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PAUL LINCOLN's TOOTING SPECTACULARS!!

in Memories of the Old Days

That Master of Promotional Publicity-PAUL LINCOLN-was Years ahead of his Time and

his Promotional Vehicle/Machine was frankly Pretty Awesome!

Within LONDON Especially-He Staged Extravagant Spectaculars at Venues on the

GRANADA LEISURE Circuit-which often proved to be 'Sell-Outs'!!

Probably the 'Jewel in the Crown' of these was GRANADA TOOTING-The scene of

DOCTOR DEATH's Epic Triumph over THE WHITE ANGEL on 4TH MAY 1962!!

So now I Share a Glimpse into these Fabulous Shows-starting with the 8TH TOOTING

Spectacular on WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 1965!....

The Programmes for these were quite Lavish Booklets!!....

MAIN MASK

15 comments

15 Comments

Hack

Mar 05, 2020

Magnificent Main Mask, with a bit of help from Paul Lincoln. The bill for the first programme, the 17th February, is featured in the Pictorial History of Wrestling book. That's was the first (and last) time I came across Carl Lindenberg.

We have a Ray Stevens in the A-Z but he's not the same as the Ray Stevens on the Lincoln bills. We asked him.

Colin McDonald, wrestling Saint, was a good friend of Johnny's. Not only was he Johnny's first professional opponent Johnny says it was Colin McDonald that suggested the name Johnny Saint.

leonard.frank1

Mar 03, 2020

Until a couple of months ago when I moved out of London I lived just around the corner from The Granada in Tooting. It’s now the saddest place you’ll ever see where the steps at the front are littered with homeless people huddled up in dirty blankets trying to keep warm. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

James Morton

Mar 03, 2020

Replying to

I remember when Lady Chatterley's Lover came out after an Old Bailey trial Ponsonby either got the sack or changed his name and title because for a time it was Lord Bertie and his gamekeeper Mellors

grahambrookjazz

Mar 04, 2020

Replying to

I don't recall Ponsonby being replaced by Mellors but I do recall Lord Bertie Topham versus Monty Swann at The Houldsworth Hall, Deansgate, Manchester. The referee called for the bell when a member of the audience, so infuriated by the tactics of Bertie and his valet, jumped into the ring and attacked them both. Of course it was pre-arranged with the "audience member" being Orig Williams who challenged Bertie. When the encounter occurred, Bertie was accompanied by a female valet. I don't know who she was (rumour was that she was one of the strippers he employed as his main business at the time was running a strippers agency) but she was certainly game and did an excellent job. It gave the bout an added dimension and remains the best Bertie bout that I witnessed,

grahambrookjazz

Mar 03, 2020

I have very vague memories of Robert Duranton and Firmin featuring in a Saturday afternoon bout on ITV which ended in utter chaos with chairs being thrown into the ring. I've never kept any records but those who have may have information regarding year, venue or Duranton's opponent. The nearest to it that I have seen live would be the bouts I attended and later promoted featuring Lord Bertie Topham and Ponsonby.

Incidentally, I was in London some years ago and was trying to get to Tooting. I said to one bus driver, "Is this the Tooting bus?" but he said, "No, it just goes bib bib, bib bib." I had similar problems in Liverpool whilst trying to get a bus to Speke.