The History of Pinball Part 1: The Electromechanical Era

In this video, we go through the history of pinball from its humble beginnings in the 30's to the mid-70's (aka the electromechanical era cause they're all EM's)
Special video credits go to the following. If you wanna see more detailed videos/gameplay for individual machines, I highly recommend checking these guys out
TNT Amusements Inc, Vintage Pinball, Flipper-Automaten, Pinrescue, London Pinball, David Yopp, Arcade Jason, The Pinball Collector, Fordeisel69, World of Virtual Pinball, gringonaut, Slamtiltproductions, Csepregi Ivan, ALJO1122, SCV Games, Ron Valkenburg, KingofTheCrap, Joel garblik, dtown8532, Whoahboomshakala, Tenholtpianist, pingeek777, Dr. Dave's Pinball Restorations, Jdswainjr, Pinball Evangelist, Doug Barger, tubz2965a, hoverbeaver, pafasa1972, Home Leisure Direct, Gee Tee, Joe Cole, Ballen Van Staal, Pindude152, Robothut, Derek Fugate, Roxer, Pinballwiz45b, Joe's Classic Video Games
Also, this whole project couldn't be possible without great resources like The Pinball Compendium series by Michael Shalhoub, IPDB, and Pinside.
Highlighted Tables
1.Baffle Ball (Gottlieb)
2.Ballyhoo (Bally)
3.Airway (Bally)
4.Jack and Jill (Bally)
5.Brokers Tip (Gottlieb)
6.Contact (Pamco)
7.Criss Cross ‘A’ Lite (Genco)
8.Beam-Lite (Chicago Coin)
9.Bumper (Bally)
10.Dux (Chicago Coin)
11.Humpty Dumpty (Gottlieb)
12.Triple Action (Genco)
13.Sally (Chicago Coin)
14.Saratoga (Williams)
15.The 4 Horsemen (Gottlieb)
16.Spark Plugs (Williams)
17.Niagara (Gottlieb)
18.Marble Queen (Gottlieb)
19.Coronation (Gottlieb)
20.Silver Chest (Genco)
21.Army Navy (Williams)
22.Super Jumbo (Gottlieb)
23.Balls-A-Poppin (Bally)
24.Turf Champ (Williams)
25.Flying Aces (Genco)
26.Gusher (Williams)
27.Miss Annabelle (Gottlieb)
28.Hi Straight (Keeney)
29.Flipper (Gottlieb)
30.Magic Clock (Williams)
31.Vagabond (Williams)
32.Sunday on Ice (Rally)
33.Show Boat (Gottlieb)
34.King Pin (Williams)
35.Sun Valley (Chicago Coin)
36.Moon Shot (Bally)
37.World Fair (Gottlieb)
38.Palooka (Williams)
39.Big Day (Bally)
40.Bazaar (Bally)
41.Rally Girl (Rally)
42.Flower’s Child (Rally)
43.Super Score (Gottlieb)
44.Blast Off (Williams)
45.Beat Time (Williams)
46.Hayburners II (Williams)
47.Domino (Gottlieb)
48.Airport (Gottlieb)
49.Miss Universo (Inder)
50.Snow Queen (Gottlieb)
51.Klondike (Williams)
52.Sea Hunt (Allied Leisure)
53.Fireball (Bally)
54.King Rock (Gottlieb)
55.Travel Time (Williams)
56.Jack In The Box (Gottlieb)
57.Strike (Zaccaria)
58.Amigo (Bally)
59.Super Flipper (Chicago Coin)
60.Wizard! (Bally)
61.El Dorado (Gottlieb)
Thanks for watching. Part 2 will probably take a bit longer to come out, but I'm very excited to finish this project.

[@willowfarmer6550]

My jaw literally hit the floor seeing all of those tables getting destroyed. RIP.

[@interwebpsychiosis]

That one hurt

[@devonboulden2496]

I cheer if it's Space Station or Space Shuttle machines. Some machines are too boring to save. BTW: That was TNT Amusements. I love Todd and his friends. They do lots of videos so whenever I want to walk down memory lane, they have a video for it.

