Based on the appearance of the kids, I would say this photo is from late 1971. A very special thank you to Kenneth Mcintyre and Michael Austin for this picture from the "America in The 70's" Facebook Page.

Jack

http://i.imgur.com/oCRHR1x.gif

A television show as Family-oriented and sincere as that would be looked upon as trite and corny these days. . .and that's just a shame.

We had the same bumper pool table when I was a kid.

We had the same bumper pool table when I was a kid.

My aunt and uncle had seven kids and had one of those pool tables. What is the name of it?

Also, why were clothes so damned ugly in the early 1970's?

A very nice photo indeed!!


Ahhhhhhhhhh .. Muchos Gracious my friend :)

My aunt and uncle had seven kids and had one of those pool tables. What is the name of it?

Also, why were clothes so damned ugly in the early 1970's?

That's a bumper pool table, which differs from conventional pool in that instead of there being 15 numbered & colored balls and a cue ball, all the balls are one of two colors, and the object is to knock all your own balls into the holes, past all the bumpers, before your opponent. Also there are only two holes total, one at each end of the table.

That's a bumper pool table, which differs from conventional pool in that instead of there being 15 numbered & colored balls and a cue ball, all the balls are one of two colors, and the object is to knock all your own balls into the holes, past all the bumpers, before your opponent. Also there are only two holes total, one at each end of the table.

Each player had 5 balls. Our table had five red balls and 5 white balls. One red ball had a white dot, and one white ball had a red dot. Our table had a red ring around one hole and a white ring around the other. On the table, in front of each hole, was a spot and there were two spots on each side of the hole. All of the balls started on a spot with all red balls on one side of the table and all white balls on the other. We always put the balls with the colored dots in front of the holes.

To start, each player shoots the dotted ball. Whoever was closest to the hole then gets the next shot. The dotted ball had to be sunk first. If you got the ball in the hole, you got the next shot. Otherwise, play alternated between the players. First to sink all five balls won.

My brother and I played a lot the first year or so we had it (early 70s). When I was in high school and college, my dad put a desk in the basement (so that his mess was not on the dining room table) and used the bumper pool table (with lid/cover) as a table for piles of papers (like at tax time). In the late 80s, my parents sold/gave away the bumper pool table.

A friend of mine had the octagon shaped bumper pool table with a lid that doubled as a card table. http://www.americangamingsupply.com/productimages/large/26-563.jpg. I think that would have been a better design because you could use it for more games.

That's a very nice pic of the BB.

Bumper pool was fun.