Remembering Dorothy Wise Part 2

L

L.S. Dennis

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A TRIP TO PALACE BILLIARDS


My most memorable experience involving Dorothy occurred when she invited me to accompany her to a big tournament in
San Francisco Dorothy was scheduled to compete in a straight pool tournament at the old Palace Billiards on Market Street against the likes of 'Tugboat Whaley' and Joe Bachelor. (Palace was not far from Cochran's Billiards, owned by Welker Cochran, one of the greatest balk line and three cushion billiard player of all time. Palace was the more upscale, well-bred room; Cochran's was where the heavy action was to be found.) Dorothy asked me to ask my father if I could go with her. She must have known I would enjoy the experience, and, who knows, perhaps she wanted some company as well.

When we arrived at Palace Billiards, Dorothy let me carry her cue case up the back stairs leading into the area where the tournament room was. It was heady stuff for a young kid.

She lost that night to Tugboat Whaley but played with great class. It was really something to see a woman play competitively in a tournament at all.

OF CUES AND FERRULES

Dorothy's cue was an old 21-oz Hoppe cue, which is what most people had in those days. It had an ivory ring around the butt, which was not uncommon, but it had a very unusual ferrule-- unusual because it was about 2 3/4" long. Jimmy's cue had a similar ferrule; he handled the cue repairs at Sequoia Billiards and I suspect he was behind the long ferrules, which must have been put on for looks. Jimmy sold Hoppe cues, and I bought my first one from him for $21. Along with a Brunswick case ($12.) similar to the one Paul Newman carried in The Hustler I'm happy to say that I still have that cue and case today!

I'll conclude this story of my memories of Dorothy Wise tomorrow; hope you're enjoying it!
 
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L.S. Dennis

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Thank You Rick, glad you're enjoying it! Last part tomorrow!
 
L.S. Dennis

L.S. Dennis

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Life was much simpler in those times, no cell phones, computers, just indoor pool on Rainey Saturday afternoons...
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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Here is Part 1 for those who missed it, also from L.S. Dennis:
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This is an article that I did for a now defunct newsletter some years ago. I came across it tonight and thought I would share it with you. Without further ado, here it is:

I don't recall what I saw the first time I peeked through the door of Sequoia Billiards, but I do remember hearing the clicking of the balls. I had no idea that my life would revolve around the place for the next three years.
The year was 1962, and my father owned a liquor store on Main Street in Redwood City, California. As a 12-year old boy, I often hung around the store, and it was only a matter of time before curiosity drew me across the street and into the poolroom operated by Dorothy and Jimmy Wise. I had the privilege of knowing them both and learned to play pool at Sequoia Billiards.

PET CARE AND POOL ROOM ETIQUETTE

Dorothy was always kind to me. At some point even before I began playing regularly, I had a couple of pet rats, the kind you bought in a pet store. I wandered into Sequoia one afternoon with the rats on my shoulder. The room was empty-
no one was playing on any of the 16 Gold Crown 1 tables; no one sat in the theater-style seats that lined the perimeter of the playing area. Dorothy was behind the register, and instead of throwing me and my rats out the door; she opened a bag of sunflower seeds from the display on the counter and helped me feed them. Sunflower seeds, she assured me were very good for my rat’s fur.
I got the pool bug very quickly. Dorothy and Jimmy charged $1.00/hour for playing time, and it wasn't long before I was coaxing my father out of a dollar here, fifty cents there. Dorothy did not teach me to play; Jimmy was the one for instruction. He'd come over and tell me to use a little inside English to make the object ball hug the rail. Dorothy, though, definitely taught me poolroom etiquette. More than once, in a motherly fashion, she scolded me or my friends for using foul language after a miss.

SHE PLAYS POOL, TOO!

For a long time, I didn't even realize that Dorothy played. I knew her only as the nice lady who worked in the poolroom. Then one day, I saw her come from behind the counter to practice. She racked the balls, and then spun the rack as she lifted it, spiraling them smoothly onto the table. I watched in awe as Dorothy ran rack after rack. I'd never seen anyone run 35 or 40 balls. I couldn't wait to get out to a phone to call one my friends to say, "Guess what I just saw Dorothy do!"

