Despite the fact that billiards is very popular on American television, networks have not taken it seriously. 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 featured Jackie Gleason playing a fictional character named Minnesota Fats. It was a big success. The number of billiards rooms in America doubled after the film was released. 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, a billiards advocate, created the game in 1959. It was a variation on the classic 14-1 straight pool game. The game was played in a timed fashion. Each player could score ten points per inning. 100 points was considered the best match score. The game consisted of 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 score was based on how the snooker players scored.
Cisero Murphy was among those who participated in the billiards program. Amateur pool sharks such as Jimmy Carass, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, and Dennis Orcollo also appeared on the show.
The show was a hit and billiards began to gain popularity on television. In the late 1970s, television's popularity with billiards declined and there was a decrease in the number of billiards shows. Ballbreakers was the only time that billiards had a significant impact on television. Ballbreakers ran for just one year and made many mistakes. The show seemed like an amateur comedy program because it limited the number of shots that contestants could take. 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. It was a very old show but it 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 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. A $1000 charity prize was also included in the show.