Despite the fact that billiards is very popular on American television, networks have not taken it seriously. Although billiards has been a relatively unpopular game, it was a common one to see on TV for many years. But, with The Hustler's 1961 movie, it started to gain some more attention. The film had a significant impact on the popularity and growth of billiards.
The Hustler starred Jackie Gleason as a fictional character called Minnesota Fats, and became a hit. The number of billiards rooms in America doubled after the film was released. The movie also had a major impact on the popularity of organized billiards, and by the late 60s, billiards had made its debut on TV.
Ten-Twenty was the first TV billiards program. Frank Oliva, a billiards pioneer, invented the game in 1959. This game was a variation of the 14-1 straight pool game. The game was timed so that each player could score 10 point per inning. 100 points was the ideal match score. There were eight innings of play. In the eighth inning, players could attempt to score an additional 20 points.
Frank Oliva, a pool player, decided in the 1960s to take the game out of the basement and start a billiards show called Ten-Twenty. This show featured celebrities and professional billiards players competing against each other. The score was based on how the snooker players scored.
Cisero Murphy was among those who participated in the billiards program. 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 only one year and made many errors. The show's decision to limit the contestants' shots to a few, made it seem more like an amateur comedy show. It was cancelled after the show's failure.
Pick Pockets, an infamous billiards program that was broadcast in the mid-1970s had a significant impact. Jimmy O'Connor was the host. Although the show was old-fashioned, it had charm. The show featured several celebrities including Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, and Little Joey Canton. Willie Mosconi (Mr. Pocket Billions), the greatest pool player, was the star of the show. He set a straight pool world record in 1954. He was also the World Straight Pool Champion 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.