[@bralex2670]

Space shuttle aint too bad. Space station on the other hand, maybe

[@sailingsvzara]

@@bralex2670 Do you know why Todd was throwing machines off the roof?

[@bralex2670]

It's been a while but I think those tables were beyond repair

[@BallenvanStaal]

Great video. You obviously did your research and spiced up the sometimes quite dry stories with catchy lighthearted humor. Love it! I even saw a glimpse of one of my own videos in there. What great honour! :)

[@Kerlimann]

Aside from the fact that this is the most comprehensive and educational documentary about pinball I've ever come across, I really LOVE the way you tell stories....so entertaining and never a boring moment! This rulez, YOU rule!

[@zamiadams4343]

Absolutely brilliant, I'm a big pinball nut and this was fantastic, thank you!

[@ChadTheBird]

NOT NEARLY enough subs! This series is dope.

[@nickcarter4006]

Video game history is so evergreen on KZbin, but this story is even more interesting. I want to hear some classic pinball voice clips go memetic

[@herbertpocket8855]

Incredible mix of well researched facts and amusing jokes. I had no idea that Microsoft Pinball Arcade had so many important classic tables

[@EpikYeti]

You really did a great job making this both informative and entertaining! Great stuff!

[@parkerbohnn]

This is a great video on pinball for pinball historians or any serious pinball player. Most people worked a job but for me I always played pinball at least eight hours a day for the last 50 or 60 years.

[@grouuter]

I'm so amused for these machines. The history is so relevant now.

[@thingsiplay]

I'm mildly amused. A very interesting documentation, can't wait to watch the rest of the series. You deserve way more subscribers.

[@jimmyhuesandthehouserocker1069]

those colored lights on Beamlight were actually horse capsules, for medicine

[@londonpinball]

Thanks for the shout out. This video was very entertaining.

[@cyperus4589]

Omg i actually shed a tear for those poor machines being tossed off the roof... Like for real that's just heartbreaking

[@bralex2670]

Oh don't worry. Those particular machines were from TNTamusements and were beyond repair.

[@wimkuijpers1342]

Very nice video. My first pinball was a Keeney's Colorama (1963 It was their last game). On this machine I learned how to repair pinballs. Later also learned the digitals and now recreate them virtual with Visual Pinball.

[@colinmurphy2127]

A great 4 part history of pinball. I still have to rate funhouse as my all-time favourite, closely followed by theatre of magic. I can remember in the mid to late 70’s an amusement arcade in Mablethorpe in the UK still had the old bingo pinball tables and also some jigsaw pinball tables (possibly Rockola), the arcade also had a quick draw game where you faced off against a six foot tall talking cowboy opponent for the princely sum of 2p

[@frauenhm]

These videos are so much fun! Nice job on all the history and entertaining presentation.

[@jessierocket3955]

your script and delivery is PERFECTION!! xD loved it!

[@jimmyhuesandthehouserocker1069]

The backglass on Big Deal features the Beatles, sitting around a card table, and I don't why this game isn't the famous classic you'd think it would be. You'd think everybody would want it

[@screwthenet]

I have researched hte history of games, pub games, arcade games, slot machines and vending machines, and I LOVE IT ALL! THe older the better. This video was a long time coming and I have not seen the like anywhere else on youtube from what I can remember ( One or two channels might have a similar vid idk). BUT SUBBED! ^

[@bralex2670]

Thanks :) I'd love to look into the history behind other old arcade games (like the one's you mentioned)

[@screwthenet]

There are videos here and there to help, like this dude in vegas that collects very old boardwalk arcade machines from the 1960s and earlier. Hes got punching machines, old proto "pinball" I think, and shooting gallery lil machines, etc. Old slot machines from the 19th century and vending machiens pop up here and there on youtube, so check those out too. Super cool stuff, and eveyrthing goes back to old lawn games and pub games from europe. There was even supposedly a "vending" machine for "holy" water at an ancient greek or roman shrine 2000+ years ago lol So they say :P@@bralex2670

[@Cameroo]

Man. I really loved this series. Thank you for all your hard work on it!

[@ButchMccracken]

Super awesome job. So much research and detail. Love it.

