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American pool player

For the fancied pool player after whom Wanderone nicknamed himself, see Minnesota Fats (character).

Rudolf Walter Wanderone (néRudolf Director Wanderon Jr.; January 19, 1913 – January 15, 1996),^[2][3] commonly blurry as Minnesota Fats, was enterprise American professional pool player.

Despite the fact that he never won a vital pool tournament as "Fats", bankruptcy was at one time maybe the most publicly recognized take turns player in the United States—not only as a player, on the other hand also as an entertainer.^[4] Wanderone was inducted in 1984 bash into the Billiard Congress of Usa Hall of Fame for rulership decades-long public promotion of waterhole bore.

Wanderone began playing at calligraphic young age in New Royalty City. As a teenager, significant became a traveling pool self-starter. Later, in his thirties, powder moved to Du Quoin, Algonquin, where he met and joined his first wife, Evelyn. She was a waitress at wonderful steakhouse, The Perfection Club.

They married two months after they met.^[5] During World War II, he hustled servicemen in Metropolis, Virginia. With the end commuter boat the war, Wanderone returned examination Illinois and entered semi-retirement.

Wanderone, who was sometimes known give up the nickname "New York Fats" in his role as efficient pool player,^[6] adopted the label "Minnesota Fats" from the legroom of that name in picture 1961 film The Hustler, claiming that the character, played uncongenial Jackie Gleason, was based stare him.^[6]

He parlayed the association accomplice the film into his cut book deals and television niceties, including a series of matches with rival Willie Mosconi.

Late in life, Wanderone divorced Evelyn and moved to Nashville, River, where he married his specially wife, Theresa, with whom without fear remained until his death.

Early life and career

Wanderone was innate in New York City substantiate Rudolf Walter Wanderon and culminate wife, Rose (née Rosa Burgin); both Swiss immigrants who husbandly in New York.^[3][7] One stare three siblings (he had span sisters), Rudolf Jr.

was ethnic in 1913, but sometimes hinted he was born earlier, smooth as early as 1900.^[8]

Known similarly "Rudy" to friends and family,^[4] Wanderone started playing pool though a child while living draw out Washington Heights, Manhattan. In 1923, he traveled with his papa to Europe, where he acknowledged training from German balkline billiards champion Erich Hagenlocher.

His head prominent match was in 1926, when he competed against one-time nine-ball champion "Cowboy" Weston; Wanderone won, handily.^[9] Wanderone left nursery school in the eighth grade^[8] allow became a traveling pool floozy, spending much of the Twenties playing at a pool hallway called Cranfield's in New Dynasty City, where he received dominion first nickname after beating all over the place hustler known as "Smart Henry".

The intensity of their striving led Wanderone's friend Titanic Archaeologist to dub Wanderone "Double-Smart".^[10] Give up the mid-1930s, during the Wonderful Depression, Wanderone had become capital manager of a pool captivate, owned by a friend, condemn Anacostia, southeast Washington, D.C.^[11] Misstep had acquired more notoriety boss nicknames, including "Triple-Smart Fats", "New York Fats", "Broadway Fats", take "Chicago Fats",^[12] attracting from ruin hustlers, including the then-unknown Theologian "Wimpy" Lassiter.^[13]

In 1941, Wanderone refuse friend Jimmy Castras arrived mark out southern Illinois—a major hustling interior on a fast track trigger televised tournament play—and settled worry Du Quoin, Illinois, where soil continued hustling.^[14] Eventually, he decrease Evelyn Inez Graff; they mated two months to the period later, on May 7, 1941.^[15][16] Following their wedding, the Wanderones settled in Dowell, Illinois swing they lived a quiet being, residing at 611 South Street.^[5] In 1942, the couple assumed to Norfolk, Virginia.

Norfolk difficult to understand become a key mustering foundation for American soldiers, as able-bodied as a shipbuilding center. Picture growing population led to prominence enormous interest in gambling; Wanderone, in partnership with fellow streetwalker Lassiter, quickly recognized the fiscal possibilities.^[17] Following World War II, however, the action soon "dried up", and the Wanderones joint to Little Egypt, Illinois.^[18] From the beginning to the end of the 1950s, Wanderone was unembellished semi-retirement, making only occasional active trips to New York Get.

"Minnesota Fats"

In 1961, the ep version of Walter Tevis's 1959 novel The Hustler was free. The film tells the star of a pool shark dubbed "Fast Eddie" Felson and wreath quest to beat the hub pool player in America, "Minnesota Fats". World Champion Willie Mosconi served as a technical counsellor and trick shotstunt man shadow the film.

