Top Picture: Jackie Pallo
Second Picture: Billy Two Rivers as he is today
Television Wrestling
In the 1960’s Saturday afternoon would
not have been the same without the voice of Kent Walton introducing the Professional Wrestling and great numbers of people of all ages tuned in to watch. I must admit that these were the only occasions when my grandmother would shout phrases such as ‘hit him’ o ‘pull his head off’.
But who were the stars of the mat in those days? Here are five of them.
Jackie "Mr T.V." Pallo
One of the biggest names ever created by televised wrestling was born into Islington's Gutteridge boxing family and had scaled no heights as a 1950s professional wrestler when he made his television début against Cliff Beaumont. In this bout, a failed posting resulted in Jackie Pallo spreadeagling the corner and seemingly hurting his private parts. The switchboards were jammed with viewers wanting to know how he was, his name became known, and he needed little more encouragement to establish the persona of the pigtailed bombastic middleweight with an outrageous hair ribbon and striped trunks. His wife Trixie and young son were often to be seen at ringside and were worked into his bouts if at all possible, with kisses from Jack - and once, memorably, from his opponent. His feud with Mick McManus from 1962 to 1973 was the greatest in wrestling history, but what remains rather unclear to this day is just how deep the rivalry went; Jackie Pallo beat Mick McManus once only during this feud (though he had done so in the fifties). His Mr TV tag came after an appearance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and for 6 or 8 years from 1958 he was seldom out of the limelight. He used his fame for the benefit of wrestling as a whole, typically getting his Avengers co-star, Honor Blackman, to a 1964 Royal Albert Hall show when she was at the height of her Goldfinger fame, and having her presented in the ring.
By way of illustration of how times have changed and what big names our sixties heroes were, when he was billed to appear at Bishops Stortford in 1964 all tickets were sold out within three hours of the box office opening.
Never underestimate his wrestling skill and the highpoint of his "competitive" career was when on 12th April 1969 he defeated Bert Royal to become only the third holder of the British Heavy Middleweight Championship.
In the ring he was a risk-taking athlete on the one hand but pushed believability to the limits at other times owing to his over-the-top cockiness. A great traveller, he took the game reliably nationwide and made numerous television and stage appearances. He died in 2006 from cancer, aged 80,
Mick McManus
He was born Michael Matthews on 11 January 1928 in New Cross of Anglo-Irish decent. He was the cornerstone from his forties début right through to July 2007 and his appearance on an ITV nostalgia show alongside Dickie Davies as the face of wrestling. He was the most featured wrestler of all time in television bouts. A carefully crafted ring persona was effective in arousing fans’ hatred over several decades. No one equalled Mick McManus. Here was a man who was just as comfortable in the company of the great and the good, or mixing with the Beatles and other entertainment celebrities, as he was mixing it in our local wrestling halls. Few weeks would pass by without Mick popping up on television, radio and the national press. He even had his own weekly column in the Sun newspaper.
Les Kellett
Every fan has a favourite memory of Les Kellett, whether it be his spectacular spin through the ropes (falling backwards through the ropes and then propelling himself back into the ring), or making his opponent look foolish by feigning semi-consciousness and then sidestepping a blow at the last minute. It was this abilty to humiliate his opponent that gave Les Kellet his unique flair for pleasing the fans. Having turned professional in 1938, the outbreak of war soon curtailed Les's wrestling career. Returning to Britain after the war, and living in Manchester, it was a chance encounter with wrestler Joe Hill which resulted in Les moving back to Bradford and devoting his energies to a full time professional wrestling career. By 1946 he was travelling the country and attracting new fans wherever he wrestled. Outside the ring Les Kellet had the reputation of being a very hard man with a high pain threshold. Stories abound of his no-nonsense approach to life, which he publicly admitted led to him being disliked by some in the profession. Personal contentment came from running a small holding and café with his wife, Margaret. There was tragedy for Margaret and Les in 2000, with the untimely death of one of their two sons, David, who wrestled as Dave Barrie. Although Les's career continued until he was well into his sixties he remained a crowd pleaser until the very end. He died peacefully in his sleep, in Ilkley, two years after he moved to a nursing home, at the age of 86, leaving a widow, Margaret, son Christopher and two grandchildren.
Billy Two Rivers
One of the most colourful characters in British wrestling history. Undoubtedly a huge name by virtue of the tremendous impact of his headdress and haircut in his initial 1960 appearances at a time when Cowboy and Indian films were still popular, this Mohawk chief Two Rivers from Quebec had already started to disappoint by the time he returned to Britain in 1964. The routine was well rehearsed and eagerly anticipated by fans. He performed a little wardance before polishing off evil-doing opponents with his famed tomahawk chop finisher. Returned to do the rounds again in 1973: those who remembered the original version were disappointed. He is the father of British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway. I actually remember seeing him wrestle at the Theatre Royal in Portsmouth when it was known as the Royal Arena.
Bruno Elrington
Cannot miss out the local lad, Big Bruno Elrington he might well have been a big package, but it had all the necessary ingredients to be a top rated wrestler. Just the name Bruno on the bills, no need for the surname, was enough for fans who knew exactly what to expect. Whilst some loved to jeer him as a rule bender others loved him because he could, and did, wrestle. His height and weight, around 20 stones, caused an interest, but so did his speed and agility that was surprising for a man of his size. His strength and power moves were admired by many, but so was his wrestling skill. Bruno had an enormous ring presence and he made a fearsome site as he climbed into the ring. But fans always realised that here was a generous, warm hearted man, and had a special affection for him even in his most villainous of days. He entered the professional ring following six years service in the Royal Marines. Mind you, he could have been lost to the world of boxing, having four fights as a pro boxer before turning his sights to wrestling. He mellowed later in his career and was rewarded with winning the Royal Albert Hall Trophy in 1969, and succeeding Al Hayes as Southern England Champion. He owned and trained in a gym in Southsea.
Well grapple fans it is time for me to go.
Stay in touch,
Yours,
Peter
DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk
You Write:
Remember the 5th Year coffee table we Boysl made with Mr. Wells our Metalwork Master in the workshops at Court Lane? Mine is still in use all these years later and still looks as good today after a quick re-spray and refurbishment. Hard to believe we made these coffee tables nearly 50 years ago! Take a look at the side bar
Regards to Everyone. Melvyn ( Griff ) Griffiths..
News and Views:
Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who-- along with his partner Mike Stoller-- gave us such legendary tunes as "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Kansas City," "Charlie Brown" and "Love Potion #9," died on Monday August 22 in a Los Angeles hospital from cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78. A list of all the tunes written or produced by the duo could fill an encyclopedia, but they include "There Goes My Baby," "Young Blood," "Searchin'" "Spanish Harlem," "Ruby Baby," "Yakety Yak," "Black Denim Trousers," "Hard Headed Woman," "On Broadway," "Only In America" and "Is That All There Is."
On this day 9th September 1960-1965.
On 09/09/1960the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 09/09/1961the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Charles de Gaulle escapes assasination attempt
On 09/09/1962the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Pot Luck - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 09/09/1963the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 09/09/1963the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 09/09/1965the number one single was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Help - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
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