[@luigi_garcia]

Fantastic job! Super interesting and hilarious. Such unique machines Pinballs! I was crazy about them when I was a kid, but they disappeared fast and I never got the chance to savor them. After seeing this, hell, I need to have one! I opened Pandora's Box and there's no turning back. Big thanks man, subscribed!

[@stephenalexander3057]

Really awesome work man! Great commentary, editing, and humor to make a perfectly enjoyable, informative video! Bravo

[@GopnikGaming886]

I cried when they destroyed the pinball tables😢

[@strykerking]

This is so good, can't wait to watch the rest of the series. Great work.

[@KNWIII]

"Jesus Christ, that's a lot of sisters!" 🤣😆🤣😆 Fantastic video. Thanks!

[@CaptNRetro]

this is fantastic, welcome to the club of youtubing pinball historians!

[@roccocasazza4145]

The Four Horseman football game was probably a reference to the nickname being for a group of players at Notre Dame

[@viccamppinball]

Fantastic video! Such an important and informative EM video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion.

[@affableshadow]

Thank you for this!

[@CyberUrza]

I really love this series of videos. They are informative (and funny).

[@cubingclip8073]

super under rated

[@jackcan]

love your presentation style, thanks so much for sharing! fascinating stuff

[@casedistorted]

Fantastic video! Def make more, and y'know.. turn into that huge youtube channel

[@lukewarmloser]

I like this video because i decided to learn about pinball machines right now

[@frkol]

Great! Waiting for the next part.. :-)

[@tnpatriot7468]

Good video....looking forward to parts 2 and 3

[@Furluge]

2:54 - "There for no substitute for quality" Now you can't unsee it. :D

[@RyanTheAccuser]

We will watch your career with great interest.

[@TiltingT]

Great video! Really enjoyed it.. cant wait fir part 2... Solid State!

[@ltmcolen]

In my language, which is Dutch, it's called flipperkast (Flipperbox). nice video!

[@TheGameGuruTv]

If you havent, try Pinball FX 22 VR, Pinball in VR is truely amazing, next level! Lovely video btw

[@lukewarmloser]

This is good video i like the editing its funny

[@Seemsayin]

Dude... you're funny. Great video.

[@crudemocha248]

Amazing videos, very funny and informative

[@RadioactivFly]

23:28 I was expecting a limerick lmao

[@Gortman1]

Your inage for fireball was actally a home unit called fire ball it was possibly made by bally or licensed

[@timhaskett1733]

Klondike at 31:10 also features a centre post to protect from ball loss between the flippers

[@leehazlewoodism]

Looking forward to Pt 2. Yours, subscriber #67

[@Experternas]

In Sweden Pinball machines are called Flipper due to the most important aspect of the game.

[@retrogamestudios7649]

Very pinheaded of you. Great job....onto part 2.... electricity...how did they use it to gamble back in the day? Was it designed specifically as a gambling device?.....what's the oldest working (and assuming it's the most expensive) pinball machine still in existence? Is there any videos of it..... whatever it may be

[@bralex2670]

I can't be sure if pinball was originally designed for gambling, but it definitely turned that way at some point. EM's generally aren't that expensive to get these days (at least not when compared to nowadays) but I think you'd have a hard time getting your hands on a 30's/40's table

[@ExNihiloComesNothing]

Algorithm actually worked. Subbed

[@oceanlopez4739]

1:04 ガルパン spotted

[@taso_arts]

hey, i can draw sexy women… maybe i should be a pinball artist

[@bralex2670]

Big if true

[@dnbreyen]

Great stuff!

[@andrewfischer48]

i have a sun vally im sitting next to it.. em s my era of collecting.. i think they are easier to repair. not crazy expensive. not to busy. the ball is always in site not hidden under three levels. easier for the uninitiated,,,, on a sad note my 1958 united three way bowler is acting up, to complicated for me to fix. was on location dont have the room to put in storage. going to give it away. love that game going to miss it

[@andrewfischer48]

ps i have a twinky like the bootles chicago coin didnt want to pay the model twiggy

[@acidgougewaltz]

i have a fairly good knowledge about pinball history and manufacturers, but i must say, there's a bit in here even i didn't know.

