

“Malibu Beach is the last electromechanical bingo that Bally produced, and for comparison, in 1980, even Gottlieb was firmly in the solid-state era.”
Nick Baldridge @ 0:30 — Establishes Malibu Beach's historical significance as Bally's final EM bingo and industry context
“A Nevada operator and former Bally Field Service technician apparently told Bally that he wanted them to remake Laguna Beach... so Bally came back and said no way we're not doing that but we will make a brand new game that's exactly the same electrically.”
Nick Baldridge @ 2:00 — Reveals the commissioning story and Bally's strategy to create a new theme while maintaining technical compatibility
“Nevada decided not to actually put these into service in the casinos, and so Bally was stuck holding the bag.”
Nick Baldridge @ 3:15 — Explains the commercial failure that stranded inventory, attributing the decision to Nevada's pivot to solid-state gambling
“The wires are plastic coated all over instead of just the high voltage wires.”
Nick Baldridge @ 28:45 — Technical detail highlighting manufacturing improvements in Malibu Beach versus earlier EM bingos
“They were cranking them out so fast because they had to get it done before the line closed... they generated a whole lot of wiring errors because they were just moving so quickly.”
Nick Baldridge (attributing to Hugh Cowan) @ 29:30 — Explains the paradox of Malibu Beach being clean externally but potentially having internal wiring issues
“They're definitely some of the cleanest Magic Screen games that I have ever seen, and I'm pretty much going to attribute that to just how new they are.”
Nick Baldridge @ 31:00 — Comparative assessment of Malibu Beach condition versus 1960s magic screen games

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonMalibu Beachgame Ballycompany Laguna BeachgameHugh CowanpersonGottliebcompanyFor Amusement OnlyorganizationNevadaorganization

Signals

?
historical_signal: Malibu Beach marks the end of Bally's electromechanical bingo line and the transition of the entire industry to solid-state gambling devices by 1980
high · Bally produced Malibu Beach as EM bingo after Gottlieb and even Bally's own flipper division had moved to solid-state; Nevada's decision to abandon EM devices sealed the division closure
?
design_philosophy: Bally chose to build Malibu Beach with identical electrical architecture to Laguna Beach (20 years earlier) while incorporating reliability improvements and new theming
high · Bally declined to remake Laguna Beach directly but created 'a brand new game that's exactly the same electrically' with 'changes to the circuitry which will make it more reliable'
?
manufacturing_signal: Bally accelerated Malibu Beach production to close the bingo division, resulting in numerous wiring errors despite machines appearing externally pristine
high · Hugh Cowan stated they were 'cranking them out so fast because they had to get it done before the line closed' and 'generated a whole lot of wiring errors because they were just moving so quickly'
$
market_signal: In 1980, legal bingo machines could only be sold in Nevada; Nevada's shift to solid-state technology left Bally with commissioned but unwanted inventory
high · Nick Baldridge: 'In 1980, the only place to legally sell the bingos was in Nevada'; Nevada operator requested the game but then 'decided not to actually put these into service in the casinos'
?
restoration_signal: Malibu Beach machines are exceptionally clean and well-preserved compared to 1960s magic screen games, due to minimal operational history and recent manufacture

Topics

Electromechanical bingo machine design and mechanicsprimaryMagic screen feature systems and scoringprimaryMalibu Beach game history and commissioningprimaryManufacturing, production quality, and wiring reliabilityprimaryArtwork and cabinet designsecondaryRestoration and maintenance challengessecondaryRegulatory environment for bingo in 1980secondaryBally bingo division closure and market transition to solid-statesecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.049

