Willie

[JAM]

I did a search for "Mosconi" on our forum this morning. The first page of search results spanned for only three days, with Mosconi's name mentioned in what seems like a daily basis. In fact, one only needs to say "Willie" in the pool world, and everybody recognizes it's Mosconi that we're talking about.

Willie favored one pool cue, which was custom-made for him by Russian master George Balabushka. It had a Burton Spain forearm with four Ebony colored points and five colored veneers, with diamond mother-of-pearl inlays. I'm not sure what all that means myself, but I'm sure the cue connoisseurs do. The cue had eight shafts -- EIGHT. Reminds me of a golfer. :grin:

On May 14, 2011, Hunt Auctions held its "Important Sports Memorabilia Auction" in Chicago. Featured in the sale was a selection of items belonging to Willie Mosconi. Willie's Bushka cue sold at auction for $92,000, as most avid readers of this forum are aware.

This week's featured article on LiveAuction.com was about that auction of Willie Mosconi's pool belongings. Most of what was written is known to most pool aficianados, but it's still a great read: WILLIE MOSCONI BILLIARD MASTER THIS WEEK AT LIVEAUCTIONTALK.COM

Here's a Willie factoid I never knew that was in this article: Willie tutored Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason and also had a small cameo in the 1961 movie “The Hustler.” He originally recommended Frank Sinatra for the Fast Eddy part but director Robert Rossen went with Newman instead.

Can you imagine Frank Sinatra as Fast Eddy? What would "The Color of Money" been like with Frank?

For more Willie-related reading, check out his Wiki Article: Willie Mosconi's Wikipedia Article.

 

[JAM]

Bill Mosconi, son of Willie Mosconi, poses for a photograph with a mural depicting his father, Monday, May 9, 2011, in Philadelphia for an article written before the auction.

 

[JAM]

A signed Willie Mosconi cueball with a certificate of authenticity is going for just under 90 bucks today on eBay: WILLIE MOSCONI SIGNED CUE BALL PSA/DNA CERTIFICATE

 

[JAM]

After suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Mosconi died at home in Haddon Heights, N.J. His wife, Flora, died in March 2010.

Mosconi spent much of his lifetime in pool halls, criss-crossing the country much of the year for exhibits and matches. A devoted family man, he hated both the pool-hall lifestyle and the constant travel, but his drive to win and to support his family kept him out there.

"I think it was a very lonely life, even though he was a tough character. He was devoted to his wife, and certainly to his kids. I think that's why he did it," Bill Mosconi said. "(He would say), the only way you could make a living is if you're a champion. You can't lose."

Mosconi earned $10,000 to $15,000 a year in the 1930s, and 10 times that by the 1960s.

Bill Mosconi, 69, of Philadelphia, attributes his father's success to his fierce competitiveness, stellar vision and soft stroke.

"He could make the cue ball stop on a dime," the younger Mosconi said Monday, standing beside a mural of his dapper father on a somewhat neglected stretch of South Street in Philadelphia. The mural shows Mosconi playing with the black pool player Edward "Chick" Davis.

Mosconi, at the height of his power, at least once refused to play unless black players could compete beside him, his son said, though he concedes that he heard that story, and many others, second-hand. His father did not spend much time talking about himself.

Mosconi, who also had two daughters, ran a pool hall in North Philadelphia but raised his children in the New Jersey suburbs and stressed education at home. His son became an accountant and his grandson a doctor.

 

[JAM]

The best pool movie of all time, "The Hustler," with Willie Mosconi as the technical director for the shots.

Photo courtesy of "Untold Stories: Willie Mosconi" by R.A. Dyer.

 

[Ken_4fun]

Without fail I have heard that he was an a$$.

Its a shame that some folks are like that. Maybe it was because he was traveling and would have rather been home with family.

Nevertheless,

Ken

 

[JAM]

A cool shot of Willie's Bushka cue. :smile:

 

[JAM]

Without fail I have heard that he was an a$$.

Its a shame that some folks are like that. Maybe it was because he was traveling and would have rather been home with family.