[@OtherMike5000]

Excellent!

[@pdxdale4451]

I give up - what is the questionable theme for Domino at 28:42?

[@bralex2670]

Move that car from creature from the black lagoon

[@bralex2670]

I think

[@pdxdale4451]

​@@bralex2670 I don't think you understood my question. At 28:42 you say that Domino is a questionable theme, and ask, "can you guess what that one is supposed to be?". What is the answer? What is that one supposed to be?

[@alexwothebr1118]

@@pdxdale4451 oh i just thought the idea of a dominoes pinball machine was funny. The joke might pay off later on who knows.

[@cpi23]

I made it 90 seconds in and the sheer scope of errors has reduced me to a blubbering mess. I'm still gonna watch the hell outa this though. hmu if you want notes on the prewar mistakes.

[@cpi23]

haha that's literally my Cloverleaf machine at 2:29

[@cpi23]

note: the video is still hella entertaining

[@bralex2670]

Hmu on twitter and I'll dm you (shameless twitter plug >:) I wanna open the treasure trove with pinball topics going forward and addresaing mistakes would be a high priority

[@cpi23]

​@@bralex2670sorry I missed this, you on mastodon or bluesky? I haven't been in twitter in a long time. I'd love to review EM history!

[@PeasGraveny]

Subscribed after the opening two sentences.Very funny.

[@MrLembesis]

Great stuff! My only problem is with how you mispronounced Bally and LaGuardia 😬

[@PinStratsDan]

Great stuff... and funny ;-)

[@parkerbohnn]

I should be in the Gunness Book of World Records for busting more flippers than anyone else alive. Remember the name pinball is synonymous with the name Tommy Tutalidge.

[@sirmoony5633]

Was that question mark on the Coronation pinball machine used for censorship? LOL

[@bralex2670]

Nah i was trying to keep the theme backglass ambiguous cause it's just so wild. I think, I don't really remember now lmao

[@sirmoony5633]

@@bralex2670 Oh, nice! I don't mean to offend. I'm sorry. LOL

[@bralex2670]

Nah I didn't take if wrong don't worry

[@sirmoony5633]

@@bralex2670 Okay! Also, How are you doing today? Nice to meet you! Hope you're doing well! Also, I love pinball too! ^_^

[@christopherherold3621]

Funny watching tnt tossing pins off the top of the building

[@bralex2670]

Ye i like that one a lot :)

[@maxhemenway]

9:59 He Had An Idea

[@thefreelancequeen]

These videos tickle my autistic pinball fixation

[@freekeefox]

I have a theory why folks didn't like the score reel. The printed/tinted glass score counters flash like a Vegas sign as your numbers go up. Meanwhile the score reel looked more like a cash register, since that's what they used back then. I can see the association being kind of a sticking point way back then.

[@Magnulus76]

I believe you are correct. That was an age where people preferred entertainment to be whimsical, and pinball backglasses often captured that. I've never played the really old machines, but I've been playing virtual pinball since the early 90's, and when I first played MS's Pinball Arcade's Humpty Dumpty, I immediately saw the appeal of the lighted scores. It's relatively mechanically simple, compared to a spinning reel, and it looks very eye-catching.

[@rizzlerazzleuno4733]

PS: Wayne Neyens last name is pronounced Ny-inns. Not Nay-inns. Enjoyed the humor in your video. 👍

[@joshcantrell8397]

Chicago coin turned into midway?

[@bralex2670]

Chicago coin assets were sold to original stern

[@seanbrinkman6733]

companyman is that you?

[@michaelbeverly215]

Bally is the most recognizable name in pinball, but you're not pronouncing the name correctly.

[@timippolito1182]

Top from the 60s. 17 out of 20.

[@Furluge]

Wait... Baffleball looks like Pachinko...

[@HamzaSayyid]

Enjoyed your video... but.... but... Bally is pronounced like rally....

[@mobius273]

20:27 me when i see straight person

[@greazer1909]

UPDATE THE CONTROLS !!!

