The new award-winning documentary, And the Balls Roll On…, tells the story of Skee-Ball and highlights its Philadelphia roots, writes Rita Giordano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The game was thought up by Joseph Fourestier Simpson, a Philadelphia inventor born in the nineteenth century, whose many previous creations failed to find success.
He got inspiration for Skee-Ball from ski jumping, which was becoming popular at the turn of the century.
“If a person could be launched into the air, why not a ball?” he thought, before inventing what he called “the beautiful game.”
The game was simple: a small ball rolls up narrow wooden lanes, crosses a hump, and launches into the air, aimed at circular targets in the form of a bullseye.
“An entirely new idea in the use of a ball!” proclaimed Simpson.
He installed the first Skee-Ball alleys at Young’s Old Pier in Atlantic City back in 1907.
As the documentary shows, from there, the journey of the game follows periods of high hopes and heartbreak. A little guy trying to break through and rich kids catching the wave, and, finally, big movers cashing in. But as it all happened, Simpson was all but erased from its history.
The movie is currently streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.
Read more about the documentary and game’s Philly roots in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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