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Five minutes. That’s the amount of time Richard Kranicki was told he would be lucky to have with billiards legend Willie Mosconi.
Kranicki, a pool coach and columnist, must have made an impression in that conversation 13 years ago, which, by the way, lasted 20 minutes. The two men made plans for lunch and soon ended up competing against each other in an exhibition pool match in Atlantic City. Aside from their interest in billiards, the two shared South Philadelphia roots.
Now Kranicki, of the 200 block of Dickinson Street, is taking steps to tell the life story of hall-of-famer Mosconi, who died in 1993 at age 80.
The 49-year-old author and David Boorboor, the founder and president of Eye in the Sky Entertainment, signed a contract in March with Mosconi’s widow, Flora, for the rights to develop a documentary and motion picture about the pool player. The duo plans to first film Mosconi: The Documentary as a tribute and preview to the movie.
Both projects are still in the early phases, and the partners need a budget and script before production even begins. They are fortunate in that the bare facts of Mosconi’s life are almost made for the Hollywood treatment: He grew up above a pool hall somewhere on Wharton Street, eventually becoming so dominant, he won 15 world championship titles from 1941-55. A decade since his passing, Mosconi is still recognized as the greatest pool player of all time.
"Mosconi means pool," Kranicki said. "He is still the most popular name in the history of pool, even 10 years after his death."
Kranicki used to visit Mosconi up to four times a week. They once competed in a nine-ball exhibition at the Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, but mostly, they just talked. It was their close relationship that led Flora to give Kranicki the film rights.
As part of the agreement, the Mosconi family has the final approval on all projects.
"It’s more pressure, but I can live up to it," Kranicki said.
Bill Mosconi, the 61-year-old son of Willie and Flora, said he would like to see the film enhance his father’s legacy.
The producers plan to release the documentary in late 2004. Kranicki and Boorboor are now focusing on discussions with the world’s largest pool distributor and several other companies about financing the project. Documentaries are Boorboor’s area of expertise. Last year, he released the digital short film Familiar Stranger, which won the Premiere Filmmaker Award at the Atlantic City Film Festival.
Kranicki brings his experience as a pool writer to the project. The author penned Answers to a Pool Player’s Prayers — the only guide to which Mosconi lent his approval (Flora wrote an endorsement on behalf of her husband, who had worked with Kranicki while he was writing the book). The 110-page manual was published in 1999 and includes lessons and illustrations on everything from aiming methods to cue-tip aim compensation. Kranicki, who also has attended an electronic engineering school and taken acting classes, said he has enough material to publish three more instructional books. The writer also contributes regular columns to Inside Pool Magazine, and is a highly specialized instructor.
One of Kranicki’s students is 6-year-old "Little Sharky," who qualified for the Billiards Congress of America Junior Nationals in August. He could be perfect for the role of a young Mosconi, who as a child challenged world champion Ralph Greenleaf, and only lost by four.
Kranicki said he wants the film to have a PG rating so families can enjoy it together. He said it will have no resemblance to one of the most recent films about billiards, Poolhall Junkies, which starred Chazz Palminteri, Rick Schroder and Rod Steiger. The 2002 movie included violence and bad language, and didn’t fare too well at the box office.
Kranicki previously spent six years scripting An Answer to a Prayer, a pool-themed drama he hopes to eventually make into a movie. The family story has drawn support from the Billiard Congress of America because the organization believes it will help promote a better image of pool.
For now, the Mosconi projects remain the top priority. Boorboor and Kranicki have held talks with John Pogue, executive producer of U.S. Marshals and The Fast and the Furious, about getting involved with the motion-picture project. Kranicki believes that even with all the competition in the industry, he will be able to get a film made about his old friend.
"With the Mosconi name, you have much more recognition," he said. "If I don’t do this, it won’t be from lack of effort and sacrifice."
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For more information about Richard Kranicki and his projects, go to www.pooleyes.com.
