http://www.russmarshallphotographs.n...Billiards.html
I know of a few that just offer pool, one on Hilton in Ferndale.Quote:
Originally Posted by BRAZZMAN
Those images take me back to one of my all time favorite film scenes...
Come here to play with Minnesota Fats?
Yeah, that's right.
Want some free advice?
How much will it cost?
Who are you, his manager? His friend? His stooge?
He's my partner.
Your well-heeled, partner?
We got enough.
Go home. Fats don't need your money. Nobody's beat him in years. He's the best.
You got that wrong, mister. I am.
You just go ahead and play him, friend.
Where can I find him?
Comes right in this poolroom every night, eight o'clock on the nose.
[Fats arrives watches Eddie shoot]
You shoot a good stick.
Thanks. Gee, you shoot straight pool, mister?
Now and then. You know how it is.
You're Minnesota Fats, aren't you? They say Minnesota Fats is the best where I come from.
Is that a fact?
They say old Fats just shoots the eyes right off them balls.
Where do you come from?
California. Oakland.
California? Is your name Felson?
That's right.
I hear you've been looking for me.
Yeah. That's right, too.
Big John? You think this boy is a hustler?
You like to gamble?
Gamble money on pool games?
Let's shoot a game of straight pool.
Hundred dollars?
You shoot big-time pool, Fats. That's what everybody says. Let's make it $200 a game.
Now I know why they call you Fast Eddie. Eddie, you talk my kind of talk. Sausage, rack 'em up! Willie, hang on to that. You break.
[Eddie soft breaks]
I didn't leave you much.
You left enough.
[Fats shoots] In the corner.[crack] in the corner. [crack] Ace in the side. [crack] ... [runs the table]
Boy, he is great! Geez, that old fat man! He moves like a dancer.
Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. What an unlikely pair to have turned out one of the greatest classic flicks of all time, eh?
Used to have a pool place on Warren in Dearborn called the Cozy Cue. That place could tell stories.
Bill's Recreation, 3rd & MLK
http://www.detroitblog.org/?p=548
If it's the same place - on Warren just east of Greenfield a couple blocks - I used to go there when I got discharged from U.S.Navy in 1964. That was truly a great, great old time pool hall.Quote:
Originally Posted by daddeeo
Yes Lowell. One of my favorites also. Man, unless you have that scene dialog memorized-you must have the script in front of you. There are many other memorable short exchanges/phrases between the characters - Like when Eddie says [[about Ames) it's like a church. And just before the dialog you posted where Eddie says "You got any straight pool shooters in this here pool hall?" Also when Bert is talking about having and getting character. And when Eddie is telling Sarah about what it's like to be "on your game" when the cue feels like an extension of your arm.
And when Fats & Eddie are ordering booze from The Preacher. By the way, J.T.S.Brown bourbon cannot be had around here. I had a friend bring me a couple bottles up from Tennessee just after Paul Newman died to toast him in that role.
Ha ha. I don't have that dialog memorized, but I could para-phrase it. Nothing's a secret on the web. I just remember that pool hall being so cool, along with all the smart ass dialog. Awesome film, IMO Paul Newman's best role of the many great films in which he starred - young, cocky, vulnerable and lovable all at once. Jackie Gleason playing the straight guy demonstrated his great acting versatility. As I am sure you know he was also a near pro level pool player -- talk about being a perfect fit for Minnesota Fats.
Is Kelly Cue still on Kelly Rd.? Maybe between 8 Mile and 9 Mile, or maybe it was between 9 and 10 Mile?
My game isn't even worth mentioning, but I was shooting on my cousin's table against my uncle and he couldn't buy a shot. He was worse than me. I kept on him about "you ain't gonna hustle me. This don't work on me, I'm not a chump." I finally asked "Where did you shoot?" He looked me dead in the eye and with a sly grin said "a place over by Harper & Conner. It was downstairs." He then cleared the table.
Yes, I know that one. I think it's called Hilton Family Billiards. It is on Hilton north of 9 mile. A very cool room. Very basic, no frills. Free coffee. Maybe 10 tables including a snooker table. About $5 hr.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh
There was a place over in Livonia just west of Inkster and the 96 service drive.
It had a lot of tables and had some atmosphere.:cool:
there should be a family friendly restaurant/pool place in detroit..
The Loving Touch, on Woodward next to the WAB in downtown Ferndale. Hard to notice if you aren't looking for it, not much in the way of a sign, but a cool place inside.
http://detroit.metromix.com/bars-and...973462/content
There used to be a dumpy bar/pool place on Greenfield just down from Sullys in Dearborn that was pretty cool.:cool:
Pics remind me of what Snookers [[Livonia) used to be back in the late 80s when it was still known as Cushion, Cue and Brew.
