The Willie Mosconi Story 1952

The Willie Mosconi Story 1952. From 16mm mp film. Best player in his time, this film shows Willie in his prime. A few trick shots only, no real game, but it is the mighty Mosconi. Ponzi died 2 yrs before this film was made.

[@marksjohn2687]

During WWII in the South Pacific, my father was one of the best pool players in his command. He was in the Army Air Corps, but they shuttled him out to a Navy destroyer or cruiser, and he took his turn against Willie Mosconi, who was on a USO morale tour.. .Mosconi, my father always said, graciously allowed him the break. My father sunk a few balls, and then he did not sink a ball. Mr. Mosconi then ran three tables in a row, all with trick shots. He patted my future father on the shoulder and told him he had played well. That was classy, and it has always stuck with me. My father taught me a trick shot or two, which I showed off while in college in the early 1970s. Writing this has brought tears to my eyes. john

[@TheAvenstar]

For 20 years (1959- 1979) I played in thesame pool hall every day. Never missed. They opened at 8:00 a.m. everyday including Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, and I never missed being there. It was sort of like a sacred gathering place (believe it or not). Every activity started and ended at "the hall." This was the biggest hall east of the Mississippi at the time with 3 billiards tables, 2 snooker tables, 3 regulation 5X10 big tops, and 27 regulation 4 1/2 X 9's. The owner accepted credit and everyone was on the arm all the time! The place was packed from morning til closing at 2:00 a.m. The ONLY DAY in my life I couldn't make it there because I was sick was THE day Willie Mosconi chose to drop in and pose for pictures. It kills me to this day ...

[@Entropy106]

1959-1979 u played in years with the best music. Doowop-disco

[@rickvassell8349]

Oregon billiards?

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

All the other days where more important, the days YOU got to play.

[@dukebmxrider]

i was the house husler at a local pool hall back in the south of philipines. played there everyday. the day efren reyes was in town being choufered around by one of the pool managers in the circuit and brought him to my pool room, i wasnt there.

[@charlieb308]

I got to see and play Mike Sigel in Rochester a lot, so amazing at straight pool

[@Bob95051]

Willie Mosconi's first World Championship was in an 8-player multiple round-robin league format. Each player played each other player 32 times from Nov. 1940 to May 1941. Yes, each player played 224 games. I suppose the idea was that with that many matches, there would be a lot of exposure and a lot of tickets sold. The event ended with Mosconi winning 176 and losing 48. In second place was Ponzi at 144 wins and 80 losses. That year was the only time such a long season was played, although double round robins were occasionally played for the Championship Tournament. With that particular setup, it is possible that for the last several matches against Ponzi, Willie already had a lock on the championship. In that context, the 5-cushion shot is entirely reasonable, since by that point the goal was to entertain the audience.

[@patriciajrs46]

I think it's funny that instead of holding his cigarette she puts it out!! Ha, ha. Thanks for this story about one of the best pool players in history.

[@timothymosconi3848]

Willie was my great uncle

[@nobodyaskedbut]

Mosconi was the greatest of all-time. At his peak, he defeated 6 world champions in winning the 9 player round-robin world title without losing a match. His world record of 526 consecutive straight pool made shots is one of sports greatest feats. In all, he won an all-time record 15 world championships.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

Don Willis was the greatest so far, Mosconi, Rae's, and O'Sullivan have to fight it out for 🥈 place.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

@@jackwoods535 today we are still getting perfect games out or Ronnie O'Sullivan, it's amazing to see.

[@robertdavis4386]

Mosconi didn`t run 526 consecutive balls. It was Luther Lassiter!

[@dougoverhoff7568]

@@robertdavis4386 That would be news to Wimpy.

[@jamestrads497]

Efren reyes would smoke him prime vs prime.

[@SC-cd4hb]

I watched willie put on an exhibition in a small poolhall in Costa Mesa, CA in 1963, I was 14. By age 18 I was good enough to hustle and play for money.

