Fascinating article on the anniversary of Paul Lincoln's death. It brought back many memories of my early days watching wrestling, some of which will go against the pure wrestling members of this group.
It was around 1961 and I was in my third year of going to White Hart Lane to watch Spurs. Of course that third year of 1961 saw my team win the so-called impossible 'double' - the league championship and FA Cup. As a 16 year old who was just starting work, my free money was pretty much tied up with Spurs. But one afternoon on my way out of the company I worked with, I saw a wrestling poster stuck on a nearby wall. There was always a wrestling poster on that wall but none had ever caught my eye before even though I had gone with some friends 2 or 3 times in 1959/60 but could take it or leave it.
I later realised that the posters I usually saw were Dale Martin and to someone not particularly interested in wrestling and not knowing who the wrestlers were, they looked rather uninteresting. But on this one day I looked at the poster and it drew me in. What was the reason? I remember it to this day, over 60 years later. It was a Paul Lincoln promotion for Poplar Baths in East London and the top of the bill was Dr Blood v Dr Death. That in itself looked "interesting" even though I hadn't heard of either at the time. Then underneath in bold letters came the clincher - the loser MUST unmask! As I said, I wasn't really interested in wrestling yet I knew I wanted to see this and booked tickets.
I became an addict soon after that first event and went to any Paul Lincoln promotions within reach of my home by public transport. That was usually the Hackney Empire (on the stage), Poplar Baths and occasionally the shows at the Granada group (Edmonton or Tooting). I tried Dale Martin bills but in all honesty I didn't find them as exciting although 6 of us used to have the same box each month at their Royal Albert Hall promotion. I always thought that Paul Lincoln Promotions success against their much bigger opposition was because, whether the bills were better or not, they appeared to make those bills look so much more interesting and exciting.
As I became more drawn in, I realised that in reality the DM wrestlers were probably better at the sport but less colourful. Of course my view was wrong but that didn't matter because if that's how I saw it back then, that's how it was TO ME! It may be that I just didn't know what I was looking at, but I think that Paul Lincoln saw posters in a different light to Dale Martin or even later to Joint Promotions - the bill isn't just to inform, it's to draw punters in and PM did that far better than their opposition.
For those that haven't read any of my previous posts, that loser must unmask contest saw Dr Blood lose his mask and revealed Geoff Portz underneath it, although members of this group have since informed me that he wasn't the regular Dr Blood. At that time I had never heard of Geoff Portz but knew that I couldn't wait to go again and within 12 months I was cleaning 'Judo' Al Hayes MG convertible in exchange for tickets and the occasional introduction to other wrestlers. Off the subject but while I remember it (as you get older, that's something you have to do!!!), I remember being amazed when Al introduced me to Mike Marino and he sounded like a cockney. Of course, so far as I was concerned, he was billed as coming from Milan! Life was so much simpler back then!
Once again, thanks for the article...
Great Story of your First PAUL LINCOLN Wrestling Experience CALLSIGNMAG!
DOCTOR BLOOD was A Character 'Invented' by LINCOLN so as to Challenge
his DOCTOR DEATH in A MASK versus MASK Contest!!
The 'Main' BLOOD was TERRY O'NEILL Who Lost to DD in 8 Rounds in
NOVEMBER 1961 at WEST HAM BATHS!
The Promotional Genius Who was PAUL LINCOLN was 'Testing Out' the
Popularity of these Types of Masked Men Matches-and the Prototype Template
was a Handful of DEATH against BLOOD Clashes!!
Of course We All Know that this great Vehicle of A Winning Idea Culminated
in The Epic Wrestling Milestone of a Confrontation at TOOTING GRANADA
in APRIL 1962 when after a Big 12 Month 'Build-Up' DD Finally came into
Conflict with THE WHITE ANGEL in A MASK versus MASK Collision!
After 75 Minutes of Epic Wrestling in front of almost 6000 Fans-The Removal
of The ANGEL's Blood Stained Mask Revealed the Face of your Friend-
'JUDO' AL HAYES!-This One Show was an absolute Masterstroke of LINCOLN
Promoting!
The Poster/Programme and YELLOW GRANADA FLYER for DOCTOR DEATH
versus DOCTOR BLOOD is My NO: 1 Wrestling Memorabilia Want!!
Below The 2 DOCTORS in Action!!
MASKS and MEMORIES- DEATH-BLOOD and GUTS!!
MAIN MASK
the fragrant Diana Riggings had an interesting sense of humour, Dodgy Roger Moore and her used to play pranks on each other at Elstree
Some great comments and memories on here.
Callsignmag - you are right, the poster informs, but has to draw you in. One thing that wrestling posters used to do a lot, (maybe they still do), was to clearly enable anyone to understand the wrestlers role, even if you had never heard of that wrestler. If a wrestler was pictured, he was either usually smiling (the good guy), or scowling (the villain). Under the names of the wrestlers were words like "young", "lively", "popular", etc., (the good guy), and something like "terror", "scourge" for the bad guys. Occasionally, someone who was not an out-and-out villain, but could bend the rules slightly, would be "all action", "never takes a backward step", "as tough as they come".
Boxing posters were much simpler, no one smiling, everyone looking serious.
Poolstead - lovely quote from the lovely Diana Rigg about the audience "wanting to believe", that was what wrestling was based on. If you looked too closely, with a critical eye, the whole thing fell apart. You had to believe that, rather than try and get back to their feet, the wrestler would lie in the same position, on the mat, to set up the winning move. You had to believe that if someone grabbed your arm and pulled you, you would go flying into the opposite corner at high speed.
Grahambrookjazz - seeing Diana Rigg naked!, let's leave it there!
I was fortunate to see Diana Rigg naked in the early seventies when she appeared alongside Michael Horden (who remained fully clothed)in Tom Stoppard's "Jumpers" at The National. Almost a year before she died, she did a Sunday night fundraiser for theatrical charities at The Jermyn Theatre in said street just off Piccadilly. The show was called "No Turn Unstoned" and focused upon bad theatrical reviews through the ages. The first half was a set lecture but she returned after the interval to do a Q and A where she referred to her nudity at The National and asked if anyone had seen her some forty-five years earlier. I was the only one in the audience who had (or, at least, was prepared to raise my hand and admit to it).
One anecdote I recall involved the late Dame Sybil Thorndike who was rehearsing a Greek tragedy and the director informed her that when the curtains opened she would be centre stage mounting a plinth. Supposedly Dame Sybil replied, "Yeth, but will it be Charles or Philip?"
Can I say how much I enjoyed just reading your comments on Paul Lincoln bills and how true it seems to me. The actress DIANA RIGG sadly died a short time ago you may remember her as Emma Peel in her leather cat suit outfits in the AVENGERS she was the object of many young lads fantasies and their fathers in the sixties. Anyway, she was being interviewed quite snottily by some BBC guy who as asking her how could she expect to convince a live audience that she was a murderer in some play. Her answer was brilliant this is what she said.....WELL THATS MY JOB, TO SELL IT TO THE AUDIENCE, AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHEN AN AUDIENCE COMES TO SEE YOU IN A PLAY THEY WANT TO BELIEVE SO YOUR HALF WAY THERE ...THE REST IS UP TO YOU. And is wrestling any different? and obviously Paul Lincoln understood this and really sold on his posters!