Article on Jeanette Lee in Vogue Magazine

This was posted years ago, and I think about this every time I hear about Jeanette Lee......did they mention the famous calcutta in the Vogue article?

First off, I wanna start by saying that I created this account for the sole purpose of telling this story and that everything u read below is factual. I don't know anything about this site, but if someone thinks this should be posted in a different category, please let me know. I

P.S. I apologize for the length of this in advance, but I know people want all the facts. It is hard to believe and definitely worth the read.

On February 21st I went to an A-B-C tournament at John Wayne's Pub in Greenwood, Indiana. I go up there with a couple buddies and we immediately grab an open table, (with chairs, not a pool table.) which we sit at for the next four or five hours After a while Jeanette Lee walks in, which is no biggie considering she lives in Indianapolis and one can see her at any bigger pool tournaments in the area on any given weekend. I myself have seen her numerous times at different pool halls and the DBCC. The calcutta starts at around one o'clock, and goes through 45 C players. The 14 A-B players are next and begin with a wild bid, which was not Jeanette. Her name gets called next and me and my friend buy her for $140. For 35 dollars apiece we think we got a steal, (Or so we thought) knowing that the tourney is gonna pay at least a thousand to win.

Anybody who knows anything about tournament pool knows that if a player does not buy themselves in the calcutta then THEY must find the person who bought them and BUY half themselves from the buyer. Knowing that she always has people hounding her for pictures and autographs, I go find her. I introduce myself, as she sits at a table trying to download a popular poker website, and tell her its 70 bucks for half of herself. She responds verbatim "Let me see how big the pot is...I will let you know." We bs'd for about 5 more minutes and i went back to my seat. The tournament begins and everybody starts playing , and woofing, and carrying on as players usually do. I don't give much more thought about it.

About eight o'clock, i hear my name being called over the PA by one of the tournament directors. I know exactly whats about to happen as soon as I hear him ask me to come up there. He tells me that Jeanette has been looking for me, and wants to buy half of herself. I don't say yes or no, I just go back to my seat .

About ten o'clock Jeanette begins playing one of the guys I rode up there with in the finals of the winners bracket of the A-B side. During the first game of the match, she walks away after a miss and walks up to the tourney directors and asks them to get me up there. She says, "hey, I've been looking for you...I want to buy half of myself." I tell her that was 8 hrs ago and it was too late. She responds by turning around and breaking down her pool cue.

Ok, here's my take on the subject. My account of what went down. I rode up to John Wayne's with a couple friends and their girlfriends. I did not drive, so therefore I never left. We arrive around 11:30 or so and sat at a table in the middle section of of the tournament area. Jeanette arrived later but was definitely in time for the calcutta. I bought Jeanette for 140 dollars and went to her to offer her half. She said she wanted to look at the pot first and she would let me know. We talked for roughly five minutes after that, which would have been sufficient time to just give me seventy dollars. There were 59 players, how could she not win enough to cover her expenses?

My friends and I play in the tournament, but always return back to that table which their girlfriends are sitting at, as well as our coats and belongings. That being said, I could have easily been found. She also got on the microphone on two different occasions to speak, so I figured she could have easily called "the gentleman who bought me" to come speak with her. As I've said, everyone knows that if someone buys you in the calcutta, you are supposed to buy half of yourself before you hit even one ball. Every pool player in every tournament would love to get a free ride in the calcutta and then claim half the dough in the end.

Look, she had a great chance of winning the tournament, but just because someone is supposed to win or get second, DOES NOT mean that they do not "really" have to buy half of themselves. It is not just "understood" that they want half of themselves because they are going to win the tournament. That is why I wouldn't give her half of herself. I've never seen anything like that by any caliber of player, and sure didn't expect her to react the way she did. She forfeited the entire tourney from there, and cost me and my buddy to lose 35 dollars apiece.

This is what really happened so everyone can think what you will but this is the way I saw it. There are at least three sides to every story, so i would love to hear what Jeanette or anyone else who was there have to say.
 