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. Tonight I wanted to talk about 1980s magic screen game Malibu Beach. Malibu Beach is the last electromechanical bingo that Bally produced. and for comparison, in 1980, even Gottlieb was firmly in the solid-state era. And Bally themselves, of course, had long been in the solid-state business with their flipper games, and even longer with portions of their bingos. But Malibu Beach was an exception, and it was an interesting one, In 1980, the only place to legally sell the bingos was in Nevada, at least from my understanding. And what happened is that a Nevada operator and former Bally Field Service technician apparently told Bally that he wanted them to remake Laguna Beach, which was a previous Magic Screen game made in 1960. so Bally came back and said no way we're not doing that but we will make a brand new game that's exactly the same electrically but it's going to have changes to the circuitry which will make it more reliable and it will have a different theme because we can't just reissue the same title. When I spoke with Hugh Cowan on our only interview to this date, he talked about this story, and what he said is that essentially Nevada decided not to actually put these into service in the casinos, and so Bally was stuck holding the bag. Now, some way or other, these games got out into the world. And it's unclear, at least from my understanding, how they got out there. Because at this time, all the states had cracked down, except for Nevada. And Nevada decided to move away from all electromechanical gambling devices. They went to solid state. And that's why they changed their opinion, at least apparently. I'm not an expert on anything related to Nevada. I'm not an expert on anything, period. But that's intriguing to me, you know, that they would have asked for this new game done in the old style and then decided, yeah, actually we don't want it. That's pretty rough. So let's talk features here. Malibu Beach is a magic screen game. A magic screen bingo is typified by a 25 number card on the back glass. When you look at the default position, you see numbers connected in straight lines with green, yellow, or red. Those lines correspond with the odds, which are shown below, in three different colors, green, yellow, and red. This is called triple deck scoring, because all three of those colors can move independently When you come up to the bingo machine you drop in your first nickel or quarter The machine will word a life reset load your first ball to the shooter lane and light the default odds. From there, you can play your game, try to get three, four, or five in a row to win your default odds in any color, or you can put in more money for a chance at advancing your odds, your features, or both. So your odds, let's stick with those for a moment. Your base odds are 4 for 3 in a row, 16 for 4 in a row, and 75 for 5 in a row. But they jump up to 192 for 3 in a row, 480 for 4 in a row, and 600 for 5 in a row. Malibu Beach does not have pick play. Remember, this is a remake of Laguna Beach, which also did not have pick play. So, with each red button press, or each nickel or quarter in, the game has a random chance at jumping anything, or everything. So, let's talk about features. the magic screens typically have seven different positions which can light anywhere from the first four, A, B, C, and D all the way up to G and you earn the first four all at once these positions allow you to move the screen so the bingo card that you see when you first walk up with all the lines which are interconnected will actually shift and move out of the way, and in will roll a new card with sections instead of numbers connected by lines. So in this way, if you get 3 in a section, or 4 in a section, or 5 in a section, you will win the same thing as if you got 3, 4, or 5 in a row. Now, the beauty of the section scoring is that the numbers don't have to be adjacent. They don't have to be in a row. A very powerful feature, and what makes these games so popular. As the letter F lights in the magic screen positions, you'll hear a click, and at this point the game will choose whether to light 3 in the blue or 2 in the blue. The blue section is made up of 3 numbers only, and it's pretty challenging to get all 3. So if you have three in the blue lit, it scores your green five in a line odds. If you have two in the blue lit, it scores your green five in a line odds. So if the machine lights two in the blue, you have to shoot for it. You've got to take the chance. Even if you miss terribly on your first few shots, you still have multiple chances to get two in the blue. So what do I mean by that? Because you've earned these magic screen positions, what can go wrong? Well, the game will lock you out of moving the magic screen by default before you shoot your fourth ball. This can be extended, though, to either before fifth or after fifth. And the game gives you five balls by default. But that's not all, right? if you don't earn before fifth or after fifth through coin play the game can randomly light the rollovers the rollovers are located about three quarters of the way down the play field and they're called the star rollovers because they're typically shaped like a star the yellow rollover will light before fifth if you hit it when it's lit and the red rollover will light after fifth if you hit it when it's lit now the most powerful thing to do on a magic screen game is to get a three four or five in a row vertically Because with this you can shift the screen three positions and collect your 5 in a row win