Harry Williams was the founder of Williams Manufacturing, a pioneering pinball company established in the mid-20th century. He is recognized as a legendary designer and innovator who invented approximately 95% of pinball mechanisms, though notably not the flipper itself. Williams sold his stake in the company to Sam Stern in 1947 and later continued designing games into his early 70s, including Flight 2000. He maintained a deep professional relationship with industry figures like Roger Sharpe and is celebrated as a true innovator of core pinball technologies including jet bumpers and the impulse flipper.
No aliases
DC-powered solenoids (via bridge rectifier) can be stronger than AC-powered ones, which is why Harry Williams applied DC power to bumpers and slingshots
Harry Williams released Aztec approximately 29 years after Humpty Dumpty, placing it around 1976
The Aztec score display uses five physical score reels but displays six digits with the sixth being a fake/dummy reel
Harry Williams pioneered jet bumpers in 1948
Early pinball designer/manufacturer; added bell to Contact game in 1933, reportedly demonstrating customer preference for machines with bells
Owner of Automatic Amusements; early pinball designer who created Action (1934); pioneering figure in electromechanical pinball design
Historical pinball designer; Tommy speculates he may have worked on or been involved with the Big Game prototype
Historical pinball inventor and designer mentioned in 'Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball'
Pinball pioneer who invented the tilt mechanism in 1934 and founded Williams Manufacturing Company
Founder of Williams Manufacturing (1944), legendary pinball designer who later worked for Stern Electronics
No linked glossary terms
Harry Williams was a Hollywood set designer before entering the arcade business
Harry Williams invented the first solenoid in a pinball machine in Contact (1933)
Harry Williams invented the Tilt mechanism in 1934 after players called the anti-shake device a 'tilt'
Harry Williams produced approximately 400 games per production run in 1960
Darts was the first of 10 games released in the shelf cabinet style by Harry Williams
Harry Williams founded Automatic Amusements in 1933 and then Williams Manufacturing in 1944
Harry Williams designed approximately 15 games for Stern
Cactus Canyon was never finished because Harry Williams was killed before they finished it
Harry Williams worked as design consultant for multiple pinball companies including Valley and Stern after initial sale of Williams
Modern pinball design requires specialized roles (electronics designers, software engineers) unlike Harry Williams era when single designer could handle all aspects
Harry Williams made a mistake burying the Pinball 2000 patent and preventing modern Pinball 2000 table development
Harry Williams designed Firecracker and Skyrocket for Bally Manufacturing in 1970-1971, representing his only traditional pinball designs produced by Bally
Harry Williams invented the tilt mechanism in 1934
The tilt mechanism was first used on a game called Advance
Harry Williams was 72-73 years old when Flight 2000 was designed/released
Harry Williams designed Flight 2000
Vintage pinball/arcade designer; West Coast-based engineer; designed racing/track games and mini-golf games; worked with South and Engineering company (1964-1965); pioneering designer ahead of his time
Historic pinball designer, created unproduced playfield designs being revived by Duncan Brown
Legendary early pinball/EM designer; original game drawings being used by Duncan Brown for new game development
Founder/key figure of Williams pinball company, retired and living in Palm Springs at time of book research
Electromechanical pinball luminary; subject of first episode in Coast to Coast Pinball archival series
Legendary pinball designer who created Contact, the game that inspired Exhibit Lightning 36
Pinball manufacturer; produced many 1970s games criticized on worst list (Disco Fever, Lucky Seven, Satin Doll); generally poor performance in 70s era
Manufacturer of the Blackout pinball machine (1980) restored during Dave's service work.
Legendary pinball designer and manufacturer; designed Aztec (1976) and pioneered jet bumpers in 1948; founded Harry Williams company which became major manufacturer rivaling Gottlieb
Early pinball manufacturer that produced bingo machines
One of the 'big four' EM pinball manufacturers
Pinball manufacturer that adopted the bumper design and used the term 'jet bumper'
Manufacturer of Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (1993)
Historical pinball figure; flipper type named after him; incorrectly cited as causing pinball's decline post-1990s
Historic pinball manufacturer; reference point for flipper design and machine feel; Police Force compared to Harry Williams machines
Historic pinball manufacturer; shut down pinball division after No Good Gophers (last Pat Lawlor design)
Pinball industry figure; reportedly attempted to patent/sue over the term 'multiball'
Historical pinball designer whose A-title rankings were compared to Medieval Madness
Classic pinball manufacturer; referenced for sound board testing and connector types
Historical pinball manufacturer; Dick Hamill has branched out to support Harry Williams architectures requiring different board design that takes over processor slot
Classic pinball manufacturer that Ritchie learned about as a child; Bob Jonasy came from Harry Williams to Atari
Historical pinball manufacturer; Bob Thurman's first machine was a Williams Stratoflight from 1974
Classic pinball designer; 'Johnny Pinball' machine from 2021 referenced as early VR concept
Major pinball manufacturer; known for solid games; invested well in flyer production; oversized multicolor flyers
Legendary pinball manufacturer that acquired Bally's pinball division in August 1988; manufactured games with different component standards than Bally post-acquisition.
