An Old Road Story! "1979" Longview,Texas

[catpool9]

"The Lady in Question"

There used to be a well known backer 30 or more years ago in huntington,west virginia.His daughter lives in longview,TX.I am a old man and don`t remember neither her name nor her dad`s name.I met this lady in shreveport during the hall of fame induction ceremony for late 'knoxville Bear'.
By any chance do u know her? How is that lady doing?If u personally know her can u please tell her vagabond said hello?.thanks

No Vagabond, I don't remember the lady in question, but if I could get a good LQQK at her one more time like the fellow in your profile pic. I'm sure I would remember!........hehe


David Harcrow

 

[catpool9]

Is this the spot where they had the huge calcuttas? I heard they would have 10 dollar entry fee tournaments and 5k in the auction.

Longview was not the exact spot the place your refering too, but was a bar about 10 miles down the road on hwy. 80 near Killgore I believe, Earl Kellume and Walter Glass played in it many times......"it was 8-Ball, one game, doublle elimination".......High Calcutta's!.1980 -82 maybe.....


Eddie Cumberland won it once,( just a local guy from Longview) sold for $7.50, won over $2,000 first place calcutta!


David Harcrow

 

[catpool9]

Yeah he was a little rough around the edges, but paid his debts. Everywhere he took us, when the game was over he took his end and paid people there he owed. I was impressed. Get calvin to tell you about him fighting Curly down behind the cafe by the bridge. The only rule was no kicking. They fought for all Curleys money, Calvin helped him count it. I had just beaten Curley and he was woofing at me, Bojack said Curley if you want to fight, I'll fight you for all you got.

Androd, as a matter of fact I'm going down to Texarkana tomorrow on business and I'll swing by Calvin's and give him a holler, he'll prolly like to here about that old war story!


David Harcrow

 

[ACE]

Longview was not the exact spot the place your refering too, but was a bar about 10 miles down the road on hwy. 80 near Killgore I believe, Earl Kellume and Walter Glass played in it many times......"it was 8-Ball, one game, doublle elimination".......High Calcutta's!.1980 -82 maybe.....


Eddie Cumberland won it once,( just a local guy from Longview) sold for $7.50, won over $2,000 first place calcutta!


David Harcrow

There was a place between Kilgore and Tyler, on the county line called The County Line. They used to have some huge calcuttas.

 

[ACE]

Ace (Walter)..... yeah there's alot of people I didn't mention, ..Mr. and Mrs. Bonner, they always came to the "Last Stop " pool room after hours and had a cup of coffee,..good people!...owned a bar out along the river....

then their was Randy Dorsey, that tall lankey dude could shoot some pool and always had a good story to tell...

I remember "Ole Tom Green" he was a player!, but knowone liked him at all, his attitude and personality suck!...

then Mike Watson,... he and I played many times, and some real talkative guy named "Eddie Cumberland" he was a charactor!,..... and Seargio "the mexican",.

Van Whiterman, the first time I ever played him I had him down $480 at $20 agame playing 6-Ball, out at the VFW in Longview, and he came back and got even.


That Kevin Durhman played in a band, but was prolly the best pool player ever outta Longview!


Mike Kincaid, he only had one eye, but when we played roll out (9-ball, I would say go ahead, and he would come back.. ( you calling me a "GORED HEAD" then would smile and say go ahead and shoot!)

I remember Mike Boswell, and Gene Greathouse we were good friends!

lotsa good times!:smile: :smile:



David Harcrow

I have been around and played most of these people. I dont know a Tom Green, Gene Greathouse, or a Mrs. Bonner. We called all the bars out by the river "Wisky Bend"

 

[ironman]

Longview was not the exact spot the place your refering too, but was a bar about 10 miles down the road on hwy. 80 near Killgore I believe, Earl Kellume and Walter Glass played in it many times......"it was 8-Ball, one game, doublle elimination".......High Calcutta's!.1980 -82 maybe.....


Eddie Cumberland won it once,( just a local guy from Longview) sold for $7.50, won over $2,000 first place calcutta!


David Harcrow

Earl and Walter were good bar players in those days.. I think Earl is gone now cnacer having got the best of him. I saw Walter a couple of years back over in Houston, while Androd and I were playing now that I think on it.

Joey Torman called me from there having a good game and the nuts according to him. Anyone who staked Joey or lent hm $10.00 got screwed though. He played pretty good on the bar box at one time, but, one of the most ruthless I ever ran accross.

 

[androd]

Earl and Walter were good bar players in those days.. I think Earl is gone now cnacer having got the best of him. I saw Walter a couple of years back over in Houston, while Androd and I were playing now that I think on it.

Joey Torman called me from there having a good game and the nuts according to him. Anyone who staked Joey or lent hm $10.00 got screwed though. He played pretty good on the bar box at one time, but, one of the most ruthless I ever ran accross.

