Need some insight, re: The Hustler

RickLafayette

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I just got a 2 disc DVD deluxe version of The Hustler. I haven't seen this movie since the early 60's. Yeah, I'm that old. The second DVD has lots of commentaries about the filming, the trick shots, trivia, etc.

I basically remember that Piper Laurie was in the film and boxer Jake LaMotta played a bartender in the film. I also remember that Bobby Darin was originally cast as Fast Eddie. That's all I recall after all these years. I understand that there were several notable pool/billiard figures who had cameo appearances in the film. Can anyone enlighten me about who had appearances in the film and what I might look out for to help identify them?

Any other trivia will also help me enjoy this movie. I watch a movie I've seen two years ago and it's like watching it for the first time. Fifty years is a time warp.

P.S. While I live in Lafayette, LA, I grew up in the Bronx and as a young man I lived in the local pool halls while the rest of my friends got lost in the drug culture. In my neighborhood the most desired cues were Bushkas and Palmers. (I repeat, "in my neighborhood") I was never able to afford either and eventually life careers drew me away from pool for too many years before I came back. I enjoy this site a lot and am more than impressed by the knowledge and history that so many of you have.
 
pwd72s

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
Willie Mosconi was a tech advisor and made some of the shots. It's he who holds the stakes in the first Eddie/Fats match.
 
michael4

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
" When Fast Eddie prepares for his first matchup against Minnesota Fats, his manager sits down in front of a poster depicting Willie Mosconi, 14-time world champion in billiards from 1941 to 1957. About ten minutes later, Willie himself makes a cameo as the guy who holds onto the bet money. His character name is also Willie.
All the pool shots in the movie are performed by the actors themselves ('Newman, Paul' and 'Gleason, Jackie' ) except one: the masse shot (cue ball sends two object balls into the same pocket), performed by Willie Mosconi.
Fast Eddie is from Oakland, California.
Filmed on location at Julian's Poolroom on East 14th Street in Manhattan. Today, the establishment is known as Julian's Famous Poolroom.
Cliff Robertson lost the role that went to 'Paul Newman' , Jack Lemmon having already declined the part. "

and...........
http://www.moviefone.com/2011/10/01/25-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-hustler/
 
PoolBum

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
“No bar, no pinball, no bowling alley, just pool. This is Ames Mister.”
 
Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
If they didn't settle for Paul Newman, the movie would probably never been mentioned a year after it came out. The movie was out 52-53 years ago, and still talked about and rerun today. Jack Lemon...WTF were they thinking. Johnnyt
 
DJSTEVEZ

DJSTEVEZ

Professor of Human Moves
Silver Member
michael4 said:
Filmed on location at Julian's Poolroom on East 14th Street in Manhattan. Today, the establishment is known as Julian's Famous Poolroom
Click to expand...

That's completely incorrect. First of all, Julian's was not in the film (I've been there, I know what the room looked like). Second, the original Julian's on East 14th Street (in the same building as the famed Palladium, a live music venue & later a Nightclub) is long gone. In the mid 1990's NYU bought the building and demolished it to make room for more student housing. I'm not aware of any current or recent Pool Room/Billiard Club in NYC by the name of Julian's. After Julian's closed "Chelsea Billiards" on West 21st became Manhattan's main action room (The Golden Q was in Queens).

julianswarehousemagazine2.jpg


The majority of the Pool scenes were shot at a Pool Room just off NYC's Times Square and was called "Ames" just as it was in the movie.

A little side story. Jackie Gleason was a very seasoned Pool player even prior to Willie Mosconi recommending him for the part of Fats in The Hustler. As a young, struggling actor playing Pool for money is how he made a living in between auditions. At some point earlier in his life his cronies set him up to be hustled by Willie Mosconi as a practical joke. Gleason & Mosconi became good friends after that.

Nyu_palladium.jpg
 
Last edited:
michael4

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DJSTEVEZ said:
That's completely incorrect. First of all, Julian's was not in the film (I've been there, I know what the room looked like).
Click to expand...


sorry I copied my info from another website.......:eek:

I guess not everything on the internet is true, who knew ! :grin-square:


edit: I also read the story where Willie hustled Jackie, good stuff right there.....
 