Historical pinball manufacturer; produced flipper adjustment tools now found at shows and goodie bags
Historic pinball manufacturer; IP now owned by Planetary Pinball; used as reference for design methodology
Historical pinball manufacturer referenced for backbox dimension standardization
Pinball manufacturer that produced the Darts shelf cabinet game and other shelf games in 1960
Manufacturer of Gorgar (1979)
Competitor pinball company that hired Harry Mabbs after his departure from Gottlieb
Pinball manufacturer; produced F-14 Tomcat in 1987
Pinball machine manufacturer known as 'Godfather of modern pinball,' employed Jerry Jim Kelly, competed with Alvin Gottlieb, later bought by Seaboard and operated as Harry Williams Electronics
Original designer of Cactus Canyon who was killed before the game was finished, leaving wizard modes incomplete
Historical pinball manufacturer known for designing horse racing pinball machines, mentioned as designer of The Winner
Founder of Harry Williams Manufacturing; acquired United Pinball; employed Jerry Jim Kelly
Manufacturer of NBA Fast Break, referenced as comparison machine
Competitor to Bally; manufactured Gorgar (1979), noted as first talking pinball game
Pinball manufacturer; mentioned in context of cabinet construction and side rail attachment methods
Historical designer; 1991 Star Trek pinball machine attributed to Williams
Historical pinball machine designer/manufacturer; credited with implementing quick-disconnect molex connectors praised in the video
Classic pinball manufacturer; Toledo is a Harry Williams machine from 1975
Early pinball designer/manufacturer credited with impulse flipper technology from 1940s-1950s
Historical EM pinball manufacturer; used standard 'industrial style' external score reel design
Historical pinball designer; quoted by Gary Stern: 'the ball is wild' as foundational design principle
Historic pinball manufacturer; referenced for classic titles being remade
Historic pinball pioneer; PPS had plans for Sheets to revisit classic Harry Williams games
Prolific pinball designer who created ~160 games total; designed ~15 games for Stern including Flight 2000, Galaxy, Big Game in late 1970s-early 1980s
Historical pinball manufacturer who used the term 'jet bumpers' for bumper features
Pinball manufacturer that produced Spanish Eyes in 1971-1972; also employer of designer Norm Clark
Designer of original T2 pinball machine; credited during gameplay demo
Pinball designer; credited as the manufacturer of Funhouse (1990)
Historical pinball designer referenced regarding slider mechanism comparison to Star Wars Episode 1
Original pinball designer/manufacturer; Monster Bash incorrectly attributed as 'Harry Williams Pinball' in guest segment
Historic pinball manufacturer; referenced in context of flipper design ('Harry Williams Shane Black flippers')
Legendary pinball designer; referenced in discussion of classic Indiana Jones topper absence
Manufacturer of the original arcade cabinet frame/body that housed Smash TV and was later converted to 60-in-1
Historical Williams Electronics figure credited with designing/manufacturing Varkon; described as innovative engineer by speaker
Williams Electronics founder/company name origin; credited with Sinistar design
Reportedly acquired Champion Pub rights after Capcom went under and produced remake versions
Historical pinball manufacturer; plant located at California and Addison in Chicago; now occupied by WMS Gaming
Classic pinball manufacturer; multiple games discussed with hidden Easter eggs and production trivia
Historical pinball manufacturer whose lightning flippers were installed on modified Pabst Can Crusher
Historical pinball developer referenced in book's coverage of flipper implementation
Pinball manufacturer that received the Shane Black Hole concept before Bally and rejected it in favor of double-level playfield designs (Shane Black Knight, The Jungle Lord).
Original artist credited on The Pinball Circus; Lynn acknowledges his art and respects him, ensuring attribution on the homebrew version.
Major historical pinball manufacturer; one of 'the big four'
Historic pinball designer/manufacturer; used score motor design similar to Bally in his machines
Legendary pinball machine designer/manufacturer, moved to Chicago from West Coast to bridge distribution gap, worked with Bally and others, credited with originating the phrase 'The ball is wild'
Legendary arcade designer; former Hollywood set designer; worked for Rockola and founded United Manufacturing; collaborated with George Miner on All-Star World Series game
Early pinball manufacturer; sold half his company to Sam Stern in 1947; owned private airplane and California boat
Historical pinball manufacturer. Closed down, marking point after which Brian Eddy left pinball industry for 20 years before returning to Stern.
