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Pool Shark Cast of 'Bullet'
Learns
To Hustle on Camera as Well as Off
By RALPH KAMINSKY
West Coast Editor
HOLLYWOOD—Next winter, when director
Robert Ellis Miller comes to town to
then, if Coburn invites you for a friendly
game, stay clear of him, too. And the same
goes for Omar Sharif, Ronee Blakely and
Bruce Boxleitner. They've all become pool
sharks. So be warned.
All this came out April 19 on Stage 25
MGM where Miller was winding up his
at
Hollywood shooting on "The Baltimore Bullet."
Miller invited the press to chat with
the cast and have a few drinks in the completely
equipped and utterly realistic barroom
used in the picture.
In the next two days he would complete
his Hollywood shooting on the movie about
a couple of pool sharks before moving to
New Orleans for two weeks of filming.
Ten Great Professionals
The windup at MGM was a pool tournament
in which the competitors were ten of
the world's greatest professionals. Competing
were Lou "Machine Gun" Butera,
technical
advisor on the film and teacher to the
with Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak, Pete
stars,
Margo. Alan Hopkins, Jim Rempe, Mike
Segal, Irving Crane, Jim Mataya and Richie
Florence.
The tournament was described in the film
by Willie Mosconi, who has a role as the
narrator.
During the long days of shooting, with
everyone on the set for 12 or more hours
daily, there had developed the kind of warm
friendships that made life easy for Miller
and added a quality to the film that "you
just can't get any other way," according to
Miller.
One of the highlights
that tipped him off
to the rapport came when the professional
pool sharks burst into a spontaneous ovation
for Coburn when, as part of the filming,
he sank a four-cushion shot, a difficult
feat for anyone.
"They just stood up and cheered." Miller
said.
Coburn and Boxleitner developed a
friendly relationship that "shows through on
ballyhoo his new movie, don't let him talk the screen," Miller reported. "They're supposed
you into an innocent little game of pool.
to be buddies in the picture, a couple
Take it from James Coburn: "He'll murder
of hustlers who are out to challenge Omar
you. Don't play pool with him." Bui Sharif, the big time gambler who knows
how
to psyche out his opponents."
'Better at Bridge'
Under Butera's tutelage Coburn and Boxleitner
became experts with the cue stick.
Sharif hardly needed any lessons, it turned
out. "He's modest about it, but he's one of
the world's top rankers in billiards," Miller
confided. "He underestimates himself, but if
he really tried he'd be better at it than he
is at bridge."
"We didn't need actors to cover for the
pro sharks," said Miller. "They're fearless.
I gave them lines and they carried off their
scenes without fear. They give the picture a
lot of reality. They're wonderful," the director
said.
The FilmFair production is "a big, broad
comedy that also is an action picture.
There's a tongue-in-cheek feel to it, and yet
underneath the comedy there's a sense of
reality—and without that feeling of reality
you just can't get good comedy," Miller
said.
Adding the essential touch of authenticity
to
the realistic ballroom were dozens of pictures
lining the walls. The pictures were not
mere props. Miller assured, "Everyone of
them belong to the pool professionals. They
brought them here out of their homes.
They're wonderful people for doing that."
305 Student Films Enter
65th Annual Competition
BEVERLY HILLS. CALIF.—A total
305 films were submitted by student filmmakers
from colleges and universities
throughout the country in the sixth annual
student film awards competition, according
to Howard W, Koch, president of the Academy
of Motion PiclLire Arts and .Sciences,
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