What female alcoholic character?
Interesting observation... "The Hustler"
- Thread starter ugotactionTX
- Start date
What female alcoholic character?
Was being sarcastic... Sorry lol
To me, Bert knew the game was gonna be 3 cushion, but Eddie didn't. Bert knew how strong Eddie was and that he would find a way to win.
Piper Laurie was only nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Hustler, if she was not in that move those of us under 50 might have never seen the movie because it might not have been a hit. Plus, how could you have any realism at all in a pool without a psycho girl friend character:grin::grin::grin:
-don
The Hustler is considered to be a classic film and is studied in film schools worldwide. It is first a tragic love story, that is told in the context of a hustler who falls for an alcoholic. Both flawed human beings. Thanks to Tevis' brilliant writing the pool scenes are about as authentic as they get in movie land.
Piper Laurie was brilliant, as was Paul Newman, Gleason and George C. Scott. Yes Jackie Gleason could play pool, growing up on the streets and in the poolrooms of New York. Newman never really learned to play, but he knew how to act the part.
In that particular scene Findlay was trying to trap Bert and Eddie, and it backfired. Every pool player in that era had some background in all games. Eddie just needed to find his "billiard" stroke, and eventually he did. Once he got the feel of the game and the table, he buried Findlay. Bert didn't like the game at first, but he knew there was a score to be made if Eddie could break him down.
Games like that did come down more often that you might think. A top player of the 60's, like a Jimmy Reid or Jimmy Marino, might get hustled by a shortstop billiard player. But if they played long enough the better player would eventually get there. Don't think the top pool players of that era only played one or two games. Most of them could play any game, even snooker if need be. Cornbread could play any game, and he would bet high at it too. Nose bleed high!
Piper Laurie was brilliant, as was Paul Newman, Gleason and George C. Scott. Yes Jackie Gleason could play pool, growing up on the streets and in the poolrooms of New York. Newman never really learned to play, but he knew how to act the part.
In that particular scene Findlay was trying to trap Bert and Eddie, and it backfired. Every pool player in that era had some background in all games. Eddie just needed to find his "billiard" stroke, and eventually he did. Once he got the feel of the game and the table, he buried Findlay. Bert didn't like the game at first, but he knew there was a score to be made if Eddie could break him down.
Games like that did come down more often that you might think. A top player of the 60's, like a Jimmy Reid or Jimmy Marino, might get hustled by a shortstop billiard player. But if they played long enough the better player would eventually get there. Don't think the top pool players of that era only played one or two games. Most of them could play any game, even snooker if need be. Cornbread could play any game, and he would bet high at it too. Nose bleed high!
I would say Gleason was better than pretty good. I can't remember the exact quote, but Mosconi said something like "Gleason was able to run 40 or 50 balls on occasion". Running 40 or 50 on occasion deserves good without the pretty - and this from a guy who was a show business phenomenon (our younger readers may not realize just how big a star Gleason was in the early days of TV). I had also read somewhere that his high run was 80 balls on a 5x10 table, but I can't remember where I saw that (or even be sure that I did see it). Mosconi said Gleason was the best of the show biz pool players, and he knew all of them.
It's true that Newman had never played. Mosconi's job was not to make him a good player but to make him handle himself like a good player, like a hustler, knowing that Mosconi could shoot for him in the picture. But actually Newman did a lot of his own shooting - when you saw just hands, that was Mosconi, but you saw Newman take many shots himself and he did look good. Of course, Newman was one talented guy - look how he became a serious auto racer in middle age.
No, Bert didn't know. He wanted to walk out immediately but was talked into letting Eddie try Findlay. The only hustling going on was by Findlay on Eddie. Findlay was stalling and winning by small margins. Eddie caught on and pleaded with Bert "He fooled me - he knows how to hustle and I didn't think he did, but I can beat him", or words to that effect. Eddie then played with his own money, but lost it all.
Bert gave in when he saw Eddie be cruel to Sarah: "Go ahead and play him, Eddie, play him for a thousand dollars a game".
Why being cruel to Sarah made Eddie a winner is one of those Hustler mysteries I have yet to figure out.
Bert knew.
Findley and Bert were already acquainted and Bert knew where Findley lived...
So, part of the hustle.
But When Eddy say" I traded her in for a pool game", wouldn't that really have been "traded her for a billiards game" when everything fell apart?
He wasn't playing pool.......
details.
Findley and Bert were already acquainted and Bert knew where Findley lived...
So, part of the hustle.
But When Eddy say" I traded her in for a pool game", wouldn't that really have been "traded her for a billiards game" when everything fell apart?
He wasn't playing pool.......
details.
Newman said that he could barely play and that Gleason won money off of him every time they bet a dollar or two on the games while on set.
Gleason was up like 20 bucks or something if I remember right.
bobroberts...True dat! 
Pool was just the 'stage' for the story! Bert was lucky there were so many cops at the motel, when Eddie showed up. He would of ended up hurt a LOT worse than just broken thumbs! Eddie woulda "f*cked him up"!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Pool was just the 'stage' for the story! Bert was lucky there were so many cops at the motel, when Eddie showed up. He would of ended up hurt a LOT worse than just broken thumbs! Eddie woulda "f*cked him up"! Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
I remember a funny story Newman told on himself, I think on the Johnny Carson show.
He was in a bar with a friend, and they played pool for a while (this was some time after he had made The Hustler). Newman goes to the men's room and stands at the urinal. Another guy comes in and stands at the urinal next to him. As they are both taking a whiz, the other guy speaks:
"Mr. Newman, I have to tell you that .... watching you play pool just now .... was the single most disappointing experience of my life"
bert: you ever played billiards before?
eddie: sure
bert: you hustlin me?
moments later
findley: beautiful shot mr felson, you've played before
bert: level with me eddie, you played before?
eddie: whats the difference? a cue, some balls, just gotta get the feel for it.
guess he hadnt played
eddie: sure
bert: you hustlin me?
moments later
findley: beautiful shot mr felson, you've played before
bert: level with me eddie, you played before?
eddie: whats the difference? a cue, some balls, just gotta get the feel for it.
guess he hadnt played
watching it now I think he staked eddie for 1k a game after he was cruel to sarah because he knew that eddie was committed 100% to the game, something he was worried about before. Thus the reason for the earlier conversation between bert and sarah with the 'live and let live ladybird, while you can' comment.
100kbet...I'm gonna guess it was something to the effect of: "Polly-vous humma humma?"...since that's what happened, after Bert returned to the hotel, ahead of Eddie...and just prior to Sarah killing herself! LOL
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com