No carpet on the floor, barely an area that passed as a bar and certainly no TVs hung all over the place. Loud, smoky and cheap pool. We loved it.
Pretty tasty food and cute waitresses.;)
Yeah, its a Snookers now.Quote:
Originally Posted by grumpyoldlady
Lotta East Side money changed hands at the Carom Club, E. Warren and Neff. Serious shooters, until Nick let the place go to the cats...:eek:
I don't know..............
Harold:
Well, either you're closing your eyes
To a situation you do now wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a pool table in your community.
Ya got trouble, my friend, right here,
I say, trouble right here in River City.
Why sure I'm a billiard player,
Certainly mighty proud I say
I'm always mighty proud to say it.
I consider that the hours I spend
With a cue in my hand are golden.
Help you cultivate horse sense
And a cool head and a keen eye.
Never take and try to give
An iron-clad leave to yourself
From a three-reail billiard shot?
But just as I say,
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to score
In a balkline game,
I say that any boob kin take
And shove a ball in a pocket.
And they call that sloth.
The first big step on the road
To the depths of deg-ra-Day--
I say, first, medicinal wine from a teaspoon,
Then beer from a bottle.
An' the next thing ya know,
Your son is playin' for money
In a pinch-back suit.
And list'nin to some big out-a-town Jasper
Hearin' him tell about horse-race gamblin'.
Not a wholesome trottin' race, no!
But a race where they set down right on the horse!
Like to see some stuck-up jockey'boy
Sittin' on Dan Patch? Make your blood boil?
Well, I should say.
Friends, lemme tell you what I mean.
Ya got one, two, three, four, five, six pockets in a table.
Pockets that mark the diff'rence
Between a gentlemen and a bum,
With a capital "B,"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!
And all week long your River City
Youth'll be frittern away,
I say your young men'll be frittern!
Frittern away their noontime, suppertime, choretime too!
Get the ball in the pocket,
Never mind gittin' Dandelions pulled
Or the screen door patched or the beefsteak pounded.
Never mind pumpin' any water
'Til your parents are caught with the Cistern empty
On a Saturday night and that's trouble,
Oh, yes we got lots and lots a' trouble.
I'm thinkin' of the kids in the knickerbockers,
Shirt-tail young ones, peekin' in the pool
Hall window after school, look, folks!
Right here in River City.
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!
Now, I know all you folks are the right kinda parents.
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.
Would ya like to know what kinda conversation goes
On while they're loafin' around that Hall?
They're tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out cubebs,
Tryin' out Tailor Mades like Cigarette Feends!
And braggin' all about
How they're gonna cover up a tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen.
One fine night, they leave the pool hall,
Headin' for the dance at the Arm'ry!
Libertine men and Scarlet women!
And Rag-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son and your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground!
People:
Trouble, oh we got trouble,
Right here in River City!
With a capital "T"
That rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool,
That stands for pool.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City,
Right here!
Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after school!
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble...
Harold:
Mothers of River City!
Heed the warning before it's too late!
Watch for the tell-tale sign of corruption!
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?
Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger?
A dime novel hidden in the corn crib?
Is he starting to memorize jokes from Capt.
Billy's Whiz Bang?
Are certain words creeping into his conversation?
Words like 'swell?"
And 'so's your old man?"
Well, if so my friends,
Ya got trouble,
Right here in River city!
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City!
Remember the Maine, Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!
Oh, we've got trouble.
We're in terrible, terrible trouble.
That game with the fifteen numbered balls is a devil's tool!
Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble!
With a "T"! Gotta rhyme it with "P"!
And that stands for Pool!!!
Another excerpt from "The Hustler" script;
... in that cheap, crummy poolroom ... Now,
why'd I do it, Sarah? Why'd I do it? I coulda
beat that guy, I coulda beat him cold. He
never woulda known. But I just had to show 'em,
I just had to show those creeps and those punks
what the game is like when it's great, when
it's really great. You know, like anything can
be great -- anything can be great ... I don't
care, bricklaying can be great. If a guy
knows. If he knows what he's doing and why, and
if he can make it come off. I mean, when I'm
goin' -- when I'm really goin' -- I feel
like...
[[beat)
... like a jockey must feel. He's sittin'
on his horse, he's got all that speed and that
power underneath him, he's comin' into the
stretch, the pressure's on him -- and he
knows -- just feels -- when to let it go, and
how much. 'Cause he's got everything workin'
for him -- timing, touch. It's a great feeling,
boy, it's a real great feeling when you're
right, and you know you're right. It's like all
of a sudden I got oil in my arm. Pool cue's
part of me. You know, it's a -- pool cue's got
nerves in it. It's a piece of wood -- it's got
nerves in it. You feel the roll of those balls.
You don't have to look. You just know. Ya make
shots that nobody's ever made before. And you
play that game the way nobody's ever played it
before.