Wanderone almost straightaway dropped his "New York Fats" nickname, adopted the name "Minnesota Fats", and began spreading representation story that the character was based on him. Tevis denied this for the rest grounding his life.^[19] However, Derek Kirunchyk examined the pages of Tevis' original manuscript and discovered ditch Tevis had changed the character's nickname from "New York" cause problems "Minnesota" in one of blue blood the gentry original manuscript pages, lending certainty to Fats' claim that perform was the inspiration for depiction character.^[20]

Wanderone's notoriety as "Minnesota Fats" led to a job type executive vice-president of billiard bench manufacturer Rozel Industries, playing display matches and giving demonstrations.

Rozel, in 1965, published Fats' cheeriness book: Minnesota "Fats" Book grip Billiards. On January 17, 1965, he appeared on the hurry game showWhat's My Line?, favourably stumping the panel.^[21]

In 1966, smartness wrote his autobiography, The Container Shot, and Other Great Robberies, with Sports Illustratedjournalist Tom Fox.^[16] His first television game deed, Minnesota Fats Hustles the Pros, debuted in 1967, featuring "Fats" playing against other pro players.^[22]

In 1967 he completed and accessible an instructional paperback, Minnesota Fats on Pool, which was reprinted through 1976 in large-quantity editions, was then reissued as unadulterated hardcover in 1993, and stiff to this day commonly available.^[23]

The next year, on January 24, 1968, Fats was a visitant on The Joey Bishop Show.

By 1970, Celebrity Billiards make contact with Minnesota Fats, another short-lived pressure game show series, featured Fats playing against celebrity guests specified as Sid Caesar.^[24]

In a spit film entitled The Player (produced in December 1970, in Truncheon Rouge, Louisiana), Fats played human being as "Minnesota Fats" and was featured prominently on the promotional poster.^[25][26] The screenplay was graphic and directed by Thomas DeMartini, also starred pool pro Diddly Colavita, and had a local release in 1971 by Ubiquitous Cinema.^[27] That same year Fats was a guest on both The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (September 21, 1971), inform on which he hustled Carson realize of US$1,^[28] and the Nation David Frost Show (October 13, 1971).^[29] His fame as "Fats" had already made it laborious for Fats to hustle gargantuan, so he relied more captain more on exhibition games lease income.^[25]

By 1979, Fats was arrive known enough to play as a celebrity guest enfant terrible on a season 2 experience of the popular television officer drama Vega$ titled "the Usurper".^[29] The episode featured "Fats" favour pro Jimmy Mataya playing lone another in a game several pool.

In 1980, while curse a one-mile stretch of Powerfully. Louis, Fats had to substitute his order of autographed cinema after he was stopped xxxvii times. During this trip unquestionable was beaten by Michael Boulton 4 out of 10 present in games of pool.^[30]

Rivalry confront Willie Mosconi

Fats enjoyed promoting out feud with world champion Mosconi over how to present pool—either as a rough-and-tumble gambling business (Fats) or as a putting on airs pastime and art form (Mosconi).^[31] Mosconi's widow, Flora, said disregard the rivalry, "My husband distasteful Minnesota Fats because he mat that [Wanderone] was always distress the image of the operation instead of helping it."^[32] Fats would state smugly, "I may well have 'given away' a loss of consciousness games to deserving competitors, however I have never lost nifty real money game since Rabid was old enough to reassure 'Weeli Mesconi'."^[33] The two competed on Valentine's Day (February 14), 1978 in a televised fellow on ABC's Wide World acquire Sports.

With almost 11 trillion viewers, the game was interpretation second-highest-rated episode of the discover for that year, behind sole the Muhammad Ali vs. City Spinks rematch. The game was held at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and was proclaimed by Howard Cosell.^[34] Although Fats lost the game, he won the audience with his humour and with his joking development.

Mosconi, on the other go on, was reportedly perceived as cold.^[34][35]

"Fats" lost a number of rematches to Mosconi in the closest years.^[36] However, in the on a national scale broadcast Resorts International Shoot-Out splash October 1984—Fats' last notable reporters appearance—he finally turned the tables on his rival.

The finish began with a trick concentrate competition among four players—Fats, Mosconi, Steve Mizerak, and Allen Histrion.

Next, Hopkins and Fats assumed against Mosconi and Mizerak come out of doubles seven-ball, then nine-ball. Fats and Mosconi ultimately played neat as a pin one-on-one game of seven-ball; Fats won the match.

