The Hustler:The Inside Story

Thanks for the link. It was a great flick. The Color of Money was a pale comparison.
 
Did you know that Piper Laurie was struck in the leg by a cue ball from an errant break shot? That's why she limped.
I think I mentioned this in a thread just the other day, and I'm almost certain it's true. :smile:
 
Good stuff here and very accurate for the most part. I knew Walter Tevis and he did say that Fats and Fast Eddie were fictional characters. BUT, he was definitely influenced by the characters and hustlers he encountered in the poolrooms in Lexington, KY and Louisville, one of them being Eddie Taylor. Taylor was an impeccably dressed gentleman who was considered (rightly so) the best pool player of his era (much like Fats in the movie). His biggest challenge was from a young upstart from California called Fast Eddie (Ronnie Allen's nickname in San Francisco).

My feeling is that players like Taylor and stories about Ronnie may have been the inspiration for Tevis to write the book. He did "create" the characters in The Hustler, but every writer needs inspiration from somewhere. Walter definitely saw Taylor play! How much that influenced him only Walter knows. He was a proud man and did not want to share the credit with anyone else, especially not a pool hustler.

Did you know that Fats (Wanderone) sued Tevis and 20th Century Fox in Federal court? It made front page news in the early 60's. Fats lost the case but retained the right to use the name Minnesota Fats. He had legally changed his name, a brilliant idea that made him rich ultimately. No one remembers that he lost the courtroom battle, only that he won the "war."

A few little factoids for your perusal. :cool:
 
Jay...I don't think Fats was ever considered "rich"...and certainly not in the bragging manner that he was famous for (one of his 'quotes' went something like this: "I beat the King of Siam for a hunnert million")...certainly never true. Whatever money he did accumulate, he pissed it away, as he died penniless and homeless, living the last year or two of his life in a Memphis hotel, courtesy of the owner, who really liked him. T-Belle was with him then. Wonder what ever happened to her? :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

jay helfert said:
Did you know that Fats (Wanderone) sued Tevis and 20th Century Fox in Federal court? It made front page news in the early 60's. Fats lost the case but retained the right to use the name Minnesota Fats. He had legally changed his name, a brilliant idea that made him rich ultimately. No one remembers that he lost the courtroom battle, only that he won the "war."

A few little factoids for your perusal. :cool:
Click to expand...
 
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Thanks Joey. The Hustler and Casablanca are mainstays on my DVR. In fact my daughter gave me DVD's just in case my DVR hard drive goes down. In the Hustler I usually watch the beginning hustles and the ending match with Fats. In Casablanca I need the whole movie for my fix.
 
Great stuff!

jay helfert said:
Good stuff here and very accurate for the most part. I knew Walter Tevis and he did say that Fats and Fast Eddie were fictional characters. BUT, he was definitely influenced by the characters and hustlers he encountered in the poolrooms in Lexington, KY and Louisville, one of them being Eddie Taylor. Taylor was an impeccably dressed gentleman who was considered (rightly so) the best pool player of his era (much like Fats in the movie). His biggest challenge was from a young upstart from California called Fast Eddie (Ronnie Allen's nickname in San Francisco).

My feeling is that players like Taylor and stories about Ronnie may have been the inspiration for Tevis to write the book. He did "create" the characters in The Hustler, but every writer needs inspiration from somewhere. Walter definitely saw Taylor play! How much that influenced him only Walter knows. He was a proud man and did not want to share the credit with anyone else, especially not a pool hustler.

Did you know that Fats (Wanderone) sued Tevis and 20th Century Fox in Federal court? It made front page news in the early 60's. Fats lost the case but retained the right to use the name Minnesota Fats. He had legally changed his name, a brilliant idea that made him rich ultimately. No one remembers that he lost the courtroom battle, only that he won the "war."

A few little factoids for your perusal. :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks Jay, for the great post!

I've watched the movie at least a dozen times, and I'm sure I'll watch it again. I've seen every academy award-winning movie since 1936, and "The Hustler" is near the top of my all-time favorite list. Neuman said that this was his greatest role. The movie was nominated for 10 academy awards, but I don't think it won any. The American public just wasn't ready to award anything to a movie about pool.

Actually, the movie was a double love story, - Eddie's love of pool and his love for Sara. Neuman and Piper Laurie both deserved best actor awards, and Scoot should have won best supporting.

I was an amateur hustler in those days, so I could really relate to the movie. I played two of the actors in the movie in the '60s, and beat them both.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
From Wikipedia, "The Hustler received nine Academy Award nominations. The film won two, for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Harry Horner and Gene Callahan) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Eugen Schüfftan). The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Newman was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Gleason and Scott were both nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Scott refused the nomination. Laurie was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Rossen received nominations for Best Director and, with Carroll, for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium."
 
Scott Lee said:
Jay...I don't think Fats was ever considered "rich"...and certainly not in the bragging manner that he was famous for (one of his 'quotes' went something like this: "I beat the King of Siam for a hunnert million")...certainly never true. Whatever money he did accumulate, he pissed it away, as he died penniless and homeless, living the last year or two of his life in a Memphis hotel, courtesy of the owner, who really liked him. T-Belle was with him then. Wonder what ever happened to her? :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Yes, his last few years were spent at the Heritage Hotel in Nashville. T-Bell is still around keeping Fat's memory alive. He may not have been "rich" but he was perhaps the most successful "pool player" of his era in terms of earnings. He had some very good endorsement deals and he did well paid exhibitions for many years. Fats had enough dough to hand out hundred dollar bills to players that he liked. (I never got one! :frown:).
 
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