Newman Calls it Quits

[yobagua]

Please share! :smile:

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck can both play and are above ball-banger speed, IMO. Would love to see Matt Damon do for pool what "Rounders" did with poker.

I met Jerry Orbach in 1976. My mentor was living in Jerrys brownstone in midtown on the 3rd floor. Jerry had a pool table on the second floor. I could hear him breaking balls. Before he made it he used to play a lot of pool for spending money.
When I first went over there I was told by my friend to bring some carrots. I asked him why and he told me Jerry had this dog that would greet me on the first floor and that he would take a bite of you but this dog loved carrots. So if you gave him one he would let you pass. Well believe it or not I did but I forgot to take one when I left. As I left the Orbachs residence the dang dog ran up to me and nipped me on my butt.

Jerry gave me some tickets to Chicago that he starred in on Broadway. We met for dinner after the show. He told me that he was sure he was not going to have a good film career as he didnt like the process and didnt feel comfortable coming across the screen. He had shot The Gang that couldnt Shoot Straight and he was disappointed about that. I told him he was wrong. I just saw him in Chicago and he was genuinely great in that production. Years later he became a great character actor and starred all those years in Law and Order. A great soul and a good pool player.
Sorry for the long winded post.

Keone

 

[yobagua]

Billy Wilder demonstrates a "behind-the-back" pool shot to Jack Lemmon between takes on the set of Irma La Douce

Since you mentioned Irma La Douce. Another pool player actor had one of his first jobs in it. Jimmy Caan. Jimmy and his brother Ronnie used to come to Ye Billiard Den in the 60s. Jimmy was pretty good and sporty. They hung out with Danny D and Ronnie Allen in those days. But it was Ronnie who was the real degenerate when it came to 9 ball. He was in action every nite. Jimmy the older brother was always bailing him out.
Since then I worked with Jimmy in Honeymoon in Las Vegas and Alien Nation. He was a tough kid from the streets of New York. But of course went on to better things.

 

[billiardshot]

Jam, Jay, Keone, and others with Hollywood connection... maybe a Road stories book need to be wrote. Call maybe "PooPlayers and Hollywood , The Players Stories and Their Connection. "

Jay .. Sorry to say, "I haven't read your Book yet."

A third movie of Jack Lemmon between shot playing pool



Jack Lemmon and Kim Novak play pool between shots of The Notorious Landlady 1962.

Their costar was none other than Fred Astaire



Wondered what Fred was saying to Jack???

Or if they match up on the table between shots of The Notorious Landlady for money


The Notorious Landlady movie info link below

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056289/

 

[JAM]

Jam .. Didn't mean to Highjack your Newman Thread.


I wonder if Steve McQueen or James Garner were consider for the role, in Hustler?

No problem at all, billiardshot. That's what makes these threads special, IMO. It is fun to read posts from others who share pool factoids. You can't find this stuff anywhere else but here on AzBilliards. If you're a pool enthusiast like me, this thread is a good read! Thanks to all who took the time to contribute! :smile:

 

[JAM]

I met Jerry Orbach in 1976. My mentor was living in Jerrys brownstone in midtown on the 3rd floor. Jerry had a pool table on the second floor. I could hear him breaking balls. Before he made it he used to play a lot of pool for spending money.
When I first went over there I was told by my friend to bring some carrots. I asked him why and he told me Jerry had this dog that would greet me on the first floor and that he would take a bite of you but this dog loved carrots. So if you gave him one he would let you pass. Well believe it or not I did but I forgot to take one when I left. As I left the Orbachs residence the dang dog ran up to me and nipped me on my butt.

Jerry gave me some tickets to Chicago that he starred in on Broadway. We met for dinner after the show. He told me that he was sure he was not going to have a good film career as he didnt like the process and didnt feel comfortable coming across the screen. He had shot The Gang that couldnt Shoot Straight and he was disappointed about that. I told him he was wrong. I just saw him in Chicago and he was genuinely great in that production. Years later he became a great character actor and starred all those years in Law and Order. A great soul and a good pool player.
Sorry for the long winded post.

Keone

I love that story. Thank you for sharing, Keone. Please don't ever thing you write long-winded posts; in fact, I hope they are longer in the future. Keep coming back!

 

[argonath]

Keith was given a script, but he did have a few ad-libs, which were left in the film.

I did not know about Newman's gun stance. Here he is in Butch and the Sundance Kid with both guns a blasting!

JAM

On-screen gin action means nothing.

Roger Moore, aka James Bond was terrified of guns, and is outspoken of them in his time with Unicef.

I guess its why life is simply one big irony.

 

[Rich93]

Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk liked to play pool. They were only fair players (I saw them play in Hollywood). Fred Astaire was a real pool player, capable of running several racks at 14.1. The best celebrity players of that era were Leo Durocher (a damn good hustler as a young man. he gave it up for baseball - what a dummy!) and Walter Alston the former Dodger manager (he had runs over 100 in Straight Pool). It's close between Astaire and Alston, they both could play. W.C. Fields was also supposed to be an adept player. A little before my time though. :smile:

Paul Sorvino has to be the best of the modern day celebs. I doubt he could beat Mark Kendall (from the group Great White) at 9-Ball though. Mark is a run out player, I've seen him in action.

In the Mosconi interview with Mort Luby Jr (it's on Freddy the Beard's site), Luby asked Willie directly which Hollywood star was the best player. Willie said he thought Jackie Gleason was and added that he was much better than Fred Astaire, whom Mosconi knew well. He was obviously not including any modern star like Sorvino or Orbach, and I doubt he was thinking of any sports figures like Durocher or Alston - just acting stars.