Despite the widespread popularity of billiards, US networks have not been very supportive. Billiards was not popular enough to be shown on television for many decades. But it got a little more attention after the 1961 release of The Hustler. The movie had a profound impact on the popularity of pool and organized billiards was booming by the end of the 1960s.
The Hustler, which starred Jackie Gleason in the role of Minnesota Fats, was a huge success. Billiards halls all over the country doubled their size after the movie was released. The movie had a huge impact on organized billiards' popularity. In fact, by the mid-60s, billiards was on television.
Ten-Twenty was the first television billiards show. Frank Oliva was the original inventor of the game. This game was a variation of the 14-1 straight pool game. The game was timed, and the player could score 10 points per inning. The 100-point mark was the best match score. There were eight innings of play. In the eighth innings, players could score another 20 points.
Frank Oliva created Ten-Twenty in the early 1960s as a way to get pool out from the basement of local pool halls. Celebrities and professionals would play against one other on this show. The timers were set and the scores were determined by how well each snooker player scored.
Cisero Murphy, Joe Diehl and Nick Oliva were some of the players on the billiards-show. Joe Procita was one of many. It also featured amateur pool sharks like Jimmy Caras (Cowboy), and Dennis Orcollo.
The show was a major hit, and billiards on television began to become popular. Billiards began to lose popularity in the late 1970s. The number of television shows that featured billiards had decreased by the 1980s. The return of billiards to television was possible only with the 2005 launch Ballbreakers. Ballbreakers lasted one year, and made a lot of mistakes. The show seemed like an amateur comedy program because it limited the number of shots that contestants could take. The show failed, though, and it was eventually cancelled.
Pick Pockets was also a popular billiards game in the middle of the 1970s. The show featured a jovial host named Jimmy O'Connor. Although it was dated, the show had charm. Several celebrities appeared on the show, including "Little" Joey Canton, Sid Caesar, and Mickey Rooney. Willie "Mr. Pocket Billie" Mosconi, the greatest player in pool history, was also a star of the show. He set the straight pool world record for 1954. He was also the World Straight Pool Champion fifteen times.
A number of celebrities were seen playing billiards on television, including Sid Caesar and Bill Cosby. One $1000 charity prize was also available on the show.