C

crazysnake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That's a beautiful photo of the old 14th street. I think Jack Lemon would have been a good Eddie Felson. This film is long, slow and dark. The sound track/score is great. George C. Scott and Murray Hamilton make the film worth watching. The Piper Laurie/Newman dynamic is too heavy, dark, melodramatic and over acted.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
lfigueroa

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
RickLafayette said:
I just got a 2 disc DVD deluxe version of The Hustler. I haven't seen this movie since the early 60's. Yeah, I'm that old. The second DVD has lots of commentaries about the filming, the trick shots, trivia, etc.

I basically remember that Piper Laurie was in the film and boxer Jake LaMotta played a bartender in the film. I also remember that Bobby Darin was originally cast as Fast Eddie. That's all I recall after all these years. I understand that there were several notable pool/billiard figures who had cameo appearances in the film. Can anyone enlighten me about who had appearances in the film and what I might look out for to help identify them?

Any other trivia will also help me enjoy this movie. I watch a movie I've seen two years ago and it's like watching it for the first time. Fifty years is a time warp.

P.S. While I live in Lafayette, LA, I grew up in the Bronx and as a young man I lived in the local pool halls while the rest of my friends got lost in the drug culture. In my neighborhood the most desired cues were Bushkas and Palmers. (I repeat, "in my neighborhood") I was never able to afford either and eventually life careers drew me away from pool for too many years before I came back. I enjoy this site a lot and am more than impressed by the knowledge and history that so many of you have.
Click to expand...


I posted this a few years back:

#####
I was killing a little time last night channel surfing and came in at the start of an intro to "The Hustler" on "Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman." If you get the chance you should try and watch it the next time it comes around on your local TV listings.

Rothman, Chairman of Fox Films, gives a great synopsis of why the movie is important and interesting background on the director, Robert Rossen, the cast and plot. One tidbit: Bobby Darren was Rossen's original pick for Fast Eddie. But then a project Newman was signed up for with Elizabeth Taylor fell thorough. Newman got through reading half the script and called Rossen to say, "I'm in." One other observation made: Jackie Gleason, as Minnesota Fats, has very few lines in the movie. But based purely on his few lines and mostly his expressive reaction shots, he got an Oscar nomination.

Anywhos, it's like a 20 minute intro and well worth viewing. Of course then you get sucked into watching the movie for the umpteenth time too. Fortunately, it's in letterbox.
#####

Lou Figueroa
 
C

chuck amos

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My favorite lines from the movie...
Fats- Preach, go down and get me some White tavern whiskey, a glass, and some ice.
Eddie- Preacher! Go down and get me some bourbon JTS Brown no glass, no ice.
Interesting thing is that Fats asks for a top shelf Whiskey, glass and ice. Eddie asks for a bottom shelf bourbon no glass, no ice. This conveyed the difference in class between the two. In the end Eddie got too drunk and fell apart, while Fats kept control, and won it all.
In my game room I have an original movie issued Hustler poster next to a vintage advertising poster for JTS Brown bourbon. Love the way they look side by side, and they remind me of what drinking can do to a good players game..
 
RickLafayette

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thanks for all the contributions. I'm going to watch the movie Thursday night. I'm pretty excited to see how many scenes I remember. I can't believe I've never watched a rerun of the movie all these years.
 
T

THE MONTREALER

THE MONTREALER
Silver Member
movie the hustler 1961

HI would someone know the pool balls that were used in the
movie the hustler 1961 with jackie gleason and paul newman

would it be the Brunswick Company out of new york that supplied the table the balls etc

