Hit the dance floor — Williams’ 1978 Disco Fever catches the shimmering, mirror-ball spirit of the disco craze at its very peak, a solid-state four-player designed by Tony Kraemer with art by the great Christian Marche. With an alphanumeric display and an approximate run of 6,006, it was a popular machine in its day, and it comes with a delicious period detail: the distinctive curved “banana” flippers that give it a unique feel and unmistakable late-’70s character.
The layout is a satisfying early-solid-state spread: two flippers, two pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, four standup targets, a three-bank and a two-bank of drop targets, a horseshoe lane, and a rollunder. That horseshoe lane offers a flowing shot to work, while the dual drop-target banks give a player clear objectives to clear, all wrapped in the boogie-night energy of the theme. Those banana flippers are the real conversation piece, a design quirk that changes the geometry of your shots and marks the machine as a true product of its groovy moment.
Disco Fever is a fun, energetic Williams that bottles the exuberance of the disco era just as pinball was crossing from electromechanical into solid-state. Marche’s art brings the glittering dance-floor theme to vivid life, and those banana flippers make it a memorable, distinctive play. For the collector who loves the late-’70s transitional machines and a big helping of period flavor, it’s a groovy find. Work the drops, ride the horseshoe, and catch the fever. It’s a shimmering, boogie-fueled slice of 1978, and it still knows how to get down. Put on your dancing shoes and drop a coin.