IMDb > The Hustler (1961)
The Hustler
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The Hustler (1961) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 24 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
The Hustler (1961) -- An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
The Hustler (1961) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Sidney Carroll (screenplay) and
Robert Rossen (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Hustler on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 September 1961 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
They Called Him "Fast Eddie" more
Plot:
An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(37 articles)
Birthday Suits 11/07
 (From FilmExperience. 7 November 2009, 8:45 AM, PST)

Weekend Shopping Guide 10/16/09: Boosh Is Mighty
 (From Quick Stop. 16 October 2009, 3:56 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Superb film by a great director. more (112 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Paul Newman ... Eddie Felson
Jackie Gleason ... Minnesota Fats
Piper Laurie ... Sarah Packard

George C. Scott ... Bert Gordon
Myron McCormick ... Charlie Burns
Murray Hamilton ... Findley

Michael Constantine ... Big John
Stefan Gierasch ... Preacher
Clifford A. Pellow ... Turk (as Cliff Pellow)
Jake LaMotta ... Bartender
Gordon B. Clarke ... Cashier
Alexander Rose ... Score Keeper
Carolyn Coates ... Waitress
Carl York ... Young Hustler
Vincent Gardenia ... Bartender
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Robert Rossen's The Hustler (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
134 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
There's a misconception that the character Minnesota Fats is based on the real Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone Jr.). Actually, the character appeared in the book and the film before Wanderone, who up until this time had called himself "New York Fats", appropriated the name. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Eddie's hands change position on his cue after his first shot against Minnesota Fats. more
Quotes:
Fast Eddie: Boy, you better, you tell your boys they better kill me, Bert. They better go all the way with me, 'cause if they just bust me up, I'll put all those pieces back together again, then so help me... So help me God, Bert, I'm gonna come back here and I'm gonna kill you. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Louisville more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "The Hustler" based on a novel?
Any recommendation for other pool-playing movies like "The Hustler"?
more
37 out of 51 people found the following comment useful.
Superb film by a great director., 4 May 1999
10/10
Author: Joseph Harder (jah5y@virginia.edu) from warren michigan

Because of his tragically erratic, often interrupted career, Robert Rossen is rarely put into the pantheon of great Hollywood directors. However, he produced three films which deserve a permanent place among the classics, All the Kings Men( probably the best film about American politics), Lilith( one of the greatest films about mental illness) and this, a movie which DESERVES to be ranked with the hundred greatest, and possibly the fifty greatest, American films. It is superbly acted, brilliantly photographed and edited, and directed with clarity and assurance. In a just world ( if there is such a place), an special Oscar would have been bestowed on Newman, Laurie, Scott, and Gleason AS A GROUP. Piper Laurie was unforgettably poignant, Scott unforgettably sleazy, and Gleason... well, Gleason simply IS Minnesota Fats. Paul Newman almost certainly deserved the Oscar.It was an amusing irony, perhaps a little joke by God, that the bartender in the movie was played by none other than Jake LaMotta.

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The Hustler ClydeBrowne
Why was Burt a bad guy? Coolhandjosh
George C Scott or Jackie Gleason? kag2-1
Sarha in the Mirror falconfightfist
Newman and Scott both got robbed deniropacino89
Did Sarah sleep with George? tidypainter
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