I saw Jeanette Lee at an exhibition few weeks ago. It's not like I know here but I definitely got a better impression of her as a person than how she is portrayed in the article. I'm suspecting the staff may have not done the best job in their characterization. I don't know if they thought it made better reading, were not interested in pool, or saw what they wanted to see in her. When I sow her in person, she came across as a very kind, sincere, and fun person who has a killer instinct on the table. She comes across as a bit mercenary in the article.
 
FranCrimi said:
Are you talking about some women or are you talking about women professional pool players? There's a difference. You don't think we got to the pro tour by being insecure, do you?
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She was young.
She was winning titles. She was getting endorsement deals like no other. Even more than Allison when Allison came and conquered.
Most of the players were barely getting by.
It's the nature of the beast.
She would have gotten some jealousy.
 
JoeyInCali said:
She was getting endorsement deals like no other
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She said she realized that endorsements would be a good source of income, unlike tournament winnings, so she aggressively pursued them. I wasn't following pool in her heyday but feel like even though she traded on her image, she backed it up on the table and never really tarted herself out. She is a pool player with a marketable image, not just a hottie who can play a little pool.
 
JoeyInCali said:
She was young.
She was winning titles. She was getting endorsement deals like no other. Even more than Allison when Allison came and conquered.
Most of the players were barely getting by.
It's the nature of the beast.
She would have gotten some jealousy.
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Except I was there and you weren't. I can assure you, there was no jealousy.
 
JL has a lot of personality and charisma.

She influenced me when I was younger.

The men of billiards were not as charismatic as JL. Most top male pros barely speak English.

I watched a live exhibition with her and Thorsten.
 
I saw her put on an exhibition about ten years ago. Definitely almost worth the price (free). Definitely spent a lot of time bumbling through dumb stories and missing trick shots.

Maybe just me, but an exhibition shouldn't consist mostly of saying, 'it should have...', and 'it was supposed to...'
FranCrimi said:
Except I was there and you weren't. I can assure you, there was no jealousy.
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You can only speak for one person. I'm sure nobody walked around saying they were jealous.

I don't buy your self-confidence story, either. Watch 'The Last Dance'. Jordan has chips all over his shoulders, some of which stem from jealousy.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Didn't that burn to the ground and became Hollywood Billiards?

Wait, a group.of.women not jealous of a gorgeous young chick ( then) ?
How is that possible? 😂
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No Hollywood Billiards was in the Basement of a Brick office building at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Western. By the time I got to Hollywood in the early 80s this was one of the worst corners in the city for crime.

HB was a legendary room and it was a trip going there. I started to play recreationally there in the late 80s and early 90s. I didn't know how to play nine ball was playing 8 ball.

In January of 1994 the North Ridge earthquake caused the building to be red tagged.

So the owner of the HB went down the street and acquired lots and with some existing structures and built the new HB. That room was totally different than the old HB. It was a super nice upscale pool hall with a northern Italian restaurant.

The Hollywood Athletic Club opened in the early 90s and was super upscale. It was in a building built in the 20s. It was named as it was in the 1920s. Back then, it was a private club for movie stars. Legend has it that John Wayne got drunk and threw pool balls at cars on Sunset Blvd. out of the second story window.

That's the coolest pool hall I've ever hung at period. The list of celebrities that went there is long.

There was also good action. It's where Mars hung out, the dude that made " Pool Hall Junkies ".

Unreal place and a lot a great stories. On a Friday night in the beginning there would be a line to get into the place and a waiting list for tables.

It had an English grill restaurant and unreal bar. It had private rooms upstairs. Van Halen's offices were upstairs.

If that ain't cool what is?
 
DeeDeeCues said:
I saw her put on an exhibition about ten years ago. Definitely almost worth the price (free). Definitely spent a lot of time bumbling through dumb stories and missing trick shots.

Maybe just me, but an exhibition shouldn't consist mostly of saying, 'it should have...', and 'it was supposed to...'


You can only speak for one person. I'm sure nobody walked around saying they were jealous.