[@allgood6760]

The point of contact does not change on the object ball that is what I learnt from Mr Mosconi.. I love watching these old vids.. thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

With side English it does. :)

[@augustinecerronejr7968]

When I was a teenager I used to go to Mosconi's on Oregon Ave in South Philly to shoot pool. We rented balls and tables by the hour. Big tables and spaced apart perfectly. Willie Mosconi is the best

[@digitalbookworm5678]

Thanks so much for posting this. 👍

[@ericmaldonado1373]

Willie my hero, I would it loved to see Willie against Efren, that would it had been the greatest match ever. R.I.P. Willie 👏

[@CarlCramer88]

Efren would roll him.

[@deannataylor286]

Efren would spank his ass and send him home crying

[@lkw3695]

With all respect to willie. Efren would smoke him. Just different eras of pool

[@heginschristianstrong7707]

@@lkw3695 In all games I think Efren wins, but not straight pool.

[@lkw3695]

@@heginschristianstrong7707 it would be a battle for sure!

[@gkvogt]

His biography "Willie's Game" is a great read with an unexpected final scene.

[@fredsavage4925]

"That 8 ball looked 3 times as big as the pocket." Willie's acid kicked in.

[@9Ballr]

Efren had his "Z" shot and Willie had his five cushion kick!

[@unclequack5445]

I was thinking if Willie was making 5 cushion kick shots to win tournaments he may have been able to compete with Mr. Reyes after all.

[@WillieDines1]

​@@unclequack5445 The 5 rail kick was just a trickshot Willie had set up with the actor of Andrew Ponzi for the movie reel. I'm pretty sure that Willie most likely ran 100+ balls in his challenge match and out for his 1st world title win.

[@artartful854]

Go watch current bank pool players and you will see 3 and 4 rail shots called and made.

[@JosephNordenbrockartistraction]

The announcer in Efren's case had no idea what poor little Efren could possibly do with a another ball to avoid on the table. Efren did 5 rail banks before coffee.

[@artartful854]

What holds back Willie's rep as a great all round pocket billiards player, is that straight pool is the only game he played. Almost all of the other greats of his time, played 9 ball, one pocket and bank pool and won both on the road and in tournaments. Willie didn't. He took a salary from Brunswick and was the straight-laced anti-hustler...never gambling.

[@artartful854]

@@jackwoods535 Other pool pros has similar jobs and in fact Fats was vp of two different table makers. Crane was a spokesman and successful salesman of Cadillacs.

[@TimothyJesser]

9-ball and one pocket were prominent in the 40’s and 50’s? That doesn’t sound right. I’m going to look that up...

[@artartful854]

Oh 9 ball and 1 pocket were the gamblers games. The list of big time 9 ball & 1 pock, tourm. was short, Mosconi wins even shorter. Greenleaf and Worst were better all around players.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

@@artartful854 Don Willis probably beat all off them at some time

[@Jaybird165]

Worst beat Willis bad when they met in I think Ohio! Willis was awesome but Worst had he not died of brain cancer at 37 would have gone on to be the undisputed greatest all around player ever!

[@bobkries6547]

In 1954 I saw mosconni play a guy from the neighborhood of Albany park at jules pool room in Chicago. Billy broke and willie ran 350 balls and won the match.

[@franzlindleyerfe4392]

And now Ladies and Gentlemen, "THE MOSCONI CUP!"

[@miksUSA777]

Efren Reyes also started as a kid , that's why he became a Genius, unparalleled in this sport

[@knightingalesaid]

Awesome!

[@RichardsWorld]

Looks like little Willie was left handed, and older Willie was right handed 😀

[@seanshay6573]

great clip

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

A Ture Legend of the game...

[@easyhermoza]

gold!!!!!

[@Ardee1]

I knew I loved him for some other reasons originally from Philadelphia

[@bobby33x97]

I believe Mosconi had a run of ten World Titles in a row!

