A Game of Pool (film)

"A Game of Pool" is a television film originally broadcast as part of The Twilight Zone anthology series. It premiered on CBS on October 27, 1961, as the fifth episode of the third season. The episode was directed by Buzz Kulik and written by George Clayton Johnson, based on his short story of the same name.

The story centers on Jonathan "Fats" Brown (played by Jackie Gleason), a legendary pool player obsessed with achieving true recognition as the greatest of all time. He is visited by the ghost of the recently deceased pool champion James "The Killer" Findler (played by Jonathan Winters), who grants Fats the chance to prove his claim to the title. The episode revolves around a single, high-stakes pool game between Fats and Findler, where the ultimate consequence of losing is eternal oblivion – continuing to play pool, alone, for all eternity.

The episode is noted for its tense atmosphere, its focus on the psychological aspects of competition, and the strong performances of Gleason and Winters. It explores themes of ambition, obsession, mortality, and the true cost of achieving one's goals.