(I'll continue this true story of my memory of Dorothy Wise tomorrow; hope you're enjoying it!)
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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And here is Part 3 .....

This will be the last segment of this article regarding my wonder memories of Dorothy Wise


MOSCONI & CO.

When big name players went on the road to perform in exhibitions, they always faced off against a top local player. When they came to Sequoia Billiards in Redwood City they played Dorothy Wise, and I saw Dorothy play exhibition matches at Sequoia Billiards against Joe Procita, Jimmy Caras and Willie Mosconi. For my friends and I seeing players of that caliber was just short of seeing God. We'd see the announcement and wouldn't sleep at night waiting for these events to happen. We were there waiting when these players walked in the door of Sequoia Billiards.
The big name players always won these matches, and it was always a great show. I remember Caras had a high run going when he hit 125 to win. Then, for the benefit of the crowd, he kept shooting to see how far he could go. Willie Mosconi was all business Caras was very personable. He demonstrated some fundamentals before going into his trick shot routine, and spent some time urging kids to enjoy the sport. I remember Caras executing a length of the table draw shot. We kids thought we'd never see anything like that again.
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JIMMY WISE

Dorothy's husband Jimmy had one of the best strokes I've ever seen. After Dorothy played her match with Joe Procita, Joe stepped to the billiard table and asked the crowd if they had any particular 3-cushion shots they'd like him to attempt. No one had any, until Jimmy came out from behind the counter and set up a complicated shot. Joe looked it over and said, "That's very tough, I don't think it can be made, but I'll try." He tried four times and failed. Jimmy asked, "Do you mind if I try it myself?" Joe graciously said, "Sure." Jimmy made the shot on the first attempt. He had an amazing stroke.

I enjoyed Jimmy's dry sense of humor. Once, Jimmy put a ball directly in front of a pocket and said to me, "I'll give you $15 if you can make this ball." I immediately took him up on it and knocked the ball in. He pulled the ball from the pocket and examined it. "You didn't make this ball," he said. "This ball was made in Chicago in 1941." (They were and old set of clay balls)

LAST MEETING

As kids of that age will do, after several years I found new interests, and I drifted away from pool for a while. The last time I saw Dorothy was in 1967 or '68. I had taken up archery and was practicing at an indoor range in Mountain View California, at a rec center that also had pool tables. Dorothy was there doing a promotion of some sort and, of course, greeted me kindly. Dorothy and her opinion of me must have meant a lot to me, because I remember that I felt like a traitor standing there with a bow in my hand.

Dorothy Wise was wonderful to me during the years I spent playing and learning the game at Sequoia Billiards. I'm very grateful to her and to Jimmy. To this day, deep down, I feel bad that I wasn't holding a cue the last time I saw her.

(Born in Spokane, Washington in 1914, Dorothy Wise was a seminal figure in women's tournament pool. In her early years, there were few national tournaments for women. As the winner of many state and local competitions, she became the self-proclaimed world champion. Then, beginning in 1967 when the Billiard Congress of America staged its first national women's tournament, Dorothy won five consecutive U.S. Open titles. She was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 1981, and died at the age of 80)

Note: I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed recalling these wonderful memories
L.S.Dennis
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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I think I first saw Dorothy Wise at one of the US Opens (14.1). At that time, she was well ahead of the other women players. As I recall, only she and Geraldine Titcomb had the sort of stroke that could really move the cue ball around the table. I never had a chance to visit her and her husband's room in Half Moon Bay (IIRC). Her husband Jimmy made a vinyl record about how to play. He died in 1967.

About 1970 I went by the Stanford student union where the collegiate regionals were being played and she was running them.

Later, she was a partner in the original California Billiards in San Jose, but she didn't stick around long. I think she was there for celebrity/promotion. I believe she eventually retired to Santa Rosa.

Here's a Wikipedia article on her: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Wise

Here are some photos in a previous thread: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/dorothy-wise-photos.318526/#post-4147321
 
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