 | |
| Author | Walter Tevis |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
Publication date | 1984 |
The Color of Money is a 1984 novel by American novelist Walter Tevis. It is the sequel to his 1959 novel, The Hustler . [1] It was his sixth and final book before his death in the year of publication.
The novel is set in 1983. which is described in this book as twenty-two years after Fast Eddie defeated Minnesota Fats in Chicago. Eddie, now fifty, runs a pool hall of his own in Lexington, Kentucky. He is long married but getting a divorce, and his ex-wife has gained possession of the pool room, and she is selling off its tables. Eddie has not played pool in many years, even though Burt Gordon, the gambler who had threatened him if he continued playing professionally, is long dead.
After being approached by a cable television production company to engage in a series of exhibition matches with Fats, he meets his old nemesis in the Florida Keys. Fats, now in his late sixties, is in poor health, but he is financially independent and spends his days photographing birds and fishing. Eddie persuades Fats to appear with him in the matches. Fats is reluctant to do so but agrees to do them for a higher fee. To win Fats's participation, Eddie agrees to give him a portion of his split of the fee. They go on tour, with Eddie getting advice from Fats along the way. Fats beats him in every match.
Eddie meets Arabella, an English woman, who moves in with him. With her encouragement, Eddie resumes playing pool, mostly nine-ball. He gains experience and confidence but struggles to overcome his years of inactivity and his experience with the techniques of straight pool, which is far different. Fats gives Eddie a list of small town pool rooms where he believes Eddie can win money. Eddie goes from town to town, challenging the best player in each poolroom. He wins, but winds up being cheated and beaten at one of them. He is continuing his exhibition matches with Fats, getting better. Fats dies just before their last match.
Eddie gets discouraged after the beating and obtains employment with a university, running a student recreation area that includes a pool hall. He hates the job, so with Arabella's help he sets up a store that sells folk art. The store begins promisingly but is the target of a malicious local youth who had made sexual advances to Arabella. He sets fire to the store and meticulously destroys everything in it.
Eddie participates in a nine-ball championship in Lake Tahoe. He wins, beating a number of younger players.
Publishers Weekly called the book "taut and evocative", and the Chicago Tribune said that "Tevis has added some of the glamor, but the grit remains." [2]
The Washington Post called the novel a "very fine book", and said that from the beginning, "the staccato beat of the prose and finely drawn characters grab the reader and don't let go". The Post opined that "Tevis writes about pool with power and poetry and tension. He infuses the sport with the same kind of crowd excitement surrounding a fine horse race or football game. You don't have to like pool to like this book, to appreciate its sense of living on the edge." [3]
In the Lexington Herald-Leader, reviewer Rick Bailey wrote: "Once more, as he did years ago, Tevis lays it on the line. Once more, he delivers." [2]
The novel was adapted into a 1986 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on Tevis' novel. The film differs greatly from the novel in terms of plot, and does not feature the Minnesota Fats character. Although Tevis did author a screenplay for the film, having adapted the storyline directly from his novel, the filmmakers decided not to use it, instead crafting an entirely different story under Tevis' title. Except for the Felson character, none of the characters in the novel appear in the film, and except for him the characters in the film are not in the novel. [4] [5]
The film stars Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, and John Turturro. The film featured an original score by Robbie Robertson.
Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana and Frank Vincent. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in the boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy.
The Hustler is a 1959 debut novel by American writer Walter Tevis. It tells the story of a young pool hustler, Edward "Fast Eddie" Felson, who challenges the legendary Minnesota Fats. The novel was well-received by critics, and was adapted into a 1961 film of the same title, starring Paul Newman as Fast Eddie, Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats, and Piper Laurie as Sarah. A sequel, The Color of Money, was published in 1984.
The Color of Money is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is the sequel to the 1961 film, The Hustler. Like the previous film, The Color of Money is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.
Walter Stone Tevis Jr. was an American novelist and screenwriter. Three of his six novels were adapted into major films: The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Man Who Fell to Earth. A fourth, The Queen’s Gambit, was adapted into a miniseries with the same title and shown on Netflix in 2020. His books have been translated into at least 18 languages.
Rudolf Walter Wanderone, commonly known as Minnesota Fats, was an American professional pool player. Although he never won a major pool tournament as "Fats", he was at one time perhaps the most publicly recognized pool player in the United States—not only as a player, but also as an entertainer. Wanderone was inducted in 1984 into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame for his decades-long public promotion of pool.
Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling with the hustler, as a form of both a confidence trick and match fixing. It is most commonly associated with, and originated in pocket billiards (pool), but also can be performed with regard to other sports and gambling activities. Hustlers may also engage in "sharking"—distracting, disheartening, enraging, or even threatening their opponents—to throw them off. Hustlers are thus often called "pool sharks". Professional and semi-pro hustlers sometimes work with a "stakehorse"—a person who provides the money for the hustler to bet with —in exchange for a substantial portion of all winnings. Another form of hustling is challenging "marks" to bet on trick shots that seem nearly impossible but at which the hustler is exceptionally skilled. Chess hustlers are quite common in urban areas in the United States and elsewhere, often offering speed chess against any takers. Unlike most hustlers, chess hustlers are often assumed to be skilled and are seen as a challenge.
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Grady Mathews, also known as "The Professor" or "Mr. One Pocket", was an American pool player and was the first inductee into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame, in 2004.
Eddie and the Cruisers is a 1983 American musical drama film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge. The sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! followed in 1989.
Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers (1974), Clockers (1992) and Lush Life (2008). Price's novels explore late-20th-century urban America in a gritty, realistic manner that has brought him considerable literary acclaim. Several of his novels are set in a fictional northern New Jersey city called Dempsy.
Minnesota Fats, or George Hegerman, is a fictional pool hustler created by American novelist Walter Tevis.
The Hustler is a 1961 drama film, directed by Robert Rossen. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson, who challenges legendary pool player "Minnesota Fats".
Keith McCready is an American professional pool player who played under the nickname "Earthquake". At one time considered among the top players in America, McCready has been a traveling tournament competitor and notorious hustler since the 1970s. Known for comedically interacting with the audience during matches, McCready was also a contributing writer for InsidePool magazine between 2003 and 2006. He also had a supporting role as the hustler Grady Seasons in the 1986 film The Color of Money.
The Queen's Gambit is a 1983 American novel by Walter Tevis, exploring the life of fictional female chess prodigy Beth Harmon. A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, it covers themes of adoption, feminism, chess, drug addiction and alcoholism. The book was adapted for the 2020 Netflix miniseries of the same name.
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The Color of Money is a 1986 film directed by Martin Scorsese.
"Fast Eddie" Parker was an American pool player, claimed by many to have been the inspiration for the character "Fast Eddie" Felson in the 1959 Walter Tevis novel The Hustler. In both the 1961 film adaptation and the 1986 sequel, Felson was played by Paul Newman.