I don't buy your self-confidence story, either. Watch 'The Last Dance'. Jordan has chips all over his shoulders, some of which stem from jealousy.
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Who cares if you don't believe me? I put my name behind everything I write. We all knew each other well. We competed, shared rooms, meals, transportation, and had long late night talks, argued with each other, etc. That whole idea of us all being jealous of her is pure fiction. It's pretty comical, actually. I can tell you stories, but I won't, because I'm no snitch.
 
overlord said:
No Hollywood Billiards was in the Basement of a Brick office building at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Western. By the time I got to Hollywood in the early 80s this was one of the worst corners in the city for crime.

HB was a legendary room and it was a trip going there. I started to play recreationally there in the late 80s and early 90s. I didn't know how to play nine ball was playing 8 ball.

In January of 1994 the North Ridge earthquake caused the building to be red tagged.

So the owner of the HB went down the street and acquired lots and with some existing structures and built the new HB. That room was totally different than the old HB. It was a super nice upscale pool hall with a northern Italian restaurant.

The Hollywood Athletic Club opened in the early 90s and was super upscale. It was in a building built in the 20s. It was named as it was in the 1920s. Back then, it was a private club for movie stars. Legend has it that John Wayne got drunk and threw pool balls at cars on Sunset Blvd. out of the second story window.

That's the coolest pool hall I've ever hung at period. The list of celebrities that went there is long.

There was also good action. It's where Mars hung out, the dude that made " Pool Hall Junkies ".

Unreal place and a lot a great stories. On a Friday night in the beginning there would be a line to get into the place and a waiting list for tables.

It had an English grill restaurant and unreal bar. It had private rooms upstairs. Van Halen's offices were upstairs.

If that ain't cool what is?
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Can it be cooler than watching Efren play 3-cushion at the second floor of HB.
Saw Efren play 3-c up there in '96 with his Meucci cue. 😂
Joe Rogan used to frequent HB.
There was a great Thai restaurant across the street too.
Efren ate there one time and a crowd started taking pictures with him.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Can it be cooler than watching Efren play 3-cushion at the second floor of HB.
Saw Efren play 3-c up there in '96 with his Meucci cue. 😂
Joe Rogan used to frequent HB.
There was a great Thai restaurant across the street too.
Efren ate there one time and a crowd started taking pictures with him.
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Efren was playing my friend upstairs. Bruce has since passed on. Thai town is down the street from HB and there are a myriad of Thai restaurants.

HB was a really cool room. The design was outstanding. Rogan showed up after the Hollywood Athletic Club turned into a nightclub.

The guy that ran the HAC invited the whole Pro Billiards Tour to play with all of the regulars there.

It was fantastic, Mike Segal. Buddy Hall, Kim Devonport, C. J. Wiley and Johnny Archer and on and on.

I saw everybody from Warren Buffet to Minnesota Fats hanging out there. There were celebrity charity pool tournaments that were unreal.

The Baldwin brothers threw one.

The HAC is were I first saw Jeanette Lee.

The HAC and Hollywood Billiards made most pool rooms look like slums. Those kind of rooms are gone and they ain't coming back.

That Color of Money craze is long gone.
 
overlord said:
Efren was playing my friend upstairs. Bruce has since passed on. Thai town is down the street from HB and there are a myriad of Thai restaurants.

HB was a really cool room. The design was outstanding. Rogan showed up after the Hollywood Athletic Club turned into a nightclub.

The guy that ran the HAC invited the whole Pro Billiards Tour to play with all of the regulars there.

It was fantastic, Mike Segal. Buddy Hall, Kim Devonport, C. J. Wiley and Johnny Archer and on and on.

I saw everybody from Warren Buffet to Minnesota Fats hanging out there. There were celebrity charity pool tournaments that were unreal.

The Baldwin brothers threw one.

The HAC is were I first saw Jeanette Lee.

The HAC and Hollywood Billiards made most pool rooms look like slums. Those kind of rooms are gone and they ain't coming back.

That Color of Money craze is long gone.
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It was Bruce.
He showed me his Gina with elephant ear wrap.
 
tomatoshooter said:
I saw Jeanette Lee at an exhibition few weeks ago. It's not like I know here but I definitely got a better impression of her as a person than how she is portrayed in the article. I'm suspecting the staff may have not done the best job in their characterization. I don't know if they thought it made better reading, were not interested in pool, or saw what they wanted to see in her. When I sow her in person, she came across as a very kind, sincere, and fun person who has a killer instinct on the table. She comes across as a bit mercenary in the article.
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I would say she is both. Lady shows a lot of class and a good heart most of the time. She is also known to chase a greenback dollar! Other people make their share of dollars off of her, no reason she shouldn't get some of it too.

