Pool hall junkies

Mars and Chris Corso wrote PHJs while playing pool at the greatest pool hall I've ever frequented. The Hollywood Athletic Club.

Robert Cotton was the house pro. It was at least 30,000 sq. ft. PHJs was not exactly a David Lean epic but it has grown on me over the years.

Mars was a straight up hustler and if you got on his wrong side you got a fist sandwich. Those were the days and they ain't coming back anytime soon.

What a place.
 
Mars, Chris and Bobby are all friends of mine. Chris called me to talk about the movie and having me play a part in it. I was unable to and they cast Richard Portnoy as me in the tournament scene. I told Chris I never liked the name Pool Hall Junkies. I thought it had a bad connotation to it, that another name may have worked better. Besides being a mediocre movie the extensive use of the F word in every scene was a turn off to me. There is a reason it only lasted one week in the theaters.

The Hustler remains a classic movie, studied by students who are learning the art of movie making. It is much more than a Pool movie, it is a well told and very sad love story. The acting is superb and each scene is well crafted from beginning to end. There is no other pool related movie (or TV show) that even compares with it.
 
Say what you will about PHJs but the fact is: how many young hustlers get to co-write, direct and star in their own movies?

I'll answer my own rhetorical question. None. Folks need to give Mars some credit.

I knew all these guys and played pool with both Mars and Chris. As far as the Hollywood Athletic Club it was the tits and made most rooms look like a slum.

The halcyon days of the big upscale poolrooms is long gone in LA. I had so much fun at the HAC it should have been illegal.
 
overlord said:
Mars and Chris Corso wrote PHJs while playing pool at the greatest pool hall I've ever frequented. The Hollywood Athletic Club.
Robert Cotton was the house pro. It was at least 30,000 sq. ft. PHJs was not exactly a David Lean epic but it has grown on me over the years.
Mars was a straight up hustler and if you got on his wrong side you got a fist sandwich. Those were the days and they ain't coming back anytime soon.
What a place.
Click to expand...
How did these people who had reputations about 'delivering a fist sandwich' keep from getting a bullet between the eyes or gasoline and a lit match tossed on them once they walked out of the place?
Keep on truckin'
:thumbup:
 
Low500 said:
How did these people who had reputations about 'delivering a fist sandwich' keep from getting a bullet between the eyes or gasoline and a lit match tossed on them once they walked out of the place?
Keep on truckin'
:thumbup:
Click to expand...

That's a good question it certainly crossed some people's minds.
 
What was your opinion on the Toupee Jay character?

jay helfert said:
Mars, Chris and Bobby are all friends of mine. Chris called me to talk about the movie and having me play a part in it. I was unable to and they cast Richard Portnoy as me in the tournament scene. I told Chris I never liked the name Pool Hall Junkies. I thought it had a bad connotation to it, that another name may have worked better. Besides being a mediocre movie the extensive use of the F word in every scene was a turn off to me. There is a reason it only lasted one week in the theaters.

The Hustler remains a classic movie, studied by students who are learning the art of movie making. It is much more than a Pool movie, it is a well told and very sad love story. The acting is superb and each scene is well crafted from beginning to end. There is no other pool related movie (or TV show) that even compares with it.
Click to expand...
 
overlord said:
As far as the Hollywood Athletic Club it was the tits and made most rooms look like a slum.

The halcyon days of the big upscale poolrooms is long gone in LA.
I had so much fun at the HAC it should have been illegal.
Click to expand...
Why are those days gone in L.A.?
What happened to the Hollywood Atheltic Club?
 
overlord said:
Mars and Chris Corso wrote PHJs while playing pool at the greatest pool hall I've ever frequented. The Hollywood Athletic Club.
Click to expand...

I visited LA in the early 90's and HAC was on the top of my list to see and see it I did. Clearly no expense was spared and it was the Catherdral of all Pool halls. I've seen a lot of Pool halls in my day, but nothing could ever compare to HAC...and I honestly expect never to see another one that does.
 
The Color of Money was released 31 years ago and The Hustler is 56 years old. I agree with you, it seems fashionable to rank on any film younger than their great grand kids. :-)

Dead Money said:
Baltimore Bullet wasn't to bad. There were a lot cameos of good players in that.