in all three colors. You can also do this through section scoring, but typically you earn a lot less. So let's say you had 5 in the green section. well, you might be able to collect in the yellow and the red, but it'd only be three instead of five. So, think about this. You get your vertical five in a line, and you have your odds maxed out. You have after fifth lit. This means that you win 1,800 replays. That's pretty cool. So, what other advantages does this game give you? Well, the super sections, which are the first two sections which are revealed on the magic screen. There's yellow with black stripes and red with white stripes. By default, those just score your normal yellow or red odds. But if you have the super section lit, if you get two in one of those sections, whichever one is lit, it will score as if you got three. Three scores is four, and four scores as if you got five. So this is an incredibly important feature as well. If you have the super section lit, you need to go for it, because it's essentially spotting you any number in that section. Now, there's more. The letters in Malibu will light up red, but only one at a time. And this is tied to the green odds. So as the green odds step, so too will the letter in Malibu. Whichever letter is lit in red, if you earn the feature called OK, which is to the left of the magic screen positions, then an orange section will be revealed if you push the left button on the footrail instead of right to move in your normal sections. If you get two in the orange, and that's all you need, just two, then you can hold down the R button and it will start your red letter game. Now that letter in Malibu, which is lit in red, will award you a guaranteed new game with guaranteed odds and features. so this game also because again it's a remake of Laguna Beach brings back orange section scoring and if you get three or more in the orange section which awards your okay normally it'll score as if you got three four or five in the green so this is even more incentive to get your numbers in the orange section to start your red letter game. So let's talk about artwork. Malibu Beach has a wave representation of the name Malibu Beach and a wave at the end with the surfer on top who is surfing over a silhouette of the sun. The main action on the back glass is a big volleyball game right in the foreground. Lots of people are walking by. Many people are swimming or playing out in the ocean. There's a boat or two out there. You can see umbrellas. It's just packed with people. The coloration is very nice. The gradient between the beach scene, which is very bright down at the bottom to the ocean to the setting sun and that of course throws up oranges and reds and purples and blues It pretty cool the contrast Moving to the cab you see the setting sun with three seagulls flying in front of it in silhouette, clouds behind, and palm trees which extend on the lower cab and on the side of the head. The playfield has the same surfer silhouetted over the sun at the ball arch, and then down below you have that gradient I was talking about, but it's more basic. There's purples and blues and oranges and yellows, which go down to the ocean, where there are several boats sitting there. A woman is off to the left, near the rollover, and on the right-hand side there's an umbrella with the person underneath that. Your numbered holes alternate. They appear to be playing cards, almost, and they alternate between yellow and orange. So, a little personal history with this game I've played several examples of it and they are typically in fantastic shape Now, normally if you get an older bingo there's going to be years and years of operation that have gone into that bingo up to the point that you've received it and that means that there's old grease and, of course, nicotine, smell, you know, tar, all that kind of stuff is kind of ground in. But with Malibu Beach, because they are typically so fresh, so clean, you don't have that. So I've played a few and had my head in a couple, and it's different. The wires are plastic coated all over instead of just the high voltage wires. And what Hugh Cowan said during our interview is that they were cranking them out so fast because they had to get it done before the line closed. They were closing down the bingo division. And what happened is that they generated a whole lot of wiring errors because they were just moving so quickly. So if you ever happen upon a Malibu beach and it's not doing something correctly, your first thought may be to check one of the many areas that I've talked about in order to address your problem. But it may be that one or more disks are actually miswired, and that is a challenge. Now, thankfully, I've never worked on one to that level of detail. You know, some of the things that I've done were changing a coil or, you know, easy stuff. So, they're definitely some of the cleanest Magic Screen games that I have ever seen, and I'm pretty much going to attribute that to just how new they are. Most of the screen games were made in the 1960s, And so they had an additional 20 or so years to accrue dirt. Well, that's all for tonight. There's only one more Bally Bingo that was ever produced. 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. That's 724-BINGOS-1, 724-246-4671. you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts via RSS, on Facebook on Twitter at Bingo Podcast you can follow me on Instagram also at Bingo Podcast or you can listen to us on our website which is foramusementonly.libsyn.com thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time