One of the true pioneers of the coin machine industry, Mr. Harry E. Williams, succumbed to cancer at the age of 77. Harry passed away on Sept. 11, 1983 at his home in Palm Springs, California. This is certainly a great loss to the world of coin operated amusement. Mr. Williams was part of our great industry for over fifty years, from the late 1920's until the time of his death.
Mr. Williams was a fine gentleman who loved coin op amusement devices.
Although he was primarily known in connection with pinball, he also
delved into other coin-op amusement devices, even into video games in
the past year or two. Pete Bilarczyk, publisher in the mid 70s of the
tabloid "Pinball Wizzard News", once referred to Harry as The Father Of
Pinball. This title was not far from the truth when you consider his
achievements in the world of pinball, only a few of which I will
attempt to relate here.
Harry was an inventor! His inventions had a profound effect on
pinball. Late in 1933 he invented the first "electric action" device to
be used on a pinball game. It consisted of a battery operated
electromagnet device which could dislodge a ball from one hole in the
playfield causing it to roll into another higher scoring hole. This was
introduced on a game called CONTACT manufactured by Pacific Amusement
Mfg. Co. of Los Angeles. Almost immediately "electric action" was
included in games by many different manufacturers and in one form or
another, has been used in pingames up through the present time.
Probably the Williams invention most familiar to pin players
throughout the years was the "anti-cheating" device commonly know as
"tilt." In its earliest form it consisted of a small steel ball which,
at the start of each new game, was made to rest on the top of a concave
pedestal. If, during the course of a game, the player shook the cabinet
too much the ball would fall off its pedestal, providing a visual
indication that the
player had "cheated." Harry named his first such device "Stool Pigeon", but soon changed the name to "Tiltâ€.
A year or so later, when most games had become electric, a new form
of tilt was made in which a metal "plumb bob" would make electrical
contact with a circular metal ring. This contact (through the use of an
electrical "relay") would cause a lighted sign on the game to light up
the word "Tilt." This form of "tilt" has been used on pingames from the
mid 30s till now.
It is interesting to note that not only did Harry's invention of
the "tilt" have an effect on pinball, but also on our language. Most of
us at one time or another have heard that word used to denote some
mildly unpleasant happening or surprize upset. It has been used in
comics, cartoons, or other simple entertainment devices, and by many in
every day conversation. Even though "Webster" doesn't seem to recognize
it as yet, Harry Williams has unconsciously affected our language.
Although not the inventor himself Harry played an important role in
the invention of the "free play" pinball. This idea helped to combat
the negative image that pingames were gaining in the early 30s as
gambling devices. It seems a young man named Bill Belluh, working as a
shop assistant to Mr. Williams in the early years, devised a method by
which the attaining of a high score could result in the player playing
additional games without depositing more coins. These "free games"
could take the place of monetary or merchandise awards then given to
many pinball players as a reward for a high scoring game. Even though
Harry did not directly invent this device, he helped Bill Belluh
perfect it, patent it, and get it installed on games such as Rockola's
FLASH in 1935. Ever since that time "free games" have been the primary
"award" for pinball prowess.
Harry was a designer, not only for his own companies, but also for
others. In the very early Thirties pingames consisted of a playfield
with holes drilled in it for the balls to drop into for scoring. These
games had a large number of "pins" (nail-like devices protruding from
the playfield to deflect the ball during play), hence the name
"pinball. The "art" in designing these early games consisted primarily
in determining where to strategically locate these pins making it
difficult for a player to obtain too high a score and often "beat the
machine."
Harry became quite proficient at the art and designed some great
"replacement boards" (new playfields used to convert an existing game
into a "new" one) as well as original games.
Harry also had quite a flair for mechanical design. He designed
many games in the early 30s, such as ACTION, which employed ingenious
mechanical features. Then, after his introduction of "electric action"
with CONTACT, he incorporated electricity into his designs.
In addition to designing games for his own companies, Harry was,
over the years, employed as a game designer with other outfits. Some of
his early designs were for Pacific Amusement of Los Angeles (CONTACT,
etc). In 1935 he accepted an offer from Rockola and went to Chicago to
become their "chief inventor." During his stay at Rockola he met a
young designer, Lyndon (Lyn) Durrant who was to affect his life for
years to come.
