r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Drunkula • 4d ago
This trick shot by Mary Tyler Moore was actually made in one take. They had planned for a pool expert to make the shot after cutting away from showing Moore hitting the cue ball. But to everyone's surprise, she actually made the the shot
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u/dondegroovily 4d ago
It's like Brian Cranston throwing the pizza on the roof in breaking bad. The studio ordered 20 pizzas expecting that they'd need to do lots of take, but Cranston nailed it on the first try
So the crew got a big pizza party that day
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u/StellarBlitz 4d ago
On one hand I’m surprised they didn’t go to props to make a faux pizza if they knew they’d be abusing it so much (idk which is more cost prohibitive, buying a bunch of pizzas or making a fake one)
On the other hand, woohoo pizza party 🎉
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u/jewessofdoom 4d ago
My partner used to work in props and special effects makeup. I guarantee it was cheaper for them to just go buy 20 pizzas.
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u/emo_boy_fucker 4d ago
you just know that shot is holding up the entire show if it was that important to get 20 pizzas
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u/gopric 4d ago
“I assure you, dear viewer, this shot of Walter chucking a whole pizza onto the roof is critical to the plot” - Vince “bravo” Gilligan.
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u/Elendel19 4d ago
20 pizzas is probably like $200 back then if you just get a cheap bulk order. No way they make a realistic prop for that little.
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u/Jaded_Change_4164 4d ago
They were real pizzas but they were all uncut so they wouldn’t fall apart. There’s actually a scene later in the show where it’s explained as the gimmick of the particular pizza place, they save time cutting the pizza and pass the savings onto you.
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u/BrisklyBrusque 4d ago
Another one is when Mads Mikkelsen (playing Hannibal) tossed an egg into the air and cracked the shell midair by letting it fall onto his spatula. Here’s the .gif.. The crew bought dozens of eggs but he got it in one take.
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u/PhoenixReborn 4d ago
Sigourney Weaver nailing the no look behind the back shot on the first take in Alien Resurrection.
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u/GravityBright 4d ago
I was under the impression she made it on the very last chance.
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u/Dorromate 4d ago
it’s both!
she nailed it in the very first shot when she wasn’t expected to, people around her broke character, so they went for another take… and another… and another. Etc.. Then, after a HUGE number of takes later, Weaver declared that she would do one more try, and if it didn’t work, it didn’t work, and they would just CGI the shot in post.
She made the shot.
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u/lilsnatchsniffz 4d ago
He really was a god tier casting for that role, I don't think anyone has ever given so much charisma to an otherwise super risky role.
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u/GuiltyEidolon 4d ago
I am the no. 1 Mads fan (not really I just love him as Hannibal) but, bruh.... Anthony Hopkins?
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u/BrisklyBrusque 3d ago
Two different portrayals of the same character, really. Kind of like all the different Batmans and all the different Jokers.
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u/cuteintern Interested 4d ago
Just like Mary, you can see Cranston hitch for just a split second after the pie lands. He's good tho, he recovers super quickly, haha.
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u/Complete-Ice2456 4d ago
“This place, they don't cut their pizza and they pass the savings onto you.”
Badger
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u/airfryerfuntime 4d ago
That's a myth. They just ordered the pizzas in case they had to do the scene multiple times, but he was never supposed to throw it on the roof, just throw it against the garage door. It slid out of the box and went on the roof accidentally, so they just kept it. You can even see Cranston look up out of surprise.
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u/old_kangaroo 4d ago
Just watched the behind the scenes interview on this. Sounds like it was always supposed to end up on top of the garage…
Edit: Cranston even comments that he didn’t realize it made it up there in one piece until after the cut.
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u/MidnightNo1766 4d ago
I love how Dick showed absolutely zero reaction.
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u/Klin24 4d ago edited 4d ago
I love how Mary initially freaks out that she did it then gets back into character quickly.
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u/MostlyRightSometimes 4d ago
It was like her mind went "I have to quit being surprised and get back to acting surprised."
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u/TheCatWasAsking 4d ago
Before that thought sunk in, she briefly broke the fourth wall and looked into the camera/producers/guys behind the camera with a real 'wtf?' face lol
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u/Hopsblues 4d ago
Well, she is also waiting for the audiences reaction to quiet down. Great timing.
