Episode 21 - Harry Williams: Pinball Prophet w/ Roger Sharpe

Wedgehead Pinball Podcast

In this episode we are joined by a very special guest, the man who saved pinball with a single shot, and who wrote the first published book on the history of pinball, Mr. Roger Sharpe.
https://wedgeheadpdx.com/podcasts/ Link is to some bonus materials on our website to see all the games that we are talking about in this episode.
Roger is a legend in the pinball world, most it well documented elsewhere, but he joined us on the podcast to talk about a different industry legend: the late great Harry Williams. Founder of the eponymous Williams Mfg. company, and the man who did more for pinball than any other single person in its long history.
Harry brought electricity to pinball, designed the tilt mechanism, was the first to place magnets under the playfield, invented the first pop bumper, was the first to put score reels into a game, and the first to put elevated wire ball paths (the precursor to modern ramps) and more in his games OVER 70 YEARS AGO!
Roger famously interviewed Harry back in the 1970s for his book PINBALL!, and he joins us to talk about the legacy of this great man, helping to fill out the details of Harry's life and of his personal warmth. Listen to Roger tell stories of Harry as a mentor to a young version of himself when he was developing his first pinball design Sharpshooter, and insights of Harry's return to the pinball design world in the late 1970s via Sam Stern, aka Gary's dad for Stern Electronics.
Harry was a visionary, and was the greatest single creative force that the pinball industry has ever seen, but whilst his many contributions to pinball persist to this day, he remains heinously underappreciated and celebrated for being the true prophet of pinball that he was.
We hope that this episode sheds some light on pinball's brightest star.