Minnesota Fats in "The Player"

Everybody is looking for this movie, hear it is one of the best! If you ever find it pm me!
 
The Player

I've seen several posts that state that this movie was never released.
Yes it was. I saw it at a theatre in Fort Myers Florida in 1971. Searched for
years to see if I could actually purchase this movie. It was basically(according to Fats while he was still living at the Hermitage) a management
problem and ended up getting sold to a production house in Canada, then back to (If I can remember correctly) another production company in either L.A. or San Fran. I contacted this company hoping to secure a copy
but it seems or at least this is what I was told, that they were in the business of providing Large theatres and again if memory serves me correctly it was a little more than I wanted to spend. I'll try and see or
remember what the name of the Company was. I believe I spent around 10 years and hundreds of dollars on phone calls tracking this down. Now we
have computers and darned if we can find anything, or at least anything useful or what we really desire. It was a great movie. Young Italian gets
shafted by his girl then goes on the road as a hustler. Minnesota plays some young kid in a Bowling Alley for pepsi's and destroys the kid. Actually quite comical... That's going back a few years and it's all so vague now.
 
3andstop said:
Searched a bit for info on this but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know if copies of this movie are available?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wanderone_The_Player_poster.jpg


Found this too ....

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/739637/The-Player/

Anyone know about this?
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I have a original movie poster that was used at film festivals. It has the credits and a list of names of the famous people who were in the move.

4.jpg

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I have done some research on the subject and it appears that the movie never made it past the film festival stage. To my knowledge the movie may have been shown a total of four times during a two year period and the powers at that time did not want to release it to the box offices. To date there are no known copies of this film, the gentleman who had possession of the only known copy has since past away and no one knows where or what happened to the film.

Hopefully it will just show up some day, until then we will all have to wait.
 
the Player

Not available for individual use was the last I had heard. I posted some
other info pertaining to this movie a little earlier. I almost purchased it some years back but it was "way" out of my price range. The production company that ended up owning it was in the bizz or leasing or sell (I took it that way) to larger Theatres, etc. I don't remember what the gentleman told me as far as price but it wasn't $9.95 I can tell you that. I actually
talked to Minnesota Fats on the phone while he was still alive (obviously) and staying at the Hermitage Hotel in Tenn. When I asked him what ever
happened to the movie that I saw in "1971" (TCM says it was released in 1972,,, hmmm?) I saw it in Ft. Myers Fla, a year after I graduated along with a bunch of us young pool player wanna bees, he proceeded to tell me how his manager ripped him off, sold the movie rights, etc. etc. That's going back a few years. It was a great movie though. It took me forever to track it down and that was before Computers. Now that I have one, I can't find it again. Go figure.. Luck To 'Ya,,, Regards
 
If indie theatre owners think they can play a film with a built in audience, let them get the film. That's what they know how to do.

Find a theatre that plays indie movies in your city. The theatre owner would LOVE to see a good plan to bring in 500 people in a week. Invite him to the next tournament/league where players can tell him the importance of Minnesota Fats in the history of pool. On another tournament/league night it would probably be good to invite the local indie movie reviewer to it too. Who knows, some of them might have played pool in an earlier life.

Tell him that the local pool community will do everything it can to get 200 players to opening night (and 200 more over the next week for players who couldn't make it to opening night). Plus, their girlfriends/boyfriends and friends of friends and about 50 million other people who have heard something about a pool legend named Minnesota Fats.

If AZer's in other cities do the same, let the indie movie owners do the work to get the movie. That's their job. The pool community's job is produce the audience.
 
Years ago, I looked and looked for a copy. The closest I came to a copy, is a one minute trailer that I bought on 35 mm film, but I got it on eBay, so I don't know where it came from. I also bought a few lobby cards off eBay about The Player.
About 10 years ago, or so, there was an article in either P & B, or BD, about the movie. It gave the name of someone that had something to do with the movie, and this guy still had a copy on 35mm. A friend of mine called the guy named in the article, and he wanted like $1000 for a copy.
I no longer have my magazines, or I would try to find the article.
 