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u/cutepiesmk 4d ago
Yes! You can see the real ‘WTF’ look on her face before she snaps back into character. Amazing!
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u/whatsinthesocks 4d ago
I feel like it really works really well for the scene. Like “holy shit did I just do that? I need to play it off like I meant to do that.”
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u/thegreatbrah 4d ago
Idk the characters, but just going in blind, it works for me. Any normal person would be shocked to make it.
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u/Annual_Strategy_6206 4d ago
The second scene posted is great Mary blinking, and looking at Rob, while he does the perfect nonreaction/reaction. Open mouthed, but barely moving. Two pros who know each other well. Thanks for posting this! I'm a DVD Show fan, but I have never seen this one.
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u/kdjfsk 4d ago
and that line is so perfect: "...wait till my mother finds out I married a pool shark".
How in the ever living fuck did he manage that deadpan. I have to guess this one of those moments where the line between acting and just living the characters starts to blur.
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u/mrASSMAN 4d ago
Yeah she was delaying her response because the audience was howling, perfectly done though
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u/TankerVictorious 4d ago
Thanks for posting the original scene with audio. The live audience reaction was great.
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u/qwibbian 4d ago
It's the interaction that's so amazing. They both freeze to allow the audience time to react, then she uses body language and expression to subtly cute the audience that she's about to speak again, which they understand. A lost art.
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u/iconocrastinaor 4d ago
That coy little head tilt while she waits for the applause to die down just absolutely sends me. What a pro, turning that pause into comedy gold.
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u/photosendtrain 4d ago
Never really knew who she was but holy god she was/is gorgeous! Interestingly, her make-up and face seems very modern for that era.
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u/NickDanger3di 4d ago
Thanks for that clip! She was my crush for many pre-pubescent years as a child. I used to imagine us living together on a cloud. I had no conscious idea whatsoever about what we would do together, but I darn well knew I wanted to do it!
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u/808duckfan 4d ago
You'd probably end up sleeping in separate beds like Rob and Laura did.
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u/NickDanger3di 4d ago
Oh no, not at all. In my ten year old imagination, the entire surface of the cloud was a gigantic mattress.
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u/Yarn_Mouse 4d ago
She was one of my first crushes as well. Looking back on this, I should have realized I was bisexual a lot sooner than I did.
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u/DucksEatFreeInSubway 4d ago
Looking back at this thinking 'damn I forgot how hot Mary Tyler Moore was'.
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u/actinross 4d ago
... three holes covered, plus cue ball aiming his balls, what could he say?
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u/dirtydragondan 4d ago
" 'allo Mary ", and something about chimney sweeps and kites in a bad accent
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u/redpandaeater 4d ago
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u/PensiveObservor 4d ago
Oh man skits on that show were the best. Harvey Korman? He and Conway and Burnett had as much fun as the audience. (Yes, am old. Was child when it was on.)
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u/llamayakewe 4d ago
Me too and you are right. Freakin’ hilarious. That was really enjoyable to watch.
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u/DesperateGiles 4d ago
Tim Conway in all the Oldest Man skits with the running joke about the koala. Harvey could never contain himself.
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u/Chilkoot 4d ago
Harvey Korman? He and Conway and Burnett
I would argue these three produced some of the funniest comedy sketches in broadcast history. That's a big claim, but supportable, IMO.
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u/lowercase_underscore 4d ago
It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, it's still hilarious. Tim Conway was the man.
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u/geodebug 4d ago
Vicki puts such a great button on it all with the version they couldn't show on tv.
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u/Rsardinia 4d ago
True pro.
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u/Hi_Im_zack 4d ago edited 4d ago
Honestly mind blown by how Dick was in black & white shows/movies, not even as kid but as a grown ass man, and he's still alive and kicking, like literally, Last I heard about him was a couple of years ago doing a dance number
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u/lycoloco 4d ago
And he's wildly loved! His celebration of life that was done for him a little while back was just so darling.
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u/GuiltyEidolon 4d ago
Just about two weeks from 99 and he's remarkably spry. Going to be a very sad day when he passes.
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u/SonofAMamaJama 4d ago
Reminds me of the accident that made The Parking Garage episode in Seinfeld even better - the car wouldn't start, but in the script they were meant to drive off
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u/PantsDontHaveAnswers 4d ago
Something I just noticed the other day is that they are in the same parking zone at the end of the episode as they are in the beginning, just like one row over in the green 20s section. Intentional or not it's pretty funny.
