Saw Peter Falk playing at McGirrs, which was around 8th Avenue in the 40-50th streets....I know the name, but don't recall ever playing at Guys and Dolls, and played a number of times at the Golden Q weekly tournament, but in the mid nineties...
Old (defunct) NYC pool hall?
- Thread starter ctyhntr
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hermanmunster
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I worked there briefly in 1977, but never knew the name of the place. The owner's name was Lenny Kofski (sp?), and I think his wife owned McGirrs.
There was one pool hall in Brooklyn that opened a short time after The Hustler was released.
It was in Bay Ridge where George Balabushk also had a pool room. The one I’m referring to
is Ovington Billiards that was later changed years later to Hall of Fame Biiliards because of
a great woman pool player. She was Willie Mosconi’s equal among women pool players and
better than many men professionals of the era that dreaded playing her in any exhibition match.
Know whom I am referring to? I think she was the best woman player to ever compete on 9’
pool table. Her family owned Ovington Billiards that had almost 50 pool tables. The name was
changed in 1985 to Billiards Hall of Fame after Jean Balukis was inducted into the Billiards Hall
of Fame. She was equal to any man on a 9’ table but wasn’t recognized enough because she
was a female playing in a game dominated by men for many, many decades.
Hall of Fame Billiards eventually closed in Feb. 2020 after 56 years of being in business. Jean
operated the business after her father, Albert, passed away. It was a great run and witnessed
so many changes in America and NYC, especially Brooklyn. New York City was America’s
melting pot. You had to migrate and be processed via Ellis Island right across from The Statue of
Liberty in NY’s harbor. Brooklyn became a Mecca for different nationalities and Bay Ridge was
just a mere example of all 5 Burroughs comprising NYC….Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens
and Staten Island. And Brooklyn was the largest, most populated Burrough of the 5, or at least
it used to be while I grew up there. Not many pool halls last for almost 60 years……it’s rare.
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Can you tell us a little more about it?
I haven't seen Master Kin in a while. After Kelly W. passed away from COVID, their Friday night moneyball game wasn't the same.
I haven’t seen the 7-11 mentioned yet…..it was an action factory on 7th avenue….I became a regular there after I beat about 30 players my first day there….you got numbered and couldn’t make a game with a drop in until it was your turn….Brooklyn Jimmy and Spanish Eddy ruled the roost. I also played at Play Land, McGirrs, and Guys and Dolls. One day I wandered all the way up to Harlem, getting small action at every room. Played straight pool at Ames a month before it fell to the wrecking balll.
hermanmunster
Registered
There were about a dozen 9-foot tables that were made of mahogany and had wooden ball return rails. Also two 10-foot billiard tables, also mahogany and a snooker table. There were some regulars that played money games, but not for a lot. Don't know when they closed.
The pool room still was doing business for decades after that time. The business didn’t close its doors
until Feb. 2020. It had a long run by any measure for just a neighborhood pool room in a residential area
that Bat Ridge was. It wasn’t like downtown Brooklyn which had more commercial size buildings. 56 years
is quite an accomplishment just as much as playing Jean Balukis scared all the men pool players of the era.
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Jean was a great player but she was not favored over players like Buddy, Varner, Sigel ,she tortured most short stops though, and could hold her own with the lower half of the pro men. Most of the women on the tour when she was at her best ,could not run a rack of nine ball one out of 5. This changed in the late 80s, early 90s with Allison, Karen Corr, Kelly Fisher, Gerda, Jeanette got a lot better, There was one girl that played well gambling I can never remember her name ,maybe Vicky Shampo, the rest were pretty helpless. Mostly weak breaks. Most of them just could not run out. jmo
Lori Shampo
Somewhere on AZB there was a thread where an old school nyc resident was talking about rooms all over midtown. Seems it was around 10 -11 years ago I remember reading what he posted. He was talking about action spots and some no action spots. Was a great thread. I’ll see if I can find it. As I recall the poster wasn’t a prolific poster here but he was 100% credible.
Be nice to find that thread again
Best
Fatboy
He used to play in LA as well. He made a rail bet with a friend and stiffed him back in the late 70’s. Was a big number as well.
He lived on Roxbury Dr in Beverly Hills, had a GC in his house. I’ve never been in his house, it’s since been remodeled. His next door neighbor was Lucy Ball.
He was a good B player I heard. Of all the celebs he was the strongest player among them. Paul sorvino was talking about him at a dinner I went to with him one night about 9-10 years ago.
Sorry this post jumps around a bit
Fatboy <——your man on location in Beverly Hills (well I moved but was for a long time)
I played pool all over Manhattan in my formative years. I lived and worked there as an apprentice in my uncle's real estate business in 1966. Was there about six months before the Army called me. After work I went immediately to the poolrooms and played until the wee hours. Got a few hours sleep and went back to work at 9AM every day. Took the bus down Fifth Avenue to 44th St. and came back on the Madison Avenue bus late at night or had to walk back to my grandma's apartment on 84th St.
I remember Broadway Billiards, McGirrs, Playland, 7-11, Guys and Dolls, Juliens and a couple of others who's name escapes me at the moment. My favorite was Guys and Dolls with its mix of actors, outlaws and hustlers. You could say I got turned out there and at 7-11, which was full of champion players. I played them all to, without a spot! That room upstairs reminds me mostly of 7-11 from the outside, where you had to walk up a long flight of stairs to get there. Guys and Dolls was upstairs too. Juliens was two or three floors and they had three glass enclosed rooms, each with one table, where you could only watch from outside. Those were for big money games ($100, ha ha). If you got out of line in those places you might get thrown down those stairs.
I walked the streets of New York late at night with only my pool cue to protect me. I learned to be aware of my surroundings at all times and prepared to defend myself. I would often see guys eyeing me as I walked. I think they knew I had a pool cue and somehow that gave me street creed. I played in all black pool rooms in Harlem and never had a problem in any of them. Same when I moved to Los Angeles years later. I grew up as man in New York.
I remember Broadway Billiards, McGirrs, Playland, 7-11, Guys and Dolls, Juliens and a couple of others who's name escapes me at the moment. My favorite was Guys and Dolls with its mix of actors, outlaws and hustlers. You could say I got turned out there and at 7-11, which was full of champion players. I played them all to, without a spot! That room upstairs reminds me mostly of 7-11 from the outside, where you had to walk up a long flight of stairs to get there. Guys and Dolls was upstairs too. Juliens was two or three floors and they had three glass enclosed rooms, each with one table, where you could only watch from outside. Those were for big money games ($100, ha ha). If you got out of line in those places you might get thrown down those stairs.
I walked the streets of New York late at night with only my pool cue to protect me. I learned to be aware of my surroundings at all times and prepared to defend myself. I would often see guys eyeing me as I walked. I think they knew I had a pool cue and somehow that gave me street creed. I played in all black pool rooms in Harlem and never had a problem in any of them. Same when I moved to Los Angeles years later. I grew up as man in New York.
Peter Falk was from Ossining Ny - a north Suburb of NYC - Robert Ryan - very prolific actor 40s thru mid 60s lived in NYC in the early 60s and played at MC Girrs as well.
The stinkiest entrance to any business of any kind in my 74 years of life. Had to hold your breath and run up the stairs. Number 2 stinkiest, the guy in the same Hawaiian shirt every day that asked if you wanted to play one pocket as soon as you walked through the door.the address is not right but i thought it was julians
Upstairs at the Low-Down Julian Billiards: A NYC Landmark - Pool History
Julian's, a New York City landmark, was a player favorite. But watch your step.poolhistory.com
Kind of like the Walmart greeters? Let you know you were in a pool hall.