Seems she tried a move with the calcutta if the story is correct and no reason to think it isn't. I have seen players try to buy themselves late a handful of times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. One or even two matches into a big event an easy going buyer might go along with a late buy by the player. Kinda between a rock and a hard place because a player being unhappy can definitely affect their cue action. Most buyers assume they are buying half when they are bidding anyway.

My opinion, a tournament begins when the first rack is broken by anybody. Too late to buy half of yourself then and I would never try to. Some players feel they can buy half until they play their first match. A legitimate opinion too although I think wrong. I don't think anyone legitimately thinks they should be able to buy half of themselves after they have played. Some might see it as a move worth trying, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I remember the days when the ladies pool players must have been spending a fortune on evening gowns and heels. Seemed silly to play pool in those outfits, as bad or worse than men in Tuxes. There is no question that Jeanette was a big part of that era and a huge draw at the time. Still a huge draw, she has made a success out of herself starting with some pretty serious handicaps. Anybody that makes a life for themselves doing what they want to do, more power to them. I would have bet her against any man, ... if they both had to wear five inch stiletto heels!

I have a lot of respect for Fran too, she has earned it. Both in their own ways have contributed a lot to Ladies pool.

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
Most buyers assume they are buying half when they are bidding anyway.
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Is the player obligated to buy half? I thought the buyer was strongly encouraged to sell half at the player's option, but I didn't think it was 100% required. What if there is a carbon monoxide leak and I get bought for a ridiculous amount? I agree buying in after you have started playing seems a bit off. From a pure economic point of view, after some of the players have been eliminated, or sent to the losers' bracket, the price should increase, just like I can bet on a team to win the Super Bowl before the season starts and pay much less for the same return than if I place a bet in January.
 
tomatoshooter said:
Is the player obligated to buy half? I thought the buyer was strongly encouraged to sell half at the player's option, but I didn't think it was 100% required. What if there is a carbon monoxide leak and I get bought for a ridiculous amount? I agree buying in after you have started playing seems a bit off. From a pure economic point of view, after some of the players have been eliminated, or sent to the losers' bracket, the price should increase, just like I can bet on a team to win the Super Bowl before the season starts and pay much less for the same return than if I place a bet in January.
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Tournaments with calcuttas are breeding grounds for dumping. So a lot of tournaments do require the players to buy half. It doesn't stop players completely from dumping, but it makes them think twice about it if they have to bet on themselves, especially the ones who go for a high price. Also, calcuttas usually take place before the draw.
 
In 1993, I was trying to launch a modest pool newsletter called HEAD SPOT. This was pre-internet, pre-chat groups, when one was lucky to stumble across the billiards "usenet" group. My idea was modeled on a newsletter I subscribed to for enthusiasts of four-stroke singles motorcycles, in which subscribers shared stories of their bikes, their road trips, mods, questions, etc. In other words, a forum much like this one, but in print. Fortuitously, the WPBT came through San Francisco. I approached Jeannette for an interview. Quite reasonably, she asked me, "Why should I do this?" I replied that she was on record as wanting to do whatever she could to promote the game, and that was all my little newsletter was trying to do. That was good enough for Jeannette and she couldn't have been warmer or more gracious. She gave me a great interview and permission to use her photo. I distributed the inaugural issue of HEAD SPOT at a Reno Open shortly thereafter. By the time I'd published four quarterly issues, the internet had changed things and too few pool players were not interested in spending $22 for a t-shirt and a newsletter. I lost a few bucks, but I had fun and will forever appreciate Jennette's generosity.
 
FranCrimi said:
Tournaments with calcuttas are breeding grounds for dumping. So a lot of tournaments do require the players to buy half. It doesn't stop players completely from dumping, but it makes them think twice about it if they have to bet on themselves, especially the ones who go for a high price. Also, calcuttas usually take place before the draw.
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I've never seen or been in a tournament that required the player to buy half.
 
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