New Film Inspired by Jewish Ping Pong Champ

A cursory glance at the list of all-time ping-pong greats indicates Jews have maintained a prominent presence in the sport over the past century. Legendary Polish table tennis champion Alojzy Ehrlich and Czech multi-world title champion Traute Kleinová, both of whom survived the Holocaust, soared to great heights in the ping-pong universe. Back in the States, there was Leah Neuberger, who secured 29 national titles and is immortalized in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Most famously, in the latter half of the 20th century, Marty Reisman, winner of five bronze medals at the World Table Tennis Championships, established himself as a titanic figure in Jewish sports. Though younger generations may not be particularly familiar with Reisman, who succumbed to complications of heart and lung ailments in December 2012 at the age of 82, his endlessly fascinating life story is coming to life this holiday season with the release of “Marty Supreme.”

Though the film, produced by A24 with its largest-ever budget of $70 million and starring Timothee Chalamet (“Wonka,” “A Complete Unknown”) is only loosely based on Reisman’s life — Chalamet plays a fictionalized table tennis player, Marty Mauser, whose love interest is Gwyneth Paltrow’s character — it was inspired by Reisman’s meteoric rise to fame and flamboyant personality.

The real-life Marty Reisman, monikered “The Needle” for his slim physique and quick wit, secured a towering legacy by traversing the globe to compete against everyone from movie stars to maharajahs. Along the way, he racked up 22 major table tennis titles, including a pair of United States Opens and a British Open. Reisman’s crowning achievement on the table arguably occurred in 1997, when at 67, he became the oldest player to capture a national championship in a racket sport by winning the United States National Hardbat Championship. Some even consider him to be one of the Top 10 table tennis players of all time.

“I took on people in the gladiatorial spirit,” he said in an interview with the New York Times in March 2012, shortly before he passed away, leaving behind his wife, Yoshiko, daughter, Debbie and grandchildren. “The modern game is played with fraud, deceit and deception. This racket is the purest reflection of a player’s ability.”

Reisman’s ability was — per the upcoming movie’s title — unquestionably supreme. But it was his rather colorful persona and flair for showmanship that warranted the silver screen treatment. A product of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Reisman is credited for making ping pong into not just an art form, but also a circus act. Reisman’s decades-long run as a world champion spawned such homespun tales of him being able to slice a cigarette in half from across the net and besting opponents while playing blindfolded. Sporting his ubiquitous Borsalino hat, Reisman frequently opened for the Harlem Globetrotters — when he wasn’t losing and winning millions on wagers over his own matches. Later in life, his Upper West Side table tennis gyms were frequented by such luminaries as Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Kurt Vonnegut, David Mamet and Bobby Fischer.

Judging by its recently released trailer, “Marty Supreme,” directed by Josh Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) and co-written by him and Ronald Bronstein, aims to not just chronicle Reisman’s innate ping pong talents but also the protagonist’s swashbuckling ways. A succession of frenetically moving clips includes Chalamet dashing through a street market, combing through wads of cash in the front seat of a cab, and fighting for his life in a violent car chase.

But at its core, the flick is grounded in a classic rags-to-riches story of a young man from a working-class neighborhood who has bigtime aspirations (“Everything in my life is falling apart, but I’m going to figure it out”) to make a career out of a passion that consumed his life ever since he was nine. With a Dec. 25 release date, “Marty Supreme” easily fits the mold of the season’s traditional line of feel-good films. Just like the real-life Marty Reisman, the made-up one never harbors doubt that his unyielding quest to soar above all obstacles in pursuit of ping pong glory will pan out.

When asked what he will do if his plan goes awry, Marty quickly retorts, “that doesn’t even enter my consciousness.” There is, however, acknowledgment that table tennis is indeed a niche passion as at one point, Chalamet’s character says, “I have a purpose. And if you think that’s some sort of blessing, it’s not. It means I have an obligation to see a very specific thing through. And with that obligation comes sacrifice.”

Reisman, or rather Mauser, comes across as so self-assured in his ability to attain fame and fortune at the ping pong table that at one point in the trailer, he tells a middle-aged gentleman sitting across from him, “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling you, this game, it fills stadiums overseas. And it’s only a matter of time before I’m staring at you from the cover of a Wheaties box.”

It’s a catchy line that perfectly embodies Reisman’s/Mauser’s lifelong drive to thrill the masses with his ping pong wizardry. That narrative of Reisman being not just an extremely gifted ping-pong player who started competing as an adolescent, but also an entertainer destined to give electrifying performances serves as the heartbeat of the upcoming sports movie that promises to have many Jewish motifs weaved into its plot.