Long before JACKIE PALLO and ADRIAN STREET caused a Sensation with their
Sparkly and Colourful Ring Attire-way back in the '40's/'50's there were two other
Wrestling Greats who put the black trunks/drab dressing gown brigade to Shame!!
BOBBY DURANTON a Skilful French Heavyweight aside from the 'Persona' was
Wowing Audiences with his Lacey,Braided Ringwear with 'Elvis' style 'stand-up'
Collars! Different every time-his Ring 'Get-Up' was worth the entrance money alone!
He then proceeded to 'walk the walk' as well!!
By 1950 another Great Wrestler and former World Mid-Heavyweight Champion-
'GENTLEMAN' DANNY MCSHAIN-who had been on the Scene for more than 20
Years-was still Stunning the Crowds with his Luxurious Ring Gowns and outrageous
antics!-Far from a 'Gentleman' in the squared circle MCSHAIN was Billed as the
'Roughest-Toughest Heavyweight in Existence' and Fought the very Best including
LOU THESZ!- So there was more than plenty for ADRIAN to go on with these two
Guys!
Poster/Bills/Articles/Photos to follow!!
MAIN MASK
I remember seeing Robert Duranton and his butler on the tele. Totally unappreciative of any talents I saw him as a copy of the wonderful Lord Bertie Topham who i watched in the halls. Such is the folly of youth, a characteristic I have continued to this day. Let's not forget Lord Blears, seen by Bernard, and Jim Lewis, who I enjoyed. Best not forget out Heritage mate Lord Bertie Sinclair.
Here's Danny McShain again on a Mat Review programme.
I don't remember him wrestling in Britain but he was included in the Somportex Wrestling cards of 1966
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 1 Alan Miquet
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 2 Ivan Pervano
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 3 Billy Two Rivers
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 4 Rick Waldo
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 5 Bobby Steele
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 6 Pedro Wiracogha
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 7 Warnia De Zaranoff
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 8 Pat O'Conner
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 9 Marius Servais
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 10 Ricky Starr (as Ballet dancer)
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 11 Yves Amor
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 12 George Drake
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 13 Doug Joyce
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 14 Peter Szakac
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 15 Don Eagle
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 16 Gwyn Davies
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 17 Mr TV Pallo
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 18 Syed Saif Shah
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 19 Frankie Townsend
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 20 Ray Fury
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 21 John Da Silva
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 22 Honey Boy Zimba
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 23 Ivan J. Zaranoff
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 24 Baron Gattoni
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 25 Lucky Simunovich
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 26 Jose Arroyo
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 27 Ray Apollon
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 28 Eric Froelich
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 29 Dangerous Danny Lynch
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 30 Sheik Wadi Ayoub
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 31 Danny McShain
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 32 Spencer Churchill
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 33 El Mansouri Bros.
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 34 Yuri Borienko
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 35 Josef Kovaks
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 36 Wildcat Garcia
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 37 Roger Delaporte
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 38 Gordon Nelson
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 39 Gilbert Cesca
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 40 "Cowboy" Ken Ackles
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 41 Axel Dieter
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 42 Bolo Hakawa
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 43 Steve Logan
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 44 Gedeon Gidea
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 45 Mick McManus
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 46 Josef Moschi Molnar
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 47 Le Grand Vladimir
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 48 Bert Royal
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 49 The Fighting Faulkners
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 50 Prince Kumali
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 51 Manuel Polman
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 52 Robert Duranton
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 53 Vic Faulkner
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 54 Hans Streiger
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 55 Cheif Billy White Wolf
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 56 Fernand Bawn
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 57 Vassilios Mantopoulos
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 58 Jack Pesek
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 59 Clay Thomson
Somportex Limited Famous TV Wrestlers (England) - 60 Leon Fortuna
When we last discussed these cards Powerlock said
" The English company Somportex created several popular trading cards in the 1960's. The most famous (infamous), being the James Bond 'Film Scenes' set which featured numerous risqué images of scantily clad Bond girls. The content of the set was deemed too much for public consumption and was debated in the house of commons creating a scandal and leading to the set being withdrawn.
Somportex are well known for making changes to cards from one print run to another, so look out for the variant cards which can achieve astronomical prices in high grade.
There are a few of the other cards they did on ebay, they seem to be quite collectable."
Lord Bertie Topham with Ponsonby his valet used to get the audience in a right tizz when I (and many other promoters) employed them both. I recall particularly his appearances at The Houldsworth Hall on Deansgate in Manchester for Shaw/Thompson (Carpentier/Cassidy) when he turned up with an interfering female valet.
However, many years before that when I was very young I have very faint memories of a TV bout featuring a strutting, arrogant character with interfering valet which was an absolute riot with the audience tossing their chairs into the ring. I seem to recall that it was in the days when the Saturday afternoon show went out live and I also seem to recall that the arrogant wrestler who got all the heat was Roberto Duranton. Or am I just imagining this? Do any other contributors recall the incident I'm talking about?