Flash

The 1935 Rock-Ola Flash is an early electromechanical (EM) pinball machine from the Chicago-based Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation, released in February 1935 during pinball's rapid pre-war evolution. Gameplay offers eight balls for five cents, with 32 trap holes on the playfield, a flashing electric light in the lower left of the apron, and a ringing bell to liven up play.

The Flash's real claim to fame is its Free Game feature - this was Rock-Ola's first game to include it. The mechanism was invented by Bill Bellah, a janitor at Harry Williams' Automatic Amusements Company in Los Angeles, and licensed to Rock-Ola by J.H. Keeney (Keeney's own 1935 'Quick Silver' was the first game to carry it). The feature let a player start a new game by pushing in the coin slide without a coin - no longer did players have to show the location attendant a qualifying score to be handed a nickel for their earned replay. The game also vended tickets based on games earned.

As an early EM game with a pioneering replay mechanism, the Rock-Ola Flash remains a captivating piece for enthusiasts and collectors, marking a small but genuine milestone in how pinball rewarded skilled play.