Red Staranoff was my father, John (Jack) Tulley, born in Oldham Lancs Feb 1900 ish, and died 1986. He was a boxer first and then moved to wrestling, and picked the name Red Staranoff. He stopped wrestling around 1960, and became a London taxidriver.
Thanks - great background I didnt know on my Dad. His birthday was Feb 4 1909. My sister and I used to have a poster which was a schedule of wrestling matches with him as Red Staranoff.
Looks like he came back to wrestling after a break , including of course the War, he would have been maybe 40 plus on his return which explains a short looking career, I even wonder if he wrestled under any other names as I only find Tulley once thus far, he certainly wrestled some of the best and something maybe took him south , work I assume. As a Russian he gets big billing here , not support cast.
Below a mention that he wrestled at The Royal Albert Hall and that he was on a bill with TV Legend Les Kellet
And talking of Legends , below he battles Heritage Favourites Alan Garfield and Count Bartelli.
If he first appeared in UK as a bill-topper in 1950, he must have had appreciable experience elsewhere in the forties. I wonder where? And under what name?
I also found this from the letters section from the Sutton and Croydon Guardian in June 2007
I am now 75 and I used to queue up to go into the Palais, and used to rush to the front of the band to hear the drummer go mad' on the drums.
I think that was Cyril Stapleton.
I also used to go every Thursday night to watch wrestling - Mike Marino/Red Staranoff /Tony Marcini. I can't remember some of the others as it was a long time ago.Memories eh? Can't beat 'em and I know my age group had the best years, even though I can remember the start of the war and being evacuated twice.PADDIE RALSTON Glebe Square Mitcham
So he stood out for somebody whether it was the name or the wrestler himself.
found this on cagematch website Leeds 16/03/1953 sorry doesn't mention the venue
Singles MatchMike Dimitre defeats Red StaranoffSingles MatchNorman Walsh defeats Danny O'MalleySingles MatchLes Kellett defeats Geoff PortzSingles MatchButcher Johnson defeats Ray Hunter
All the more so in the fifties, Kwango from Wango etc. Those promoters really went in for nostalgia. With no or little film they felt sure they could get away with whatever they wanted.
So it's clear that:
- the internet is wildly inaccurate about our three Russian names.
- Red Staranoff was a stalwart of British rings for four years - and we know nothing more about him.
I think it came from an old Oakeley programme. By the pixelation I suspect it was one I found online, and not one I had photographed or scanned in.
What make things tricky as all these names were borrowed/inspired by promoters who had good memories:
e.g. Stanislaus Borienko - Yuri Borienko
In the 30's there was a Count Zarynoff/George Zarynoff in the USA. There was also an Ivan Zarynoff in the UK at the same time.
Zarynoff being a name that promoters remember then reuse. Zarynoff, Staranoff, Zaranoff. I'm not even sure Staranoff is a Russian name. I agree the photo looks like an old timer and most likely not even a Russian.
When I posted those photos of The Ghoul/Bomber Bates that hadn't been seen here before, Josef Zaranoff was among them. He had hair and it was implied that he had trained with Sean O'Shea to begin his career. I'll try and find that photo again.
I don't recall seeing any reliable source linking Staranoff with anyone, though there are the Wiki links. I did remember Ray linking a name so have just looked at his lists.
Ray lists around 70 matches for Staranoff between 7th November 1950 to January 1954. Against one of them, in July 1953 there is another name in brackets.......
.Wait for it ....
Red Staranoff(Zaranoff)
Now that proves nothing as we don't know Ray's source. But the cat has just entered the ring with the proverbial pigeons.
If Ray's source is right, though, I do wonder if this was a one-off. Seems peculiar to just name him on one out of 70 bills.
Looking at that photo my guess is that there was a genuine, original Staranoff even if the name was copied.
Red Staranoff was my father, John (Jack) Tulley, born in Oldham Lancs Feb 1900 ish, and died 1986. He was a boxer first and then moved to wrestling, and picked the name Red Staranoff. He stopped wrestling around 1960, and became a London taxidriver.
If he first appeared in UK as a bill-topper in 1950, he must have had appreciable experience elsewhere in the forties. I wonder where? And under what name?
Another colourful moment and maybe the earliest showing of Staranoff that we have.
No idea if a very early Jimmy Thomson could have been Jack Cassidy or maybe the reason Jack did not use his real name.
