Willie Mosconi, hustler

[Bob Jewett]

Here is part of an article from the July 1961 issue of the magazine "Argosy". The article doesn't appear to be part of the media promotion of the movie "The Hustler" since it barely mentions the movie and then only to refer to Fats' move when he traps Fast Eddie.

This excerpt starts off talking about Jackie Gleason:

He had just taken Alex Rose, a diminutive author-pool player, known as Sausage, for ninety dollars. There were others waiting to contribute to the Gleason Fund for Indigent Hustlers.

"Once in a while, someone tries to hustle me and I have to fight back," explained Jackie blandly, "but heaven forbid that I should start the ball rolling."

Gleason, however, has been the victim of a "hustler." A few years back, Jackie was taking Toots Shor, Bert Lahr and others to the cleaners every time they played. Toots decided he had had enough. Shor and Willie Mosconi, who has been the world champion billiard player for the past umpteen years, were friends — having grown up together in Philadelphia. Toots got in touch with Willie and explained the situation.

One evening, around midnight, Willie wandered into the Radio City billiard room and was immediately greeted by Toots, who introduced him to Gleason and the others as "Mr. Schuman, a friend of mine in the textile business."

Shor invited Willie into a game of rotation and Mosconi played the part of a square, messing things up generally. Finally he threw down his cue and said, "This is a kid's game. I like a game of straight pool and I like to play for stakes that keep me awake."

Prodded by Shor, Gleason stepped up and said he'd like to make "Schuman" happy. They played a hundred-point game for a hundred dollars, and Mosconi beat Jackie a hundred to eighty, being careful never to get too far ahead.

Then they played a second game that Gleason will never forget. "He ran seventy right-handed and then switched over and ran the other thirty left-handed," recalled Gleason with a grin. "I was dumfounded — but I knew this wasn't any textile boy from Philly. Then they introduced me to Willie. We've been friends ever since.​

 

[Pushout]

Heard that one years and years ago. Thanks for sharing it, Bob!

 

[macguy]

Here is part of an article from the July 1961 issue of the magazine "Argosy". The article doesn't appear to be part of the media promotion of the movie "The Hustler" since it barely mentions the movie and then only to refer to Fats' move when he traps Fast Eddie.

This excerpt starts off talking about Jackie Gleason:

He had just taken Alex Rose, a diminutive author-pool player, known as Sausage, for ninety dollars. There were others waiting to contribute to the Gleason Fund for Indigent Hustlers.

"Once in a while, someone tries to hustle me and I have to fight back," explained Jackie blandly, "but heaven forbid that I should start the ball rolling."

Gleason, however, has been the victim of a "hustler." A few years back, Jackie was taking Toots Shor, Bert Lahr and others to the cleaners every time they played. Toots decided he had had enough. Shor and Willie Mosconi, who has been the world champion billiard player for the past umpteen years, were friends — having grown up together in Philadelphia. Toots got in touch with Willie and explained the situation.

One evening, around midnight, Willie wandered into the Radio City billiard room and was immediately greeted by Toots, who introduced him to Gleason and the others as "Mr. Schuman, a friend of mine in the textile business."

Shor invited Willie into a game of rotation and Mosconi played the part of a square, messing things up generally. Finally he threw down his cue and said, "This is a kid's game. I like a game of straight pool and I like to play for stakes that keep me awake."

Prodded by Shor, Gleason stepped up and said he'd like to make "Schuman" happy. They played a hundred-point game for a hundred dollars, and Mosconi beat Jackie a hundred to eighty, being careful never to get too far ahead.

Then they played a second game that Gleason will never forget. "He ran seventy right-handed and then switched over and ran the other thirty left-handed," recalled Gleason with a grin. "I was dumfounded — but I knew this wasn't any textile boy from Philly. Then they introduced me to Willie. We've been friends ever since.​

That sounds like one of those stories often told on late night talk shows.