Nevertheless,

Ken

I met him one time when he was doing an exhibition. He was fully dressed in a suit, just like my father used to dress. They both grew up in the same era when a man never left the house without a suit coat. My father was born in 1898, and Willie was born in 1913.

Ironically, he was born on my mother's birthday and passed away on my daughter's birthday. Kind of strange for me, I guess.

One trickshot that he set up at the exhibition I was at, he asked for somebody in the crowd to shoot it, and my friends all pushed me in the ring, so there I was, standing with Willie in front of my peers. I was sweating bullets and hoping that I was going to make that shot. Believe it or not, he allowed me to shoot with his cue. Fortunately, I successfully pocketed all the balls in Willie's trickshot that he set up. Whew!

He was really nice to everybody in the pool room. It was at the old "Let's Play Games" in Rockville, MD, owned by Richard Allen before he established his Champion Billiards in our region.

Here's a little pool smut that just came to my mind as I was writing this thread. I used to work for Richard at the Champions in Silver Spring, MD. The "The Color of Money" movie folks called Richard and asked him to submit an estimate of cost for providing the pool tables for the movie in the Atlantic City scene. At that time, Richard was the largest distributor of pool tables on the East Coast. Apparently, Richard's bid was too high, and they went with another pool table dealer.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Have her join our organization, the Veterans Association of Sailors of the Vietnam War, (I have the book Willie's Game, got it a a library sale of books to be tossed. It is a very good read, and the story of Willies life. Have a friend in California that I have know since the early 60's who last name is also Mosconi, his dad "LOU" is mention in the book when Willie was living in California. My friend is like 86 y/o and a cousin of the Willie, and has told me a few Willie Stories over the years.

 

[Johnnyt]

I did a search for "Mosconi" on our forum this morning. The first page of search results spanned for only three days, with Mosconi's name mentioned in what seems like a daily basis. In fact, one only needs to say "Willie" in the pool world, and everybody recognizes it's Mosconi that we're talking about.

Willie favored one pool cue, which was custom-made for him by Russian master George Balabushka. It had a Burton Spain forearm with four Ebony colored points and five colored veneers, with diamond mother-of-pearl inlays. I'm not sure what all that means myself, but I'm sure the cue connoisseurs do. The cue had eight shafts -- EIGHT. Reminds me of a golfer. :grin:

On May 14, 2011, Hunt Auctions held its "Important Sports Memorabilia Auction" in Chicago. Featured in the sale was a selection of items belonging to Willie Mosconi. Willie's Bushka cue sold at auction for $92,000, as most avid readers of this forum are aware.

This week's featured article on LiveAuction.com was about that auction of Willie Mosconi's pool belongings. Most of what was written is known to most pool aficianados, but it's still a great read: WILLIE MOSCONI BILLIARD MASTER THIS WEEK AT LIVEAUCTIONTALK.COM

Here's a Willie factoid I never knew that was in this article: Willie tutored Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason and also had a small cameo in the 1961 movie “The Hustler.” He originally recommended Frank Sinatra for the Fast Eddy part but director Robert Rossen went with Newman instead.

Can you imagine Frank Sinatra as Fast Eddy? What would "The Color of Money" been like with Frank?

For more Willie-related reading, check out his Wiki Article: Willie Mosconi's Wikipedia Article.[]


Can you imagine Frank Sinatra as Fast Eddy? What would "The Color of Money" been like with Frank?

Yes, a song and dance musical with a LOT of mob money to produce it.:smile: Johnnyt

 

[lfigueroa]

Without fail I have heard that he was an a$$.

Its a shame that some folks are like that. Maybe it was because he was traveling and would have rather been home with family.

Nevertheless,

Ken

Willie was an ass the same way John McEnroe, Dale Earnhardt Sr, and Muhammad Ali were asses. No one is perfect and sometimes the drive to be the greatest gets the best of some competitors. In all the times I saw him in person he was always a great ambassador to the game. When it comes to being an ass in public Earl could give Mosconi the 7 and the break.

