Tuesday, September 3, 2024

exploring the arcade in 乾いた花 (1964) / Kawaita hana aka Pale Flower

This film contains a bowling alley scene with a few arcade games in the background.  Thank you to @TOO_yoshikawa for bringing this to my attention.

乾いた花 (1964)


let's begin with the machine on the far-left, since we only see it for a fraction of a second



again on the far left, there is a machine that looks like Taito's Sportsman.  But Taito did not begin selling that machine until 1966, so this must be the machine it was based on.


for reference only: 1966 Sportsman - スポーツマン by 太東 (Taito — Crown)


1947 Deluxe Athletic Scale floor model machine by Mercury Steel Corporation

The image does not line up perfectly:  In the movie there are some striations along the top curve of the machine.  This might be a modified paint job, but could also be a geometric reflection of the lights.  The text card also seems differs, perhaps replaced with a Japanese language one.



on the left there is a pinball machine, but it cannot be identified by the door and leg alone.  Let's focus on the 2 machines at the center of the frame.

1960 Skill-Score by Bally

1958 Double Shot by Games Inc

Remember how I said the pinball machine can't be seen?  Well I was looking around online and found this photo/still, which does NOT appear in the movie.  The scene happening here is shot from a different angle, so I suppose this was a photo taken, or from a different camera?  You can easily find the moment the woman wearing black walks past that Skill-Score machine, and the angle is quite different.

Here is what we see in the film at this exact moment:

Curious!  Anyways, that extra still lets us see the pinball machine.
1955 Gypsy Queen by Gottlieb




Finally, on the far right we have a game that has piqued my interest.




It looks like a Dodge City.... but could this be the elusive Western Gun?


is this Sega's Western Gun?  Or just a Dodge City by Frantz, without the marquee?


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