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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 20, 2014 17:00:18 GMT
Discovered this as part of an amusement stall close to Clacton-on-Sea Pier a few days ago:
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Post by redbrain on Jun 20, 2014 20:43:26 GMT
Thank you for that.
I was raised in Southend in the 1950s, and my introduction to horror came from the ghost house machines in the arcade at the pier head. These were glass boxes with a model scene inside. If one put a penny in the slot, the scene came to life with spooks and spectres popping up. My recollection is that there were about four of them on Southend pier. One was of a nightwatchman spectre-smitten whilst guarding road works. At least one of the others depicted a room in a haunted house. The human figures, I think, were about four or five inches tall. I used to love these machines. I wonder whether any of them survive.
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Post by redbrain on Jun 20, 2014 20:50:10 GMT
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 21, 2014 10:01:59 GMT
Thank you for that. I was raised in Southend in the 1950s, and my introduction to horror came from the ghost house machines in the arcade at the pier head. These were glass boxes with a model scene inside. If one put a penny in the slot, the scene came to life with spooks and spectres popping up. My recollection is that there were about four of them on Southend pier. One was of a nightwatchman spectre-smitten whilst guarding road works. At least one of the others depicted a room in a haunted house. The human figures, I think, were about four or five inches tall. I used to love these machines. I wonder whether any of them survive. I remember with some nostalgia those types of seaside amusements, having lived in the seaside resort of Walton-on-Naze in the 1950s. I think they are now only housed in certain museums. I walked around Clacton this morning and found only these modern things (photos expandable by clicking):
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 21, 2014 10:40:33 GMT
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Post by ripper on Jun 23, 2014 12:20:48 GMT
I remember those amusements well from boyhood seaside holidays. Being from Staffs, most holidays were spent on the Welsh coast: Llandudno, Rhyl, Aberystwyth and so on. The last time I saw one would have been in the mid-1980s. The two I remember best are:
A scene set in a bedroom. A burglar is trying to break into a safe, while someone is sleeping in a bed. Put in your penny and the man sits up in bed, only his head remains on the pillow; the safe door opens and something comes out; a painting slides to reveal a horrible face plus other things I can't remember.
A rather grim one depicting an execution by hanging. I think the prisoner walks to the gallows, the noose lowers around his neck and he is hanged.
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 23, 2014 13:30:55 GMT
I remember those amusements well from boyhood seaside holidays. Being from Staffs, most holidays were spent on the Welsh coast: Llandudno, Rhyl, Aberystwyth and so on. The last time I saw one would have been in the mid-1980s. The two I remember best are: A scene set in a bedroom. A burglar is trying to break into a safe, while someone is sleeping in a bed. Put in your penny and the man sits up in bed, only his head remains on the pillow; the safe door opens and something comes out; a painting slides to reveal a horrible face plus other things I can't remember. A rather grim one depicting an execution by hanging. I think the prisoner walks to the gallows, the noose lowers around his neck and he is hanged. I have found some pictures of such amusements here: www.underthepier.com/22_working%20models.htm
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Post by ripper on Jun 24, 2014 9:25:20 GMT
Thanks for that link, Weirdmonger. I had no idea these models went back quite so far in time. The Burglar machine mentioned must have been similar to the one I remember, only in my mind the chap in the bed just sits up minus head...perhaps I am mixing it up with another machine, but the rest sounds familiar. There were certainly one or two dotted around the welsh resorts c.1985. I hope that they ended up in a museum, rather than being thrown into a skip to make room for flashy video games.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 24, 2014 15:34:42 GMT
I think there's a thread somewhere in the old vault on this. I was taught art by a lovely lady who worked for the man who owned the original museum of childhood in Edinburgh. This was effectively a decrepit room full of incredible old toys that you could actually touch - no fancy cases or presentation. He had two Penny dreadful machines (which you can find if you Google 'museum of childhood'). The enthralling thing was that he lived in an attic surrounded by thousands of ancient dolls, mannequins, puzzles - the lot. The exhibitions on show were the least of his collection. She was quite scared by it all when she worked there in the evenings. (she was a gorgeously cool art teacher who wore long black leather boots to school which lent an extra dimension to our adolescent contemplation of her fears and how we could maybe comfort her )
No doubt a lot got dumped in the end but the Haunted house and the Execution were still working last time i was there.
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Post by ripper on Jun 25, 2014 16:06:44 GMT
Craig, it's nice to know that some of these machines are being saved for posterity. I know that whenever I found one of them in an arcade, usually pushed into an obscure corner, I would make straight for it; to me, they were far more interesting than the flashy video games that then dominated such places.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 25, 2014 19:14:56 GMT
Craig, it's nice to know that some of these machines are being saved for posterity. I know that whenever I found one of them in an arcade, usually pushed into an obscure corner, I would make straight for it; to me, they were far more interesting than the flashy video games that then dominated such places. Couldn't agree more. I was always fascinated by the old funfairs - in fact I freely confess that my first love affair was with Tracey the fairground horse at Whitely Bay(unconsummated - I was about five) I hadn't read Bradbury at this time but I remember going back every day even when the carousel had stopped for the evening. All the old games with their wires and strings, mechanical objects, puppets and mannequins, were an endless source of fear and fascination. I still get a kick when I seem now.
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Post by ripper on Jun 26, 2014 9:46:34 GMT
The old-style amusements were wonderful, but at the same time they could be quite eerie. Video games were just pixelated images on a screen, but these things were solid 3-dimensional objects that moved, and it didn't take much imagination for them to be able to move when they weren't supposed to. I remember one holiday, around the age of 8 or 9, being fascinated by a model of a dancing clown. Put a penny in the slot and he would dance on very noticeable strings to tinny music, and it both captivated and scared me.
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Post by Dr Terror on Jun 30, 2014 11:58:22 GMT
There used to be something similar at Weston. I think one was a haunted house, and the execution one featured an electric chair.
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Post by ripper on Jun 30, 2014 18:49:46 GMT
Dr Terror, I am so glad that someone else has remembered the electric chair one. It was in my mind but I just couldn't lock onto it and thought I had imagined it. In my mind's eye, the chap in the chair has bulging eyes, his hair stands on end and he opens his mouth in a silent scream. I think there might have been a flashing light and just possibly a simulated electric arc sound but my mind might be filling in blanks with that last detail.
This is a bit off topic as it isn't an animated model but I wondered if anyone remembered an arcade game from the late 70s, or possibly slightly earlier or later, in which you had to shoot sharks with a speargun. I only ever saw it once and played it only one time. All I can remember is that sharks would come at you and you shot them with your speargun, which was mounted on the game. There was a copious amount of blood when a shark was shot. I am not sure if it was a video game or a film that was played which you shot at...it didn't seem like a pixelated image but after 35 years my memory is hazy to say the least.
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Post by pulphack on Jul 1, 2014 5:42:42 GMT
Sorry, late on this - I remember some of those automated tableau things at Southend when I was tiny - turn of the 70's - and I thought I'd dreamed them after too many old movies. Glad to see the memory is not THAT bad... Des, a bit of a tangent, but on Walton pier about 20 years back they had one of those arm-wrestling test your strength machines which had a Popeye figure. The voice tape was screwed so it drawled horribly (like Popeye with a stroke) and also the face had somehow been badly moulded so that his cleft chin actually looked like someone had stuck a pair of buttocks on his face. Now THAT was enough to give anyone nightmares! I did very badly on it, sad to say...
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