Arrowhead

Last pin game from this manufacturer. We previously showed a date for this game of September 1962. However, the earliest ads we found for Arrowhead were a distributor ad in Billboard dated Aug-29-1964 page 50 and one in Cash Box Aug-29-1964 page 52 where both advertised this game as "New". A Cash Box magazine article of news briefs titled "California Clippings" and dated Nov-7-1964 page 112, states, "The first shipment of the new Arrowhead 2-player pin ball from J. H. Keeney arrived and was met with a very enthusiastic reception from the [California] operators." This places the date of release of his pinball machine in 1964. In The Pinball Compendium 1930s-1960s, designer Ed Krynski commented that, when he started at Keeney in 1956, their main product was the so-called "electronic uprights" (slot machines) which, he said, they exported to the UK in addition to stateside locations. Since 1961, we know Keeney had also been making bingo machines and gambling machines like Old Plantation which were disguised as pinball machines. Krynski stated the laws changed in the early 60s against gambling devices making it hard to continue in this product line and, after having testified in several court trials over these devices, he left Keeney and went to work for Gottlieb, a company known for eschewing gambling machines. Krynski certainly was referring to the Eastland Bill (S-1658, for James Eastland, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, formally known as the Gambling Devices Act of 1962), signed by President Kennedy on October 18, 1962 and made effective 60 days later, in December 1962. It outlawed the interstate transportation of gambling devices. As Krynski implied, undoubtedly Keeney was hit hard by this new legislation, as was Bally. Bally stopped making bingo machines as a result of this law and suffered a 40% drop in sales until the law was modified to allow them to export their bingo machines, and they restarted production of their bingo line in August, 1963. Keeney, for their part, initiated production of three flipper pinball machines in 1963, after not having made one since 1959. According to Cash Box Jul-18-1964 page 48, Keeney sold their plant at 2600 West 50th Street and were in the process of moving into the building at 4309 West Lake Street, to be completely moved in by August 1. In the article, Keeney president J.A. (Art) Weinand had indicated that 'Colorama' was still in production, having started it in December 1963. Interestingly, Keeney advertised it as "All New" in August 1964 (per Cash Box Aug-29-1964 page 51) and on page 61 it is listed under 'New Equipment currently in Production' with annotation of (12/63). It appears that Keeney wanted distributors to know that continued advertising of Colorama over a period of several months did not mean a surplus of unsold games but meant a successfully long production of new units indicative of demand. It is at an August 29 point in this timeline that we begin to see the first ads for 'Arrowhead'. However, these ads were placed by distributors and we find no advertisements for Arrowhead that were placed by Keeney. We also can find no manufacturer's flyer, manual, schematic, or any other Keeney documentation for this game. In Cash Box dated Jan-9-1965 page 45, a columnist who had spoken to Weinand wrote, "Art hopes to accomplish a great deal in re-developing Keeney games domestic markets for amusement equipment in '65." However, 'Arrowhead' is Keeney's last pinball machine, released without fanfare. We are unaware of any non-gambling "amusement equipment" that Keeney may have made after this game and it appears that Weinand preferred making gambling devices and exporting them like Bally did. We know that Keeney continued to produce electronic upright gambling machines into 1966, advertised in the UK by their distributor there. After that, we lose track of what this company did and for how long. By May 1967 per Cash Box, Art Weinand is employed at Williams Electronics. Cash Box Feb-3-1968 pages 74-75 indicates that J. H. Keeney is still in business, having recently sent their product manager Harold T. Baker to the 24th Amusement Trades Exposition in London. It does not indicate what Keeney products were represented there. We don't know the production run quantity for Arrowhead but because of the lack of manufacturer information about it and the fact that the two examples pictured in this listing are the only ones of which we know, it may have transpired that only sample games were produced for the usual recipient distributors before the run was killed, and consequently the manufacturer produced no advertising flyer, documentation, or announcements, leaving those distributors to sell off the few games they had. If anyone knows of manufacturer advertisements for Arrowhead, or of manufacturer documentation such as a flyer, manual, schematic, or other, please contact us.