After Rockola Harry went to Bally for a short time and again ran
into Lyn. Within six months or so Harry went to Exhibit Supply and Lyn
came along. They both stayed with that company until World War II broke
out. After that Harry was strictly involved with his own companies
until after he "retired" around 1960.
Harry was also somewhat active in game design in recent years. In
the late Seventies he designed some "home" pinball games for the
Brunswick Corp. Then, when his old friend and former partner Sam Stern
took over the Chicago Coin Machine Co. and renamed it Stern
Electronics, Harry designed some games for Stern.
One of the games he designed, HIGH HAND, contained another of
Williams’ inventions, a rotating "flipper like" device which would move
a ball from one "pocket" to another. Recently Harry started designing
video games, including a combination video-pinball game which he sold
to Gottlieb. To my knowledge this game has not yet been produced. Right
up to the end Harry was still designing amusement games.
Harry believed in all types of amusement devices, anything that
could bring enjoyment to a person. During the 50s he made games with
something a little different. He made several amusement pinballs with
animated horseraces and many novel "pitch and bat" baseball games. He
also designed "PEPPY THE CLOWN", a coin=op "marionette theater" in
which the player manipulated the puppet.
Another novel Williams design was a "sidewalk engineer" game in
which the player operated a bulldozer at a construction site. Harry
even had an idea for a coin operated toy train layout which he tried
out but it did not prove too successful. At any rate, his ideas for
amusements were endless.
Harry was a company founder. During his lifetime he founded three
separate companies. In 1934 he started his own company in Los Angeles
called Automatic Amusements where he manufactured games he designed. In
many cases he would make agreements with larger Chicago manufacturers,
such as Bally and Exhibit, to manufacture his games for distribution in
the Middle West and East, with his company supplying the West. When
Harry went to work in Chicago in 1935 he left his father in charge of
his
company which was later disbanded.
Shortly after the start of World War II, Harry and Lyn Durrant left
Exhibit and formed a new company, United Manufacturing, to repair games
at first, but hoping to obtain Government contracts for war related
products. That outfit also started "converting" old games into "new"
ones in addition to their war work. Harry sold his share of United to
Lyn Durrant within a year, but the company remained a major game
manufacturer until the mid 50s.
Leaving United, Harry formed Williams Manufacturing, forerunner of
the current Williams Electronics. He stayed with that company until
1960 when the company was sold to the Consolidated Drug Co. of Chicago.
That ownership did not last very long and was finally bought by Seeburg
in the early 60s. So, in a period of less than a decade, Harry founded
three game producers, one of which is still in existence.
As you can see from reviewing the coin machine industry career of
Mr. Harry Williams, he was always a productive individual. He certainly
tried to improve the amusement machine, which he dearly loved, and to
think of new ways to delight and entertain the American public with
coin-op devices.
An article on the life of Harry Williams was published in the
August 1960 issue of the popular men's magazine TRUE. It was titled
"Ungunchable Harry, King of the Pins" and was written by J.P. Cahn.
This entertaining piece was well written, in a light hearted style, and
told of Harry's life in the coin machine business from the late 1920's
through the 50s. While even Harry Williams himself stated that
everything in this article may not have been precisely accurate, it is
a good overview of his fascinating career and highly recommended
reading.
Finally, if I may, I would like to end on a personal note. I had
the pleasure of visiting Mr. Williams Palm Springs home in March of
1978. I had called him on the phone, told him I was a pinball collector
interested in pinball history, and he invited me to visit. That was
probably the most enjoyable afternoon I have ever spent. Mr. Williams
was extremely cordial and tried his best to answer my questions. It was
a memorable experience.
During my visit he told me about Jim and Candace Tolbert, who were
writing a pinball book, and contacted him for information. I contacted
them and later they talked me into writing a column for a publication
they were starting called Amusement Review. This was the first time I
had written anything for publication and I really didn't know if I
could do it. And here I am still writing about pinball. I have Harry
Williams to thank for my getting into writing, and I am grateful.
Since my visit with Mr. Williams, I have talked with him on the
phone on several occasions. Each time he was extremely friendly and
talked freely of his past associations with the coin machine industry.
I learned much from him during these conversations and much of that
information has been passed on through my articles on pinball history.
I cannot easily express the feelings of shock and sadness I felt
upon hearing of this great man's passing. He did so much for coin
operated amusement during his lifetime and I know his memory will live
on. I certainly will never forget the thrill of my association with Mr.
