Despite the widespread popularity of billiards, US networks have not been very supportive. For many years, billiards was not a popular game to be played on television, but with the advent of The Hustler movie in 1961, it began to get a bit more attention. The popularity of billiards increased dramatically after the movie, and organized billiards exploded in the 1960s.
The Hustler starred Jackie Gleason, who played a fictional character called Minnesota Fats. The movie was a success. After the movie was released, billiards halls across the country doubled in size. The movie had a significant impact on the popularity and acceptance of organized billiards. By the end of the 60s, television had already made billiards a reality.
Ten-Twenty was the first TV billiards program. Frank Oliva, a billiards evangelist, developed the game. It was a variation on the classic 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. The game consisted eight innings. In the eighth innings, players could score another 20 points.
Frank Oliva founded Ten-Twenty, an billiards game program, in the early 1960s. Pro billiards player and celebrity would take on each other in this competition. Each player was timed and scored based upon the amount of snooker played.
Cisero, Joe Murphy, Nick Oliva and Mike Eufemia played on the billiards show. Joe Procita was also a participant. Amateur pool sharks such as Jimmy Carass, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, and Dennis Orcollo also appeared on the show.
It was a huge success and television began to be popular for billiards. Billiards began to lose popularity in the late 1970s. The number of television shows that featured billiards had decreased by the 1980s. 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 was also a popular billiards game in the middle of the 1970s. Jimmy O'Connor, a cheerful host, hosted the show. It was a dated show, but had charm. The show featured several celebrities including Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, and Little Joey Canton. The show was also notable for its starring role by Willie "Mr. Pocket Billiards" Mosconi, the greatest pool player of all time. In 1954, he set a world straight pool record. 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.