Here's one I didn't mention. It's next to Hope's Fish & Chips on Joy Rd. betwn. Middlebelt and Inkster. Some of the tables are a little threadbare but still a good old time pool hall.
http://www.therackmi.com/
Anyone rememer the one on the NW corner of 9 and greenfield? I cant remember the name but it was an old school place with plenty of hustlers
In the 60's and on either Larned or Congress, and just east of Woodward, there was a hall, where on the 2nd floor.
Seem to recall at one time there was also a hall in the old Greyhound Bus Depot.
Harry's in Dearborn Heights [[long gone), VanBorn and Telegraph was good-sized hall.
Thunderbowl in Allen Park, may still have a hall upstairs and on the south-end of the building. The place was quite busy even into the late-70's.
Not many speak of "snooker" any more.
Haven't played pool in quite some time, but those pics remind me of Joe's pool hall in the late 60's - early 70's.
Turn of the century pressed tin ceilings, fold down wood and wrought iron seats on risers, plank wood flooring with sawdust,plaster walls, pinball machines, and tables from the early part of the twentieth century.
Don't forget the Stewart sandwich heater, and a dusty candy counter with an old brass cash register on top. More like a museum than a pool hall.
Anyone remember Phil's on Fenkell just east of Wyoming? It was owned and run by a great old Italian man named Phil Cardella. His son, Barney, went to Cooley and was in a class or 2 with me in 1960, 61, and 62. Phil's started out as a long skinney store front conversion that had 3 snooker tables, then 2 pool tables laid out from the front of the place to the back.
We used to play a game on the snooker table called "GOLF". all kinds of characters would play in the golf games. it was limited to 7 players, so the best seven on hand would get to play. I you couldn't compete with the "1st table" crowd, then you had to play at the "2nd" or "3rd" tables and wait for an opening on the 1st table.
The way you got better was to pay your dues to the guys on the 1st table - they knew the trick and "touch" shots that made for winning.
After a few years, Phil built an addition onto the west side, changed the name of the place to the "Ivory Cue Club", and added 5 more pool tables and a beautiful old billiard table. The new pool tables were the more modern ones with adjustable legs and rolling counters built in to the ends. All the tables, both snooker and pool, on the "old side" were the old brunswick "Elephant Leg" models with the thick, wooden, inlaid legs and rails.
I was in Reno a few years ago and actually ran into one of the old Phil's regulars in casino. He just about crapped when I went up and introduced myself.
It would be amazing if anyone here remembered Phil's.
I also just remembered another place further up Fenkell, close to Livernois, but I can't remember the name, I do recall that they had a "British" snooker table in there that was 16 feet long.
And then, the newest of all, was a place on the Jas. Cousins service drive not far off of Puritan. It was run by a German woman and I used to play a few of the Detroit Lions in there and releive them of a few bucks now and then. I remember I played Dick LeBeau and Daryl Sanders for sure and a couple others whose names I don't recall.
Anyway, thanks for starting this thread and I'll try to jog my memory for any other pertinent things that could be of interest for this thread.
Good luck and best wishes to all of you.
Bob A [[bahbay)
I remember that place on James Couzens. It was on the side of the service drive that goes south. It had a kind of wire mesh on the fron window.Quote:
Originally Posted by bahbay
I revisited this place last week. The sign "The Rack" is still on the pole and the building on Joy Rd between Middlebelt & Inkster. But it's changed hands and is now called - get ready - "The Velvet Rail". The place is still the same as far as I could tell in the 30 mins I was there. The better news is that all the tables have been resurfaced and new lighting installed. Before 5pm the rates are $5 hour for 2 players. Will get more info on this when I go on Wed.Quote:
Originally Posted by BRAZZMAN
The web site is terrible http://thevelvetrail.com/ Tries to appeal to "family fun" but I saw the same old - timers shootin' snooker and playing cards.
not really a "serious" pool hall but kind of a fun place.
http://www.orleansbilliards.com/
Some very interesting memories of old time pool halls posted here. I mentioned The Rack on Joy Rd. in a previous post. Been going there every Wed to meet a friend. We start off with a couple racks of 8-ball then the rest of out usual 2 hours on 9-ball. The tables are 4x8, measuring the actual playing surface from cushions nose to nose, not the outside dimensions of the whole table, which is the incorrect way to take the measurments. I had been playing on a 3-1/2 x 7 table and it takes some getting used to the larger size. The angles are longer and it looks like a "whole-lota-green" when trying a corner cut shot.
There is one snooker table which has been moved up front. The owner wants to interest the younger crowd in that most difficult game.
Discovered that the Shark Club in Canton is now closed. And heard that Snookers in Royal Oak is going to be. The Hilton Family Pool Hall in Ferndale has been closed some time since I started this thread.