TIMES SQUARE — Inspired by gangster, police and crime movies from the 1960's and 1970's, actor Edward Burns, the creator and star of the new TNT drama "Public Morals" set in grungy 1960's Hell's Kitchen, had a mission.
He wanted to find the Times Square pool hall where the 1961 flick "The Hustler" was filmed. When he couldn't find it, he recreated it, Burns told Rolling Stone.
"We tried to find it, I thought maybe the pool hall's still around, and it's long since gone," he said. "So we would freeze frames of the movie, blow them up, and look at the details."
"Where's the water cooler where Paul Newman takes a drink? Is that a balcony up there? And then we recreated the whole thing in a church basement in Brooklyn."
Ames Billiard Academy, once located at 160 W. 44th St., now houses a Sephora on the ground level and studios for Good Morning America and other offices up above.
The bygone pool hall closed its doors in the late sixties, according to The New York Times.
"Public Morals" revolves around the ethical dilemmas of corrupt police, powerful gangsters and school teachers who turn tricks on the side.
The show went live in late August and now the first four episodes can be streamed on TNT's website.
Queens-born actor, Burns, the son of a former NYPD sergeant, wrote and stars in the TNT drama and directed some episodes.
The rest of the season's ten episodes will go live throughout late September, October and November, according to the website.
