Description
Old Chicago Pinball Machine by Bally
Old Chicago is an electro-mechanical 4-player pinball machine released by Bally in 1975. The center backglass figure with monogrammed pocket handkerchief is meant to be gangster John Dillinger. He was gunned down by federal agents in front of Chicago’s Biograph Theatre in 1934, betrayed by brothel madam Anna Sage (real name Ana Cumpanas), the legendary “Woman in Red”.
Sage is also depicted on the backglass wearing a red dress and looking youthful, although she was 45 years old and reportedly wearing a bright orange skirt and white blouse when she, Dillinger, and his girlfriend Polly Hamilton exited the theater into the FBI ambush.
In the Encyclopedia of Pinball Volume 1, Sage is misidentified on the backglass as Billie Frechette, another Dillinger girlfriend who, after his death, toured with members of his family. Artist Dave Christensen concurred at Pinball Expo 2004 that he intended his Woman in Red to be Sage and no one else.
Also on the backglass is a reference to the SMC Cartage Company garage at 2122 North Clark Street, where the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred in 1929. When the garage was torn down in 1967, Christensen took some bricks from the site to display on his fireplace mantel.
Old Chicago pinball features: 2 flippers, 5 pop bumpers, 3 standup targets, 2 kick-out holes, a 5-bank drop target, 1 spinning target, no slingshots, When a player’s score exceeds 99,990 points, a buzzer temporarily sounds.
Fully Refurbished Pinball Machine
At Elite Home Gamerooms, we take pride in our pinball restoration process, which is why all our refurbished pinball machines come with the most competitive warranty in the business. This machine has been fully refurbished to like-new condition in both playability and appearance. To learn more about our pinball restoration process click here