GENE NAGY-Hunt for any info about him and his life

[VKJ]

I am slowly gathering anything I can find on this genius player. My intention is to see if his life would make an interesting movie.

I am an actor and writer and have played pool all my life since I was 16. I grew playing in the Clifton Billiard Lounge when Ray Martin was the owner. Over the years I was told and heard many stories about Gene Nagy by Ray and other pro players and friends . I never met or saw him but my impression was of brilliant, gentle, sensitive man of many talents and contradictions.

The fact that he went to Julliard and played at Carnegie Hall is facinating. I'm thinking about a story that is more about the man and his complexities and his life as a genius pool player not a fictional pool story. If possible I want this character driven approach to also show pool for the great game it is.

Thanks for any help.

[Bambu]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VKJ</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am slowly gathering anything I can find on this genius player. My intention is to see if his life would make an interesting movie.

I am an actor and writer and have played pool all my life since I was 16. I grew playing in the Clifton Billiard Lounge when Ray Martin was the owner. Over the years I was told and heard many stories about Gene Nagy by Ray and other pro players and friends . I never met or saw him but my impression was of brilliant, gentle, sensitive man of many talents and contradictions.

The fact that he went to Julliard and played at Carnegie Hall is facinating. I'm thinking about a story that is more about the man and his complexities and his life as a genius pool player not a fictional pool story. If possible I want this character driven approach to also show pool for the great game it is.

Thanks for any help.</div></div>

Sad to say, gene is no longer with us. He spent his final years flying kites and shooting pool at Le Cue on grand ave. in queens ny. If you call them, they will have all kinds of info about gene. I never saw him play in his prime, but I was one of the local kids he offered to teach. And it wasnt just me, gene would gladly play with anybody, any time. He never made anyone feel inferior to his game either, never treated people based on their pool skills. As good as he was, he was very casual about his pool, seemingly indifferent to every shot. Growing up during a time where everything was a secret, it was a privilege to get to shoot with gene any time I could. Plus, it was free to shoot with gene because he never paid for his table. What more could a kid ask for? Very quiet, mild mannered, and as talented as they came, gene was a true 400 ball runner. We will all miss him.

[VKJ]

Thank you Bambu.

[Eric.]

Two people that also would have known him well are Fran Crimi (CCB member) and Gary Nolan (Bushwacker), who posts on other forums.


Eric

[Vita]

If you're a pool player who's interested in Gene Nagy, I suggest you take a look at this book. It's called "Painting on Green Canvas" written by Bob Watson. Gene taught Bob many things, including "to love this (pool) as more than just a game." I hope you'll enjoy the book and I'd love to see a movie about Gene and/or the book!

[VKJ]

Vita,
Thank you for this info. sounds very interesting and I will do a search.
VKJ

[Fran Crimi]

Gene's big issue in life was that he felt that he was a lion trapped in the body of a lamb. He used to have recurring nightmares of being in a WWII fighter plane, shooting down other planes and then being shot himself and crashing.

So, one day I took him to a renouned psychic as a birthday present. Gene was white as a sheet when he came out of his reading. Without knowing about the recurring nightmares, the psychic said that Gene was a fearless and reckless fighter pilot during WWII who was famous for how many enemy planes he shot down before his recklessness had finally gotten the best of him when he was shot down and killed.

Gene also had a fascination with samauri fighters. Again, without knowing this, the psychic told him that he was a samauri warrior in a previous life.

Sounds like the perfect pool player, doesn't it? Except, Gene struggled. He felt weak in his present body but strong in his mind. He saved my life once. I was walking from the pool room one night to my car. Gene offered to walk me but I refused as my car was just a few cars down from the front door. As I was walking, a stranger pulled up and got out and proceeded to try to drag me into his car. Even though I insisted, Gene did not let me walk alone. He was watching me, and as soon as he saw what was happening, he surprised the guy who then took off.

Fran

[Fran Crimi]

About Gene and pool, he spent several weeks teaching me how to break the balls in 14.1. I couldn't believe how much technical detail he understood about break shots. He would set up the break ball and cue ball in a multitude of different situations and explain the different ways that you can break open the pack.

Of course, fascinated by his body of knowledge, I asked him how he came into such detailed information. He told me that in a world championship at a crucial time in an important match, he made a break shot, broke open the pack and scratched.

Gene took the words "take it to the practice table" to a whole new level because after losing that match and that tournament, he practiced only break shot scenarios all day, every day for a year. He vowed that he would figure out every possiblity in breaking so as to practically never scratch on the break again.

Incredible.

He said that once you know how to break the balls correctly, you need never be afraid to hit them hard. I would watch as Gene would hit a break shot once, scattering all the balls for an easy runout, while others would pic pic pic away at the pack, not wanting risk losing the cue ball.

Fran

[Bambu]

Whoa, that was enough to make my hair stand on end. Fran, would you mind telling me which psychic it was? (My wife loves that stuff.)

[Bob Watson]

Where are you located? If your in the NYC area we can sit down and I will tell what ever it is you would like to know.

[Fran Crimi]

Yup. His name is Robert Wright from Long Island NY.

[Bambu]

Thank you, Fran. For a second there I thought bob was offering me a free psychic reading!

[VKJ]

Thank you Fran for your amazing comments.

Bob Watson, If my idea and plan developes I will contact you. Thanks.

[JohnFalcone]

Hi I met Gene in 1967 at the Arcade Billiards above the 74st bus terminal in Elmhurst. I was 13 but b/c I was a good kid & ran errands for the players from time to time,the manager Phil, Old George, Sol & Stan used to let me in & play. Gene was a great guy & taught me alot about playing pool. I can tell you some crazy stories about him. I lost touch with him when I went into the Navy in 1972. I got to know Gene very well during those years & we were good friends. Even when he was practicing, he would let me shoot with him. All in all, he was a great pool player & a really good guy. RIP Gene.

[Eric.]

Thanks for adding to this conversation, John.

I wouldn't mind hearing one of your "crazy stories" about Gene. From what I've heard, he was a quirky guy, so it should be interesting...


Eric

[enjoydgame]

Here are quotes by some personalities about the great player:
Luther Lassiter once said, “That man was born to play this game."
Lee said, "Everything I know, I learned from him. He was my coach, my mentor, my friend, my father, my everything. Particularly for the first five years or so, when I first started playing pool. From really that day on, he played me everyday of my life until I moved away. The poolroom opened at 11 a.m., we got there at 10, had coffee, and played until they closed at 11 at night. He never kept score. He really taught me the love of the game to always stay a student."
Willie Mosconi remarked on his style, "It was the finest I had ever seen balls taken from the table."
You can find more on http://www.azbilliards.com.

[071838]

Glumly, Mosconi later said of his quote, "I don't remember saying anything like that, and I can't imagine why I would have." The man was not overly generous with his praise. GF

[DickLeonard]

VKJ I played in a couple of tournaments with Gene and he always always known as a player who played on another planet. Which was alright with me it was very lonely there.
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