Dick Van Dyke Billiard Episode

The Shark Was Phil Leeds

I remember seeing that Dick Van Dyke episode in a rerun maybe 25 years ago. I remember thinking, wow, this funny looking actor playing the hustler really knows how to play - I mean, he looked like he was really good. I think most all of us on this board can all sniff out an actor who isn't a player after watching a stroke or two. Anyway, the actor's name is Phil Leeds, now deceased. The link to his IMDB profile is below. Unfortunately, the profile doesn't mention his pool playing prowess.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498609/
 
On the Beverly Hillbillies they thought the Rhino hanging on the wall in the "Billiard room" was a "Billi-yard". They used the pool table as a eatin table and the cues as "pot-passers". I don't remember them actually playing but I could be wrong.

BK
 
Jackie Gleason used the PH as some scenes in the Honeymooners. Some of the Amos and Andy shows had pool. Gunsmoke would also have a few scenes in the PH. I think they were even playing for drinks. The Twilight episode was also good. They all did it with class.

It seems as if all the other shows used pool as a joke. The Dick Van Dyke was in that category. They would always show the players making many balls by way of trick shots. They were lame but wholesome shows that made good comedy. Need more shows like that where the acting was good and not just a bunch of wise a$$ kids always sassing back to their parents.

The Andy Griffin show would have been a good one for a pool hustler to hustle Barney and then have Otis the town drunk save the day but then it would have been highly unlikely for Mayberry to have a pool hall.
 
BillyKoda said:
On the Beverly Hillbillies they thought the Rhino hanging on the wall in the "Billiard room" was a "Billi-yard". They used the pool table as a eatin table and the cues as "pot-passers". I don't remember them actually playing but I could be wrong.

BK
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I think Jethro was shown shooting. He was being hustled by Mrs Dysdale's brother. Jethro was taking him down. He said he never played before but it was like shooting ricochet; where you bounce the bullet off of a pot or pan before hitting the target.
 
BillyKoda said:
On the Beverly Hillbillies they thought the Rhino hanging on the wall in the "Billiard room" was a "Billi-yard". They used the pool table as a eatin table and the cues as "pot-passers". I don't remember them actually playing but I could be wrong.

BK
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Ah..vaguely recall it....and thanks to thebook for additional memories:)
 
rackmsuckr said:
No, but I would love to see it sometime. Do you have it?
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The billiards episode runs on every Sci Fi Channel Twilight Zone Marathon, and there seems to be half a dozen of them per year.
 
Woohoo! Just got my Twilight Zone DVD, so I'm excited to watch that, probably tonight or will take it to Reno.
 
my favorite pool on a tvshow.. had to be the quantum leap episode where they were playing pool... that and the married with children where kelly was the pool hustler and jefferson was her manager and al ruined the whole thing cause he passed out and interupted the winning shot and they lost everything..lol.. great episode..

chris
 
about Gunsmoke...

TheBook said:
Gunsmoke would also have a few scenes in the PH. I think they were even playing for drinks.
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There was an episode of Gunsmoke where the central character was a known champion poolplayer, down on his luck, trying to 'hustle' the locals. He took on a local as a protege, but the protege was going to leave his fiancee, and 'go on the road'...which was a bad deal all around. He was unmasked when his protege found a newspaper clipping in the champ's carpet bag. The champ lost the 'big match' on purpose, because he didn't want to make the wrong impression to the kid, and left town alone.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
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