The Return of the Hustlers by Kenny Pearlman

[JoeyA]

I found this jewel quite by accident. I was looking for more information about Keith Thompson, a 19 year old boy who won the all around at Johnson City in 1970 who then disappeared from pool and supposedly became a preacher.


Still checking facebook for Keith Thompson. He must have been quite the talent to win the all around at 19.

In the meantime enjoy Kenny's recollection of a time long ago by clicking here.

JoeyA

 

[TX Poolnut]

very cool. thanks JoeyA.

 

[JoeyA]

More research has concluded that Keith Thompson is not a preacher.

Androd from One Pocket .org reports that he saw Keith Thompson: "I last saw Keith at Jersey Red funeral service. He's certinaly not a preacher, he no longer plays pool. He's gained 50 to 70 pounds, all muscle. He was working or temporarily laid off from Champion Paper co."

JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

Minus 5 Ice Lounge at Mandalay Hotel

very cool. thanks JoeyA.

I like reading about the old days, I guess because there were so little records of those days.

Kenny Pearlman works in the casino industry in Las Vegas. It would be pretty cool to hear where he is working and visit. It was a well written article by Kenny and sure to please most billiard enthusiasts.

In the meantime, next month, when I visit Las Vegas, I have been told that I have to visit Minus 5 Ice Lounge (Celsius)at the Mandalay Hotel. Something about a Kobe Burger or a "CAP" steak at the STrip Steak Restaurant inside of Mandalay Bay. I think the idea of having to put on warm coats and gloves to go inside of a restaurant is a hoot. Glasses for drinks, all made of ICE... cool....

JoeyA

 

[TX Poolnut]

only in Vegas.

 

[Ed Wiggins]

What???

.

Kenny Pearlman works in the casino industry in Las Vegas. It would be pretty cool to hear where he is working and visit. It was a well written article by Kenny and sure to please most billiard enthusiasts.

JoeyA

You ought to get plenty of comments on this.
Pearlman put more bullshit per paragraph than even Fats could deliver.
I give him A+ for imagination!


EW

 

[catpool9]

I found this jewel quite by accident. I was looking for more information about Keith Thompson, a 19 year old boy who won the all around at Johnson City in 1970 who then disappeared from pool and supposedly became a preacher.


Still checking facebook for Keith Thompson. He must have been quite the talent to win the all around at 19.

In the meantime enjoy Kenny's recollection of a time long ago by clicking here.

JoeyA

Thanks Joey, I enjoyed the read very much, I too would like to hear more of this Keith Thompson kid, seems strange to be so good and just drop off the radar, how old would he be now about 60 yrs.?


David Harcrow

 

[Chi2dxa]

Nice story and I enjoy reading all pool related stories. One thing bothers me though, Frankfort, Il. is 284 miles north of Johnston City, Il. Still it was a nice story.

 

[book collector]

Nice story and I enjoy reading all pool related stories. One thing bothers me though, Frankfort, Il. is 284 miles north of Johnston City, Il. Still it was a nice story.

I can't remember who told me the story or whether I read it somewhere. The story goes that keith Thompson had gone to play in the tournament but was in the back room playing Buddy Hall and went busted and someone asked if he had put in his entry fee and he said {"No, Rags busted me.}
Not sure who it was that put him in but it seems it was one of those "Cinderella stories."
he wasn't supposed to win, but he did.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Pearlman put more bullshit per paragraph than even Fats could deliver.

So maybe there is a bit of artistic license. A very entertaining read just the same.
Thanks Joey.

 

[JoeyA]

I can't remember who told me the story or whether I read it somewhere. The story goes that keith Thompson had gone to play in the tournament but was in the back room playing Buddy Hall and went busted and someone asked if he had put in his entry fee and he said {"No, Rags busted me.}
Not sure who it was that put him in but it seems it was one of those "Cinderella stories."
he wasn't supposed to win, but he did.

That's a nice addition. Thanks!
JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

Thanks Joey, I enjoyed the read very much, I too would like to hear more of this Keith Thompson kid, seems strange to be so good and just drop off the radar, how old would he be now about 60 yrs.?


David Harcrow

Yeah, he would be 60. I wish androd would add some of what he knows about Keith Thompson.....
JoeyA

 

[JAM]

Very cool, JoeyA. Thanks for sharing a delicious pool read!

 

[Ed Wiggins]

Too Fantastic

It may be fun to read, but it's just too fantastic.
I'd like to hear what somebody like Freddy the Beard would say.

On a similar note, but much more (but probably not completely) believable, are these:

http://www.songsbysinatra.com/stories/stories47.html
http://www.songsbysinatra.com/stories/stories48.html


They include a piece of trivia---the earlier name of the poolroom:
"On 43rd was Elkins, later known to movie goers as “Ames,” where the movie The Hustler was filmed."

Keith Thompson, by the way, shouldn't be too hard to find if you search Pasadena, TX.
The story was that he didn't want to talk to anybody about pool. I don't know about the religion part.


EW

 

[freddy the beard]

Literary license?

It may be fun to read, but it's just too fantastic.
I'd like to hear what somebody like Freddy the Beard would say.

On a similar note, but much more (but probably not completely) believable, are these:

http://www.songsbysinatra.com/stories/stories47.html
http://www.songsbysinatra.com/stories/stories48.html


They include a piece of trivia---the earlier name of the poolroom:
"On 43rd was Elkins, later known to movie goers as “Ames,” where the movie The Hustler was filmed."