Many time just written for them. In this story the right hand left hand thing is the give away. Even if remotely true there is always the need to embellish. Jackie Gleason used to tell the story of having a foot race with Toots Shor. They were to race around the block starting in opposite directions. Gleason had a car waiting for him around the corner. He jumped in the car for a short distance before getting out just in time to see Toots coming around the other corner. When they past each other Gleason was more then enough ahead to easily win. Is it true, who knows, they are fun to hear.

Even with Mosconi, in his later years he would say he never missed when doing the record run and just quit because he was tired. I heard Mosconi say himself he missed and he set up the shot he missed when asked about it. This was in the early 60's and would have been a more contemporary to the event and likely the real truth. Later people can say anything because who will.ever know anymore. Like I said, they forget the truth themselves. When the legend becomes the truth, print the legend.

I think these people tell stories so much after a while they don't know if it ever happened anymore themselves. I just heard a story told by I think it was Kaley Cuoco (Big bang theory) on Letterman that the girl messed up so bad she admitted it was written for her.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Great story.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Interesting that Gleason didn't recognize him right off the bat. Jackie was a player and Willie certainly had his picture in the papers enough back then, not to mention being on TV. The article was written in '61 and mentions the story occurred a few years back. That was right in Willie's wheelhouse of fame. Good story.

 

[Bob Jewett]

That sounds like one of those stories often told on late night talk shows. ...

Buzzkill.

But possibly true. The way I had remembered the story, having heard it about 45 years ago, was 75 right + 75 left. Then while sorting through my magazine collection just now, I saw the story in print.

Compare also the story in Hoppe's "Billiards As It Should Be Played" about the blind man who came to "watch" a billiard match of Hoppe's. After the match, he came over and told Hoppe how much he liked the match and that he could tell from the sound of the balls which player was shooting. A charming story, but it had appeared in print earlier about some other player. Pure fact is too restrictive.

 

[Mikjary]

Willie Mosconi, hustler...

I was in Dallas for the '83 BCA Trade Show and got a chance to speak with Willie. I recalled a few stories told to me by an older player from Philly about how Mosconi used to beat all comers. Unfortunately, I used the word "hustle" in a sentence and Willie went ballistic.

"I never hustled anybody in my life! I don't know who told you that!", and so on. I extended my apologies for the bad choice of words and left him alone, beet red and fuming. Got his autograph, though. I just wish I'd heard Bob's story before I met him. We might have had a little more to talk about.:grin:

Best,
Mike

 

[Pushout]

Willie Mosconi, hustler...

I was in Dallas for the '83 BCA Trade Show and got a chance to speak with Willie. I recalled a few stories told to me by an older player from Philly about how Mosconi used to beat all comers. Unfortunately, I used the word "hustle" in a sentence and Willie went ballistic.

"I never hustled anybody in my life! I don't know who told you that!", and so on. I extended my apologies for the bad choice of words and left him alone, beet red and fuming. Got his autograph, though. I just wish I'd heard Bob's story before I met him. We might have had a little more to talk about.:grin:

Best,
Mike

Willie was well known for hating the word. I believe he said in "Willie's Game" that in the early days he would walk into a strange room and tell the counter man who he was and that he would play anyone in the house for whatever amount. He didn't consider that "hustling"

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Willie was well known for hating the word. I believe he said in "Willie's Game" that in the early days he would walk into a strange room and tell the counter man who he was and that he would play anyone in the house for whatever amount. He didn't consider that "hustling"

He's right. It's not. :grin:

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Thanks Bob. I like fun little snippets from the old school days.
Lets never forget this kinda stuff.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Willie was well known for hating the word. I believe he said in "Willie's Game" that in the early days he would walk into a strange room and tell the counter man who he was and that he would play anyone in the house for whatever amount. He didn't consider that "hustling"

Like the (apocryphal) champion player who went into pool halls in the 1930s and announced loudly, "I'll play anyone in here for money. I beat Ralph Greenfield!" After he beat the challenger, he'd remind them, "Well, I told you I beat Greenfield."

 

[Rich93]

About the 70-30 right hand-left hand thing, Mosconi uses the same numbers when he tells the story to Mort Luby Jr in the interview that's on Freddy The Beard's site. So if Gleason was embellishing, they got their embellishments in sync.

Good story, no matter what the numbers truly were.