The pool scene after "Color of Money" came out...

[mrpool06]

I've always heard about how the pool scene boomed after "The Hustler" & "Color of Money" came out. Anyone here remember those times, or were part of the scene?? (I was in high school when COM came out, didn't play pool back then).

Must of been the good ol' days, wish I could have experienced it....must have been alot of competition & money to be won?

 

[SPINDOKTOR]

Although there are recent pool movies, the impact The Color Of Money had was partly due to it being a dang good movie. I think Ive watched that Movie a bazillion times, and I always watch it twice.

I didnt care much for the recent movies, but Im not slim shady either.


SPINDOKTOR

 

[thrasher789]

I wasn't even alive when it came out; but that doesn't stop me from watching it twice a month these days.

 

[Johnnyt]

I was around for both the Hustler and COM. If I remember right I think the Hustler gave pool a bigger bounce than COM...all though COM helped pool a lot too. I owned a room on Long Island when the Husler came out and my place had a waiting list most nights and weekends. I had sold it by the time COM came out. Johnnyt

 

[whitey2]

yeh, it sure was a boom

Well, "The Hustler" and I came out in the same year. Coincidene? Maybe!
Being a newborn, I obviously was too young to witness the boom from that Movie.
But when "the Color of Money" came out, there was an unbelievable boon in
poolroom business and action. In fact, in a city about 20 miles from where I live,
all of a sudden there were three "upscale" pool rooms actually on the same street, and
another one at the other end of the city.

The popularity lasted for a while, but when folks started to realize how difficult,
time consuming, and expensive it was to learn how to play well, interest started
to dwindle. It was the right movie at the right time, and I predict that there will
never be a level of popularity with pool like that ever again in the United States.

Oh yeh, I wish they never put that jump shot in the movie. At one time so many
unskilled players were trying to jump balls, it got a little dangerous at times!

 

[cuejoey]

I've always heard about how the pool scene boomed after "The Hustler" & "Color of Money" came out. Anyone here remember those times, or were part of the scene?? (I was in high school when COM came out, didn't play pool back then).

Must of been the good ol' days, wish I could have experienced it....must have been alot of competition & money to be won?

Well the Hustler came out in 1961.i was playing a small amount of pool at a boy's club.pool seemed to pick up after the movie.we had a few small rooms in town prior to the movie.but then a mega room opened up.alot of tables nice pro shop very busy..then approx.in 1963 i read in the paper that the local Montgomery Ward store was having a world class pool player to do an exhibition..well it was the man himself Minnesota Fats..Wards had him going around the United States to their stores promoting their pool tables..i went there i believe it was a saturday morning ..about 40 or so people showed up..it was just awesome to see him..he was non stop talking and shooting balls,it seemed like he couldn't miss..that was a very memorable moment for me..a few months later a family friend and i went in half each and purchaed a Wards table..i just found the only pic i have of me and that table taken about in 1964..wish i knew how to post it..but anyway the Hustler was a big impact on pool.the past year i have started collecting Fats memorbilia..if you ever get to Chicago you will have to visit Chris's pool hall on Milwaukee av..where a part of the movie Color of Money was filmed...also i have heard some old rooms are in New York..

 

[Fatboy]

I started playing 7 days a week, about a year before the "color of $$$" came out and it was the same faces everyday, and some $5 action or $200 action nothing between, I wasnt a good enough player to get into $200 action and $5 was cool, but i wanted more.

then came the movie, the theater was across the street, wow with in 3-4 weekends business tripled on the weekends and there was a slight lift on week day business from the people who "got into pool" then there was action at any price,(between the $5 and $200) it was easy pickens for a few months($20 to $50 for 5 or 7 ahead action, time was nothing back then, 75 cents/hour during the day and more at night, i dont remember $1.50 or $2.25) I remember it well, too bad Tom C. was in the movie and they set it up perfect for a sequal, that movie irrates me. but it was good for pool.

 

[thrasher789]

Oh yeh, I wish they never put that jump shot in the movie. At one time so many
unskilled players were trying to jump balls, it got a little dangerous at times!

Haha, funny you'd mention this becuase that is one part of the movie that bothers me too (but for a different reason). I personally just think it looks awkward and that slow motion on it was stupid, from another angle it could have been cool but from the very first time I saw the movie that always stood out to me as awkward.

 

[DawgAndy]

I started before COM came out but didn't play in pool rooms until after 86. Hanging out with my brother who was there to pick up chicks. Since chicks weren't really an option (dork) I played alot of pool. You could always tell who just saw the movie, cue twirling and shit like that. Older guys would watch the Hustler on TNT and come in to play. They would put their cues standing up in the corner pockets like Newman and Gleason did. I don't think any of the rooms that were open then are still open.There were a half dozen within 10 miles of each other.

 

[Koopa]

My dad had been playing pool for a good decade when COM came out and he said the boom was pretty big, but from what the two of us have heard locally, the Hustler impact was massive in comparison. It'd be nice to see a new pool movie of similar quality come out in theaters.

 

[Gerry]

It was a good old time!....if you went to the MANY new rooms you felt like you were "being bad" but part of something you never knew was out there the day before!. I grew up playing on our GC1 in the basement, but never went in a real pool room til TCOM. I thought I could play a little.........a little was right

Back then I was all about working in the pool rooms, learning the games, and playing in tourneys for seasoning. I met my wife of 14 years at the grand opening of a new room, and met a bunch of lifelong friends.

I just can't wait til the next boom because I'll be one of the "experienced" players and can talk smack to the next generation!

Gerry

 

[Neil]

I started playing 7 days a week, about a year before the "color of $$$" came out and it was the same faces everyday, and some $5 action or $200 action nothing between, I wasnt a good enough player to get into $200 action and $5 was cool, but i wanted more.

then came the movie, the theater was across the street, wow with in 3-4 weekends business tripled on the weekends and there was a slight lift on week day business from the people who "got into pool" then there was action at any price,(between the $5 and $200) it was easy pickens for a few months($20 to $50 for 5 or 7 ahead action, time was nothing back then, 75 cents/hour during the day and more at night, i dont remember $1.50 or $2.25) I remember it well, too bad Tom C. was in the movie and they set it up perfect for a sequal, that movie irrates me. but it was good for pool.

I remember it a little different. Around here, it seemed like a lot more people in the rooms and a lot more cues sold, but the action died. Everyone thought they were getting hustled.

 

[Fatboy]

I remember it a little different. Around here, it seemed like a lot more people in the rooms and a lot more cues sold, but the action died. Everyone thought they were getting hustled.

after about 6-8 months then yes it did slow down but quite a few people did stay and become players. I have a scary good memorie for things-i wish i didnt sometimes life would be simpler.