Amusing the Zillion

Up for Auction: Sputnik Arcade Game, Gypsy Fortuneteller

October 12, 2013 by Tricia

Coin-Op “Sputnik” Space-Themed Skill Game. Victorian Casino Antique Auction, Oct 13, 2013

Vintage arcade games and coin-op fortunetelling machines are among the collectibles on the auction block this weekend at Victorian Casino Antiques in Las Vegas. Online bidding is already underway for the October 12-13 sale. A number of the items like this very rare Sputnik Journey into Space-themed machine have strong graphic appeal. The arcade game was inspired by Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, the Earth orbiting satellite began the Space Age and triggered the Space Race with the U.S. The countertop game (Lot #1151) was manufactured in the UK in the 1950s by Parker’s Automatic Supplies. It works with a large British penny and approximately 30 coins are included in the lot.

According to a post on the Penny Machines Forum, “Parker’s Automatic Supplies Ltd. were established in Rhyl in 1947 by Solomon Parker in order to supply new machines for the Parker-owned Black Cat Arcade on the promenade. They copied and improved upon existing designs and started to supply machines to other operators on a small scale. Their machines had a good reputation for reliability, had colourful, expressive backflashes and attractive veneered cases.”

The coin-op “Esmeralda” type fortune teller machine (Lot #688) is equipped with an Edison Cylinder Player and in working condition with keys. The manufacturer of this very old, rare machine is unknown. The starting bid is $10,000.

Coin-Op “Esmeralda” Type Fortune Teller Machine. Victorian Casino Antique Auction, Oct 12, 2013

Art of the Day: Creepshow at the Freakshow Is Back

October 10, 2013 by Tricia

Creepshow at the Freakshow Banner by Marie Roberts, painted in 2004. Photo taken October 27, 2012. © Tricia Vita

Artist Marie Roberts, whose sideshow banners adorn Coney Island USA’s facade, painted this one for Creepshow at the Freakshow in 2004. ATZ snapped this photo last October, but never got to post it or review the play since it was cancelled the very next day due to Superstorm Sandy! This year’s Creepshow, titled “Coney Island Criminals,” is opening this weekend, and Marie’s banner, which survived the storm, is once again in the window on Surf Avenue beckoning passersby to stop and buy tickets.

Written and directed by Dick Zigun, the interactive play takes its inspiration from an episode in the early career of Al Capone. The gangster got his nickname “Scarface” in 1917 after getting slashed at Coney Island’s Harvard Inn where he worked as a bartender/bouncer. More of Marie Roberts art will be seen in the show, including a painting of an Ivy League rowing club and the logo of Yale University’s secret society Skull and Bones, which is beguiling considering that the Harvard Inn was owned by a gang boss known as Frankie Yale and Dick Zigun is a Yale School of Drama grad.

The play also features CIUSA outside talker Scott Baker as Jimmy Durante, who got his start playing piano in Coney Island. Set design is by Kate Dale, the Juilliard prop shop supervisor and veteran “Best Mermaid” who has been the Creepshow’s designer for the past eight years. Since the Harvard Inn burned down long ago and even Seaside Walk, the street it was on, is no more, being in the audience at “Coney Island Criminals” and possibly getting hit in the face with spaghetti or made into the mob is as close as you’ll get to this place.

Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave. Corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street, Coney Island. Creepshow at the Freakshow runs from October 11 through Halloween. Check website for days and showtimes. Tickets are $15 in advance or at the door.

Photo of the Day: Sunset at Coney Island Pier by Bruce Handy

October 8, 2013 by Tricia

Last Wednesday, Steeplechase Pier, which was closed for reconstruction after Sandy, reopened nearly a year after the storm. Over the weekend Coney Island photographer Bruce Handy and his friends returned to their gathering spot to take their first photos of sunset from the new pier. “Last August we started taking photos from the pier. I picked out a spot and returned to take the same photo, to watch how the sun moved across the sky from the same spot,” he says. “Sandy changed our plans but did not stop us. The pier is back and so are we.” The one posted here is a beauty!

The redesign for the reconstruction of the pier, including the fabulous wave-shaped lounger seen in the picture, is by LTL Architects and won Special Recognition at the 31st Annual Awards for Excellence in Design by the New York City Design Commission. The wood on all the benches as well as the handrail wood is reclaimed ipe from the old decking that was on the pier. Vibha Agarwala of LTR Architects told ATZ the construction is complete but there will be some final touches, including bait cutting stations. “We have noticed that people have been cutting on benches and railings but bait cutting stations are in the process of being installed,” Agarwala said. The construction was carried out by T.B. Penick & Sons/Triton Structural, which worked on a number of projects to refurbish New York City’s storm-ravaged beaches. Kudos to all!