Did Brett Gordon break Eddies thumbs?

RunoutJJ

RunoutJJ

Professional Banger
Silver Member
I was watching The Hustler the other day and I noticed something. The scene where Sarah came down the stairs at the mansion and told Eddie not to beg. That Burt was the man that broke his thumbs and it hit me!!!

Do you think that Burt put the word out on Eddie? The word to cripple him. Therefore getting Eddie to play for him? I know it sounds a bit crazy but another thing I noticed was when Burt came into the bar and he said to Eddie... Why the open bridge? Something wrong with the hands? Burt didn't see him take a shot when he said that 🤔

I could be reading way to much into it but I just caught that and it got me thinking of how dark and sinister Burt truly was.
 
RunoutJJ said:
I was watching The Hustler the other day and I noticed something. The scene where Sarah came down the stairs at the mansion and told Eddie not to beg. That Burt was the man that broke his thumbs and it hit me!!!

Do you think that Burt put the word out on Eddie? The word to cripple him. Therefore getting Eddie to play for him? I know it sounds a bit crazy but another thing I noticed was when Burt came into the bar and he said to Eddie... Why the open bridge? Something wrong with the hands? Burt didn't see him take a shot when he said that 🤔

I could be reading way to much into it but I just caught that and it got me thinking of how dark and sinister Burt truly was.
Click to expand...
I think you’re right, I have seen the movie like 100 times over the years. I believe that Burt, did put the word out Eddie and I also think it was part of a plan.
 
RunoutJJ said:
I was watching The Hustler the other day and I noticed something. The scene where Sarah came down the stairs at the mansion and told Eddie not to beg. That Burt was the man that broke his thumbs and it hit me!!!

Do you think that Burt put the word out on Eddie? The word to cripple him. Therefore getting Eddie to play for him? I know it sounds a bit crazy but another thing I noticed was when Burt came into the bar and he said to Eddie... Why the open bridge? Something wrong with the hands? Burt didn't see him take a shot when he said that 🤔

I could be reading way to much into it but I just caught that and it got me thinking of how dark and sinister Burt truly was.
Click to expand...
The novel is the same as the film, Eddie loses his temper and thrashes them instead of hiding his true skill, and they abuse him.

Burt knew all the odds and wouldn't want to stakehorse a player with broken thumbs, he would have broken something else on Eddie with a "hit".
 
It's certainly ambiguous. But my take has always been that Bert simply knew what would happen to Eddie when he "walked into the wrong kinda place." He'd be "eaten alive." He knew that Eddie was more interested in proving he was the best instead of going for the cash. That's the reason he sticks with staking Fats in the first straight pool session.

In Louisville, Bert tells Sarah that he's only interested in the cash. She replies, "And the aristocratic pleasure of watching him fall apart." Sarah is right. But Bert is smart enough, and cynical enough, to realize that the cash is much more important and that "watching him fall apart" is merely a bonus.

The Hustler is definitely a film noir, where all of the characters are flawed and worse. Think about it. Would you trust any one character, even minor ones, in this film? I wouldn't.
 
Last edited:
i dont think burt put the word to break his fingers
i think "eddie" hustled the wrong guy in the wrong place and showed off and got taught a lesson
burt having "informants " to tell him things probably heard about it
so knew what happened
 
I'm rewatching it right now after many years and I am marveling at Jackie Gleason. He looks like the ultimate predator—confident, insatiable, unrelenting. What a performance. I've always believed that Newman deserved the best actor Oscar for his performance. But now, after watching again, I think Gleason should have won the best supporting actor Oscar too.
 
Last edited:
And when you really think about it, if Eddie had quit when he was way ahead by $11,400 "cash," which is more like $114,000 now, do you really think Bert would let him get away clean? He and his partner would have never walked out of Ames alive. They'd both be buried in upstate New York near Billy Batts.
 
Last edited:
Any one of these scenarios was a good possibility. Here's a scene that was edited from the final version of the film that was shown in the theaters. And by the way was it Bert or Burt?
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 9.04.45 PM.jpeg
    Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 9.04.45 PM.jpeg
    155.1 KB · Views: 37
RunoutJJ said:
I was watching The Hustler the other day and I noticed something. The scene where Sarah came down the stairs at the mansion and told Eddie not to beg. That Burt was the man that broke his thumbs and it hit me!!!

Do you think that Burt put the word out on Eddie? The word to cripple him. Therefore getting Eddie to play for him? I know it sounds a bit crazy but another thing I noticed was when Burt came into the bar and he said to Eddie... Why the open bridge? Something wrong with the hands? Burt didn't see him take a shot when he said that 🤔

I could be reading way to much into it but I just caught that and it got me thinking of how dark and sinister Burt truly was.
Click to expand...
I don't think so. After the first pool match with fats they all just walked out and left Eddie on the floor. I doubt Burt gave him another thought. When Sarah said that on the stairs she was speaking metaphorically about the world Eddie had chosen to live in.

