Johnson City Pool Hustling - Video

Thats a cool video. Its interesting too b/c a while back someone on here, maybe Jay Helfert or Blackjack, mentioned that Watler Tevis' book that The Hustler movie was based on, was about Ronnie Allen. And in this video, they refer to him as "Fast Eddie Ronnie Allen". Thanks for positing this video.

Southpaw
 
Thanks

That was so good I watched it twice.

Was that Omaha Fats briefly on camera? Heard his name mentioned, but couldn't tell. We knew him in Denver as Fat Marty, and I believe he ended up dying here. Real name was Martin Kayman or something close to that.
 
At 2:54 there is a straight in shot with a lot of right hand spin put on the cueball. The cueball 'squirts' to the left and comes off the rail spinning to the right after pocketing the OB. I never owned a 'low squirt' cue but was wondering if this shot could easily be made by one of them.

I say, "Beware the player who can't seem to run more than 3 balls but... when faced with a straight in shot... can come off 2 rails to get shape 'A' on the money ball."

I don't think there was any such thing as a low 'squirt cue' back then.
 
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Super video, good piece. I'm guessing '70, '71? Takes me back--great scene, great atmosphere,,,,young Ronnie, in action as per usual, Fatty riffing on the side. The way it was.
 
Johnson City

Ralph Kramden said:
If you have the book 'The Hustler & The Champ' you read about Jansco's Show Bar in Johnson City.

This video shows Minnesota Fats talking about hustling. Enjoy. :)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekyLXFehvvk
Click to expand...

The narrator mentioned Omaha Fats, and he always talked about Johnson City. He used to spend a lot of time in Denver, and we used to play him for 50 cents a game, he played one-handed. I actually have his old Viking cue case.
 
Question...

Does Jansco's pool hall in Johnston IL still exist? Because I would love to play there just to say that I did. (sorry if I misspelled it)

Vinnie
 
It Was A Restaurant Not Pool Hall

Vinnie said:
Question...

Does Jansco's pool hall in Johnston IL still exist? Because I would love to play there just to say that I did. (sorry if I misspelled it)

Vinnie
Click to expand...
TOURNAMENT PLAYED IN RESTAURANT AND GAMBLING DONE IN A BUILDING IN THE REAR OF THE RESTAURANT. WENT EVERY YEAR I WAS IN SCHOOL NEAR THERE; 6 YEARS AS I WAS STUPID BUT DUG THE PLACE. DCC IS GETTING NEAR THERE BUT WILL NEVER EQUAL BUT THAT IS OK AS A LITTLE SLIME IN JC ALBEIT FUNNY GUYS. NEVER FORGET JC BUT LIKE DCC BETTER.
 
Vinnie said:
Question...

Does Jansco's pool hall in Johnston IL still exist? Because I would love to play there just to say that I did. (sorry if I misspelled it)

Vinnie
Click to expand...
Actually you spelled "Johnston City" right -- often the "t" is missing :)

I believe the Showbar has seriously changed, with "the pit" gone. I think George Jansco's daughter still owns the golf course that is down near there, that her father created back in the day...

Danny DiLiberto told me a funny story about going back to the Showbar years later, and how much it had changed. He got to chatting with the young waitress and reminiscing and told the girl something like, "Who knows, I could be your dad." But she was a bit offended, 'cuz she "knew who her daddy was." :)

Incidentally, these very Jansco Brothers are being inducted in to the One Pocket Hall of Fame at our upcoming banquet in January!
 
cuesblues said:
The narrator mentioned Omaha Fats, and he always talked about Johnson City. He used to spend a lot of time in Denver, and we used to play him for 50 cents a game, he played one-handed. I actually have his old Viking cue case.
Click to expand...

I knew Marty Kaman real well and he was one of the true characters of the game.

Years ago in Denver at the old Celebrity Lanes Wide world of Sports inveited Marty to shoot a one handed spot shot.

Marty showed up in pleated slacks, wing tip shoes, and a white mustard stained T-shirt. They took one look at him and asked him to don another shirt for his TV appearance. Marty drove down Colorado Blvd to K-Mart and came back with a bran spanking new,,,,, White T-Shirt and the filming began.

Marty stuck his cue high in the air and claimed to be the greatest one handed player on the planet and then, let her rip. He repeated this 23 times before the ball finally fell.

Al Houge and I sat there observing and we laughed as hard as I ever laughed in my life. Marty was so pissed at us, I thought his head would burst.

Marty was a true character, but at one time he actually played pretty fair one pocket. Seeing his face in the video brought back a lot of memories. Denver was loaded with action in those days.
 
Celebrity Sports Center

ironman said:
I knew Marty Kaman real well and he was one of the true characters of the game.

Years ago in Denver at the old Celebrity Lanes Wide world of Sports inveited Marty to shoot a one handed spot shot.

Marty showed up in pleated slacks, wing tip shoes, and a white mustard stained T-shirt. They took one look at him and asked him to don another shirt for his TV appearance. Marty drove down Colorado Blvd to K-Mart and came back with a bran spanking new,,,,, White T-Shirt and the filming began.

Marty stuck his cue high in the air and claimed to be the greatest one handed player on the planet and then, let her rip. He repeated this 23 times before the ball finally fell.

Al Houge and I sat there observing and we laughed as hard as I ever laughed in my life. Marty was so pissed at us, I thought his head would burst.

Marty was a true character, but at one time he actually played pretty fair one pocket. Seeing his face in the video brought back a lot of memories. Denver was loaded with action in those days.
Click to expand...

Celebrity is where we always played him. They were open 24-7, and it was the 60's. The place is now a Home Depot
 
cuesblues said:
Celebrity is where we always played him. They were open 24-7, and it was the 60's. The place is now a Home Depot
Click to expand...

That was one heck of a place in those days.

I once spent 3 consecutive days there back in the early 70's. But of course I never slept until I was about 30 years old.
 
Great video. It's great to see some of the old legends on an old video once and a while. These were the true characters of pool. If not for them, I don't think pool woul;d have survived. When pool was first aired on TV, these were the players that were brought into your living room. Thanks again for a great link.
 
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