Sportsman

The Sportsman, designed by Harry Mabs (with art by Roy Parker) and manufactured by Williams in 1952, features a distinctive control mechanism: turning the knob on the lockdown bar pivots a "shotgun barrel" to aim the outhole ball towards any target, after which pressing either flipper button shoots the ball into play. This adds a layer of strategy uncommon among EM games of the period.

The game features five balls per play, two flippers, seven stand-up targets, and two kick-out holes. Fittingly for its hunting theme, players test their aim and accuracy by shooting the ball into play using either flipper button after positioning the barrel.

IPDB records note that the designer credit was previously listed as Harry Williams, but the manufacturer's original playfield drawing, dated January 18, 1952, is signed by Harry Mabs (with the tiny initials "GTH" for Gordon Horlick also appearing). While not as well-documented as some other classic machines, the Sportsman remains an interesting piece of early-1950s Williams pinball history.