GARFIELD AT BRIGHTON-'60/'61 FOR ANGLO!!

Well, since she won't come to us, I've gone to Dudley's and invaded their facebook page and discussion of pizza toppings with talk of Alan Garfield!

There is certainly a large portrait of boatered Garfield hanging in the restaurant, and the facebook page has photos of the artist painting it from the photo (my profile photo here.)

Maybe I'll be deleted, like we have to delete the Vietnamese crackpot who posts on here at times, or maybe ....

Yes, John, so many Garfield threads over the last 16 years, it can easily get rather bitty. But each time we discuss him again, new Garfield thoughts and momories and research crop up.

The restaurant is named after Alan Garfield, it's called "Dudley's". You would actually think that they would be able to use the publicity of his name and career being explored by a bunch of old crackpots.

It's in the Dandenong hills, just east of Melbourne. It would at the very least be interesting to know if the name is carried through into the restaurant's interior, and if there are press cuttings etc?

Hack is forgetting that I told him years ago, that I e-mailed Garfield's daughter at her restaurant, to ask her nicely if she would care to communicate with Heritage about her dad. I had no reply. I followed that e-mail with a second one (even nicer) some months later, just in case the first went unnoticed, or in the hope grovelling would illicit a response but, no cigar! If covid ever allows and I feel like it was safe to visit Victoria, I shall do my best to track the lass down. Headline : 'He was on the trail of Garfield, but found Covid instead'.

Omniscience!

Anglo , Night and the City full film is on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zBrdZZTbGg

Here are some stills of what you talk about so about 42 minutes in.

Thanks everyone.

Every couiple of years or so we start discussing Garfield again and every time it takes off.

I don't think he needed any ringside stooge, he had all his pantomime villain lines ready for each bout.

But he was doing his stuff in with Assirati as a youngster; less banter there, I imagine.

I have been waiting for the film The Night & The City to be shown again, it used to be on frequently. In that, we can see Garfield in the gym scenes.

The character was called Ursus, yes. Buddy Baer, the 6ft 6 brother of heavyweight boxer, Max Baer, played the part.

Hack

Wasn't it Ursus who wrestled the bull in Quo Vadis ?

Thanks for these excellent contributions Main Mask and Ron. It’s a scandal that Garfield wasn’t featured on TV to any extent; I recall seeing him only once on the box.

When you see those early 60’s bills, It’s no wonder I refer to it constantly as “The Golden Age”.

Mighty Ursus, a name I remember. The mysterious web of wrestling. Thanks Ron.

So Garfield worked in Nevada with Jesus Ortega on these bills. Here's one for you , ten years later Nagasaki worked with him for Stu Hart , but in Stampede Ortega was known as Mighty Ursus.

The fact that Garfield does every Monday for six weeks shows the "Entertainment side of Wrestling."

Some years back we were in contact with a members of Alan Garfield's family. I think they were opening a restaurant or something somewhere overseas. I can't remember the details other than they wanted some information or memorabilia but were not forthcoming with providing more information.

I see Bob Robinson using the Billy Joyce name in 1960 Brighton, so the dropping of the Joyce name was not universal through Dale Martin land.

What a superb addition Ron.

Anglo is correct in that Brighton was regarded as one of the prestige venues for Dale Martin always attracting good crowds in the 1960's. The fact that Alan Garfield regularly appeared is a tribute to his stature. The only time I saw him at this location his intended opponent for some reason did not appear, and Australian wrestler Frank Hurley substituted. It resulted in an easy victory for Garfield over a rather lack lustre opponent., but the highlight of the evening was the banter exchanged between the great man and the crowd. In particular with one guy-perhaps a stooge- near ringside which enthralled the audience especially when "Sir" Alan decided the gentleman was a"cad" and a "bounder" to question his wrestling skills. For sheer entertainment value in my humble opinion Alan Garfield was in a league of his own.

Some great stuff there MM and I am going to take Anglo on a holiday of a lifetime back to 1962. You should have had six weeks in Las Vegas Anglo and you could have had six Monday nights at this Football Stadium. Garfield every Monday.

Note his tag partner here.

I must admit, that this is one biography, I would love to read, Alan Garfield.

I knew nothing of him until I stumbled on the old "1 Stop Wrestling" forum, all those years ago, he would have been winding down his career before I started Junior School

My guess is that the only way such a biography could be written, would be if you had access to his family, some old time wrestlers and promoters (Max Crabtree?) over here, and in the USA, for interviews.

It's probably not an impossible task, but with the nature of the Wrestling business, it would take a lot of detective work.

Many many thanks, Main Mask.

Alan Garfield's career never ceases to fascinate.

These were important five-bout bills in Brighton, making it a premium Dale Martin venue. For Garfield continually to have held top of the bill spot at the risk of over-exposure clearly indicates that he could keep the public coming back for more. What a shame we don't know more about his actual 1960 repertoire. Maybe we can dream that the French youtube site will reach 1960 and Garfield will pop up on a B&W bout. What a dream!

Five years later in Brighton Garfield had his famous victory over the otherwise unbeatable Ricki Starr.

I think you have really hit on something here, Main Mask. Garfield & Brighton, there's clearly something in it. Maybe Garfield WAS Van Taylor Productions? Maybe Garfield was relocating from Beckenham to Worthing at this time and was happy to work without petrol charges, or something like that.

And your series also shows Garfield ditching Australia for London.

Ramon Napolitano was Alan Garfields' tag partner in the USA

Next A Tough Match for GARFIELD against BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion-BILLY JOYCE in AUGUST 1960!!

MAIN MASK