Crossroads: The Legacy of Johnston City

In later years, Johnston City drew large crowds to see hustling greats, such Boston Shorty (right) and Luther Lassiter.

Johnston City was not simply located at a geographical crossroads, but also at a symbolic, cultural and historic one. Nineteen sixty-one was a tumultuous year. The Russians had delivered the first human into space, setting off a renewed wave of Cold War paranoia. The Civil Rights movement was in full swing, with boycotts and sit-ins across America. The anti-hero was in literary vogue, with both Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" and Heller's "Catch-22" published that year. And pool too - a game that until then had denied its anti-heroes - was in the middle of transition.

What do I mean by this? Consider that pool, as measured by the public's interest and participation, had been in decline after World War II. The Billiard Congress of America had stopped holding tournaments. Willie Mosconi, the sport's then leading draw, had retired from the sport. But in 1961, pool's fortunes dramatically changed. It was in that year, the year of the first Johnston City tournament, that 20th Century Fox released "The Hustler," a film that captured the imagination of a new generation of players, including women. It sparked a pool craze the likes of which has not been seen since.

As critic David Thompson put it, "The Hustler" was a film about "small-time Charlies whose aspirations rise and die in the shadowy world of poolrooms." "The Hustler" was not about tournament players, about fancy men in tuxedos - but rather about hustlers. This was the aspect of poolroom culture that the billiards industry had always tried to hide, and yet "The Hustler" proved it was exactly what the public found most appealing.

Responding to the public's new-found interest, a writer by the name of Tom Fox pitched a story about the first Johnston City tournament to Sports Illustrated. His stellar piece, "Hustlers' Holiday in the Lion's Den," attracted more media attention, including, eventually, both ABC Wide World of Sports and CBS Sports Spectacular. Fox's piece also introduced the world to Rudolf Wanderone, the man who assumed the character of Minnesota Fats.

Pool's official image, so jealously guarded by the industry, collapsed under the weight of it all. The sport had sprung back to life, but not like it was before. Johnston City marked the beginning of pool's modern era. The fuse was lit.

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