Scandalous life of ‘ping pong hustler’ Marty Reisman who was chased naked by lover’s shotgun-wielding husband

HE was a sporting renegade who claimed to person made and mislaid a cardinal dollars, smuggled golden and was erstwhile chased bare by his lover’s shotgun-wielding husband.

But the precocious Marty Reisman volition execute an adjacent much awesome feat — making ping pong look sexy.

Last week heart-throb Timothee Chalamet was successful New York filming scenes for a caller movie, Marty Supreme, inspired by the array tennis titan who became an improbable planetary star.

The Dune actor had his hairsbreadth slicked backmost and was wearing thin-rimmed glasses, with the undeniable look of the American sportsman.

The part-fictionalised biopic volition besides prima Gwyneth Paltrow arsenic Marty’s mum.

Marty, who utilized to execute a drama ping pong regular arsenic the warm-up enactment for the ­Harlem Globetrotters hoops team, counted Hollywood stars specified arsenic Susan ­Sarandon among his friends and was a arrogant American — but it was successful the UK that helium truly recovered stardom.

Nicknamed The Needle owed to his bladed physique, helium roseate to fame astatine the 1949 British Open successful beforehand of 10,000 hushed ­spectators.

The 19-year-old was fixed a lasting ovation astatine Wembley Arena arsenic helium ­unexpectedly bushed Hungarian five-times satellite champion Viktor Barna.

The triumph brought satellite attraction to the teenager, but besides shone a airy connected his escapades distant from the table.

For Marty was a charismatic rebel who hustled his mode done life.

When helium arrived successful austerity-ravaged Britain, 4 years aft World War Two, the innocent-looking youngster carried a suitcase afloat of lingerie to merchantability to women hopeless for a spot of luxury.

The opposition betwixt array tennis subordinate and wayward risk-taker was not mislaid connected Marty, who called ping pong the “lowest diversion endeavour connected the satellite totem pole, adjacent to marbles, maybe”.

The British Press were truthful enamoured by him that they called him the “Danny Kaye of array tennis”, aft the comic histrion known for his physicality.

But specified showmanship came astatine a cost.

Marty ended up spending astir 3 years successful the nonrecreational wilderness aft helium and team-mates charged first-class edifice rooms to their British Open hosts.

He aboriginal moaned however “the [original] country was the size of a closet and the decor was awful”.

Disgusted by his behaviour, the American array tennis governing assemblage temporarily banned him.

It was a emblematic showboating determination for a antheral who aboriginal became known for his trademark Panama hats, wearing sunglasses indoors and his quality to interruption a cigaret successful fractional with his forehand, which could propel a shot astatine 115mph.

Sometimes earlier games helium would adjacent whip retired a a $100 measure to measurement the net.

Sunglasses indoors

Paul Stimpson, of governing assemblage Table Tennis England, said: “The 1940s were a existent aureate epoch for the sport.

“The Reisman-Barna lucifer is comparable to a large tennis circuit lawsuit today.

“The contention attracted each the champion players successful the world.

“Marty is legendary and there’s a batch of excitement astir the movie among ­players and fans.

“He was 1 of the champion of his time.

“People are people drawn to large characters and Marty was the archetypal existent stone prima of the game.”

Born successful 1930 to Russian mum Sarah and taxi operator dada Morris, Marty experienced poorness aboriginal on.

He grew up successful Manhattan’s Lower East Side during the Great Depression, and though his begetter had erstwhile owned 17 cabs, helium mislaid them each playing cards.

Marty, who died successful 2012 aged 82, said: “I saw him suffer six taxis during 1 league of poker.”

The youngster discovered ping pong aft a bizarre occurrence which began erstwhile helium was 10 and ­suffered a breakdown astatine schoolhouse portion singing the American ­national anthem, past spent a period successful a section intelligence facility, earlier picking up a array tennis bat astatine a assemblage centre.

A twelvemonth aboriginal helium was hustling adults — playing for bets and prizes — during games astatine the section park, and aboriginal recalled: “The thought is to marque your hostile deliberation helium is hustling you.

“That’s wherefore I developed a peculiar hustler’s grip.

“I clasp the racket the mode a thirsty motortruck operator holds a brew ­bottle.

“That way, each triumph looks truthful crazy, truthful wholly accidental that the feline is consenting to stake thing that you can’t bash it again.”

If the stake was ample enough, helium would play sitting down, oregon adjacent blindfolded.

At 15, portion taking portion successful the US nationalist championships, Marty stake a antheral who helium thought was a bookie $500 connected himself to triumph — lone to observe it was the president of the US array tennis association.

His property stopped him being arrested for amerciable gambling, but helium was escorted from the gathering by a ­uniformed police officer.

Following his UK triumph successful 1949, Marty spent 3 years ­showing disconnected his skills with teammate Doug Cartland arsenic they toured with the Harlem Globetrotters.

The brace played with 5 balls astatine once, halved cigarettes with a swipe of their bats and utilized pots and pans arsenic bats to bang retired the tune Mary Had A Little Lamb.

They went connected to scrape a surviving ­touring Asia, and each the while, Marty carried connected hustling astatine each opportunity, adjacent mounting up games with pizza transportation men.

While successful China, helium accepted a occupation smuggling golden retired of Hong Kong to evade precocious taxes.

He earned £700 a clip strapping golden bars to his thorax concealed nether a muslin vest and a latex swimsuit.

By 1952 his popularity had soared astir Asia and helium was 1 of the favourites to triumph the satellite championships successful Bombay — but determination was an upset.

While Marty had ever utilized a hard bat, Japanese subordinate Hiroji Satoh turned up with 1 covered successful sponge.

Marty lost, aboriginal putting the decision down to feeling unwell, but a caller dawn of ping pong was calved with sponge-layered bats alternatively of the hard ones.

He returned to New York successful 1957, reportedly wearing a twelve Rolex watches nether his sleeve.

‘Gladiatorial spirit’

There helium met the pistillate who was to go his archetypal woman — who happened to beryllium already joined — and helium was discovered naked, hiding successful a wardrobe by her aggravated husband, who was carrying a 12-gauge shotgun.

Despite the play Marty and his caller emotion settled down and helium concisely ­dabbled with “straight” work, selling shoes astatine a Manhattan section store.

But helium admitted: “No 1 has astir apt ever been little suited for regular employment than I was.”

In 1958 helium opened a array tennis nine successful Manhattan, which was frequented by celebrities specified arsenic Dustin Hoffman and chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer.

He aboriginal became adjacent pals with Susan Sarandon, who described him arsenic being “as creaseless connected the societal country arsenic connected the court”.

In 1997 Marty came retired of status to triumph a caller US “hardbat” title astatine the property of 67.

During his sporting vocation — which lasted much than fractional a period — helium won 22 large titles, arsenic good arsenic 5 satellite title bronze medals.

He was survived by his 2nd woman Yoshiko, girl Debbie and respective grandchildren.

Marty himself erstwhile said: “I took connected radical successful the gladiatorial spirit, ne'er backed down from a bet. It’s a comic mode to walk a life.”

Now the wizard of array tennis is acceptable to person 1 past changeable successful the spotlight.