Special When Lit: Free to watch on Hulu!

[jow]

I've met Sam Harvey. No one forced him to wear that shirt....no one made his house dirty and stuffed it full of pinball machines. No one told him to never get a computer. That dude is REAL!

I think they made him look like a guy who's happy and content in his own little world. We should all be so lucky to not give a shit about what people think about us.

Agreed, but his house is nasty. He's a character for sure though.

 

[Level42]

I haven't seen the end yet but I liked it a lot so far !

I agree, I think it is done in a pretty objective way, it just shows how people are and are related to this hobby. Some things I actually recognize. Some things I'm completely puzzled about (f.i. why a grown up man would wear a propellor-hat).

But the whole issue is that "normal" people are boring to watch in a film, and the makers of these films have a wider audience in mind than just the collectors or top-players.

One thing I wonder is if Mr. Zaccaria didn't have anything more interesting to tell than what ended up in the film....

I also never knew about the pinball museum in Paris, that's great to know if I ever visit that city again....

 

[Drew57366]

Thanks for the thread post! I like others, learned a lot about pinball that I had no idea about. Well worth the time it takes to watch.

 

[donkeykong81]

Phew there went an hour of my time

 

[jcasetnl]

I watched it. It was something nice to look at while I folded laundry.

I actually learned a few things. I had no idea that pinball was outlawed in the most of the US for 30 years?

Billboard magazine (yes, the music one) used to have a coin op industry section for a long time and it's filled with articles about court battles over pinball. If you go to google books you can view issues back to 1942.

After flippers were invented in 1947, Bally made Bingo games, which were for gambling. They made them into the 70s. Bingos were common at truck stops, bars, etc. Additionally, there was a lot of don't ask, don't tell gambling with flipper pinballs still going on.

The pinball manufacturers were playing a cat and mouse game with the law but the profits were such that it was worth it.

You can still find some bingos on location, and there are some chinese companies that make them and export them to Mexico and South America.

 

[OIB1981]

I like the documentary. It was fun.

 

[Burt6666]

Wont play up here...damn.

 

[Level42]

I can't "receive" Hulu here either, but there are other ways......

 

[Robotron Jon]

It was also on the Documentary Channel this weekend.

 

[time4akshun]

+1 for the great Special With Lit documentary. They obviously put alot of time into it.

I also agree on not taking ourselves too seriously. We're a rare breed and anywhere from normal to obsessive as reasons why we collect. I was pretty popular in college, have a pretty hot wife, make good money, but am still a weird ass mofo for loving this hobby so much. No one really gets it...but that's totally cool with me.

I thought all the crazy characters in the film were interesting. I especially respect anyone who knows more about vids and pins than me or has any of them I wan't to own. No matter how weird they may seem... I appreciate the eccentricity.

This hobby rocks...

Time

 

[Rob T]

I watched it last night and enjoyed it. I thought it was well done and entertaining. They showed as many or more "normal" people as they did oddballs. Based on the criticism I'd read beforehand I was expecting a freak show. There are oddballs in any hobby, pinball is no exception.

I certainly agree with there being oddballs in any hobby, including pinball, but I do not think that there was a fair representation in this film. The percentage of "oddballs" was far too high to be an accurate depiction of pinheads in my opinion.

I just finished watching it, and I completely understand the criticism the film has received. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely some good and interesting things here, including some good interviews, but I was definitely left with the impression that the majority of pinheads are just plain weird. Having shots that concentrate on the various items in a certain collectors backyard (having nothing to do with pinball) also says a lot.