Where Are They Now?

feature F Where Are They Now? Checking In With Jerry Monday, A Coinbiz Veteran With a Heart & Story as Big as Texas here’s a Dallas-bred, in 1960) and an arcade USS Ganard). Texas native named owner (he once had a game After discharge, T Jerry Monday who’s room at the famous Knott’s he joined the well known to many indus - Berry Farm amusement park Associated try long timers…and for lots in California). He’s either Booking Corp. Our man Jerry Monday today (right) with of different reasons. Retired owned or worked for dis - specializing in his closest friend Johnny Gatens (Amusement now, let’s just say that dur - tributorships (like Southgate booking rock ’n’ Distributors, San Antonio). They originally met in ing his 40-odd years in coin- and SunBelt in Texas, Bet - roll and country 1974 when John worked as a bookkeeper for the old Sutherland Distributing Co. in Oklahoma op he’d been around the son West, Circle Interna - music bands City. He served as best man at Jerry’s wedding amusement industry’s horn tion al and his own Century into colleges. to Sue. “I cannot think of a finer gentleman in this and back…and left a ton of Vending dealership in Cali - “We repre - industry,” said Jerry of his friend. memories in his wake. fornia) and a selection of sented a lot of Jerry’s worked on all manufacturers (like Nin ten - acts back then,” Jerry “Conway’s real name three levels of the trade in do, Leisure Sports and his recalled in a recent inter - was Harold Jenkins,” Jerry the Southwest, been all over very own Century game view, “like Sam Cooke, the continued. “He got his first the country and even the brand). Osmond Brothers, Louis name from his hometown of world helping folks design Jerry’s even been a trav - Armstrong, B.J. Thomas, Conway, Arkansas, and and outfit new game cen - eling coin-op consultant, and even Sam the Sham and started out as a rock singer ters. He also was one of the taking him to such markets Trini Lopez, if you remem - before going country,” he very first to recognize that as Mexico, Russia, China, ber them. Our roster also advised. “He loved baseball, the salvation for many after Saudi Arabia and even included a man who became and hamburgers with a slice the “video slide” of the early Vietnam. But as often hap - a very close friend, Conway on pineapple on them. ’80s came in the form of the pens, what began in Dallas Twitty. During a time when he lived redemption game. brought him all the in Oklahoma City, he Some veterans still way back there when opened a fast food remember this flamboyant he retired around 2001 place called Twitty Texan, and occasionally after selling his last Burgers. reminisce about him when distributorship there to “Conway had a they gather at association Betson…and then used military prop meetings and other social kicking back. plane that was so slow affairs. Few could entertain we once flew out to you with better stories about Showbiz Las Vegas and it the business as it was “back looked like the auto - in the day” than this guy Man mobile traffic on I-40 (who once got the Gottlieb Jerry Monday was below was moving pinball line for one of his born two days after faster than we were,” enterprises “by default” Christmas in 1934 (he Jerry continued. “One after the factory’s regular celebrated his 83rd night, Conway was up dealer got drunk and cussed birthday during last on the stage at the out a member of the year’s holidays). After Aladdin Hotel when he Gottlieb family). schooling, he served stopped singing and Jerry’s been a route oper - four years in the Navy Country recording star Conway Twitty told the audience to was a good friend of Jerry’s and the two even ator (Century Games out of (two of which were riend and even entered some business ventures ‘say hello to the man Tulsa was his “starting line” spent on the destroyer together back in the day. who wrote my big hit March 2018 | RePlay Magazine | 131 jerry monday Hello, Darlin’. He pointed Glazerman to build coin- down at me and the spot - operated foosball tables,” light followed. Some ladies Jerry advised. “The compa - thought I really had written ny was called Leisure Sports that song and asked for my and we named our first table autograph. Conway loved to the Lil Hustler. This earned play jokes on people.” us a cease and desist order The Twitty/Monday from Nissan Motors which friendship ultimately blos - made a pickup truck by that