J. H. Keeney & Company was a leading manufacturer of pinball and arcade amusements in Chicago, Illinois. Their lineup of pinball machines were very popular in early arcades. With World War II looming in Europe by the end of the 1930s, the gun game machines reached the apex of its popularity as games with a military theme took center stage, led by the releases of J.H. Keeney and Company. In early 1939, Keeney introduced the Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun, which featured a large metal machine gun replica and targets projected onto a screen. The game proved so popular that a number of variants were released over the next two years such as Air Raider and Shoot Your Way to Tokyo. The popularity of these war themed gun games peaked in early 1942, after which the production of new amusement machines was curtailed by the entry of the United States into the war. War themed gun games failed to enjoy the same success after World War II ended. The Keeney Submarine and Keeney Air Raider are favorites of mine and are considered extremely collectible.
J. H. Keeney & Company released 116 machines. (1930 - 1963) - Below are some examples from The Torrence Collection.
1938 J. H. KEENEY STEPPER UPPER
|
|
|
Very Rare, early horse racing themed gambling game made by J. H. Keeney in 1938. No flippers but has multiple play payout. 1 ball for a nickel. If the player loses a game, inserting another nickel for a second game will give double odds for that game. If the player loses the second game, inserting another nickel for a third game will give out triple odds.
1940 J. H. KEENEY AIR RAIDER
|
|
|
Rare, especially in this type of restoration. Another pinnacle piece of WW2 themed arcade history. Polished machine gun, beautiful paint and works absolutely perfect. Made in 1940, at a time in American history when everybody despised Hitler and despised the Nazis, so this was the game to shoot down the Nazi planes. Another favorite in the collection.
1941 J. H. KEENEY SUBMARINE
|
|
|
EXTREMELY RARE! You can count the known examples of the Keeney Submarine on one hand. The pinnacle of WW2 themed arcade collecting. You fire a machine gun stream of steel balls at a submarine as it surfaces and dives across the back of the game, getting as many hits as possible before the sub submerges. Perhaps the most beautiful and fun game in the collection.
