Superior Billiards

Willie Mosconi, depicted here in a mural on South Street, is considered to be the second-best billiards player of all time and the best straight pool player. Mosconi began playing at a very young age at his father’s billiards parlor in South Philadelphia. (Photograph by Donald D. Groff for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia).  The Encyclopedia reports:

The championship form of the game became “straight pool,” and the dominant straight pool player was Willie Mosconi (1913-93) of Philadelphia, considered to be the second-best pool player of all time and the best straight pool player. Mosconi began playing at a very young age at his father’s billiards parlor in South Philadelphia. Between 1941 and 1957 he won fifteen consecutive championships. Straight pool matches were played until one player reached a certain number of points, one point being given for each ball pocketed. Matches were usually played over several days to scores of several hundred points. Mosconi holds the all-time documented record for balls continuously pocketed without a miss—526, achieved in an exhibition match in Springfield, Ohio, in 1954.

Under the sponsorship of Brunswick, Mosconi toured the country promoting what he always called pocket billiards. He was the technical advisor for the film The Hustler (1961), with Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman (and was said to have made Newman’s trick shots), which increased the popularity of billiards in the United States. For a time, Mosconi owned a billiards parlor in the Logan section of Philadelphia, although he seldom played there himself

Site of Superior Billiards, January 8, 2006.  Door to pool room is missing.

Superior Billiards was a comfortable place where well behaved men took their pool seriously.    It was located on the southwest corner of Broad and Rockland Streets, in the basement.  

"You walked down a lot of steps to the pool hall," Dutch said.  The ceiling was plaster.  Pipes were around the corner of the ceiling.  The ceiling and pipes were pained in alight color.  There were pillars in the middle of the room between some of the pool tables.  Originally the walls were plaster.  Later, the walls were paneed in knotty pine.  There were a few black and white pictures of pool players on the wall.  The pictuyes were about eight by 10 inches.  Among the pictures were that of Willie Mosconi.  "Willie Mosconie played there.  He ws the best player who ever lived.  Nobody came tloce to him,"  Dutch said.

"Upon entering the pool hall, you found the pool tables to the left, in two rows.  Each pool table was numbere one through 17.  There were two billiard tables," Dutch said.

Dutch explained the difference between pool and billiards.  Pool is played with 15 colored balls, number 1 through 15, and a cue ball.  Billiards is played with one red ball and two white balls.  Dutch described the room as birghtly lit with fluorescent tubes.

Dutch Siilver shoots one hand at Superior Billiards, mid-1960's.

Leonard Freedman remembers Dutch Silver from Mosconi's .  

"Dutch was always a very nice charming individual, and with a terrific sense of humor.  "Dutch was also one fo the most physically powerful individual .  He was able to lift the end of a pool table off the floor with one hand.  He was also legendary at arm wretling.  To my knowledge, no one ever bested Dutch at arm wrestling."

Freedman said that "Dutch was very laid back and was nevber one to extol his pool shooting or strengh abilities.  The talk was that Dutch was a money player and never choked.  Finally, Dutch was considered the best pool player in the area."

Don Wittenberg worked at Gabis pharmacy, across the street from Superior Billiards, when he attended high school and college in the 1960's.  Don had a different recollection.  He way the room was dim.  There were fluorescent lights over each pool table.  The way you know that a table available, was that it was dark.  The first thing you did was turn on the lights over the pool table.  Don remembered that two stirngs of beads were hung over each pool table.  The beads were used to keep score for each player.  

Floor plan of Superior Billiards about 1963 by Dutch Silver.

According to Dutch, there was only one string of beads.  The beads were separarted by a marker.  Each player kept score by moving beads on its side of the marker. "If you went down the stairs to the pool hall and turned right, you found the cashier.  A cash register -- not electronic -- was on a wooden counter  In 1948, the cost of renting a pool or billiard table was 60 cents an hour for two people.  By 1966, the cost had risen to $1.50.  Further to the right was the men's room.  It had two toilets and a urinal.  There was no ladies' room,"  Dutch said.  

"The pool hall ws originally open Mondaty through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to around 11 p.m. or midngiht.  If a game was going, the place might stay open later.  After the Sunday closing law wsa repaled, the pool hall was open seven days a week," Dutch said.

Dutch said that the patrons were males fromm ages 18 to 80.  The cusomeers included a heart surgeon, a dentist, a kidney specialist, an assistant district attorney and busines people.  The group was ethnically mixed.  The dress was casual. Except for an occasional baseball cap, patrons did not wear hats.  People smoked tobacco freely.  There was no ar.  there was a vending machine for sodas and candy.  There were two vending machines for cigarettes.  There was no mustic.  Dtuch said that a radio was on during ball gammes.  He did not remember a television.

"On occasions there were fist fights, but no too often.   No knives and no guns.   People would throw things at each other, "Dutch said.

Dutch Silver shoots two hand at Superior Billiards, mid-1960's.

Don said people bet on games between themselves.  "These wee friendly bets," Don said.  "There were guys who sat on the side, watching the games.  There was a shark or two, waiting for a game to bet on," Don said.  

"If was a fairly ordery place.  I didn't hear anything loud.  Nobody minded other people's business.  People just played at their own table.  There ws not a lot of interchange between tables."  

Don explained that while there was fun at each table, the people throughout the roomm did not particpate in the excietment of a particular table.  Don said that the place was sometimes pretty packed.  However, you did not have to wait often for a table.  He had the impression that Superior Billiards was not making a lot of money.

The pool hall was a man's world. There was no ladies room.  "Very rarely did women patronize the place, unless they came iin with a husband or male friend on Saturdays, " Dutch said.

Dutch said that at the pool hall "nearly everyone had a nickname.  If someone came in looking for somebody, they woul say we don't know what that is."    Among the nicknames were The Bear, The Breeze, The Milkman and Whitey.  "most of the people there, even if you used their first name, nobody knew their last name," Dutch said.  

Paul Newman in The Hustler www.addictedtopool.com

Don said people bet on games between themselves.  "These wee friendly bets," Don said.  "There were guys who sat on the side, watching the games.  there was a shark or two, waiting for a game to bet on," Don said.  

"If was a fairly ordery place.  I didn't hear anything loud.  Nobody minded other people's business.  People just played at their own table.  There ws not a lot of interchange between tables."  Don explained that while there was fun at each table, the people throughout the roomm did not particpate in the excietment of a particular table.  Don said that the place was sometimes pretty packed.  However, you did not have to wait often for a table.  He had the impression that Superior Billiards was not making a lot of money.

The pool hall was a man's world. There was no ladies room.  "Very rarely did women patronize the place, unless they came iin with a husband or male friend on Saturdays, " Dutch said.

Dutch said that at the pool hall "nearly everyone had a nickname.  IF someone came in looking for somebody, they woul say we don't know what that is."    Among the nicknames were The Bear, The Breeze, The Milkman and Whitey.  "most of the people there, even if you used their first name, nobody knew their last name," Dutch said.  

PICK  UP  HERE

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.