[@danielwebster5748]

Almost out the only two matches you can see of Willie mosconi is on him losing to Jimmy caras. What they don't show you but you can look in the history books Willie mosconi has defeated Jimmy so many times it's hard to count them. Although mosconi counted Ralph Greenleaf as the goat he was no slouch with the pool cue as a matter of fact mosconi was one of the best of all times. Ralph Greenleaf had suffered greatly toward the end and it probably added to his early death of at the age of 50. So with him losing the several people including moscone toward the end of his life he certainly was not the wizard he used to be. Ralph Greenleaf is immortal he will be remembered for all times and no one should ever forget the wizard mosconi. The day he sunk 526 balls he didn't miss after that he simply had to give up because he was straight up wore out. So he said the world record went home and didn't even miss. That world record held for about 50 years.

[@wombra8314]

👋🏻🎱👄🎱🤚🏻 two potato corner pocket 😯👉 🥔🥔🥔 lmfao that was crazy cute. oranges would probably roll a little more true....aramith grows a great set! 😂😂😂

[@Cryptone28]

Getting fresh oranges in Philly in 1923 probably wasn't the easiest task, and mom would most likely kick his ass if he did lol

[@wombra8314]

baltimore bullet acting kills this

[@level2billiards]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@HoosierRooster]

Mosconi went to Rockford Illinois for an exhibition to play Charlie Cacipaglia on two different occasions & was soundly beat both times by Charlie....he told people he would come back bur refused to play Charlie again...I not only was told this by Charlie himself, but was verified by his daughter & the original newspaper articles that were framed hanging on the wall of State & Madison Billiards in Rockford in 1979 .

[@kingsports1113]

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯 a kid genius

[@zanethind]

I never knew it was called pocket billiards either. What's that cleaner on his hands did he use?

[@wombra8314]

😂😂lmao this is awesome 👋🏻🎱👄🎱🤚🏻

[@joerobertson7887]

Those pockets must be 5" wide - like shooting into trash cans.

[@rickyrasputin7875]

This seems to be a sorry rendition of factual events. Willie was great. The story didn't mention the depression which led him to excel. A stroke denied him competing for titles. He held or shared title for 15 yrs. He holds 14.1 (straight pool) record high run of 526 balls; official record, 8' table. He set many competition, high avg runs. You can see him playing a gambler in music video hit, "Bad to the Bone." not shown playing, handsome in white hair. In very fine Paul Newman movie, "The Hustler" (Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott) he racked balls, tutored Paul off camera. (IMO: Color of Money sequel movie, w/Tom Cruz, was dull) NOTE: 'The Hustler' was so well made, folks loved the romance, on this fictional story, notwithstanding the pool, portions.

[@sjang816]

didn't mosconi even as a kid look at pool as just a means to support his family? I'm sure he loved the game but I read he looked at it more as just a job. extremely gifted at his job though. maybe the best ever

[@markgalura2891]

those tables look mad slow

[@charlie3214]

This is Venom Trick shots back in the 1950's

[@thejrodshow7679]

Minus the spray he uses ya haha

[@seanmcguire7974]

Good bye now🙋‍♂️🖐🎱

[@wombra8314]

Sean McGuire 🙋🏻‍♀️~ pop was boiling tho! 😳😳😳

[@martinranalli8572]

Was Mosconi the greatest ever and how many titles did he win in total?🎱

[@zanethind]

They called pool players cueman? Wow! I never knew that

[@wombra8314]

*licks the old girdle* D: 😳~ 👋🏻👁👅👁🤚🏻

[@davev5031]

Most of the video is not true if you read Willies book about his life story. He did push potatoes around the table and his father did not want him playing pool until he saw his amazing ability at 7 years of age able to run 40 balls or so standing on a crate. He was being trained to be a dancer like some his famous relatives were but he hated that.

[@michaelstebbins2870]

Yea on a crate to.

[@WillieDines1]

@@michaelstebbins2870 yep and he started shooting pool on a saturday when he would be waiting for his uncle to pick him up from the dancing classes, there was a pool table in the place where the dancing lessons were held and Willie started learning to play to the point where he would regularly run a rack of balls. It was Willie's uncle that first noticed how good Willie played at a young age because it was on a Saturday afternoon that Willie's and his uncle showed up earlier than usual for the dance classes and whilst waiting around, Willie's uncle challenged Willie to a few games. His uncle broke and Willie ran the table and his uncle said, "Lets see if you can do that again".... and next game, Willie ran out the table and it was Willie's Uncle that convinced his brother Joseph Mosconi to give Willie a chance at shooting Pool and when Joseph saw how good Willie could play, he gave full support and encouragement to his son, even to the point of having Willie playing exhibitions at the age of 7 years old.

