Beat Time

Beat Time, designed by Steve Kordek with artwork by Jerry Kelley, was released by Williams Electronics in September 1967, right at the height of Beatlemania, and therein lies its most famous story. The backglass depicts a mop-topped rock band named "The Bootles", because Williams never obtained a license to use The Beatles' name. Backglasses showing "The Beatles" instead are reproductions or modified glasses, not original to the 1967 production; a licensed use of the band's name would not appear on a pinball machine until Stern's 2018 The Beatles. Williams built 2,802 units of this two-player game.

On the playfield, Beat Time offers two flippers, five pop bumpers, two slingshots, two standup targets, a rotating target, and left and right dual outlanes, with 3- or 5-ball play and a maximum displayed score of 9,999 points per player. The playfield carries a Plastikote finish, the game was convertible to add-a-ball operation, and the flyer touted a then-new power on/off toggle switch under the cabinet.

One enduring puzzle surrounds a small number of "blue version" examples, authentic Williams games with blue backglasses and blue playfields instead of the standard green, known from at least three machines with low serial numbers. Whether they represent an early production variation remains unresolved, adding a genuine mystery to a game already rich in 1960s pop-culture lore.