Despite the widespread popularity of billiards, US networks have not been very supportive. While billiards had been an unpopular game for years, it became more popular with The Hustler, which was released in 1961. The movie had a profound impact on the popularity of pool and organized billiards was booming by the end of the 1960s.
The Hustler starred Jackie Gleason and was a smash hit. He played the role of Minnesota Fats in the movie. After the movie was released, billiards halls across the country doubled in size. 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 television billiards show. The game was developed by billiards evangelist Frank Oliva in 1959. It was a variation on the classic 14-1 straight pool game. The game was scored by a timer, with each player scoring 10 points per innings. 100 points was considered the best match score. The game consisted eight innings. The eighth inning was where the players could try to score 20 more points.
Frank Oliva started Ten-Twenty, a billiards program that brought pool out of basements. The show featured professional billiards players as well as celebrities competing against one another. 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. The show also featured amateur "pool sharks" like "Cowboy" Jimmy Moore, Jimmy Caras, and Dennis Orcollo.
The show was a huge hit, and billiards started to be popularized on television. The popularity of billiards on TV declined in the late 1970s. There were no billiards game programs by 1980. Ballbreakers was the only time that billiards had a significant impact on television. Ballbreakers lasted one year, and made a lot of mistakes. The show's decision to limit the contestants' shots to a few, made it seem more like an amateur comedy show. However, the show ended in failure and was eventually cancelled.
Pick Pockets, a billiards game show, was a hit in the 1970s. The show featured a jovial host named Jimmy O'Connor. The show was somewhat dated but still had charm. Numerous celebrities made appearances on the program, including Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, "Little Joey Canton" and Sid Caesar. 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 also won the World Straight Pool Championships fifteen times.
There were also several celebrities who played billiards, including Sid Caesar, Bill Cosby and Buddy Hackett. The show also featured a $1000 charity prize.