Keith Thompson, by the way, shouldn't be too hard to find if you search Pasadena, TX.
The story was that he didn't want to talk to anybody about pool. I don't know about the religion part.


EW

Incredibly incorrect. Dates, places, etc. Fast Eddie Felson? No such human. Its not a bad read but there is very, very little that is factual.
I was gambling on a daily basis with Keith Thompson. Our game was onepocket with him getting 9 to 8. Keith was basically a 9 ball player. He was actually the 7 ball under all the best players there, but somehow he won the 9 ball division, and he won the all-around too, besting Lassiter and Ronnie Allen.
Side note. Keith had no clothes to wear to play in the All around. He played in hippie sandals. He also didnt have a cue stick. The cue Keith won the event in was mine. I loaned it to him, and also talked him into staying and competing. He was not even going to play, he was going to forfeit and go back to Texas, afraid that he would make a fool of himself competing with Ronnie and Wimpy. Incredibly, he wound up winning
To list all, that was brutally, factually incorrect would require pages.

Beard

Just came across flic of the stick I loaned to Keith for the finals. Its an old Joss West. I sold it about 5 years ago. That is me about 70 lbs ago.

 

[DocHutch]

Great story.

 

[JoeyA]

Incredibly incorrect. Dates, places, etc. Fast Eddie Felson? No such human. Its not a bad read but there is very, very little that is factual.
I was gambling on a daily basis with Keith Thompson. Our game was onepocket with him getting 9 to 8. Keith was basically a 9 ball player. He was actually the 7 ball under all the best players there, but somehow he won the 9 ball division, and he won the all-around too, besting Lassiter and Ronnie Allen.
Side note. Keith had no clothes to wear to play in the All around. He played in hippie sandals. He also didnt have a cue stick. The cue Keith won the event in was mine. I loaned it to him, and also talked him into staying and competing. He was not even going to play, he was going to forfeit and go back to Texas, afraid that he would make a fool of himself competing with Ronnie and Wimpy. Incredibly, he wound up winning
To list all, that was brutally, factually incorrect would require pages.

Beard

Just came across flic of the stick I loaned to Keith for the finals. Its an old Joss West. I sold it about 5 years ago. That is me about 70 lbs ago.

EXCELLENT. Nothing like someone who was there and done that.

THANK YOU FREDDY! That is awesome.
JoeyA

 

[pt109]

Nice story and I enjoy reading all pool related stories. One thing bothers me though, Frankfort, Il. is 284 miles north of Johnston City, Il. Still it was a nice story.

Fats lived in Dowell, a village about 4 miles south of DuQuoin...
...his location wasn't far off, just the name.
I'm cutting him some slack here...he's a college kid with limited experience
soaking up a lot of the stories and fables at a pool hall.
But an interesting read.
The Fast Eddie he saw had to be Ronnie Allen, who was called that after
the Hustler came out in the early 60's.
Little Egypt is a fascinating place for pool players....worth a book.
Not far from Johnston City is Metropolis, childhood home of the great
Buddy Hall.Nick Varner spent some time there when he was young...
..it wasn't all that far from Owensborough.First met Nicky in Mount Vernon
...We used to gamble with a mining engineer called Joe Shields.

In the late 70's I walked into a room in Carbondale...saw a GC billiard table.
Got the billiard balls in a small wooden box and walked to the table....
..took one look and returned to the counter....said "Gimme some pool balls.'The owner said "Anything wrong?"
I said "Putting Mali directional nap cloth on a carom table is like
white-washing your Cadilac."

Thanx for reminding me about all this, Joey...I'm still hot....:angry::angry:

 

[punter]

Incredibly incorrect. Dates, places, etc. Fast Eddie Felson? No such human. Its not a bad read but there is very, very little that is factual.
I was gambling on a daily basis with Keith Thompson. Our game was onepocket with him getting 9 to 8. Keith was basically a 9 ball player. He was actually the 7 ball under all the best players there, but somehow he won the 9 ball division, and he won the all-around too, besting Lassiter and Ronnie Allen.
Side note. Keith had no clothes to wear to play in the All around. He played in hippie sandals. He also didnt have a cue stick. The cue Keith won the event in was mine. I loaned it to him, and also talked him into staying and competing. He was not even going to play, he was going to forfeit and go back to Texas, afraid that he would make a fool of himself competing with Ronnie and Wimpy. Incredibly, he wound up winning
To list all, that was brutally, factually incorrect would require pages.

Beard

Just came across flic of the stick I loaned to Keith for the finals. Its an old Joss West. I sold it about 5 years ago. That is me about 70 lbs ago.

Freddy, I noticed that he wrote of Felsen that, "Felson never did much; he was a drinker and couldn't keep his game up, the last I heard he owned a pool hall in Oakland."

At least he didn't say that Felsen quit pool to work for UPS, later finding solace in getting drunk and ragging on pool legends at onepocket.org.:thumbup:

 

[ginsu]

Thompson

I found this jewel quite by accident. I was looking for more information about Keith Thompson, a 19 year old boy who won the all around at Johnson City in 1970 who then disappeared from pool and supposedly became a preacher.


Still checking facebook for Keith Thompson. He must have been quite the talent to win the all around at 19.

In the meantime enjoy Kenny's recollection of a time long ago by clicking here.

JoeyA

Thompson returned to Texas still played pool for a while after Johnston (correct spelling) City. He would of been considered a good short stop at this time. He pretty much gave up regular play after getting embarrased by "The Big Train" Stevens around the early 70's. Also as Freddy pointed out this story is so wrong it would have to be completely re-written, very little truth in it at all.