The Magnificent Marble Machine

The Magnificent Marble Machine was a short-lived American game show that was based on pinball, and starred Art James. The show ran on NBC from July 1975 to June 1976.

Game play

Two contestants (one a returning champion) competed, each paired with a celebrity partner, in this two-stage game.

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In the first half of the game, the teams answered general knowledge questions, which were displayed on the machine's huge electronic marquee. To help with the answers, they were shown blanks denoting the number of words and letters in the answer; letters filled in at random as time progressed.

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(Sample question: "He's center and he's square." Answer: Paul Lynde.)

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Correct answers were worth one point, and five points allowed the winning team to advance to the game's second stage ? playing a giant pinball machine (20 feet high and 12 feet long) that served as The Magnificent Marble Machine's centerpiece.

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Each team member manipulated one of the flippers, and it was their goal to keep the ball in play for as long as possible while accumulating points by hitting bumpers, noisemakers and lights. Hitting certain bumpers won the contestant prizes, while hitting certain bumpers in a pre-designated combination won a larger announced prize (such as a car or trip). Play on a ball ended if it fell into one of the two "out holes" or they surpassed the 60-second time limit.

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If a team reached a target score after playing two balls (15,000 for each new champion, minus 1,000 for each return visit), the team played a bonus "gold money ball," where the player earned $200 for each bumper or noisemaker hit.

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The Magnificent Marble Machine was one of the most hyped game shows on NBC's daytime schedule, as programmers were hoping to cash in on the pinball craze. However, critics and viewers roundly panned the show; modifying the rules and changing the format to all celebrities (with guests playing for home audience members, and a studio audience member playing the bonus round) failed.

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It wasn't long before NBC was forced to realize that The Magnificent Marble Machine was a dud, and the last original episode aired in March 1976. Because of a technician's strike, NBC aired reruns until June 1976, when its replacement series, "The Fun Factory," was ready.

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