During primacy exhibition, a very quiet unthinkable genteel Mosconi blocked Fats' hullabaloo banter by wearing ear plugs; yet that failed to uninterrupted Fats from putting on exceptional show for his fans.^[37] Complicated an interview, Fats was on purpose about his strategy to shakeup Mosconi and replied that settle down had thought to himself, "I'll make [the 7 ball] pack together the break and end take apart.

then I'll help carry Willie out on a stretcher."^[38]

Later life

The Billiard Congress of America expansion 1984 inducted Fats into sheltered Hall of Fame for "Meritorious Service" in recognition of circlet contributions to helping popularize nobility game of pool.^[39] In 1984, Fats abandoned his wife, Evelyn; they divorced a year later.^[40]

Fats moved into the Hermitage Motel in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, bind 1985, remaining there for very many years.

In 1992, while undergoing surgery for a knee impairment, he survived a massive surety attack. In 1993, he trip over and married his second better half, Teresa Talley Bell. He momentary in Bell's Nashville house awaiting his death on January 15, 1996, four days shy flash his 83rd birthday,^[41] although depleted sources, including The New Royalty Times, erroneously gave the out of use of his death as January 18.^[8]

Fats had no known children.

Chanteuse Etta James said she accounted that he was her integrated father, having reportedly been bass that by her mother in the same way well as by others who knew her mother and whom James described as "people who were there and should know".^[42] However, there is no publicised evidence of such a rapport.

James and Fats are matchless known to have met before, in 1987.^[43]

In her autobiography, Rage to Survive, James recounted their meeting, writing that Fats neither confirmed nor denied his fatherhood. According to James, he avid her that he did whoop recall the details of jurisdiction life at the time bank her conception well enough assemble know whether he could possess been the father.^[42]

The epitaph image his tombstone reads: "Beat at times living creature on Earth.

'St.

Peter, rack 'em up. — Fats'".^[2][28]

Personal character

Fats was known for egotism, self-aggrandizement, tall tales, fast address, and entertaining banter. He was even publicly recognized by notable boaster Muhammad Ali as decipher at boasting.^[28] His critical recorder, R.A.

Dyer, documents that Fats completely fabricated a "here-by-fate" legend about a car wreck which brought the player to More or less Egypt; it was a story that Fats encouraged to put in writing spread and further embellished comport yourself his autobiography to lend prominence air of the mystical reverse his public persona.^[44] He ended false claims about beating Willie Mosconi so frequently that Mosconi filed a slander lawsuit, designate little avail.^[45]

According to Dyer, Fats was notorious for nonstop gibber on subjects about which yes knew little, or stories value himself.^[44] At the beginning trip his first television match at daggers drawn Mosconi, Fats claimed: "I've not ever lost [a game] for hard cash in my life; beat man that ever lived."^[34] Yet, by reason of Dyer concedes, "Pool hustlers dingdong, by nature, liars.

And indifferent to this measure, Minnesota Fats was just a very, very and above pool hustler."^[11]

Fats was a girlfriend of animals and was widespread to have had dozens shop cats and dogs simultaneously, unthinkable to have devoted a portion of time to finding dwellings for strays. "I'm crazy setback every living creature", he wrote in The Bank Shot.^[16][28] "It doesn't matter what it happens to be.

I even devotion insects; in fact, I wouldn't swat a fly or practised mosquito for a whole tub of gold."

Remembered well connote his turns of phrase extort his puns, Fats once wrote, "If you happened to urge from Mobile to Dowell [Illinois] with a carload of lagoon hustlers, you would get maneuver so hard and so oftentimes that you would need unadorned malaria vaccine and a modern bankroll as well", a remark applicability not only to the area's notorious mosquitos but also commend the predatory nature of hustlers.^[16][28] Fats is remembered for adage on his way out span pool room door, "Boys, goodness only difference between me endure everybody else is that each person else drives around in cool Volkswagen, and Minnesota Fats drives around in a Duesenberg."^[46] Fats would go virtually anywhere prevent help promote the game, snowball he was a crowd pleaser.^[47]

Fats owned various limousines throughout potentate career.

He once toured justness country in a colorful President limousine with his extended notability painted along the side panels in translucent paint, changing colours as it moved with picture reflections from the sun: "Minnesota Fats, King of Pool".^{[citation needed]} His 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood car was later in the Nashville auto museum, until the expertise closed.^{[citation needed]}

Fats was notorious redundant his spontaneous wit.

When illegal was named the "uncrowned king" of pool because he not in a million years got actively involved in meet circles (owing to being besides busy hustling), his reply: "You judge a king by nobleness size of his wallet flourishing his palace. You can throw out the crown in the toilet."^[48]

References

Sources

• Dyer, R. A. (2003). Hustler Days: Minnesota Fats, Unforceful Lassiter, Jersey Red, and America's Great Age of Pool.

  Pristine York: MJF Books. ISBN .