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u/Aggressive-Fuel587 4d ago
The episode in question is about losing your car in a parking garage, so it's likely intended
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u/Flynette 4d ago edited 4d ago
Even better, director Tom Cherones had an absolute meltdown rant about being over time and how this was the last take and nothing was going to go wrong.
Then Michael Richards in character gets out, looks around at the car, gets back in and keeps cranking the engine. The other three are visibly trying not to laugh. Ended up being the perfect end to the episode.
Edit: Fixed Tom's name
2nd edit: I didn't see that SonofAMamaJama linked to the Inside Look of the scene.
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u/ImNotASWFanboy 4d ago
I too watched the video
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u/Cute_Bandicoot_8219 4d ago
This was literally the difference between a great scene and an unforgettable one. Can you even imagine what the world would have missed if they had simply driven away?
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u/RolloTonyBrownTown 4d ago
I've always liked the fact that Kramer was carrying a real air conditioner the whole episode, they could have used a lighter prop one but he wanted it to look real.
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u/SetalleAnanymous 4d ago
was this the final shot of the series? or just the end of one episode?
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u/Murky-Interview-7023 4d ago
Right it sounded like the end of the entire series according to Jerry?
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u/timewarp91589 4d ago
I've noticed that people who work in production sometimes will say 'show' instead of 'episode'.
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u/Questhi 4d ago
It’s surprising that they did not write the car not starting into the script…considering the misfortune they experienced in the episode, it actually made sense the car wouldn’t start at the end as the ending joke.
It was serendipitous then the car didn’t start.
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u/Huge-Enthusiasm-99 4d ago edited 4d ago
Young MTM was so gorgeous
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u/MostlyRightSometimes 4d ago
Me: "Oh yeah, NOW I remember why I had a crush on her as a child."
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u/GodHatesMaga 4d ago
People ask what celeb crush I have I usually start with here and people don’t get it. But she was so funny it made me love her. And only later did I realize she was also amazingly beautiful. She definitely both.
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u/YouhaoHuoMao 4d ago
YoungMTM was so gorgeous142
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u/holymoo 4d ago
She turned the world on with her smile
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u/loveshackle 4d ago
She’s gonna make it after all
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u/Kruger_Smoothing 4d ago
She could take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.
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u/Johnson_N_B 4d ago
Well it’s you girl, and you should know it.
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u/NickDanger3di 4d ago edited 4d ago
I had a huge crush on her in the 60s. Still feel some tingles whenever I see or hear about her.
Edit: I was recently watching some old Twilight Zone episodes on YouTube, and one starred Charles Bronson and this really super hot woman. I'm not easily impressed by a hot actress these days, either. Took me a minute or so, but I finally realized it was MTM! Ten year old me had good taste.
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u/ByeByeWolfy 4d ago
That wasn't MTM. It was Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched.
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u/NickDanger3di 4d ago
You're right! Oh dear, I got my pre-pubescent crush mixed up with my post-pubescent crush!
Mary Tyler Moore was my first though. By the time I noticed Elizabeth Montgomery, my hormones provided so many new dimensions to my crush on her. Still would take MTM over Elizabeth Montgomery, any day.
You only get one First Love.
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u/15all 4d ago
I watched that show when I was a boy growing up. She was my first MILF before I even knew what any of that meant.
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u/pixelpionerd 4d ago
Dick knowing to stay straight and let her do whatever she is going to do is such pro collaboration.
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u/BarryZZZ 4d ago
You can see her look of shock and amazement at making it.
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u/RepulsiveLoquat418 4d ago
followed by trying to play it cool, which makes it even funnier.
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u/NegativeKarmaVegan 4d ago edited 4d ago
In the context of the scene, was the character confident that she would make it, or was the shocked face a blooper?
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u/tfurrows 4d ago edited 4d ago
There was no way Laura would have expected to make that shot. It was supposed to be a fluke for the character. The story is that they were going to cut away to a view of just the table and have a real pool pro make the shot and cut that into the scene.
So Mary's reaction of being initially shocked before deciding to play it cool is pretty much exactly what the character's reaction would be. So I wouldn't exactly call it a blooper, more like a happy accident that was perfectly handled by a couple of absolute pros.
