“The Hustler”

Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason established a friendship on the set of "The Hustler" (1961). At one point, Newman got a little cocky about his newfound pool skills and challenged the much more experienced Gleason to a $50 bet on a game. Newman broke, then it was Gleason's turn. He knocked all 15 balls in and Newman never got another shot. Gleason recalled that the next day Newman paid him off with 5000 pennies.

All the pool shots in the movie are performed by Newman and Gleason themselves except one: the shot where the cue ball sends two object balls into the same pocket, performed by Willie Mosconi. Brought in as technical adviser, crew members have noted how Mosconi was similar to the Minnesota Fats character as written: well-dressed, fastidious, a player who brought a deep concentration to the game. Other than seeing his hands making some of the shots, Mosconi appears in the picture as the guy who holds the stakes in the contest between Eddie and Fats.

Assistant director Ulu Grosbard said that watching Mosconi in action was "like watching a great violinist or great cellist. There was nothing he couldn't do once he went to work on that pool table."

There's a misconception that the character Minnesota Fats is based on the real Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone Jr.). Actually, the character appeared in the book and the film before Wanderone, who up until this time had called himself "New York Fats," appropriated the name.

During the filming, one of the production days happened to fall on St. Patrick's Day. Prior to Gleason's arrival to the shoot at the pool hall, the lighting crew took out all the clear gels, and replaced them with green ones. Upon seeing this, Gleason was so impressed he said, "Boys! This looks beautiful! Take the rest of the day off!" He left, and production was shut down for that day. (IMDb)

Happy Birthday, Jackie Gleason!

(Herbert Walton Gleason Jr, Born February 26, 1916, Died June 24, 1987)