Harry E. Williams, "the father of pinball" and "king of the pins."
Updated Jun 05, 2005 Written by Russ Jensen
Mr. Williams was a fine gentleman who loved coin op amusement devices.
Although he was primarily known in connection with pinball, he also
delved into other coin-op amusement devices, even into video games in
the past year or two. Pete Bilarczyk, publisher in the mid 70s of the
tabloid "Pinball Wizzard News", once referred to Harry as The Father Of
Pinball. This title was not far from the truth when you consider his
achievements in the world of pinball, only a few of which I will
attempt to relate here.
Harry was an inventor! His inventions had a profound effect on
pinball. Late in 1933 he invented the first "electric action" device to
be used on a pinball game. It consisted of a battery operated
electromagnet device which could dislodge a ball from one hole in the
playfield causing it to roll into another higher scoring hole. This was
introduced on a game called CONTACT manufactured by Pacific Amusement
Mfg. Co. of Los Angeles. Almost immediately "electric action" was
included in games by many different manufacturers and in one form or
another, has been used in pingames up through the present time.
Probably the Williams invention most familiar to pin players
throughout the years was the "anti-cheating" device commonly know as
"tilt." In its earliest form it consisted of a small steel ball which,
at the start of each new game, was made to rest on the top of a concave
pedestal. If, during the course of a game, the player shook the cabinet
too much the ball would fall off its pedestal, providing a visual
indication that the
player had "cheated." Harry named his first such device "Stool Pigeon", but soon changed the name to "Tiltâ€.
A year or so later, when most games had become electric, a new form
of tilt was made in which a metal "plumb bob" would make electrical
contact with a circular metal ring. This contact (through the use of an
electrical "relay") would cause a lighted sign on the game to light up
the word "Tilt." This form of "tilt" has been used on pingames from the
mid 30s till now.
It is interesting to note that not only did Harry's invention of
the "tilt" have an effect on pinball, but also on our language. Most of
us at one time or another have heard that word used to denote some
mildly unpleasant happening or surprize upset. It has been used in
comics, cartoons, or other simple entertainment devices, and by many in
every day conversation. Even though "Webster" doesn't seem to recognize
it as yet, Harry Williams has unconsciously affected our language.
Although not the inventor himself Harry played an important role in
the invention of the "free play" pinball. This idea helped to combat
the negative image that pingames were gaining in the early 30s as
gambling devices. It seems a young man named Bill Belluh, working as a
shop assistant to Mr. Williams in the early years, devised a method by
which the attaining of a high score could result in the player playing
additional games without depositing more coins. These "free games"
could take the place of monetary or merchandise awards then given to
many pinball players as a reward for a high scoring game. Even though
Harry did not directly invent this device, he helped Bill Belluh
perfect it, patent it, and get it installed on games such as Rockola's
FLASH in 1935. Ever since that time "free games" have been the primary
"award" for pinball prowess.
Harry was a designer, not only for his own companies, but also for
others. In the very early Thirties pingames consisted of a playfield
with holes drilled in it for the balls to drop into for scoring. These
games had a large number of "pins" (nail-like devices protruding from
the playfield to deflect the ball during play), hence the name
"pinball. The "art" in designing these early games consisted primarily
in determining where to strategically locate these pins making it
difficult for a player to obtain too high a score and often "beat the
machine."
Harry became quite proficient at the art and designed some great
"replacement boards" (new playfields used to convert an existing game
into a "new" one) as well as original games.
Harry also had quite a flair for mechanical design. He designed
many games in the early 30s, such as ACTION, which employed ingenious
mechanical features. Then, after his introduction of "electric action"
with CONTACT, he incorporated electricity into his designs.
In addition to designing games for his own companies, Harry was,
over the years, employed as a game designer with other outfits. Some of
his early designs were for Pacific Amusement of Los Angeles (CONTACT,
etc). In 1935 he accepted an offer from Rockola and went to Chicago to
become their "chief inventor." During his stay at Rockola he met a
young designer, Lyndon (Lyn) Durrant who was to affect his life for
years to come.
After Rockola Harry went to Bally for a short time and again ran
into Lyn. Within six months or so Harry went to Exhibit Supply and Lyn
came along. They both stayed with that company until World War II broke
out. After that Harry was strictly involved with his own companies
until after he "retired" around 1960.