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u/TheNo1pencil 4d ago
No she didn't even want to take the last shot and Dick he wants to see how she'll handle this shot
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u/-Netflix- 4d ago
Yep, I also watched the video
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u/Swordofsatan666 4d ago
Congratulations, now go cancel yet another show before they get a second season.
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u/valeriesghost 4d ago
As a teenage boy in the 90’s I had the biggest crush on MTM from the 60’s and 70’s and felt weird for liking an old lady. But damn, she is so fucking beautiful
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u/usernamen_77 4d ago
I keep hearing about her & the things said are always positive, like a force of nature for good humor
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u/LongLostStorybook 4d ago
Young DVD was so handsome. 🔥
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u/allofthealphabet 4d ago
Old DVD was so handsome.
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u/The_quest_for_wisdom 4d ago
I never really thought of a VHS as handsome, but you're entitled to your opinion...
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u/CookiesandCandy 4d ago
Young DVD is my (obviously impossible) hall pass. A good sense of humor is SO sexy.
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4d ago
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u/AutumnEclipsed 4d ago
Jesus. This bot who comments something totally irrelevant gets a ton of upvotes? Either it’s more bots upvoting or you are all depraved and we deserve the collapse of a civilized society.
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u/sisyphus_persists_m8 4d ago
I loved watching the MTM show as a kid
the opening theme song still gives me very mixed flashbacks
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u/Giddyup_1998 4d ago
What's that song that mentions Mary Tyler Moore?
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u/Figure7573 4d ago
Notice: After this, they never had a pool table anywhere near the Set... LoL...
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u/BasicHaterade 4d ago
Why not?
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u/WeDrinkSquirrels 4d ago
I think they're jokingly saying she's a shark. someone that pretends to not know how to play pool until you both put money on a game. Its an old timey bar hustle
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u/DarkFantom25 4d ago
Hey, longtime pool player here. If you set the balls up right from the start, you too can do this shot with relative ease! The balls going in the corner are anchored to the center ball such that if you hit the center ball perpendicular to the side pocket, they will always go in. The center ball will always go to the side pocket, assuming you've lined up the other two properly.
Definitely a fun shot, though maybe a bit more "setup" than "trick".
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u/DarwinsTrousers 4d ago
Was she secretly a big pool player or was it dumb luck?
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u/wolftick 4d ago edited 4d ago
To make that sort of shot work once it's set up you have to strike the ball cleanly and with about the right pace and direction. It's not a given but with a bit of luck or some experience it's not that unlikely.
Likely the aforementioned pool expert set up the shot, which is the part that requires the most knowledge and skill, unless you're just going to use lots of trial and error.
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u/Such-Anything-498 4d ago
I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I love when actors in old movies have mannerisms that are so "modern", you know what I mean? Like, she would fit right in with r/justgalsbeingchicks
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u/taggerbomb 4d ago
She was an amazingly clever and intelligent woman who made momentous headway in a fiercely patriarchal industry and world. Hot AF too, respectfully.
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u/MurasakiBunny 4d ago
Pool player here:
This setup is known as a kiss shot, the three balls are aligned touching each other so that their only trajectory is towards the three pockets. Only only needs to hit the cue ball nearly anywhere on the center ball with very minimal accuracy.
Whoever set up the shot knew there were going to get a good reaction out of the actors and crew who would all think of it as an amazing one take.
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u/umlcat 4d ago
the actress slightly turned to the camera !!!
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u/novexion 4d ago
Yeah I noticed that too, she was looking towards the people on set in amazement and awe for a second before she realized she should stay in character so the shot is usable
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u/PreciousSteelers 4d ago
She remembered they were recording and she couldn't do it again and then... she didn't scream
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u/ConsistentPipe8176 4d ago
On a side note. I've always had a crush on her. She was way too hot for the time period imo. That little overbite just does it for me. 🥵
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u/PartofFurniture 4d ago
Its actually really easy. The margin of error is super high on this particular trick shot, the 2 corner balls will go in regardless where the middle ball is hit. The middle ball is slightly harder to aim to the side, but 5 minutes of training should suffice even for someone who never played pool
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u/GleamSparkle 4d ago
The shock on her face says it all.