The Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corp. was founded in 1927 by David Cullen Rockola.  The company was formed to manufacture and sell coin-operated entertainment machines. During the 1920s, Rockola was linked with Chicago organized crime and escaped a jail sentence by turning state's evidence. Mr. Rockola added the hyphen because people often mispronounced his name. Starting in 1935, Rock-Ola sold more than 400,000 jukeboxes, which predated the rock and roll era by two decades and is thought to have inspired the term. David Rock-Ola saw the repeal of prohibition in the USA in 1932 as an opportunity to expand his amusement business into coin operated phonographs, to be placed in the now legal bars and nightclubs. The new jukeboxes would use the brand name “Rock-Ola” and the first model was introduced in 1935. This was a 12-selection jukebox which was replaced by 20 selection jukeboxes by 1937, the first being the model IMP-20. In the 1930's Rock-Ola had massive success with three small footprint pinball games. They were the 1933 Rock-Ola World's Fair, 1934 Rock-Ola World Series and the 1935 Rock-Ola Army Navy. Rock-Ola also created the 1937 Rock-Ola World Series baseball themed arcade game. This game today is considered a holy grail coin-op collectible. Rock-Ola continued to produce a new model every year up until 1942 when the constraints of World War II had an impact. After the war, they produced what many consider their most attractive 78rpm player, the model 1428. In the early 1050s, the arrival of the 45rpm seven-inch record brought major changes to jukebox designs for all manufacturers. The first 45rpm player from Rock-Ola was the model 1434 which held 25 records, and thus 50 selections. The late 1950s to the early 1960s saw Rock-Ola manufacture a variety of successful jukebox models, the key ones being the Tempo, Regis, Princess, and Empress models. Visible playing mechanisms eventually disappeared from Rock-Ola and all other manufacturers in the mid 1960s. Rock-Ola continued to manufacture jukeboxes into the 1970s and beyond, although the units themselves eventually became less conspicuous in the bars and clubs where they were located, ultimately being hidden away. Rock-Ola eventually sold out to Antique Apparatus in 1992. More recently in 2019, jukebox entrepreneur Alexander Walder-Smith acquired Rock-Ola. His plans are to revolutionize Rock-Ola's market presence by manufacturing a brand-new 45-RPM vinyl jukebox, which will feature a state-of-the-art speaker system as well as offering music streaming from phones and tablets for a unique blend of mid 20th Century styling and 21st Century technology.
Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corp. released 259 machines. (1928 - present)​ - Below are some examples from The Torrence Collection.

​1933 ROCK-OLA WORLD'S FAIR JIGSAW

Splendid restoration and performs perfect. Original playfield, puzzle, marquee holder, marquee paper, front door, coin box, etc. A pure mechanical flipper less pinball game. Plays on a nickel. As the player scores, the weight of the ball trip levers which then begins to reveal an animated mechanical jigsaw puzzle. A mechanical marvel!

​1933 ROCK-OLA WORLD'S FAIR JIGSAW

Rare and in beautiful original condition. Original marquee as well and works wonderfully. A pure mechanical flipper less pinball game. Plays on a nickel. As the player scores, the weight of the ball trip levers which then begins to reveal an animated mechanical jigsaw puzzle. 

1934 ROCK-OLA WORLD SERIES​

Beautiful restored by Jon. Original playfield, front door, marquee holder, etc. A pure mechanical flipper less baseball pinball game. Plays on a nickel. One of the most popular arcade games ever invented. If the player gets a hit, the ball is then fed to the infield. The infield is mechanically animated where the balls act as the base runners.

1934 ROCK-OLA WORLD SERIES

Beautifully restored condition. A pure mechanical flipper less baseball pinball game. Plays on a nickel. One of the most popular arcade games ever invented. If the player gets a hit, the ball is then fed to the infield. The infield is mechanically animated where the balls act as the base runners.

1935 ROCK-OLA ARMY NAVY

Extremely rare. This is the gold top version which makes it even more rare. Plays on a nickel. The football in the lower playfield sits on a chain that moves it left or right across the football field. Increments by 20, 40, or 60 yards, depending on which hole is scored in the upper playfield by the ball in play. When the football reaches the end zone, it falls into a scoring hole and the appropriate score reel is increased by 6 (or 3 if it a field goal). The Rock-ola Army Navy was one of the first games to use score reels for scoring. After falling into a score hole, the football is ejected from below the playfield back onto the chain at the 50-yard line, ready for the next shot. The mechanism that kicks this yellow ball from below the playfield is powered by the motion of the ball lift lever. It is reset each time the lever is pushed by the player to lift the next ball to the shooter alley. A pure mechanical flipper less football themed pinball marvel.

ROCK-OLA TRILOGY

The 1933 Rock-ola Jigsaw. The 1934 Rock-ola World Series. The 1935 Rock-ola Army Navy. MINT!

1937 ROCK-OLA WORLD SERIES

A centerpiece collectible to any fine collection. The 1937 Rock-ola World Series. This game keeps track of balls, strikes and outs. Pitcher can deliver up to fifteen different pitches. When the pitcher throws a strike, the umpire even raises his right hand. If it's a ball, the umpire raises his left hand. A series of levers, gears and weights record the play with precise accuracy. The N. Y. Yankees batting lineup is Gehrig, Herman, Crossetti, Higgins, Di Maggio, Warner, Chapman, Hubbell and Dickey. The fielding team is Dykes, Medwick, Appling, Averill,  Gehringer, Dean, Demaree, Terry, and Hartnett. A very special game!

ROCK-OLA CD-8 BUBBLER JUKEBOX

This is one of the most popular jukeboxes of all time. The Bubbles of air perk merrily to the top of the 8 bubble tubes, while a “Kaleidoscope” of colors flows through 4 color translucent plastic cylinders. It’s the 1950s all over again when the changer flips the CDs right in front of you. All 19 trim pieces are genuine die cast metal, triple-plated with copper, nickel and polished.