The Artful Dodger from Lewisham doesn't get much mention on Wrestling Heritage, but we can see his ongoing career from about 1960 over 15 years. See him wrestling as a villain or as a clown; or more often just to complement his opponent's style.
Versatile and professional, like so many.
So it was with some astonishment that we read Eddie Rose's latest and as usual fascinating instalment of north-western memories in this week's magazine. Eddie takes his usual swipe at a southern tag-team with a rather unsavoury reminiscence. We expect nothing less!
But nestling in his mini hall of fame this week as the wrestler with the best chat up line is, remarkably, Dick Conlon. I really wouldn't have imagined that Eddie and Dick would have ever shared the same dressing room, let alone had time for socialising.
Just goes to show how much we (well, I) still have to understand about how far and wide the guys travelled.
Can any of the Northern members recall seeing Dick Conlon at your local halls?
I saw the Artful Dodges loads, even though their run probably wasn't even two years. Their work was distinguished by how much they (openly) spoke to each other during the bout. This in fact seems normal; other teams seemed like two singles who remained mute.
Never saw him or the Dodgers in Newcastle probably too cold.
I can remember Dick Conlon as a "blue eye" when he usually participated in the first bout of the programme which often was a clean scientific, if slightly boring contest. The transformation came when he joined Chris Bailey to become The Artful Dodgers and albeit they were "heels", were very fast and skilful.
I recall Dick Conlon and Chris Bailey coming to King's Hall, Belle Vue, twice in the early seventies when Morrell and Beresford were the promoters. As The Artful Dodgers they faced The Pallos and The Borg Twins. I particularly recall their match with The Borgs because it was good, fast, clean wrestling for the first ten minutes before The Borgs got the first fall. Then the rule-bending began. But Conlon and Bailey were fast movers and showed that they could hold their own with the best of them.
Dick Conlon took us for Sport when I was at William Penn School North Dulwich 1959-1964, if sport was called off because of the weather he would tell some great stories of when he was in the Merchant Navy. Great bloke.
Here's Dirty Dick at 29 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz-qYwJUGPo
So Eddie must have met Dick when he did his 1972 DM stint as Les Diables Rouges - probably up against The Artful Dodgers? Maybe they even did the rounds?
What a great question Anglo and I will tell you why.
Out of my extensive archive , as far as Joint were concerned I find him Dale Martin ONLY