Legendary pinball designer, designed the bagatelle/pin game that became the basis for Scorgasm Master (his second design)
Legend of Williams Pinball; met by Sharpe during book research; considered mount Rushmore-level pinball pioneer
Founder/namesake of Williams Electronics; pinball pioneer; previously covered in Wedgehead episode 20 with Roger Sharp
Founder of Williams pinball company; sold company to Sam Stern in 1947; photographed with Sam Stern at Stern Electronics facility in archival image
Historical pinball pioneer; met Ritchie at Round Robin restaurant in Chicago; impressed Ritchie by creating good games in his 70s
Founder of Williams pinball company; documentation of early games from 1930s-1940s included in archives
Pinball designer who submitted designs Samoa and Bali-Hi to Bally post-departure, produced as Sea Ray (1971) and Bali-Hi (1973), both credited to Zale; continued designing after leaving Williams Manufacturing.
Legendary pinball designer and founder of Williams Manufacturing; created designs for Bally, Williams, and Stern Electronics throughout his career
Partner of Sam Stern in Williams Manufacturing Company
Legendary pinball designer; designed Contact Master (second full game he put into production); Contact Master was first game to use a bell and second to use tilt
Classic pinball designer; designed Flight 2000 with distinctive maze feature
Williams Manufacturing designer who pioneered company's middle-pop approach with Majorettes (1952), Lazy-Q (1953), Tim-Buc-Tu (1956), Shamrock (1956), and Cue Ball (1956).
Early pinball designer; designed Traffic machine for Bally (1935)
Founder of Williams Electronics in 1944.
Early pinball designer famous for coining the mantra 'the ball is wild'
Legendary pinball designer credited with principle that 'the ball was wild' in classic pinball philosophy; quoted by Alan regarding modern design trends
Historical pinball figure quoted: 'the ball is wild' — used to justify difficulty as fundamental to pinball philosophy
Historical pinball designer referenced as 'father of modern pinball'; candidate for pinball Mount Rushmore discussion
Pinball's greatest innovator; created essentially all important pinball components except flippers; award named after him for Most Innovative games
Referenced as historical pinball inventor; Alan jokes that if you don't know who invented something in pinball, it was probably Harry Williams or Steve Ritchie
Founder of Williams Manufacturing; designer of Dracula for Stern Electronics.
Legendary pinball designer and manufacturer; sold half of his company to Sam Stern; served as consultant to company; had single-engine airplane; known as great designer but difficult to work with; described as dapper and excellent dancer
Pinball pioneer from early era of industry; subject of historical interview conducted by Roger Sharp in his 20s; featured in Nate's archival interview series with Roger Sharp.
Pinball designer and original Williams Electronics owner; sold half the company to Sam Stern in 1947; continued as designer/consultant at Williams, Valley, and old Stern Electronics; served as mentor figure to Gary Stern
Historical pinball industry figure; founder of Williams company; considered Mount Rushmore candidate
Legendary pinball designer; founder of Williams Manufacturing; original playfield drawings and designs from his work featured in museum collection.
Pinball pioneer; close friend of Lynn Durant; worked on Lightning game with seven magnets under playfield; moved in and out of Western
Pinball designer credited on Gamitron and Bullseye 301 conversion kits
Founder of Williams Manufacturing; sold half the company to Sam Stern in 1947 in a casual conversation where Sam jokingly asked why Williams didn't sell him the company
Pinball designer; credited as 'greatest pinball genius of all time' by host; designed Cheetah
Legendary pinball designer who designed Galaxy, Ali, and Big Game (first three Stern games of 1980); known for innovative spinner and drop target designs
Founder of Williams Manufacturing (1942); pioneering pinball inventor responsible for solenoid (1933), tilt mechanism (1934), flipper adoption, score reels (1953), and numerous innovative playfield designs; died 1983; subject of 2022 film 'The Man Who Saved Pinball'
Founder of Williams; legendary designer referenced as having invented ~95% of pinball mechanisms; did not invent flipper
Pinball designer and manufacturer with whom Roger developed deep personal relationship; interviewed by Roger
Founder of Williams Manufacturing; Python identifies as true innovator of jet bumpers and flippers, with credit falsely claimed by others including Steve Caraz
Founder of Williams Manufacturing; conceived backlit backglass feature; retired to Florida mid-career
Williams founder; was aging out of design role when Kordek arrived at Williams in 1960; designed impulse flipper technology
Gamatron designer (alongside Steve Kirk); credited on Kit Corp advertisement
Designer of Gammatron; historical pinball figure; placed initials (HW) on Gammatron backglass
Pinball designer credited with Flight 2000 design, which Gamatron is based upon
Designer of Flight 2000; design replicated in Gamatron conversion kit as standard-body version
Historical pinball figure; worked with Sam Stern; sold Williams company stake to Sam in 1947; appears in photograph with Sam Stern
Legendary historic pinball designer; Jack's design influence and collaboration aspiration
Historical pinball designer; anecdote about Sam Stern critiquing his designs
Founder/owner of Williams Pinball; sold stake to Gary Stern's father in 1947
Classic pinball designer who created Flight 2000 at age 72-73
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