Did the Fat Man Scratch in "The Hustler"?

J

jkeesey01

New member
In the movie "The Hustler" in Fats's and Eddy's first match Fats appears to be stuck, but he finds a dead combination in which the ball comes right back at him into the corner pocket he's standing in front of. If you watch the rest of the balls moving around the table you can see what looks like the cue ball coming along the long rail from the left appearing to be headed right for the corner pocket in which he made his called shot. If you watch the cue ball right after he shoots it is heading for the left-hand area of the table...the same area from which it reappears seconds later! And what other ball could this mystery ball be, considering how fast it's still moving.
In other words, it looks like Fats is about to scratch after making the "trick shot" out of the rack; and I'm wondering why the director, Robert Rossen, didn't cut that scene off a few seconds earlier so there wouldn't be people like me noticing it for many, many years down the line and letting it take some of the glory away from the man with the A-Game in the first part of the movie, Minnesota Fats.
Is that a scratch about to happen or not?
 
It is Hollywood.

If he kept shooting, he didn't scratch.

Or:
Seriously? That is where the myth of movies breaks down reality, for you?
 
I saw the Aluminum Falcon blow up the Death Star so I don't know what is real or not anymore.
 
Not necessarily a trick shot. I had a guy, a poster on here who shall remain anonymous, pull a similar shot on me in a game of one pocket. It's demoralizing. Don't remember if he got out though.
 
tCgJ5mcUdoHNNzi0EZIsEA_r.jpg/.............
 
You forgot to turn on the 'willing suspension of disbelief' switch before you watched the movie.

That being said, I'd ask Walter Tevis, but he died several years back. Nice guy by the way.
 
Yes, not shown in the scene, but he did scratch on that shot. It was cut out of the movie.
 
I think some people confuse a movie with a documentary. This was not a documentary.. it was a movie about great characters.
 
It's a movie. They didn't really break Paul Newman's thumbs. Artistic license.
 
jkeesey01 said:
In the movie "The Hustler" in Fats's and Eddy's first match Fats appears to be stuck, but he finds a dead combination in which the ball comes right back at him into the corner pocket he's standing in front of. If you watch the rest of the balls moving around the table you can see what looks like the cue ball coming along the long rail from the left appearing to be headed right for the corner pocket in which he made his called shot. If you watch the cue ball right after he shoots it is heading for the left-hand area of the table...the same area from which it reappears seconds later! And what other ball could this mystery ball be, considering how fast it's still moving.
In other words, it looks like Fats is about to scratch after making the "trick shot" out of the rack; and I'm wondering why the director, Robert Rossen, didn't cut that scene off.... a few seconds earlier ...so there wouldn't be people like me noticing it for many, many years down the line and letting it take some of the glory away from the man with the A-Game in the first part of the movie, Minnesota Fats.
Is that a scratch about to happen or not?
Click to expand...

The 7 ball did not get to the pocket before the CB rebounds. The CB was at the 2nd long rail
diamond when the 7 dropped. The scene was cut before the CB even got to the 1st diamond.
It had to be a scratch though unless the CB rattled in the pocket... We'll probably never know.

.
 
Ralph Kramden said:
The 7 ball did not get to the pocket before the CB rebounds. The CB was at the 2nd long rail
diamond when the 7 dropped. The scene was cut before the CB even got to the 1st diamond.
It had to be a scratch though unless the CB rattled in the pocket... We'll probably never know.

.
Click to expand...

who shot this shot? I heard Mosconi "set it up", and I heard conflicting reports about who actuality made the shot, either Jackie or Willie?
 
michael4 said:
who shot this shot? I heard Mosconi "set it up", and I heard conflicting reports about who actuality made the shot, either Jackie or Willie?
Click to expand...

Jackie Gleason definitely made the shot... Marconi may have set up the balls ahead of time.
Newman has the same shot, but he plays safe and rolls the CB back to near the same spot.
Gleason calls the 7.. shoots into the stack.. the 7 comes out backwards rolling to the pocket.

.
 
If I can remember, it cuts from the cue ball flying down the rail, to a shot of Fast Eddie reaction, then cut to the very next shot of Fats firing at another shot (with the position from where he's shooting on the table left vague).

Therefore, the cue ball rattled and held up from scratching (leading to an even better look of disappointment on Eddies face) Fats had a hanger at the opposite end of the table and quickly fires his next shot and getting back into position to run out the rack.

So from the editing, it's all plausible and doesn't really qualify as a continuity error.
 
Ralph Kramden said:
Jackie Gleason definitely made the shot... Marconi may have set up the balls ahead of time.
Newman has the same shot, but he plays safe and rolls the CB back to near the same spot.
Gleason calls the 7.. shoots into the stack.. the 7 comes out backwards rolling to the pocket.

.
Click to expand...

One of my all time top 10 movies....watch it whenever possible.

I may be wrong, but I can actually "picture" Newman making that shot and the look on Gleason's face when he did.
 
Yes, I've seen that scene many times. The cue ball was heading for a scratch.

You ask, should the shot have been cut sooner? Maybe. But remember, we're living in the digital age when everything can be made perfect. That was the 1960s. They were lucky to put a coherent movie together then, especially about pool, to be criticized decades later.

The Hustler, still the best pool movie. Nothing has surpassed it.

All the best,
WW
 
jkeesey01 said:
In the movie "The Hustler" in Fats's and Eddy's first match Fats appears to be stuck, but he finds a dead combination in which the ball comes right back at him into the corner pocket he's standing in front of. If you watch the rest of the balls moving around the table you can see what looks like the cue ball coming along the long rail from the left appearing to be headed right for the corner pocket in which he made his called shot. If you watch the cue ball right after he shoots it is heading for the left-hand area of the table...the same area from which it reappears seconds later! And what other ball could this mystery ball be, considering how fast it's still moving.
In other words, it looks like Fats is about to scratch after making the "trick shot" out of the rack; and I'm wondering why the director, Robert Rossen, didn't cut that scene off a few seconds earlier so there wouldn't be people like me noticing it for many, many years down the line and letting it take some of the glory away from the man with the A-Game in the first part of the movie, Minnesota Fats.
Is that a scratch about to happen or not?
Click to expand...
.

If you watch the movie it's a scene that is after this one.. where Newman calls the 2 ball, that caught my attention.
There are 2 balls in front of the 2 ball.. He plays a combo.. He hits the side of the CB and the cue follows through.
The CB goes right. The 1st ball goes left. The cue tip hits a 2nd ball.. The 2nd hits the 2 ball & the 2 ball pockets.

It happens so fast it's undetected by Fats.. Fats says "very good shot".... It's a great looking shot but illegal as hell.


.
 
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Ralph Kramden said:
.

If you watch the movie it's a scene that is after this one.. where Newman calls the 2 ball, that caught my attention.
There are 2 balls in front of the 2 ball.. He plays a combo.. He hits the side of the CB and the cue follows through.
The CB goes right. The 1st ball goes left. The cue tip hits a 2nd ball.. The 2nd hits the 2 ball & the 2 ball pockets.

It happens so fast it's undetected by Fats.. Fats says "very good shot".... It's a great looking shot but illegal as hell.


.
Click to expand...

Corectamundo Mr. Kramden.

Both shots were straight out of Willie's trick shot routine.

Dale
 
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