[@adamsteele6148]

His father banned him from playing pool but his uncle played with him behind his father's back.

[@MIKIEEYEZ1975]

I know for a fact he ran 80 balls at age 8!

[@michaeltrumph121]

Is any of this true ?

[@beefonweckeastside3323]

Absolutely true to a fact

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@beefonweckeastside3323 I'm talking about the 5 cushion kick. Did he really win his first world title with such a shot ?!??

[@beefonweckeastside3323]

@@michaeltrumph121 you know I don't know the the truth of that matter I'll do some research and see what I can find my one thought is that to risk a Championship on a 5 cushion shot is so pretty Ball Z

[@seanmcguire7974]

@Justin Bryson their def of a documentary had a different meaning in this case. It's more of a reenactment with alot of embellishment

[@EM12S1]

1:45 sheesh 😬

[@clockworkstaffing9585]

So somehow he became right handed as he got older? Lol.

[@tonypanzarella9387]

"Proficiency at pool indicates a youth misspent." Or does it?

[@dw4481]

They had a pool hall but he used potatoes. I call BS on that one.

[@kilppa]

Yeah, I kinda doubt this story. :D

[@XGRIMYONEX]

Why would you tell the guy something like that during a game .Smfh. Wait till after or you gonna jam him up

[@acedrumminman]

Goodbye now! Hahahahaha...

[@wombra8314]

Cara Vaggio ikr 😂😂😂😂🙋🏻‍♀️

[@pantarei8382]

This seems a little to well scripted.. too bad because willy was a very down to earth guy

[@joshrowe634]

Not a true account of events. My great grandfather was there.

[@wombra8314]

6:31 mmfff ..... no wonder the gossip spread like an old girdle??? (u get the pleasures from reclicking the timestamp D: )

[@peteWxM1970]

Pool is an easy game to play.on any given day one good amateur could beat any so called world champion.snooker on the other hand is a lot more skill levels involved.the greatest ever is RONNIE OSULLIVAN. Watch his fastest ever 147 break in 5 minutes 36 seconds.he is the greatest cueman ever.Don’t get me wrong pool is exciting and quicker but it’s child’s play comparatively to snooker.just my humble opinion 😅

[@Bam72t39]

If your playing slop yes sure but there is no flukes allowed in pool. You have to call your pockets in most pool games.

[@justmusic8166]

Watch out, he will leave you standing in your underpants!!!

[@wombra8314]

6:16 that old gal is cyber bullying me in 2020 😞😞😞

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

That 5 rail shot probably never happened. For one thing there was an easy safe shot by gently shooting the cue ball into the 8 and letting the 8 ball hit the side rail after contact. At that point Andrew would be in the same predicament as Willie and a safety battle would most like ensue until one player opened up the table for a shot on either ball. Offensively, shooting the cue ball into the end rail with medium to hard top spin forces it to jump over the obstructing ball and that way of shooting it is much easier than the 5 rail kick shot and the chances of making the shot are much greater. Very cool to see Willie and Andrew Ponzi in this cornball, ersatz, "documentary".

[@user-wv5uf1kg8u]

YEA RITE, IDIOT

[@glynnhudson7298]

did anyone notice that the actor for Willie as a child was left handed...ofcourse Willie was a righty

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Yes, Willie was great, but Efren Reyes was even better.

[@robdetuinman2]

Lol no

[@notphilivey]

Totally fake. Mosconi would never sight himself out on a game ball.

[@garytravis2534]

missed lol

[@jamesdevrees8663]

This high run was 526. What's yours?

[@justinbryson1779]

I am sorry, but this was so ridiculously stupid, and there is no way that any of this is what really happened. Get real. It is hilarious if the public thought any of this was true.

[@markhuff8759]

Willie was great but not as good as as Efren Reyes