The Hustler -- the Walter Tevis novel

BobTfromIL said:
I'd be interested in reading the book. I read "color of money"
and it's totally different than the movie.
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I was thinking the same thing. Didn't Fast Eddie try selling antiques in the book? If not maybe I'm thinking of some other book. It's been years.
 
9BallPaul said:
That's Hollywood for you. Only a hack could invent a character as poorly drawn as Vince. I've always suspected that Cruise himself added all the flourishes (based on his show-off bartender movie) but I can't say that with any authority.

Cruise's clumsy performance all but ruined Color of Money for me, and there wasn't nearly enough of Grady Seasons. And of course, Newman had the great Jackie Gleason propping him up in The Hustler. Whereas Gleason is a legitimate giant of the screen, Cruise is an annoying bug.
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Hack might be a strong word for Price, after all he was nomed for an Academy Award for his adaptation. Tevis wrote a sceen play for The Color of Money, but unfortunately his version was rejected.

And "unfortunately" might be a bad phrase. The movie had immense commercial success and prompted American pool's second coming, a script more acceptable to players would probably had less mass appeal.

Thanks

Kevin
 
poolmouse said:
I was thinking the same thing. Didn't Fast Eddie try selling antiques in the book? If not maybe I'm thinking of some other book. It's been years.
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The movie The Color of Money was nothing like the book. The book was excellent, not to say the movie wasn't fun, after all, Scorsese and Newman both had mad skills at the time. The movie The Hustler was very true to the book and both were excellent.

The Color of Money is a very worthwhile read, if I remember correctly it starts with Fats in Florida where he floats around on a boat doing bird photography, when he's contacted by Fast Eddie. No Vincent. No Balabushka (which really spurred the cue collecting craze).

Kevin
 
The Hustler

One of my all time favorite books. I first read it in my yearly teens and have re-read this book about three times since. I always get something more out of it each time I read it.

The Color of Money is also a good book. Its a shame the movie does not parallel the book as much.:o
 
I have read every pool book besides this one, i guess the cream rises to the top and i have saved the best for last !!!!

Now to just find it for sale !!!

-Steve
 
Hustler

"The Hustler" is quite a bit different from the movie, too. I probably saw the movie a couple hundred times and kept anticipating certain scenes from the movie, while reading. Big difference, but a must read.
Great Book!!!
 
I knew Walter Tevis fairly well. He was very involved with a member of my family, but that story is not ready to be told. He was without a doubt a world class writer. Kind of like how Shane plays pool. The Hustler is a book that English Literature teachers put on their students required reading list. And the movie is considered a film classic. Also high on the list for film students to watch.

Walter told me one thing that stuck in my mind forever. When I asked him the hardest part of being a writer, he responded "Putting the marks on paper." I got the message, it's all about having the discipline to sit down and do it. Hats off to Phil Capelle and others of his ilk. I wish I had their discipline. It was a task just to get one book out there. :embarrassed2:
 
When Walter was a young man, he went to school (college) in Kentucky. I believe in Lexington at UK. He hung around the poolrooms in that area and liked to play when he could. More than anything he enjoyed watching good players match up and gamble. After getting his degree he taught at a small school near Cincinnati. He became familiar with the poolrooms in that area as well. Something few people know is that Eddie Taylor was the player he most admired; well dressed, polite, heavy set, a great player and highly respected. Sound familiar? It should. Taylor is more a role model for the Fats character than Rudy Wanderone ever was.

Walter continued populating poolrooms throughout his life, and enjoyed playing the game. He was never more than a low level amateur. I only saw him hit balls on two occasions, once at Lake Tahoe and once in Dayton. He had a decent stance, an even stroke and could make a ball. He was embarrassed to shoot in front of real players. He preferred playing in solitude. I'm pretty sure he had a table in his home all those years he taught at Ohio U.
 
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jay helfert said:
When Walter was a young man, he went to school (college) in Kentucky. I believe in Lexington at UK. He hung around the poolrooms in that area and liked to play when he could. More than anything he enjoyed watching good players match up and gamble. After getting his degree he taught at a small school near Cincinnati. He became familiar with the poolrooms in that area as well. Something few people know is that Eddie Taylor was the player he most admired; well dressed, polite, heavy set, a great player and highly respected. Sound familiar? It should. Taylor is more a role model for the Fats character than Rudy Wanderone ever was.

Walter continued populating poolrooms throughout his life, and enjoyed playing the game. He was never more than a low level amateur. I only saw him hit balls on two occasions, once at Lake Tahoe and once in Dayton. He had a decent stance, an even stroke and could make a ball. He was embarrassed to shoot in front of real players. He preferred playing in solitude. I'm pretty sure he had a table in his home all those years he taught at Ohio U.
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Jay, leave it to you to enlighten this thread with personal knowledge. I might have guessed.

Don't know if you're interested or not, but the Wiki entry could really be improved with your insights. I know JAM has done some work on Wiki, maybe she would collaborate.

Great posts, so thanks.
 
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