The guest here is Rudolf Wanderone. Now, you may not know him by that name, but you'll likely recognize him by his nickname -- Minnesota Fats. He's the real-life person who Jackie Gleason based his character on in the movie The Hustler, opposite Paul Newman. Interesting, he's under-the-wire enough as a public figure to not be the Mystery Guest here, and no one on the panel has to be blindfolded. (Later in the show, the Mystery Guest is Ann Southern, who comes in around the 17:30 mark, for those interested). They also seem to keep getting his name wrong, since it sounds like they're calling him “Wandeowe” because when he signs in, he runs out of space on the chalk board, and it looks like “Wanderowe” and sort of sounds like that’s what host John Daley is saying. What’s interesting is that when the audience is informed of the guest’s “line,” there’s polite applause – it’s only when the graphic adds that he’s ‘Minnesota Fats,’ that they break into an appreciative recognition, since the movie The Hustler has already been released four years earlier. Also worth noting is that I remember seeing him a lot later in his career when he'd become more of a celebrity (he and pool legend, Willie Mosconi, had a televised match on Valentine's Day in 1978, hosted by Howard Cosell, "The Great Pool Shootout," as part of The Wild World of Sports, that was watched by 20 million people), and he had a very outgoing, swaggering, funny personality, in fact he was sort of trash talker during matches -- but here's he's quite low-key. Still, it's a pretty entertaining segment. If you want to jump to his segment, it starts at the 3:30 mark. As a bonus, here's a TV show he did in 1986, How to Shoot Pool. I don't expect anyone to watch the whole thing, mind you, though you can check out a few minutes and see a far-more outgoing and swaggering character.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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