[@georgepmr]

Dude get your FATCS straight! You cant do the history of pinball without the two companies that started the genera! Whiffle the 1st coin-op pinball machine in the WORLD (1931) EVERYONE COPIED! And 1929's Whoo-Pee! Do your research!!!

[@georgepmr]

And for the record there called Pure Mechanical pins! PM!

[@bralex2670]

*They're

[@camdflage]

Really hard to follow. Too much nonsense and opinion. Not enough fact and reflection. U do U

[@stevedrake360]

Good video but the profanity wasn't necessary.

[@iDX1701]

Your mispronunciation of practically every name in this video is driving me nuts

[@sexhaver420]

Why isn't there a Kabbalah pinball machine?

[@Piggy991]

8:48 Context or backstory? Jesus my heart hurts!

[@bralex2670]

Oh yeah i got u. Tnt amusements is a company/youtube channel that fixes up pinball machines. Those one's were unserviceable so they threw them off a roof for a special

[@Piggy991]

@@bralex2670 Or they just suck at fixing them. They deserve butt cancer for this :(

[@slimbomb]

I knew the pinball destruction was coming but god that was actually painful. My whole dream is to work with pinball machines, those were beautiful.

[@Valmont1978]

I watched this entire 4 part series with my mother in law and we laughed the whole time. Way to go making an extremely informative and entertaining series that for whatever reason is peppered with coyotes and ducks. I instantly shared it on my socials! Absolutely magnificent. I was hoping that you'd spend more time on individual tables through the years. Dr. Dude and his Xcellent Ray is my favorite pinball machine of all time! But there was a lot of story to tell and I know you couldn't spend too much time on an individual table. Keep up the awesome work!

[@bralex2670]

Thanks there were definitely a few tables i could've talked about more. Radical is also a lot fun :)

[@slimbomb]

Pinball FX has that in one of the packs, I turned my tv 90° and have been playing it. It’s awesome

[@Exar_Kun]

This is literally the best documentary in the history of the universe!!

[@kennethd4958]

How do you only have 2.1K subs?? This documentary is awesome. Funny, entertaining and insanely informative.. perfect blend.

[@JohnShepherd104]

Looking forward to Part 2! Keep up the good work. I would appreciate a few more moments to see the table designs as we move threw time.

[@bralex2670]

Thanks for the feedback. I get that, but I had to do it this way just to get along at a reasonable pace. There's just so much to cover

[@CaptainFoufeu]

My grandfather fought in World War II and he often told me about the Gottlieb Tank, Bally Dive Bomber and Chicago Coin Battleship. They're the reason America won the war!

[@bralex2670]

Facts we couldnt have made it through without em

[@licoricewhip]

This is very informative and entertaining! Great stuff here, Bralex.

[@bralex2670]

Great! I'm glad to hear you liked it! Keep on the lookout for part 2 whenever that comes out. I think the story will get more interesting from there.

[@treyjohnson4035]

Pinball is wonderful, I myself want the Halloween one.based on the movie.. I take it that the one in Rocky 3 might have been a.prop?

[@bakatono666]

This video is awesome! I watched it twice in a row. Learned a lot and a new respect for the old school pins. Thank you for this!

[@TampaTec]

Great job with info, narrating, editing. 👍

[@yumemirai4419]

I never thought I'd be interested in this but this was a blast.

[@mhm6]

There’s a pinball movie that came out in 2023. It’s actually an entertaining movie with good humor and plot

[@andrewfischer48]

1969 the rock opera tommy was released about a blind boy saved by pinball, 1974 tommy the movie with stars like nickleson and tina turner ann margret elton john

[@blueroseknight]

I question the validity of you saying that the first table with a safety gate was released in 1950. My arcade has a Three Musketeers unit released in 1949, and it has one.

[@bheasy1]

As a pinball person, I didn't know some of these facts. Great job!

[@matt68061]

While very interesting and I certainly appreciate the very well done research ….the sarcasm…on literally every other sentence in the first 5 minutes gets old pretty fast.

[@bralex2670]

Honestly that's pretty fair. I'm a pretty scarcastic person irl so I guess a lot of that will bleed into my script writing. Thanks for the feedback tho honestly means a lot

[@LoQProductions]

This was a great watch, can’t wait for part 2!