Disk Jockey

Disk Jockey, manufactured by Williams in November 1952, is a distinctive entry from the electro-mechanical era: a combination bingo machine and pinball game. Designed by pinball pioneer Harry Williams with artwork by George Molentin, it merges the in-line scoring awards of bingo-style games with conventional pinball play. Hitting bumpers 1 through 5 in sequence doubles the backglass in-line score awards, and hitting all seven bumpers in sequence scores a replay and lights the side rollovers for special.

The playfield features two impulse flippers, a single pop bumper, seven passive bumpers, and an impressive 15 trap holes. The absence of slingshots is also notable, giving the game a character quite different from later 1950s designs. Its electro-mechanical construction, typical of the era, relies on relays, solenoids, and mechanical linkages to control game functions.

Disk Jockey's theme of happiness, music, and dancing reflects the popular culture of the early 1950s, when radio disc jockeys were at the height of their influence. As a hybrid of bingo and pinball mechanics from a pivotal era in the hobby's history, it offers collectors a fascinating look at how manufacturers experimented with blending the two dominant coin-op game formats of the day.