I know it is fashionable to loathe Pool Hall Junkies but I don't think it is that bad!:)
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I love PHJ, it's just a fun movie. No, it's not the caliber of The Hustler or The Color of Money but its smart enough to not try to be. It has fun and keeps it light. For that reason I actually put it on once a month or so probably as I just find it enjoyable.
 
slide13 said:
I love PHJ, it's just a fun movie. No, it's not the caliber of The Hustler or The Color of Money but its smart enough to not try to be. It has fun and keeps it light. For that reason I actually put it on once a month or so probably as I just find it enjoyable.
Click to expand...

You nailed it with "fun". The movie reminds me of the time I spent with a group of friend back when I was living pool every day, it just does it in an over the top way. We all loved the game and played it as much as we could. We were trying to avoid "growing up" and getting "regular" jobs. We would bet on anything and everything. We had each others backs. It was a bit like the show Cheers where just walking into the pool hall, you knew you would see several friends who were all happy to see you and had the same love for this amazing game that you had.

I feel like out of all the pool movies out there, this one captured that vibe the best. Is it the greatest pool movie ever? No. But it is a fun movie.
 
ctyhntr said:
What was your opinion on the Toupee Jay character?
Click to expand...

He looked a lot like me. So much so that some people congratulated me on my acting job in the movie. :rolleyes:
I met him at the Premiere and he was a very nice guy. Quite a well known character actor in Hollywood (Richard Portnoy).
 
So why did this place "Hollywood Athletic Club" go out of business if it was so doing so well?

DJSTEVEZ said:
I visited LA in the early 90's and HAC was on the top of my list to see and see it I did. Clearly no expense was spared and it was the Catherdral of all Pool halls. I've seen a lot of Pool halls in my day, but nothing could ever compare to HAC...and I honestly expect never to see another one that does.
Click to expand...

mchnhed said:
Why are those days gone in L.A.?
What happened to the Hollywood Atheltic Club?
Click to expand...

overlord said:
The greatest pool hall I've ever frequented. The Hollywood Athletic Club.
Robert Cotton was the house pro.
It was at least 30,000 sq. ft.

Those were the days and they ain't coming back anytime soon.
What a place.
Click to expand...
 
jay helfert said:
He looked a lot like me. So much so that some people congratulated me on my acting job in the movie. :rolleyes:
I met him at the Premiere and he was a very nice guy. Quite a well known character actor in Hollywood (Richard Portnoy).
Click to expand...

Soooo...you got no Portnoy's Complaint? :)
 
overlord said:
Say what you will about PHJs but the fact is: how many young hustlers get to co-write, direct and star in their own movies?

.
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M'Lord,
And the correct answer is they should NOT have been allowed to. It was beyond horrible. The writing was atrocious, the plot was a disaster, and folks that make movies like this usually don't make a second movie unless they are named Ed Wood.

And it certainly does not help the next guy who writes a billiard related screen play ;)

I thought I should really watch it a second time to make sure my opinion of it is valid, but I'm afraid I'll stab myself in the eyes with a fork if I do :)

The best review I could find for this on Rotten Tomatoes was this: If you saw this film, then you were hustled or The cinematic equivalent of a train wreck.
 
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A rare groaner by pt109

Portnoy's Complaint

:embarrassed2:

I have important cue stuff to deal with, and I don't have time for bad jokes.
The Pool Sharks reruns on TruTV take up enough of my time.

:smile:
 
pt109 said:
Soooo...you got no Portnoy's Complaint? :)
Click to expand...

When they closed HAC, I was able to buy sixteen of their tables at a greatly discounted price. I stored them in a friends storage space and slowly sold them off one by one. It took me about three months to turn them all, saving the last one for my friend who got it for cost, thanks to letting me use his storage.
 
ctyhntr said:
The Color of Money was released 31 years ago and The Hustler is 56 years old. I agree with you, it seems fashionable to rank on any film younger than their great grand kids. :-)
Click to expand...

Seems like it's time for a third installment, this time with Vincent as the older and wiser teacher-like poolshark who takes on a young protege. C'mon, who's with me? :thumbup:

But on topic: I don't think PHJ is a great movie or even a good movie, and still it's one of those movies I re-watch at least once a year. As is TCOM. I think that just says something about a certain quality they both apparently have.
I tried to watch The Hustler again recently, but I could not get through it past the first half hour. It's just gotten too slow-paced for me.
 
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