Yep, If Joey wasn't the worst he was in the top two ! He would absolutely do anything. Very good young player before he turned conman, thief, outlaw, police snitch. He is seriously hunted by many. The last time I threatened him, he told me" I've done so many bad things and gotten whipped for them, I've gotten kinda tough." I laughed so much I got over being mad.
rodney

 

[androd]

Androd, as a matter of fact I'm going down to Texarkana tomorrow on business and I'll swing by Calvin's and give him a holler, he'll prolly like to here about that old war story!


David Harcrow

THE REST OF THE STORY ?
Another fight started inside the cafe and the police came. I was able to sneak out after they said stand against the wall, so I don't know what else happened.

 

[DocHutch]

David,

You probably knew my uncle, Danny Kirkland. He played with all the guys you mentioned in the ArkLaTex area. As a youngster, I used to spend all summer with him (I live in South Louisiana) and he would open up one of his bar tables and teach me. At night, he would play road players or set up matches and I would sit at the bar and watch quietly. Occasionally, he would let me play the drunks for $5 a game.

He is the reason I am playing today. Unfortunately, he passed last year due to cancer. I do miss his numerous stories and tales of days past.

Jamie "DocHutch" Hutchinson

 

[nlagirl]

Update on Murrell

Jim Murrell died of cancer in 2001. All other stories of his death are false.
He has a wonderful son serving in the Air Force that reads these posts so if you can't say something good about Jim please keep it to yourself.

Thanks,
Debbie Murrell Sempter

 

[catpool9]

Memory of a good time!

Well this "Old Road Story" takes place back in 1979, ....................

When I had been running around with my brother Country Calvin Harcrow,.. back when Ermand Bullard, Gary Seay,Doug Wells,Jimmy Sanders,Scotty Townsend,Hawiian Brian,Charley "Good Times" Owens, Steve Gumphrey, Joey Barns"the black guy from DFW",Jerald "Top Water" Jackson from Houston, Billy Weir & Jim Murrel from Odessa ,Ted Copeland,Rod Surfer,John McCarthey, Little Wayne,Randy Dorsey, Billy Newton,Gene Greathouse,Tom Green,Mike Watson,Rick Thompson from Kansas,Curtis Payne,Fat Paul,David Matlock,Mark Wilson, and numerous other backers & players ...Converged on Longview,Texas at the Motel/Bar "Talley Ho" and the pool room "The Last Stop"......

It didn't matter if it was a Tuesday/Wednesday ...3:00 in the evening or midnite you could get $5.00, $50.00 or $500.00 ACTION!, at either place.


Wherever Country Calvin went the Action was soon to follow!
I guess it was because he was 1/2 ball under a World Champion,everyone liked Calvin, crowds of people would gather to watch him play and he could stir-up action faster than anyone I ever saw, just a "Good Ole Country Boy!", he was/is.

Me,Calvin,Charley,Scotty,Top Water, and Steve Gumphrey shared a room/appt. at the "Motel Talley Ho" for about six months , it had a Fredg, Stove, 3 beds, and TV..we took shifts sleeping so it worked out very well.

There's many stories I could tell about being in Longview at this time, but this is the one I'm going to tell........

I had been playing John McCarthey some 9-ball sets, I was getting the wild 7 and had gotten beat outta $1,400.....( Steve Gumphrey had even been in with me on some of it)..it was kinda weird cause John beats me giving the 7, Joel Barns beats John getting the 8, Jerald beats John even, and I beat Jerald even and I can give Joel the 8 and win at the time.....WEIRD!......anyways!

Well at that time when playing pool it was customary to give back the losser 10% of the loosing...so John gave me a $140.00 "Walking Stick" something you never here of now, but then it was so your opponent could "Pump Up"

"Good Time" Charley ask me after the match with John McCarthey if I wanted to take a road trip to Dallas,Texas and I said yes .....we took off in his old Volks Wagon car, I slept all the way about 150 miles from Longview to Dallas, when we got there, we arrived at some old dinky bar outside of town about midnite, I got down with this guy immediately for $20.00 playing 9-Ball and then it went to $50.00 agame, well I soon busted him for $540.00

Charley says lets go to New Orleans, I said OK!.....we took off ..I slept all the way to Baton Rouge, La. and woke up in the parking lot at Greenway Billiards, well Charley got down with this guy called "Shorty" giving Shorty the 8 playing 9-ball for 50.00 agame, it then soon went to $100.00...well Charley soon busted him for $1,800.00......Charley sure was playing some awesome pool!

Well Charley had a brother that lived in Hohmua, La (not far from New Orleans) and we crashed there for the night.

