CN Tower Arcade in the 70's

[Davester]

Back in the late 70's, when the CN Tower first opened, they had an arcade in the base of the tower.

It had the typical 70's fashion... lots of orange melamine everywhere and a small obstetrical coarse that consisted of crawling over rollers that lead to slide and ball pit.

Anyone remember any of this?

My one question was, they had an attraction in the middle of the arcade that looked like a phone booth... clear windows on all 4 sides. From what I recall, when you stepped inside this booth and closed the door, you could see out but all of the people were gone... must have been some sort of optical illusion. Anyone remember this or was it just a product of my imagination.

Davester.

[scogon]

I remember the arcade for sure, I think it was the first one I ever saw! I recall playing through the rollers thing a lot, don't recall the phone booth thing...

I remember that the games I looked at we're monochrome.... and seemed cool to me....

[leonk]

70's!? Heck, the arcade was still there in the 90's!!! At the end of the 3D ride, you walked out right into the middle of it!

[The Evener]

Would be fun to see some pics from that era featuring the arcade!

They probably exist, but it would require some archival sleuthing...

[AllanSim]

In the late 1970s Jimmy Conklin – “the Carney King” – set up Undercurrent: $750,000 worth of arcade amusements in the basement, creating an “unsleazy” arcade that “appealed to the whole family,” hosted by costumed attendants Glitch and Short Circuit. In the 1980s, Citytv's Moses Znaimer produced the Tour of the Universe space simulation ride that he hoped to turn into a North American franchise.

I went once in the early 80s and I remember the booth, but I think the idea was that it was like a star trek transporter. You got in, lights along the corners of the booth started flashing, you could still see the arcade outside through the glass, but people looking at the booth outside would see you gradually fade out, then after you disappeared you would fade in. Actually maybe there was a mirror there so you could see yourself disappear too.

There are a few pictures and a write-up of the tower in general here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 288&page=3

Check out the night club!

[Davester]

Thanks AllanSim!

Those pics of the arcade are awesome... I loved that roller slide!

And I'm glad I just didn't imagine the Phone Booth thing. I seem to remember it had some sort of transporter/time machine theme and that it was very cool but had no idea how it worked.

Davester.

[Arcade Doc.]

I can remember playing the hercules pinball machine at that arcade.

[Komb']

I remember that thing.

Ya Transporter ala star trek was the idea.

Thanks for bringing back some great memories.

[FIREONE]

The transporter which I think they called teleporter to avoid copy right was a custom display and it
is a form of a old trick called peppers ghost it uses a lite room and a 60% mylar mirror and bright lights in the front
as the lights fade in the section you in you appear to vanish in the front the mirror is recessed back and forms a V
a bit so it reflects a bit of the room- making it look empty. I've built it my self a few times its not hard but a fantastic ILLUSION

a modern version was done as a stunt a few years ago
https://geekologie.com/2013/09/you-fool ... -aah-o.php

THANKS FOR BRING IT BACK UP A HAPPY MEMORY

oh now I want to go build one again

[Unessential]

I remember seeing the arcade on TV in the 90s but I had never been to the tower...

By the time I visited the tower for the first time the arcade was gone =(.