Despite the popularity of billiards on television, the US networks have not looked kindly on it. Billiards wasn't a very popular game on television for many years. However, the Hustler movie in 1961 brought it some attention. The popularity of billiards increased dramatically after the movie, and organized billiards exploded in the 1960s.
The Hustler starred Jackie Gleason as a fictional character called Minnesota Fats, and became a hit. The movie made it possible for billiard halls to double in size after its release. The movie also had a big impact on the popularity organized billiards. By late 1960s, billiards had appeared on television.
Ten-Twenty was the first television billiards show. Frank Oliva was the original inventor of the game. It was a variation to the classic 14-1 straight game of pool. The game was timed, and the player could score 10 points per inning. 100 points was the ideal match score. There were eight innings of play. The players had the option to shoot for 20 more points in the eighth inning.
Frank Oliva started Ten-Twenty, a billiards program that brought pool out of basements. In this show, professional billiards players and celebrities would compete against one another. The scores were calculated based on the score of each snooker player.
Cisero Murphy and Joe Diehl were among the billiards players. Joe Procita, Nick Oliva, Mike Eufemia and Mike Eufemia were also featured. The show also featured amateur "pool sharks" like "Cowboy" Jimmy Moore, Jimmy Caras, and Dennis Orcollo.
This show was a big hit and billiards became very popular on television. Billiards began to lose popularity in the late 1970s. The number of television shows that featured billiards had decreased by the 1980s. Ballbreakers, which was launched in 2005, made billiards on TV a huge hit again. Ballbreakers lasted one year, and made a lot of mistakes. The show was more amateur-style comedy than a reality show because they limited the number of contestants who could participate. However, the show ended in failure and was eventually cancelled.
Pick Pockets, a billiards game show, was a hit in the 1970s. Jimmy O'Connor was the show's jovial host. The show was somewhat dated but still had charm. Numerous celebrities were featured on the show, including Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney and Little Joey Canton. Willie “Mr. Pocket Billilliards” Mosconi played the starring role on the show. He was considered the greatest pool player of all times. He also set a straight pool world mark in 1954. He also won the World Straight Pool Championships fifteen times.
The TV show featured several celebrities playing billiards including Sid Caesar, Bill Cosby, Buddy Hackett, and Bill Cosby. The show also featured a $1000 charity prize.