Hi-Lite

The Hi-Lite, manufactured by Western Equipment & Supply Company of Chicago in November 1935, is an early electro-mechanical pinball machine from the industry's formative first decade. Its most notable historical distinction is that Western advertised it as their first straight game, meaning their first game without a payout mechanism, marking the company's move into pure amusement play.

The machine offered players 10 balls for five cents, an attractive proposition typical of the era. The playfield features 17 gobble holes and two kickers, providing an engaging test of plunger skill, while the illuminated backglass adds visual appeal that helped games of this period stand out on location. Western advertised the game as 40 inches long and 20 inches wide.

Hi-Lite was later remade with a rectangular backbox as Western Equipment's The New Hi-Lite. As an early non-payout game from a 1930s Chicago manufacturer, it offers a glimpse into the period when the industry was working out the boundary between gambling equipment and amusement machines.