Lou Figueroa

 

[BillPorter]

JAM, thanks for the nice thread about one of our game's all-time greats. l still recall seeing Willie give an exhibition back in the 1960s. When his opponent missed a shot, leaving about 8-9 balls on the table, Willie, who had been sitting near me, immediately rose from his chair and announced which of the remaining balls was going to be his break shot and then quickly outlined the sequence of shots leading to the break shot. And then he ran the remaining balls in the exact pattern he had described. Hard to estimate how many were drawn to the game after watching one of his exhibitions.

Like Ken, I have heard many stories about his quick temper and lack of "social grace," but the only person who has rivaled his promotion of the game of pool, IMHO, is Fats.

:thumbup:

 

[Mr. Bond]

thanks to james vester jr.

 

[JAM]

JAM, thanks for the nice thread about one of our game's all-time greats. l still recall seeing Willie give an exhibition back in the 1960s. When his opponent missed a shot, leaving about 8-9 balls on the table, Willie, who had been sitting near me, immediately rose from his chair and announced which of the remaining balls was going to be his break shot and then quickly outlined the sequence of shots leading to the break shot. And then he ran the remaining balls in the exact pattern he had described. Hard to estimate how many were drawn to the game after watching one of his exhibitions.

Like Ken, I have heard many stories about his quick temper and lack of "social grace," but the only person who has rivaled his promotion of the game of pool, IMHO, is Fats.

:thumbup:

Willie lived out of a suitcase most of his professional life, and I know from firsthand experience how brutal that is. It is hard to always be happy and smile for the cameras all the time when you're a celebrity of sorts like Willie was. Fans ask the same questions over and over again, and each time, the celebrity has to treat their fans with a smile. It ain't easy, I'm sure.

 

[JAM]

thanks to james vester jr.
View attachment 194205

Very cool! Thanks for the contribution to the Willie thread.

Courtesy again of Untold Stories by R.A. Dyer, this is a poster of when Willie was a kid on the road doing exhibitions on a 5-by-10 table. His high run was a 41. How cute!

 

[JAM]

I'm working on a pool-related project which is the reason why I was researching Willie Mosconi today.

Most people said Willie didn't gamble, but there were a few rare occasions when he did.

To make a long story short, Keith McCready spotted Willie Mosconi the 7-ball when Keith was 16 years old. It happened in California the first time. Willie lost the first set for a nickle. Willie was known not to gamble, but he apparently succumbed after consuming a couple glasses of wine. Of course, Keith has his bark working, trying to allure Willie.

They played again in Vegas a few years after that, same spot, Keith triumphed again. Willie didn't speak to Keith for 8 years. Every time Keith walked by Willie, Willie's head went the other way. Eventually, they did make up and speak at an exhibition, but years went by for Willie to cool off. Willie broke the ice and spoke to Keith at a tournament. Keith explained that he was a little cocky as a young'n and didn't mean to embarrass the legend. Willie forgave him, and everything was fine and dandy after that.

 

[Lock N Load]

Jam, I love all of these threads about, Willie.

Willie lived out of a suitcase most of his professional life, and I know from firsthand experience how brutal that is. It is hard to always be happy and smile for the cameras all the time when you're a celebrity of sorts like Willie was. Fans ask the same questions over and over again, and each time, the celebrity has to treat their fans with a smile. It ain't easy, I'm sure.

Great threads, Jam. I enjoyed them very much.
Regards,
Lock N Load.

 

[Mr. Bond]

Very cool! Thanks for the contribution to the Willie thread.

Courtesy again of Untold Stories by R.A. Dyer, this is a poster of when Willie was a kid on the road doing exhibitions on a 5-by-10 table. His high run was a 41. How cute!

I always liked this one too, cute story



"..[Pop] would return and frequently catch Willie ripping off runs of 30 and 40, not to mention the cloth now and then.." LOL

 

[Mr. Bond]

I've got bunches of articles on him, let me know if u need some

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

...Here's a Willie factoid I never knew that was in this article: Willie tutored Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason and also had a small cameo in the 1961 movie “The Hustler.”...

Willie was a credited technical advisor for the movie. In addition to tutoring the actors it was he who designed, and actually performed, some of the trick shots or intricate combos coming out of the stack that appear in the film.