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Show "V lT - The arts and people behind the scenes Wednesday August 26, 1987 A microcosm of ambition and desire 4-by-8-foot n Bo Shooters pass the time with a friendly game of pool. mYou have a microcosm of ambition sire. four-by-eight-f- and de- Walter Tevls, author of The Hustler and The Color of Money on what pool has become. CLEARFIELD Low overhanging lights that dangle over the felt make it seem as if the surrounding shadows dance nV n vvV " f ' y ' ' y v.'.;-' around the table. And the trim squared-of- f sticks the shadows belong to are almost magical as they tear through the thin wisps of smoke that ascend out of view. But magic doesnt lend a role to the game of pool, formally known as pocket billiards. Nor does the environment just described. For the shadows attached to the sticks are not really dancing, but moving haltingly through a game and sport thats been around since the Dark Ages. Dave Thomason is one of the individuals who cast the shadows. Besides being the owner and manager of Crown Billiards in Clearfield, Thomason is one of 32 million pool players who have had to endure the rise and decline of the sport that carries a shady reputation. That reputation, deserved or undeserved, nearly made the game extinct from the to the 1980s. Pool was dead in the water until October of 1986, Thomason said. That was the year Touchstone Films released The Color of Money. Thomason said The Color of Money, which marked the return of Paul Newmans screen character Fast Eddie Felson from the 1961 classic The Hustler, had a very big impact on mid-196- .,,,, MMMMMMML, ' ', sticks). But the local Gearfield hoping the games popularity will continue to rise, admits the game cannot depend on Paul Newman or Hollywood. The reputation of the game has been hurt by the name of the game itself, pool, which most people associate with gampool-push- er, bling. who Thomason, neither smokes nor drinks and earlier served as a missionary for the LDS Church, said the decline of the game occured when television stations began to air some of the larger tournaments, only to discover pool players bickering amongst each other on the air and shady promoters who seemed rather suspicious in dealing with television executives. The programs were soon taken off the air, leaving those who promoted the game without a means to reach the public. To combat the boredom of shot calling and games that consisted of what seemed an eternity, pool promoters developed the rapid moving game of nine-bal- l. The game has fewer rules and only half the number of balls to pocket. So with popular film releases promoting pool, and table rates ($1.50 to $2 an hour) remaining consistently low, one Clearfield billiard hall owner believes the y reputation of games the past will remain just that of the past. once-shad- rf wsgH!wreBe ? t'l. 0s pool, from the local level on up. That film probably kept me in business. 1 watched my winter sales triple last year, he said. And since the movie Ive sold twice as many cues (pool ' ?M'- -. c fe7i, ;?: yWAft. ypcm f.fms ifk. -- 3ft m. - "C " J 'M'w l-;- v&. :? ,' " ' 4 ' ?, Kci X fS '4, f' I, .- m , X". y'fp'p ic, fPpV P"C ", P- - MtCiyL '"' ,'-- ' 4 ' ': M'- '& ' - -- vMt M p pA.p'lp ' , & '," A I Jy ', P' m m ' J - rsi'AX,, H, - left) while Jann Ewing (left) and scan the table for better angles. Its a clean break (upper Dale Howell . It had to CLEARFIELD begin somewhere, but, my, how ' the game has changed. The game of pocket billiards,' which originated from the game of billiards, began long before actor Paul Newman created Fast Eddie felson,-oprofessional pool player Steve Mirerack endorsed Miller Lite Beer. Pool, as the American public - r , ' now knows it, bcgai long ago as game with three balls and no corner pockets. ' It has since developed into both a form of entertainment and sport more than 32 million people now enjoy. Below is a brief history of how it began and how it has dea straight-ra- il veloped: 1312 - The European game ' . known as billiards, was first, ions for the rails, 1859 - First National Champiplayed. It was similar to- what is now know as lawn croquet. onship Pool Tournament held in Detroit, Michigan. Micheal Phelan defeated John Seerieter in a . 1807 - A Frenchman by the series of three games for $15,000 name of Minguad created the in prize money, leather tip for the cue, to give english to the ball; 1870 Billiard, rooms found in every major seaport through1840 - American Thomas out the Far East. Hancock developed rubber cush - - 1900 Pocket billiards became popular in the states, replacing billiards as the game to play.- 1920 - Pocket billiards reached a peak, with poofs first superstar Ralph Grccnleaf supplying the action. " sports such as tennis, golf, and bowling. ' ' " 1961 - Pool revitalized ; with the film The Hustler, starring Paul Newman and lackie Gleason. , 1986- - Pool, which had gotten a shady image, began to stage billiards Pocket 1950 began a comeback with Hustler seto be replaced by other new quel The Color of Money. |