The next day/night we went to "Roaches Roman Room" in New Orleans, well I didn't play any and Charley got up there and won about $300.00 off the locals, and the owner befriended us (some friend)(Doubled stirred us into Kim Davenport).....well we left that bar and went to a place the owner sent us, .....wasn't long and we got a phone call from the owner at Roaches Roman Room to come back to his place , said that a cowboy was there and he wanted to bet high, so we took off that way.

We got there and sure enough this guy in a cowboy hat and boots wanted to play some 9-ball race sets for $200.00.

Me and Charley had been in halfvers all this time but it seemed kinda strange to me about this cowboy, but I went in on the bet anyway. Well the cowboy played like a monster, running out from everywhere, but Charley at that time was playing the best pool in his life, and we was already on a roll of sort, so as it come out Charley bested him that night out of $1,400.00

We gave the owner a $140.00 jelly roll, ( he couldn't lose he was getting a jelly roll no matter who won) so after the game we went back to Charleys brothers house in Hohmua to sleep for the night.

The next day I wanted to go back to Arkansas, but for some reason Charley wanted to go back to New Orleans and play the cowboy some more, cause he offered to play again.

Well, it was mostly Charleys dough that we had won , but I did do all the leg work with side bets and getting Charley whatever he needed during the game, he talked me into going back to New Orleans with him, I didn't want too, but...

we got there and went to playing $500.00 a race this time, well today the cowboy had on lax pants, and tennis shoes, more comfortable for playing, I was kinda nervous, and walked outside and saw this "Gold Cadillac" License plates from California!!!.....

"then it hit me!"...I heard one the guy's refer to this "Cowboy" as Kim...

I came in and told Charley he was playing "Kim Davenport" from California....
hehe..I shouldn't have said that that to him, he fell apart after that.....needless to say we lost almost all our cash!.........and it WAS him!..shoulda went on to Arkansas....but that's pool and gambling!

Charley and I went to Monroe,La, we spent the night at his mothers house, Then the next morning I got into my truck which was there, and drove to Arkansas, I had $200.00 left......stopped by this bar/nighclub in Camden,Arkansas and started playing this guy 9-Ball for $20.00 and won $2,000!

All this happen in less than a week!

That's pool at it's finest!:smile:


David Harcrow

I did some spell checks and added more to the story, I think some of you new members would like to read this, hope you enjoy!

David Harcrow

 

[catpool9]

BoJack fighting Curly

Yeah he was a little rough around the edges, but paid his debts. Everywhere he took us, when the game was over he took his end and paid people there he owed. I was impressed. Get calvin to tell you about him fighting Curly down behind the cafe by the bridge. The only rule was no kicking. They fought for all Curleys money, Calvin helped him count it. I had just beaten Curley and he was woofing at me, Bojack said Curley if you want to fight, I'll fight you for all you got.

Androd I asked Calvin about that fight and he remembered it........lol


David Harcrow

 

[JoeyA]

It's amazing how many unique stories you can miss on this forum. This thread completely slipped past my radar.

David, thanks for posting this thread. I enjoyed reading about everyone's experiences. Around 1980 my wife, son and I had just moved back to New Orleans (from Jackson, MS) after a 6 year absence and while I hadn't become fully integrated into pool, I heard all of the stories about Longview and the New Orleans players continually talked about the the Gold Mines of Long View, Texas.

The players of Louisiana liked and still like pool action. I don't know if it is the race track stimulus, the Cajun influence, or simply the many different cultures who choose to make Louisiana their home but gambling has always been a way of life or at least an important pastime for many of us.

Thanks for sharing your stories.

 

[catpool9]

It's amazing how many unique stories you can miss on this forum. This thread completely slipped past my radar.

David, thanks for posting this thread. I enjoyed reading about everyone's experiences. Around 1980 my wife, son and I had just moved back to New Orleans (from Jackson, MS) after a 6 year absence and while I hadn't become fully integrated into pool, I heard all of the stories about Longview and the New Orleans players continually talked about the the Gold Mines of Long View, Texas.

The players of Louisiana liked and still like pool action. I don't know if it is the race track stimulus, the Cajun influence, or simply the many different cultures who choose to make Louisiana their home but gambling has always been a way of life or at least an important pastime for many of us.

Thanks for sharing your stories.

Joey glad you liked the story,.........I know I really like all the ones you share.

Your right there are alot of good threads now days on AZB that get buried 3 pages deep in just a matter of hours sometimes, with all the new members posting it doesn't take long, .......you really have to stay on the ball!!!!


David Harcrow

 

[ACE]

I had a talk with Buddy Hall a few days ago at Derby City and mentioned spending alot of time in Longview at the "Talley Ho" and the "Continental Club". He also remembered quit a few of the names list in the previous threads. I have lived in Longview, Texas for most of my life and never realized what a hot spot for pool and gambling this town was.