Sounds like he was an entertaining character.
I also found this from the letters section from the Sutton and Croydon Guardian in June 2007
I am now 75 and I used to queue up to go into the Palais, and used to rush to the front of the band to hear the drummer go mad' on the drums.
I think that was Cyril Stapleton.
I also used to go every Thursday night to watch wrestling - Mike Marino/Red Staranoff /Tony Marcini. I can't remember some of the others as it was a long time ago. Memories eh? Can't beat 'em and I know my age group had the best years, even though I can remember the start of the war and being evacuated twice. PADDIE RALSTON Glebe Square Mitcham
So he stood out for somebody whether it was the name or the wrestler himself.
found this on cagematch website Leeds 16/03/1953 sorry doesn't mention the venue
Singles Match Mike Dimitre defeats Red Staranoff Singles Match Norman Walsh defeats Danny O'Malley Singles Match Les Kellett defeats Geoff Portz Singles Match Butcher Johnson defeats Ray Hunter
Here's Mr. BLACK Pantaloons Venturing As Far NORTH As MADELEY STREET
BATHS in HULL!!- RED STARANOFF- Here Spelled with Two 'R's!!-Wrestling
This Time for RELWYSKOW!!!- OCTOBER 1952!!
MAIN MASK
Superb find again, The Ost.
One of the most vivid descriptions of a wrestler's show; with the result that we finally end up knowing precisely how Red Staranoff worked.
This description matches the photo from the Oakeley programmes:
(Marino won by KO)
Only reference to a Staranoff outside of the 1950-54 time period in Ray's files is this:
JAN 18 1937:
CHESTERFIELD;Orloff v Harry Smith;Nat Rabin v Tommy Morron;Staranoff v Little Hackendsmidt
however, the actual newspapers don't give Staranoff but two other names:
Any thoughts on whether this fella could be the same as Ost's Red Staranoff?
All the more so in the fifties, Kwango from Wango etc. Those promoters really went in for nostalgia. With no or little film they felt sure they could get away with whatever they wanted.
So it's clear that:
- the internet is wildly inaccurate about our three Russian names.
- Red Staranoff was a stalwart of British rings for four years - and we know nothing more about him.
I think it came from an old Oakeley programme. By the pixelation I suspect it was one I found online, and not one I had photographed or scanned in.
What make things tricky as all these names were borrowed/inspired by promoters who had good memories:
e.g. Stanislaus Borienko - Yuri Borienko
In the 30's there was a Count Zarynoff/George Zarynoff in the USA. There was also an Ivan Zarynoff in the UK at the same time.
Zarynoff being a name that promoters remember then reuse. Zarynoff, Staranoff, Zaranoff. I'm not even sure Staranoff is a Russian name. I agree the photo looks like an old timer and most likely not even a Russian.
Very resourceful, dear The Ost.
That's definitely Ivan Josef Zaranoff far right.
And I would say certainly not the man in your second picture. May I ask the source of that second picture? It may yield more clues.
When I posted those photos of The Ghoul/Bomber Bates that hadn't been seen here before, Josef Zaranoff was among them. He had hair and it was implied that he had trained with Sean O'Shea to begin his career. I'll try and find that photo again.
Here's his pic again:
I had assumed Staranoff was Joe Zaranoff. But for all the various reasons we have explored this week, I believe I was wrong.
Ray may have made the same assumption. Great minds, and all that ☺
Looks like Zaranoff partly copied Staranoff's name when he started.
Staranoff seems to be an old timer. Those tights without leotard . Very thirties and forties.
I don't recall seeing any reliable source linking Staranoff with anyone, though there are the Wiki links. I did remember Ray linking a name so have just looked at his lists.
Ray lists around 70 matches for Staranoff between 7th November 1950 to January 1954. Against one of them, in July 1953 there is another name in brackets.......
.Wait for it ....
Red Staranoff(Zaranoff)
Now that proves nothing as we don't know Ray's source. But the cat has just entered the ring with the proverbial pigeons.
If Ray's source is right, though, I do wonder if this was a one-off. Seems peculiar to just name him on one out of 70 bills.
Looking at that photo my guess is that there was a genuine, original Staranoff even if the name was copied.
But, who knows?
First bill out of my collection 1951 and the last 1953. Wonder if Bernard remembers seeing him at Newcastle