A new documentary about Skee-Ball that absolutely no one demanded

Before you call me a hater, no, I'm absolutely not. Hey, I grew up in New Jersey, and guess what? Favorite boardwalk game?

Skee-Ball.

Even as an adult, whenever I go to the beach, I hit an arcade and play the game until I have a respectable amount of those tickets they spit out. You know the ones, where 1,000 of them will get you a cheap water pistol that will break in a day, and 150 of them will get you a plastic ring with a spider on it? Then I give them all to a parent with a little kid and leave like some Skee-Ball Lone Ranger.

So I love Skee-Ball.

And yes, it’s a game that was invented right here by a Jersey guy.

Joseph Fourestier Simpson, who was from Vineland, was granted U.S. patent 905,941 on the novel game, but it took a number of years for it to catch on.

So yes, it’s Jersey-centric. But did we really need a full-blown documentary on Skee-Ball?

No one asked, yet someone answered.

Thaddeus Cooper has been fascinated with the game since his childhood in the 1960s. Together with Kevin Kreitman he has made a documentary all about this one game. Not about a ton of boardwalk games mind you, and maybe how they cheat and trick you, because that might actually have been interesting. This entire documentary is about ONE GAME!

SEE ALSO: This wild new game has bocce balls, a ramp — and a whole lot of New Jersey history

The title is a bit funny, too.

They called it “And the Balls Roll On…: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball."

Yes, and the balls roll on. It’s…a choice.

Look, this isn’t a review. I haven’t seen it. It’s just that I can’t imagine ever watching it. I can’t imagine this having the same captivation as “Class Action Park.”

It’s there for whoever wants it. If you have been secretly longing for the dark, cutthroat story of the gritty world of Skee-Ball, it’s available through on Amazon, Apple TV and Good Play. Why do I feel Weird Al should have been involved in this project?

I read that this documentary existed on NJ Monthly’s site. According to a summary on IMDb.com, “This is an invitation to Skee-Ball fans and their friends, and even the simply curious, to go for the roller coaster ride of their lives, discovering the real story of the beautiful game of Skee-Ball.”

So this documentary could be not only a roller coaster ride, but THE roller coaster ride of my life!? Oh man, can I even handle this adrenaline? Buckle up, everyone.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

Report a correction 👈