In Episode 4 of our six-part conversation with actor, producer, and longtime billiards broadcaster Mitch Laurance, the story turns on a single moment in Winston-Salem that changed everything.

Mitch takes us back to 1990—sent to “go play pool” at a charity night during a golf event—only to find two tables… and two legends. On one side: Nick Varner. On the other: a Swedish star with “green laser eyes,” Ewa Mataya, already at the top of her game. Mitch hadn’t come looking for love, but one glance across the felt and the universe had other plans. What begins as trash talk and $5 racks quickly becomes hours of real conversation, the kind that feels like you’ve known someone forever.

From there, the coincidences get even wilder—Seattle, the same date, two separate bookings that collide into something cosmic. Mitch shares how a lifelong bachelor at 40 suddenly finds himself reshaping every instinct, every habit, and every definition of responsibility. And then comes the biggest shift of all: Nikki, Ewa’s five-year-old daughter, meeting Mitch for the first time and delivering a line that still defines their relationship decades later.

This episode also offers a fascinating window into Ewa’s rise beyond the arena—from her dominance in 1990 to the media explosion that followed, including the iconic New York Times Magazine cover—and what it felt like for Mitch to step into a world he barely understood… until he was living inside it.

And just when you think the story can’t take another turn, Mitch explains how he went from “I don’t play pool” to becoming the voice guiding ESPN’s first WPBA telecasts—thanks to one unforgettable, profane push at exactly the right moment.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 3 of our multi-part life-story conversation with American film and television actor—and longtime sports broadcaster—Mitch Laurance, we detour through the worlds that shaped him long before pool took center stage.

Mitch takes us back to Los Angeles in the 1980s, when a persistent friend talked him into an early-morning tee time at Balboa. What happened next surprised him: not instant love for golf, but total fascination. Here was a ball sitting still on the ground… and he couldn’t hit it. That maddening mystery became an obsession—fueling lessons, practice, and a deep dive into the competitive side of the game as he chased improvement, rounds, and a lower handicap.

From there, Mitch opens the door to the L.A. golf scene: the public gems like Griffith Park, Balboa, Encino, and Rancho Park, and the private clubs he came to know through celebrity events and friendships—Riviera, Bel-Air, Wilshire, Lakeside, and more. Along the way, he shares the actors and friends who became regular playing partners, including Craig T. Nelson, Andy Garcia, Chris Lemmon, and others.

Then we shift from fairways to film sets as Mitch reflects on the craft of acting—what it feels like to be “in the moment,” truly free, and creating something that didn’t exist before. He also speaks candidly about impostor syndrome, awe-filled encounters with icons like Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck, and the performance he’s most proud of—an L.A. Law episode that taught him what it meant to be “free to be good enough.”

And yes… Mitch answers the question: did he ever feel famous? The answer involves an AT&T commercial, a phone booth, and one unforgettable line—“Bula Vinaka Beachside.”

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 2 of our conversation with actor and sports broadcaster Mitch Laurance, Mitch takes us deeper into the improbable zigzags that turned a behind-the-scenes job at Saturday Night Live into a front-row seat to entertainment history—and ultimately, into a life on camera.

Mitch starts where most origin stories don’t: as a production “gopher” in the early days of SNL, absorbing the chaos, the pressure, and the genius up close. But week by week, opportunity finds him. He becomes a researcher for the writers, hunts down film and music clips, calls cues from the control room, and eventually earns his way into the Directors Guild. Then comes the moment that still feels surreal: Lorne Michaels taps Mitch to produce 20 prime-time “Best of SNL” specials, combing through sketches by theme and cutting them together with what Mitch calls “45-year-old technology.”

As the show explodes, Mitch quietly discovers something else—he likes being in the sketches. A line here, an extra there… and by 1980, with the original era ending, he makes a bold leap: move to Los Angeles and give acting a real shot.

That leap comes with a mind-bending twist. Mitch lands in Penny Marshall’s guest house, surrounded by a revolving door of Hollywood royalty—De Niro, Albert Brooks, Carrie Fisher, and more—while battling the ultimate imposter syndrome. Penny changes everything when she gifts him a role on Laverne & Shirley, getting him his Screen Actors Guild card and breaking the industry’s infamous catch-22.

But the heart of this episode is the complicated, deeply human story of Mitch and his twin brother Matthew—competition, distance, resentment, forgiveness—and the powerful creative reunion that follows, including memorable work together on Cop Rock, The Commish, and a standout Outer Limits episode built on parallel universes.

It’s a story about timing, doors opening, and choosing reconciliation—just before we pivot toward the pool world and one legendary “Striking Viking.”

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”