Despite the popularity of billiards on television, the US networks have not looked kindly on it. For many years, billiards was not a popular game to be played on television, but with the advent of The Hustler movie in 1961, it began to get a bit more attention. The popularity of billiards increased dramatically after the movie, and organized billiards exploded in the 1960s.
The Hustler featured Jackie Gleason playing a fictional character named Minnesota Fats. It was a big success. The number of billiards rooms in America doubled after the film was released. The movie also had a major impact on the popularity of organized billiards, and by the late 60s, billiards had made its debut on TV.
Ten-Twenty, the first billiards game program on television, was it. The game was developed by billiards evangelist Frank Oliva in 1959. It was a variation to the classic 14-1 straight game of pool. The game was scored by a timer, with each player scoring 10 points per innings. 100 points was the ideal match score. The game consisted 8 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. Pro billiards player and celebrity would take on each other in this competition. The scores were calculated based on the score of each snooker player.
Cisero Murphy was among those who participated in the billiards program. Amateur pool sharks such as Jimmy Carass, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, and Dennis Orcollo also appeared on the show.
The show was a huge hit, and billiards started to be popularized on television. The popularity of billiards on TV declined in the late 1970s. There were no billiards game programs by 1980. Ballbreakers, which was launched in 2005, made billiards on TV a huge hit again. Ballbreakers lasted one year, and made a lot of mistakes. The show seemed like an amateur comedy program because it limited the number of shots that contestants could take. It was cancelled after the show's failure.
Pick Pockets, a billiards game show, was a hit in the 1970s. The show featured a jovial host named Jimmy O'Connor. Although it was dated, the show had charm. The show featured several celebrities 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. He set the straight pool world record for 1954. He also won the World Straight Pool Championships fifteen times.
The show also featured a number of celebrities playing billiards on TV, including Sid Caesar, Bill Cosby, and Buddy Hackett. There was also a $1000 charity prize.