Coca Cola Masked Marvel Update

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
After waiting over two months for Coca Cola to answer my e-mails of who were all the Masked Marvels...I wrote one more. I said I wanted to order 100 cases of Coke and a few Coca Cola Banners for an up coming Masked Marvel 75th Anniversary party, but I needed the names first to contact the families. I figure 100 cases doesn?t mean much to Coke, but if they do give me the names because of a pending order, I?ll just write back and thank them or tell them I settled for a six-pack of Pepsi I got from the supermarket. I think that they either don?t have the names of the players they hired on file or they don?t want anyone to know they were associated with pool back in the day. Johnnyt
 
Our great R. A. Dyer has a column on that in the current issue; Andrew St. Jean was one of them. Personally, I can't imagine how anyone COULDN'T tell who they were (hair, stance, stroke, etc.), but I wasn't around. There was an anachronistic reference to such a player in the '50s novel "Cry Tough", which along with its predecessor, "The Amboy Dukes", would become the movie "City Across The River", which introduced us to that stellar American thespian Tony Curtis. God, am I rambling! GF
 
George Fels said:
Our great R. A. Dyer has a column on that in the current issue; Andrew St. Jean was one of them. Personally, I can't imagine how anyone COULDN'T tell who they were (hair, stance, stroke, etc.), but I wasn't around. There was an anachronistic reference to such a player in the '50s novel "Cry Tough", which along with its predecessor, "The Amboy Dukes", would become the movie "City Across The River", which introduced us to that stellar American thespian Tony Curtis. God, am I rambling! GF
Click to expand...

Thank you George, I have that isue. I just think there were a lot more of them...maybe 40 or 50 of them. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
After waiting over two months for Coca Cola to answer my e-mails of who were all the Masked Marvels...I wrote one more. I said I wanted to order 100 cases of Coke and a few Coca Cola Banners for an up coming Masked Marvel 75th Anniversary party, but I needed the names first to contact the families. I figure 100 cases doesn?t mean much to Coke, but if they do give me the names because of a pending order, I?ll just write back and thank them or tell them I settled for a six-pack of Pepsi I got from the supermarket. I think that they either don?t have the names of the players they hired on file or they don?t want anyone to know they were associated with pool back in the day. Johnnyt
Click to expand...


Very often distributers do things in the name of the brand that the brand owner is only marginally aware of.

We have had tournaments sponsored by Coca Cola that the HQ in Atlanta had no idea about. Distributers and advertising companies have some discretion as to what they can do to promote the brand and they don't always need to run everything through the head office.

In the case of the Masked Marvels it could be that this was an effort between a promoter and an advertising agency that Coke signed off on but did not manage. So it's very likely that Atlanta has no clue who those players were.

You might try it from the ad agency angle. See if you can find out who wa handling Coke's advertising during the Masked Marvel period and if those companies are still around you might have luck there.
 
Johnnyt said:
After waiting over two months for Coca Cola to answer my e-mails of who were all the Masked Marvels...I wrote one more. I said I wanted to order 100 cases of Coke and a few Coca Cola Banners for an up coming Masked Marvel 75th Anniversary party, but I needed the names first to contact the families. I figure 100 cases doesn?t mean much to Coke, but if they do give me the names because of a pending order, I?ll just write back and thank them or tell them I settled for a six-pack of Pepsi I got from the supermarket. I think that they either don?t have the names of the players they hired on file or they don?t want anyone to know they were associated with pool back in the day. Johnnyt
Click to expand...


Johnny,
Remember when I contacted them and was even given a reference #? After several months and several additional inquiries, they have not responded to mine either. I agree with your guess that they just can't find out the info because it's been lost.
 
the beverage(soda-pop) industry is SCREWED up worse than any other business I have ever seen, they have the triple nuts-sugar and water with huge profit margins and they cant get it right and fight like hell with each other etc,
 
Scott Lee said:
I believe there were only 10 Masked Marvels...they all played during the same basic era, but in different parts of the country.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Scott is correct. I doubt there were even that many. Only a handful of top players ever got this plum job. So far I only know about Andrew St. Jean and Joe Procita for sure. Maybe someone can add to this list. I'm tempted to call Mike Shamos. If anyone would know it's him.
 
Anthony Curtis

George Fels said:
Our great R. A. Dyer has a column on that in the current issue; Andrew St. Jean was one of them. Personally, I can't imagine how anyone COULDN'T tell who they were (hair, stance, stroke, etc.), but I wasn't around. There was an anachronistic reference to such a player in the '50s novel "Cry Tough", which along with its predecessor, "The Amboy Dukes", would become the movie "City Across The River", which introduced us to that stellar American thespian Tony Curtis. God, am I rambling! GF
Click to expand...

The Amboy Dukes was my favorite novel at that time. I havent seen the movie or the book in at least 35 years, but I remember the credits reading, "...and introducing Anthony Curtis." He hadnt been promoted to Tony yet. Couldnt help myself, I just had to "trivia top" your butt, George. Remember "Crazy" Shack?

the Beard

For them that's interested, I posted a pre requiem requiem on my blog, www.bankingwiththebeard.blogspot.com/ for the very ill Bugs Rucker.
 
Last edited:
I have to believe there were more than 10 of them. My Dad named 4 in the NY area alone, and he would have known. He had about 75 bars on his ice route, played pool for years in poolrooms, and did his share of bar hopping in his day. But for the life of me I can't remember for sure who he named. It was only 55 years ago that he told me. I hope my long term memory isn't starting to go like my short term one. Johnnyt
 
Fatboy said:
the beverage(soda-pop) industry is SCREWED up worse than any other business I have ever seen, they have the triple nuts-sugar and water with huge profit margins and they cant get it right and fight like hell with each other etc,
Click to expand...

Even better Fatboy, water and corn syrup. Corn syrup; is actually made from corn starch, genetically altered into frutose. There have been several studies linking fructose to several diseases. Great business.:eek:

Jim
 
Whats the story behind this, I don't get it, what are the masked marvels?

Why is this important?
 
Bishop said:
Whats the story behind this, I don't get it, what are the masked marvels?

Why is this important?
Click to expand...

Go to the Billiards Digest website and look up "All that talent squandered" in the Sept. 2007 edition. It's probably not important to very many on here...I can go on living without knowing, and I stated the first thread on it. I should have continued on that one instead of starting this new one...sorry. Johnnyt
 
Not even an e-mail from Coca Cola back to me. I'll never have that product in my house again. Johnnyt
 
LOL at a thread from 2007 with another John Barton alias and looking at the history, lots of arguing and drama. I guess it doesn't matter what you call him, you will still be stuck with the same results.
 
The way my Dad talked about the masked Marvel's it seemed like more than 10 around the country. Johnnyt
 
MahnaMahna said:
LOL at a thread from 2007 with another John Barton alias and looking at the history, lots of arguing and drama. I guess it doesn't matter what you call him, you will still be stuck with the same results.
Click to expand...

Yes posting under my real name is considered an alias.

Are you a little cranky that you felt the need to use this to further attack me? I really am sorry if i hurt your feelings in the past. Even though you troll me anonymously i have to remember that there a person behind your screen name and be sensitive and considerate of your feelings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top