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bdorman said:
If indie theatre owners think they can play a film with a built in audience, let them get the film. That's what they know how to do.

Find a theatre that plays indie movies in your city. The theatre owner would LOVE to see a good plan to bring in 500 people in a week. Invite him to the next tournament/league where players can tell him the importance of Minnesota Fats in the history of pool. On another tournament/league night it would probably be good to invite the local indie movie reviewer to it too. Who knows, some of them might have played pool in an earlier life.

Tell him that the local pool community will do everything it can to get 200 players to opening night (and 200 more over the next week for players who couldn't make it to opening night). Plus, their girlfriends/boyfriends and friends of friends and about 50 million other people who have heard something about a pool legend named Minnesota Fats.

If AZer's in other cities do the same, let the indie movie owners do the work to get the movie. That's their job. The pool community's job is produce the audience.
Click to expand...

YEP:thumbup:
WHAT HE SAID
 
Mick56 said:
Years ago, I looked and looked for a copy. The closest I came to a copy, is a one minute trailer that I bought on 35 mm film, but I got it on eBay, so I don't know where it came from. I also bought a few lobby cards off eBay about The Player.
About 10 years ago, or so, there was an article in either P & B, or BD, about the movie. It gave the name of someone that had something to do with the movie, and this guy still had a copy on 35mm. A friend of mine called the guy named in the article, and he wanted like $1000 for a copy.
I no longer have my magazines, or I would try to find the article.
Click to expand...


Since that time the gentleman who had the movie in his possession to my knowledge is no longer with us and the only know copy of the movie has disappeared.

If anyone knows who has the movie please tell us, I don't care if it costs $1000 or even $2000.

Just post a name!!:smile:
 
i was also looking around the net for this movie but i couldnt find anything

what other billiard/pool movies can you guys recommend apart from the hustler and color of money of course
 
Come on guy's for those who have seen the movie or know where a copy can be purchased please speak!!!!!!!!!!:cool:


Crickets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:
 
Okay guys, I talked to the man who produced the film all those years ago (he was friends with Fats and wanted a copy of my book). His family owned a small chain of independent movie theaters in the South and they were having trouble getting films from the studios. So they decided to make some of their own, thus The Player. It had a premiere in New York and played in all their theaters for a couple of weeks.

He told me he had the only remaining copy (yes it was 35mm) and offered to sell it to me but the price was a little too high, and he may have sold it to someone else. I think I can find his name again and his contact info. I'll let you know. I just didn't see a way to recoup my investment in DVD sales.

P.S. I found his name and number. I'm feeling like maybe I let something slip through my hands. I will call him in the morning and keep you posted.
 
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jay helfert said:
Okay guys, I talked to the man who produced the film all those years ago (he was friends with Fats and wanted a copy of my book). His family owned a small chain of independent movie theaters in the South and they were having trouble getting films from the studios. So they decided to make some of their own, thus The Player. It had a premiere in New York and played in all their theaters for a couple of weeks.

He told me he had the only remaining copy (yes it was 35mm) and offered to sell it to me but the price was a little too high, and he may have sold it to someone else. I think I can find his name again and his contact info. I'll let you know. I just didn't see a way to recoup my investment in DVD sales.

P.S. I found his name and number. I'm feeling like maybe I let something slip through my hands. I will call him in the morning and keep you posted.
Click to expand...

Jay, you're the best.
..I would love to see this movie.

regards
pt
 
I'm in for a DVD copy, Jay. Hell, I might take 2, to give one to my best friend, if you're worried about recouping your investment.

C'mon guys. Step up and let's make it worth the effort.
 
I would be in for one as well

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
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Put me as an investor/buyer to get this movie if someone manages to find out if it can be done.
 
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