By the way greatest pool billiard movie on the planet

Thanks Leonard
 
ctyhntr

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
It wasn't Julians. According to wikipedia, filming was at McGirrs, Ames and a townhouse on East 82nd for the Kentucky Derby road trip match.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hustler_(film)


michael4 said:
" When Fast Eddie prepares for his first matchup against Minnesota Fats, his manager sits down in front of a poster depicting Willie Mosconi, 14-time world champion in billiards from 1941 to 1957. About ten minutes later, Willie himself makes a cameo as the guy who holds onto the bet money. His character name is also Willie.
All the pool shots in the movie are performed by the actors themselves ('Newman, Paul' and 'Gleason, Jackie' ) except one: the masse shot (cue ball sends two object balls into the same pocket), performed by Willie Mosconi.
Fast Eddie is from Oakland, California.
Filmed on location at Julian's Poolroom on East 14th Street in Manhattan. Today, the establishment is known as Julian's Famous Poolroom.
Cliff Robertson lost the role that went to 'Paul Newman' , Jack Lemmon having already declined the part. "

and...........
http://www.moviefone.com/2011/10/01/25-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-hustler/
Click to expand...
 
Ralph Kramden

Ralph Kramden

BOOM!.. ZOOM!.. MOON!
Silver Member
chuck amos said:
My favorite lines from the movie...
Fats- Preach, go down and get me some White tavern whiskey, a glass, and some ice.
Eddie- Preacher! Go down and get me some bourbon JTS Brown no glass, no ice.
Interesting thing is that Fats asks for a top shelf Whiskey, glass and ice. Eddie asks for a bottom shelf bourbon no glass, no ice. This conveyed the difference in class between the two. In the end Eddie got too drunk and fell apart, while Fats kept control, and won it all.
In my game room I have an original movie issued Hustler poster next to a vintage advertising poster for JTS Brown bourbon. Love the way they look side by side, and they remind me of what drinking can do to a good players game..
Click to expand...
.

I think "White tavern whiskey" was no more than apple juice for Fat's hustle. The glass
and some ice were key words the for Preacher to go fetch G.C. Scott for stake money.

.
 
GoldCrown

GoldCrown

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Someone posted it...I'm simply reposting. The Hustler' - starring John Candy as Minnesota Fats/Kevin Kline as Fast Eddie>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiTJbS7IkKY



Favorite scenes>>> Hey Mister how about moving your chair....also liked where Burt tears Piper Laura a new one. You're a train wreck. You're a loser. You're the last horse to come in.....
 
Last edited:
WildWing

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
RickLafayette said:
I understand that there were several notable pool/billiard figures who had cameo appearances in the film. Can anyone enlighten me about who had appearances in the film and what I might look out for to help identify them?
Click to expand...

Other than Willie Mosconi, nobody in the film had anything to do with pool. Some were famous, such as George C. Scott, Jake LaMotta, Vincent Gardenia... But nobody had much to do with pool.

You might be thinking of The Color of Money, or even The Baltimore Bullet, which did have pool players in them.

All the best,
WW
 
Pushout

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
RickLafayette said:
I just got a 2 disc DVD deluxe version of The Hustler. I haven't seen this movie since the early 60's. Yeah, I'm that old. The second DVD has lots of commentaries about the filming, the trick shots, trivia, etc.

I basically remember that Piper Laurie was in the film and boxer Jake LaMotta played a bartender in the film. I also remember that Bobby Darin was originally cast as Fast Eddie. That's all I recall after all these years. I understand that there were several notable pool/billiard figures who had cameo appearances in the film. Can anyone enlighten me about who had appearances in the film and what I might look out for to help identify them?

Any other trivia will also help me enjoy this movie. I watch a movie I've seen two years ago and it's like watching it for the first time. Fifty years is a time warp.

P.S. While I live in Lafayette, LA, I grew up in the Bronx and as a young man I lived in the local pool halls while the rest of my friends got lost in the drug culture. In my neighborhood the most desired cues were Bushkas and Palmers. (I repeat, "in my neighborhood") I was never able to afford either and eventually life careers drew me away from pool for too many years before I came back. I enjoy this site a lot and am more than impressed by the knowledge and history that so many of you have.
Click to expand...

Do you have the DVD or the Blu-Ray version? The DVD has Mike Massey talking and doing trick shots if I remember right. The Blu-Ray is different and has more material, I think. I have both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top