Harry was also somewhat active in game design in recent years. In
the late Seventies he designed some "home" pinball games for the
Brunswick Corp. Then, when his old friend and former partner Sam Stern
took over the Chicago Coin Machine Co. and renamed it Stern
Electronics, Harry designed some games for Stern.
One of the games he designed, HIGH HAND, contained another of
Williams’ inventions, a rotating "flipper like" device which would move
a ball from one "pocket" to another. Recently Harry started designing
video games, including a combination video-pinball game which he sold
to Gottlieb. To my knowledge this game has not yet been produced. Right
up to the end Harry was still designing amusement games.
Harry believed in all types of amusement devices, anything that
could bring enjoyment to a person. During the 50s he made games with
something a little different. He made several amusement pinballs with
animated horseraces and many novel "pitch and bat" baseball games. He
also designed "PEPPY THE CLOWN", a coin=op "marionette theater" in
which the player manipulated the puppet.
Another novel Williams design was a "sidewalk engineer" game in
which the player operated a bulldozer at a construction site. Harry
even had an idea for a coin operated toy train layout which he tried
out but it did not prove too successful. At any rate, his ideas for
amusements were endless.
Harry was a company founder. During his lifetime he founded three
separate companies. In 1934 he started his own company in Los Angeles
called Automatic Amusements where he manufactured games he designed. In
many cases he would make agreements with larger Chicago manufacturers,
such as Bally and Exhibit, to manufacture his games for distribution in
the Middle West and East, with his company supplying the West. When
Harry went to work in Chicago in 1935 he left his father in charge of
his
company which was later disbanded.
Shortly after the start of World War II, Harry and Lyn Durrant left
Exhibit and formed a new company, United Manufacturing, to repair games
at first, but hoping to obtain Government contracts for war related
products. That outfit also started "converting" old games into "new"
ones in addition to their war work. Harry sold his share of United to
Lyn Durrant within a year, but the company remained a major game
manufacturer until the mid 50s.
Leaving United, Harry formed Williams Manufacturing, forerunner of
the current Williams Electronics. He stayed with that company until
1960 when the company was sold to the Consolidated Drug Co. of Chicago.
That ownership did not last very long and was finally bought by Seeburg
in the early 60s. So, in a period of less than a decade, Harry founded
three game producers, one of which is still in existence.
As you can see from reviewing the coin machine industry career of
Mr. Harry Williams, he was always a productive individual. He certainly
tried to improve the amusement machine, which he dearly loved, and to
think of new ways to delight and entertain the American public with
coin-op devices.
An article on the life of Harry Williams was published in the
August 1960 issue of the popular men's magazine TRUE. It was titled
"Ungunchable Harry, King of the Pins" and was written by J.P. Cahn.
This entertaining piece was well written, in a light hearted style, and
told of Harry's life in the coin machine business from the late 1920's
through the 50s. While even Harry Williams himself stated that
everything in this article may not have been precisely accurate, it is
a good overview of his fascinating career and highly recommended
reading.
Finally, if I may, I would like to end on a personal note. I had
the pleasure of visiting Mr. Williams Palm Springs home in March of
1978. I had called him on the phone, told him I was a pinball collector
interested in pinball history, and he invited me to visit. That was
probably the most enjoyable afternoon I have ever spent. Mr. Williams
was extremely cordial and tried his best to answer my questions. It was
a memorable experience.
During my visit he told me about Jim and Candace Tolbert, who were
writing a pinball book, and contacted him for information. I contacted
them and later they talked me into writing a column for a publication
they were starting called Amusement Review. This was the first time I
had written anything for publication and I really didn't know if I
could do it. And here I am still writing about pinball. I have Harry
Williams to thank for my getting into writing, and I am grateful.
Since my visit with Mr. Williams, I have talked with him on the
phone on several occasions. Each time he was extremely friendly and
talked freely of his past associations with the coin machine industry.
I learned much from him during these conversations and much of that
information has been passed on through my articles on pinball history.
I cannot easily express the feelings of shock and sadness I felt
upon hearing of this great man's passing. He did so much for coin
operated amusement during his lifetime and I know his memory will live
on. I certainly will never forget the thrill of my association with Mr.
Harry E. Williams, "the father of pinball" and "king of the pins."
Updated Jun 05, 2005 Written by Russ Jensen
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