There is a lot wrong with the movie. Why didn't Burt know Finley played billiards? Why would Fats go off to Eddie in the end knowing he only had one barrel? The straight pool as depicted is terrible. They fire everything 100 mph, banking balls with an open table, and forget about the cross corner bank combo Eddie calls. What was that all about?
Pool players love the movie but it is really pretty bad from a pool standpoint. I never understood the opening scene where Eddie wins the money on the trick shot. They spent all day in there hoping for something like that? Eddie supposedly plays so good he would just see if they have anyone around who wants to play.
As a side note, the actor who played Charlie would be dead of cancer in about a year of making the movie.
 
Last edited:
middleofnowhere said:
I don't think so. After the first pool match with fats they all just walked out and left Eddie on the floor. I doubt Burt gave him another thought. When Sarah said that on the stairs she was speaking medaphoricly about the world Eddie had chosen to live in.

There is a lot wrong with the movie. Why didn't Burt know Finley played billiards? Why would Fats go off to Eddie in the end knowing he only had one barrel? The straight pool as depicted is terrible. They fire everything 100 mph, banking balls with an open table, and forget about the cross corner bank combo Eddie calls. What was that all about?
Pool players love the movie but it is really pretty bad from a pool standpoint. I never understood the opening scene where Eddie wins the money on the trick shot. They spent all day in there hoping for something like that? Eddie supposedly plays so good he would just see if they have anyone around who wants to play.
As a side note, the actor who played Charlie would be dead of cancer with in about a year of making the movie.
Click to expand...
The cross corner combo was a happy accident that was left in the film. I think the straight pool was so aggressive for dynamic effect.

Yes, why didn't Bert know about Finley? A big trip to not know what was going on.

Why did Bert let Fats go off at the end? Maybe it was pride, or greed. They were sure they could get that one barrel.

The opening scene is just a hustle...they're two business men, gambling obnoxiously with one another. Eddie bets on an "impossible" shot and luckily makes it. Then, "drunkenly" starts offering everyone he can do it again. The bartender who has seen it all is ready to pounce.

Great movie.
 
Matt_24 said:
The cross corner combo was a happy accident that was left in the film. I think the straight pool was so aggressive for dynamic effect.

Yes, why didn't Bert know about Finley? A big trip to not know what was going on.

Why did Bert let Fats go off at the end? Maybe it was pride, or greed. They were sure they could get that one barrel.

The opening scene is just a hustle...they're two business men, gambling obnoxiously with one another. Eddie bets on an "impossible" shot and luckily makes it. Then, "drunkenly" starts offering everyone he can do it again. The bartender who has seen it all is ready to pounce.

Great movie.
Click to expand...
 
L.S. Dennis said:
Any one of these scenarios was a good possibility. Here's a scene that was edited from the final version of the film that was shown in the theaters. And by the way was it Bert or Burt?
Click to expand...
I had the original VHS tape set. There is a bit edited out when it playes on TV. I once saw it with the whole picnic scene edited out. That may be one of the most telling scenes in the movie and they cut it out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbb
LowRight said:
It's certainly ambiguous. But my take has always been that Burt simply knew what would happen to Eddie when he "walked into the wrong kinda place." He'd be "eaten alive." He knew that Eddie was more interested in proving he was the best instead of going for the cash. That's the reason he sticks with staking Fats in the first straight pool session.

In Louisville, Burt tells Sarah that he's only interested in the cash. She replies, "And the aristocratic pleasure of watching him fall apart." Sarah is right. But Burt is smart enough, and cynical enough, to realize that the cash is much more important and that "watching him fall apart" is merely a bonus.

The Hustler is definitely a film noir, where all of the characters are flawed and worse. Think about it. Would you trust any one character, even minor ones, in this film? I wouldn't.
Click to expand...
life in the fast lane before images, names and data on everyone's phone in their pocket or purse

it was "action"
 
I don't believe Bert had anything do with Eddie's thumbs.

Per the book, Bert wants to take him to play Findlay. (Apparently Findlay takes out the pool table he had in his basement and replaces it with a carom table.) And as they're talking in the PR near the Loop, Bert asks Eddie how he's going to come up with the money to play Fats again and Eddie says, "I'll scuffle around. Somebody told me about a room called Arthur's where there's action." Bert looks concerned and tells Eddie, "Stay out of that place. It's not your kind of room. They'll eat you alive."

Lou Figueroa
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top