Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:55 pm
got a better true life story. 1974 i'm in Augusta, Ga. at the Masters. i have a date with a girl whose father is the GM of WJBF-ABC, the first television station in Augusta. JBF stands for J.B. Fuqua a self-made billionaire who founded the station with many others. i'm invited to a dinner party during Masters week at her house and Jackie Gleason and Willie Mosconi are the guests. this is also the night that Art Carney wins the Academy Award for best Male Actor for the film Harry and Tonto. remember this is before cell phones, so after a feast, we gather around Mr. Gleason as he calls from the landline Mr. Carney and congratulates him. afterwards, Mr. Gleason decides to over celebrate and thinks he's Minnesota Fats from his starring movie role in "The Hustler". he demands to be taken to the local downtown pool hall in Augusta, a haven for true hustlers. Mr. Mosconi, the best player in the world refuses to go. after about an hour, Gleason is getting killed by the locals. finally, either Mr. Fuqua or Gleason's future wife Marilyn Taylor, sister of June Taylor of the June Taylor Dancers, persuades Mr. Mosconi to come bail out Gleason. Mosconi wins back most of the losses before the locals catch on and refuse to play anymore. talking about a long night! i don't even know if they stayed around for the tournament. by the way, the Duke University's Business School is named after J.B.Fuqua. now for a tragedy. his son Allen was a good friend of mine who tragically died in a plane crash at 18 years old. Google J.B.Fuqua. quite an entrepeneur\