San Diego.........

[avmaster]

Anybody remember the "Famous Door" lounge on 5th off of Broadway ( I think, memory fades at my age) in downtown San Diego, mid 60's time frame? I was hustling smalltime there then....... Who was that "Big" vice squad Captian that always wore a trench coat and cowboy hat?? He busted me a couple times. And the red headed bartender (female)??

 

[Fatboy]

Anybody remember the "Famous Door" lounge on 5th off of Broadway ( I think, memory fades at my age) in downtown San Diego, mid 60's time frame? I was hustling smalltime there then....... Who was that "Big" vice squad Captian that always wore a trench coat and cowboy hat?? He busted me a couple times. And the red headed bartender (female)??

i remember a second floor room in SD in 85 ish. It was a big room 45 tables, dark and not very busy. I went there on about 6 trips but never saw much. anyone remember the name of this room, it looked old then.

 

[avmaster]

Vaguely remember

i remember a second floor room in SD in 85 ish. It was a big room 45 tables, dark and not very busy. I went there on about 6 trips but never saw much. anyone remember the name of this room, it looked old then.

An old room, nothing happened there much. Went there a few times late, can't for the life of me remember where it was exactly... not real friendly an they asked me not so politely to leave............. without my money....

Should add, don't remember it having that many tables, maybe a dozen or more, maybe not the same room fatboy. I was usually in a fairly thick whisky haze by that time of night...............

 

[8ballEinstein]

i remember a second floor room in SD in 85 ish. It was a big room 45 tables, dark and not very busy. I went there on about 6 trips but never saw much. anyone remember the name of this room, it looked old then.

This was the Billiard Tavern, located at 11th and Broadway. They had action there during the early '80's.

 

[avmaster]

Additional San Diego

There was a bar, the Sahara, I think, on the right side of Broadway as you can up from the nickle snatcher (ferry station) on Broadway, just past that was a locker club for us squids for our civies. Four or six bar coin boxs in there. Played there some as well, 63-65 time frame............

 

[Fatboy]

This was the Billiard Tavern, located at 11th and Broadway. They had action there during the early '80's.

yeah thats it, I could tell that at one time there was action there, but when I got there in 85-86 it was dead, so I went to College Billiards, I got robbed a few times but learned alot, made a few friends. I lived 8 houes away so I would go 3-4 times a year, never made any $$$ in SD but have good memories. I also lived there for 5 or 6 years when I was a kid in the earily 70's

 

[NINEBALLART]

There was a lot of action at the Seven Seas on Broadway...Sailors went there to get lockers and change into street clothes.....The west end towards the ocean and Harbor drive...There was also a pool hall you had to go down steps underground on 5th just off Broadway....It was next to Green's bar....Most all bars had action if you wanted it. There was Detroit Al and his prostitude girlfriend whom he sicked on all the sailors...Detroit Al could play and gamble but always needed a backer because he was always broke. Drank away all his winnings....I was tending bar at the High Seas at the time on E St. between 4th and 5th....This was in the late 1960's into the 70's....

 

[Fatboy]

I also played in the YMCA on Broadway down towards the water, my friends cousin was getting a tattoo next door. All those buildings got knocked down a few years later I was there in 84 on that trip. I was a c-- player at the time. That room had about 4 tables in it at the time, I kinda slipped in, I think you had to be staying there to play pool, alot of Navy guys were there. Across the street from the Y was a resteraunt with a "Flash" pinball machine I played it for hours before finding the pool room. Wow that was along time ago.

 

[NINEBALLART]

Fatboy. I don't know if we ever met but I play on Mike Mitchell's BCA team here in Modesto...I have been here since 1979 but did not play pool until 1998....Before that I was a bowler for 20 years....I used to go to Championship and play almost everyday...I have a Pest Control company here and now play on Mitchell's team which we are taking to Vegas this May....My name is of course Art.....Did we ever meet????

 

[jrhendy]

i remember a second floor room in SD in 85 ish. It was a big room 45 tables, dark and not very busy. I went there on about 6 trips but never saw much. anyone remember the name of this room, it looked old then.

The Billiard Tavern, run by Dick McGiveron, was a huge room & had a few tournaments. I drove down from LA to a 9 ball tournament once & drew Keith McCready & Swanee in my first two matches. Went to another tournament and Annigoni & I partied all night in TJ with Big Sergio. We got back at 11am & Annigoni won the tournament. Hard Times owners Mike & Chuck took the place over & remodeled it, but gave up on it after a short time. The area it was in, 11th & Broadway, had become the Skid Row of San Diego. They had an open garage under the pool room and couldn't keep the bums out. Jay may have run a tournament or two down there. I know I played Lou Butera in an eight ball tournament & he beat me three games in about ten minutes. John Henderson

 

[bamadog]

Anybody remember the "Famous Door" lounge on 5th off of Broadway ( I think, memory fades at my age) in downtown San Diego, mid 60's time frame? I was hustling smalltime there then....... Who was that "Big" vice squad Captian that always wore a trench coat and cowboy hat?? He busted me a couple times. And the red headed bartender (female)??

Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a novel here, or at least a short story. Please continue.

 

[Fatboy]

The Billiard Tavern, run by Dick McGiveron, was a huge room & had a few tournaments. I drove down from LA to a 9 ball tournament once & drew Keith McCready & Swanee in my first two matches. Went to another tournament and Annigoni & I partied all night in TJ with Big Sergio. We got back at 11am & Annigoni won the tournament. Hard Times owners Mike & Chuck took the place over & remodeled it, but gave up on it after a short time. The area it was in, 11th & Broadway, had become the Skid Row of San Diego. They had an open garage under the pool room and couldn't keep the bums out. Jay may have run a tournament or two down there. I know I played Lou Butera in an eight ball tournament & he beat me three games in about ten minutes. John Henderson

i guess when they built the gas lamp district pushed the skid row guys up that direction.

 

[SJDinPHX]

The Billiard Tavern, run by Dick McGiveron, was a huge room & had a few tournaments. I drove down from LA to a 9 ball tournament once & drew Keith McCready & Swanee in my first two matches. Went to another tournament and Annigoni & I partied all night in TJ with Big Sergio. We got back at 11am & Annigoni won the tournament. Hard Times owners Mike & Chuck took the place over & remodeled it, but gave up on it after a short time. The area it was in, 11th & Broadway, had become the Skid Row of San Diego. They had an open garage under the pool room and couldn't keep the bums out. Jay may have run a tournament or two down there. I know I played Lou Butera in an eight ball tournament & he beat me three games in about ten minutes. John Henderson

John,
You guys are really making me feel ancient! Doesn't anyone remember the
Tower Bowl just off Market? I played Harry the horse, Detroit Al,Bakers-
field Bob, and lots of others there. Had a guy named Howard there who
had a ton of class and a ton of money. High dollar business executive who
just loved pool. For some unknown reason, he would fight his way through
all the scuffs (who would offer him games he could actually win at) just to get to me. He would lose $50-$100 a day 5 days a week. I actually felt
guilty and offered him good games but he'd say " No even is fine Dick"
I always showed him the respect he deserved and never treated him like
a sucker. He had two of everything I had none of, and I knew it.
Great times in San Diego!!!!
Dick

 

[NINEBALLART]

Do any of you guys remember a black guy named Gus....Skinny guy , real nice guy. Loved to gamble. Also a young kid called "little beaver"....Little beaver was a unbelievable player but lost interest in pool and went to other things....Also a black dude named Phil....All these guys gambled big around the downtown San Diego area....I'm just here trying to remember some of these guys and their names....

 

[jay helfert]

"Navy Gary" (Serville) was around in the late 60's and beat everyone on a bar table. I brought him up to L.A. and we made a nice score here as well.

Swanee's home room was the Billiard Tavern and in the 80's he couldn't get many games. All the road players ducked Swanee and San Diego. I did run a few tournaments for Chuck Markulis after he took it over from Dick Megiveron. They were good ones with nice added money and all the top West Coast guys would show up. Swanee or Ernesto would usually win.

 

[JohnnyP]

I was going to Sonar school down there in '66. Bought a cue in a place called the Arcade. It was downstairs, might have been on 5th. Seemed like a big place, dimly lit, but nice tables and real clean. And quiet, the few times I was there.

Don't know the name of the guy that made my cue, but he was retired and decided he wanted to make cues. He set up shop in a spare room downstairs, next to the entrance.

He said this was his first cue and it wasn't perfect, so he let me have it for $18. Great little cue, and I still use it.

 

[avmaster]

Can't go on much....

Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a novel here, or at least a short story. Please continue.

I was dating the redhead. She was 8 or 10 years older than me..... To go on from here would be X rated and get me banned on AZ.....

 

[8ballEinstein]

Do any of you guys remember a black guy named Gus....Skinny guy , real nice guy. Loved to gamble. Also a young kid called "little beaver"....Little beaver was a unbelievable player but lost interest in pool and went to other things....Also a black dude named Phil....All these guys gambled big around the downtown San Diego area....I'm just here trying to remember some of these guys and their names....

The guy I remember best was Downtown Tony Brown.