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 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 big impact on the popularity organized billiards. By late 1960s, billiards had appeared on television.
Ten-Twenty, the first billiards game program on television, was it. Frank Oliva was the original inventor of 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 of eight innings of play. In the eighth inning, the players could shoot for another 20 points.
Frank Oliva started Ten-Twenty, a billiards program that brought pool out of basements. This show featured celebrities and professional billiards players competing against each other. Each player was timed and scored based upon the amount of snooker played.
The billiards show featured players like Cisero Murphy, Joe Diehl, Nick Oliva, Mike Eufemia, Willis Covington, and Joe Procita. 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. In the late 1970s, television's popularity with billiards declined and there was a decrease in the number of billiards shows. The return of billiards to television was possible only with the 2005 launch Ballbreakers. 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.
In the mid-1970s, the billiards game show Pick Pockets also made a big impact. The show featured a jovial host named Jimmy O'Connor. Although it was dated, the show had charm. Numerous celebrities were featured on the show, 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 also won the World Straight Pool Championship a total of 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.