somed into a business deal name,” he revealed. with an Oklahoma operator “Anyway, we took an by the name of Dale exhibit booth at that year’s Cuzalino selling mobile MOA Show. It was my first homes. The business ulti - of many and was held in the mately went south, but Jerry dead of winter at Chicago’s says Twitty paid him every Conrad Hilton Hotel. After penny he’d lost on his invest - dealing with the Teamsters ment. The next Monday to get our booth going, we investment brought him to ended up without a single Tulsa and the opening of a sale until a buyer from string of nightclubs that Montgomery Ward gave us included Mr. Magoo’s, The an order for a hundred home Jerry and Sue Monday at their Century Distributing office in Playgirl and the Scotch Mist. tables on the last day of the Gardena, Calif. where they were among the first to recommend redemp - In 1960, it also brought show. Four years later, tion machines to customers after the video game business had softened him into the coin machine up. One year, they were Skee-Ball’s biggest distributors. Wards closed and so did business when he decided to Leisure Sports.” expand the pins, jukeboxes Next stop on Jerry’s and pool tables he got for coin-op circuit was at a his clubs into a service for small video cocktail table fellow club and bar owners maker in the San Francisco around town. Before long, Bay Area called Stella the enterprising Mr. Games. The factory was Monday had himself a route owned by a man named which he called Century David Price, who in future Amusement. He ran that days would work for Jerry route for nearly a decade during the time he spent before selling out and with Betson West. Jerry returning to Dallas. remembers that his first In 1962, he married a Stella video game sale was beautiful lady named Diana made to Oakland, Calif., Jean. In due time, they had a route operator (and the first baby son whom they named importer of NSM jukeboxes Jerry, Jr. Tragically, when from Germany) Henry the boy was only six years Leyser. old, Diana Jean was killed “Stella Games closed in a in a drunk driving accident, year and we were paid off in and “big” Jerry became a bad checks,” says Jerry single parent. today. “My son and I had Making & made the move out there and now, I was a single parent Selling Coin out of a job. But, I’d been Machines making some sales calls Century made some games of their own in the early 90’s, one of “Around 1969, I part - down in Los Angeles to which was featured on the June 1994 cover of RePlay . That’s Jerry and Sue with their salesman Mike Robinson touting the Paint ‘N Puzzle “paint nered up with a former guys like Dean McMurdie at by the numbers” touchscreen game. Dallas banker named Marty Circle International and Bob 132 | RePlay Magazine | March 2018 want to fill us in on what you’ve been up to post-coinbiz? email [email protected] jerry monday Portale at his place on Pico Boulevard. Tom Portale offered me a job as a sales - man in L.A. When Bob Portale passed away, I learned that Bert Betti from Betson Enterprises in Jersey had been an owner all along. So, guess what happened then?” Jerry laughed. “I was moved back up to the Bay Area to manage what was now Betson West Distribu - ting on Howard Street. In 1982, I hired a lady named Sue Gaynor to help me manage the place. A couple of years later, we got mar - ried, and stayed married for a very busy 17 years. My best man was my good Century also made a crane-like reaction game called Round the Bend shown here at the Gardena office by friend then and now, Johnny Jerry, salesman Mike Robinson (left) and technician Paul Horning. Gatens from San Antonio.” to Seidel and Smart. “In our than some other distributors. business and renaming it his Back to SoCal first year, we were Skee- They also branched into now-traditional Century “After that, I put in a Ball’s biggest customer,” he manufacturing with a “paint Distribu ting. In 2001, he year or two working for Ron proudly noted. by the numbers” video ended up selling that place Judy and Al Stone at The redemption revolu - touchscreen game called to Betson. And then, our Nintendo, and then Sue and tion was on and their arcade Paint ’N Puzzles , a crane- busy boy finally “put down I relocated back down to expertise put them a bit like piece called Round the his tools!” Southern California where I more in front of the curve Bend and even a photo managed the Pico booth.

Load more